Pentecost Sunday was never really on the radar at my little Baptist church. Turns out we were missing our own birthday!

The doctrine of the resurrection of the body has never come naturally to me. Here’s how Brother Ely, Sister Rosetta, Johnny Cash, and my mama helped me begin to embrace the promise.

If we hear Jesus’s anguished cry from the cross (“My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”) but we don’t notice that He was quoting Psalm 22 … we may be missing the most important point.

Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is think of a truth and embody it rather than say it. When we long to tell a hurting friend that she’s not alone, we can simply sit with her as a tangible reminder that she isn’t …

I had no idea what the proper liturgical response should be. Thanks be to God? And also with you? Amen? What does one say to the proclamation that one is dust?

What might change if we became known more for our listening than our speaking – more for our curiosity than our didacticism?

She swallowed hard and asked, “Is there any chance we’re going to eventually find out some terrible secret about one of the leaders in this program?”

A round-up of great deals from some of my favourite indie artists!

I’ve long-loved this simple but beautiful Advent prayer.

An excerpt from my recent podcast conversation with Karen Pascal, executive director of the Henri Nouwen Society.

Break 2 heads of cauliflower into florets. Enjoy that “florets” is actually a word. Imagine a backup band named “The Florets.” Return to the task at hand …

Do I live an empowered life?

That was the question that seized me one recent morning as I taught at a retreat centre.

What business do I have writing songs when there is practical work that needs doing? Do the arts matter? Are they expendables or essentials?

What if, to tell a story honestly, unsavoury or downright evil behaviours must be portrayed? I propose three questions to ask of the art we receive and create.

I tried so hard to fight my tears when I lost my mom. I had to learn that it was my honour to cry for her.

Why my mom refused to see movies with sad endings. (And what she knew about resilience before resilience was a buzzword.)

When my dad struck an unexpected deal in the sale of the family Impala, I got a glimpse of what it means for the meek to inherit the earth.

A Larry Norman cover, and a story about the time he stayed at our house and hung out with my mom.