Featured Articles
Todo Es Sanctus: Every Moment Holy
Total dependence on others for my daily care stripped away ego and any sense of agency. I was immobile, unable to have a shower or bowel movement without being lifted out of bed in an electric harness and into a mobile wheelchair. Young and usually female attendants attended me in my vulnerable state. And here I’ve encountered another unexpected consolation: discovery of a deeper level of dignity by receiving their quiet compassion. The process of shedding my illusory dignity became its own spiritual path. The generosity, servant hearts, and compassion of my nurse aides was humbling.
Featured Articles
Brooding Upon the Waters
The God of Grampa’s living room was dour—though, to be fair, the light that poured in through the picture window—that illuminated the whole scene—had a name, “grace.” You just didn’t know exactly what to do with that grace. It never quite translated into unrestrained joy for Grampa, and certainly never into any kind of bacchanal: at Grampa’s birthday, when we gave him a bottle of Mogen David or King Solomon wine, he closed the curtains before he partook. Then, in a surprising move, he poured everyone a small glass, even us kids.
“Candide” and the Car Wash
I suppose many attitudes surround people’s work. I can truly say that I enjoyed almost all the jobs I had. Even “humping” freight on the
Meeting Big Brother at the ICE Office
Not long ago, I was part of a group from our church that accompanied Javier to the local office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
A Father’s Library, a Professor’s Virtue, and Sanctification
I was raised with a freedom to ask questions about my faith. I didn’t have the sort of fundamentalist baggage that I now discover many
The Difference Between a Time and a Season
While I grieved for the broken relationship between church and pastor, I was also excited about this opportunity for myself. After the initial three weeks
This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen
I remember vividly the day my death-denying illusions were shattered—it happened when I was a senior in high school. A friend had driven home from
Wonder and World-Mending: The Relevance of Denise Levertov to Our Present Darkness
“O Taste and See” was written two decades before Levertov would explicitly identify as a Christian, yet she already intuited that focusing on this world
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
Good Inside
Assume the best in ourselves and in others and get curious. Aim to connect rather than convince!
Feudal and Futile: On Creeds and Confessions II
The Reformed Standards insist on boundaries, divisions, and internal uniformity while we yearn for bridges, unity, and internal diversity.
The Surprise of Light
I crawled under the plastic branches to discover I had rotated the tree so enthusiastically that I’d pulled the light cord taut enough to rip
All is Not Fair in Love and War
I often rode Navy frigates along the Pacific coast of Central America that fell under Coast Guard authority for counter-drug operations.
I wonder what Jesus I need to come right now?
It was around 1980 that Trisha Zinger and I starred in what had to have been the best children’s Christmas program of all time. While
We Are Still Here, Inside the Longest Night
Winter asks us to pause. Grief forces us to.
As if birth were not risky
We tell the story sentimentally. And, sentimentally, we call you Prince of Peace. Sentimentally—even though you were born to a world that crucified you and
Nicholas: Saint for this Season (and all the time)
For seventeen centuries St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Saint in Bari, has inspired people by his faith and generosity. Nicholas grew up during the late
Reviews
Reconciliation Ecology: Reconsidering Restoration
The problem with restoration ecology is that, although populated with dedicated researchers and practitioners, it struggles to make its case in the broader North American
Growing Up In the Crevice
It felt like a betrayal of Christianity to have an “inkling that there could be more than one pathway to the Infinite.”
The Task of Forgiveness and Redemption
Confession is for humans. It’s a human practice to help us deal with
the shame. Confession’s not for God’s sake.
You Really Can
Ayers draws upon a vast knowledge of other great Christian thinkers; on art and music and literature, and what I can only imagine are a
Standing Closer to Suffering: A review of Everything is Tuberculosis
A tuberculosis outbreak began in the Kansas City, KS area in January of last year (2024). The outbreak is ongoing, with seventy confirmed active cases
Communion is Everything
I have been waiting for this book for more than twenty years. You see, when I first read Mark Gornik’s 2002 book To Live in
Joyful Companions for These Dark Times
by Angela Carpenter John Hendrix’s The Mythmakers defies simple explanation. On one level, it is the true story of a friendship and a testament to
Poetry
Dwell
In the future we will live in pods of reclaimed wood and very white bed-linens …
Passing the Peace
On good weeks it happens twice. Once on Sunday morning, sunlit sanctuary …
Bearing Witness
ICE arrested someone on my block. Walking my dog, I saw the witness first …
Be opened
to the absence of your own voice filling your inner silence …
A Famine of Words
It says right there in Amos chapter eight: “The time is surely coming,” syas the Lord …
After Denise Levertov’s Essays
My mind stops, one foot in the air …
Podcasts
“Dwell” by Hannah Notess
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Hannah Faith Notess about her poem “Dwell.” Hannah is a poet
“Be Opened” by Deb Baker
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Deb Baker about her poem “Be Opened.” Deb lives in New
“A Famine of Words” by Steven Peterson
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviewed Steven Peterson about his poem “A Famine of Words.” Steven is
“After Denise Levertov’s Essays” by Caroline J. Simon
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Caroline J. Simon, PhD, about her poem “After Denise Levertov’s Essays.”
“On Absolution” by Lila Tindall
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Lila Robinett Tindall about her poem “On Absolution.” Lila is
“Grafting Apple Shoots” by Betsy Howard
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Betsy Howard about her poem “Grafting Apple Shoots.” Betsy serves