–By Donald Hanna Last month, after years of fighting colon cancer, my father-in-law, Dean, passed away. As my family journeyed with him through his last days, I was struck along the way at the lessons this journey carried for us, and the growing that we did together in the process. Walking with him as he … Continue reading
by Dena Douglas Hobbs Scripture passage: Luke 10:1-3 “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to … Continue reading
~by Christine Gough After a rough parenting day, one which involved three instances of difficult transitions with my 5 ½ year old, I typed a text message to a few girlfriends through tears. It has been the first week of summer vacation and as a teacher, the days have been filled with writing report cards, … Continue reading
–By Matt Clingan I’m not a usual writer for Practicing Families, so writing something takes on a bit of anxiety. I’m not exactly sure how to do this. So this is the fourth essay I have written. The first was way too personal. The second was obscure and off topic. The third was a rant … Continue reading
by Lynace Pabst Veit Scripture: Galatians 5:1, 13-25 This week’s reading is the familiar story from the book of Galatians about the Fruit of the Spirit. I suggest using the version from the Shine On story bible to read as a family. Paul wrote to the people of Galatia: My brothers and sisters, God wants … Continue reading
by Jennifer Mills-Knutsen Last week, a troubled man felt that the world had gone so awry that the righteous course of action was the slaughter of 49 LGBTQ people at a nightclub. One year ago this week, another troubled man felt such deep hatred for African Americans that he entered a church during Bible Study … Continue reading
*This piece is by Joanna Harader and is re-posted from her blog, Spacious Faith. I struggle to know how to respond in the wake of the shooting at Pulse Nightclub. Fifty dead. Over forty hospitalized. Hundreds traumatized. Guns, again. A tragedy followed by anti-Muslim rhetoric, again. Beautiful queer bodies targeted for violence, again. I feel … Continue reading
~ by Lee Hull Moses Around here, summer officially starts today, when school finally lets out. We will celebrate with a trip to our favorite ice cream place. I love summer, and fully plan to enjoy every minute of this one. As we’ve been making plans for the next couple of months, I found myself … Continue reading
–This post is by Joy Freeman, and was originally posted on her blog, Chaplainhood. One of the pastimes in our family is Martial Arts, multiple martial arts. We all do Tae Kwon Do, also Hap Ki Do for my husband, and Tai Chi for my husband and me. We have lots of years of experience … Continue reading
~by Jill Clingan “Moments” There are moments that cry out to be fulfilled. Like, telling someone you love them. Or giving your money away, all of it. Your heart is beating, isn’t it? You’re not in chains, are you? There is nothing more pathetic than caution when headlong might save a life, even, possibly, your … Continue reading
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