Similar Posts
The Kingdom of Heaven… on Earth?
ByEmilyWhen you hear the word “heaven,” what comes to mind? It seems in today’s culture we have created a general association with dazzling light above the clouds, perhaps with a stairway leading to it, a gate at its entrance, and/or some angels playing harps. While some of these ideas are based on biblical references…

Spring Always Follows Winter
ByEmilyIn much of the northern hemisphere, spring has arrived. The seasonal change is certainly evident here in the Middle East. Last month, when we took a picnic up to a lone tree on a hill, its March branches were still barren. It was that week that we celebrated “Nawruz,” the “new year celebration” that coincided…
When Things Go Wrong
ByEmilyThe steep road was the kind where those who get car sick (me) have to avoid looking out the window. We were not quite sure of our exact destination (attempts to contact a local pastor had not yet been successful) as we headed up a mountain in the center of the island of Puerto Rico,…

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
ByEmilyI just read in the news that between 1990 and 2014 the percentage of people going hungry in this world has dropped from 18.7% of the total population to 11.3%. An incredible global effort has been reaching out to those who hunger and thirst, because of the fundamental nature of these needs. While this pattern…
- Freedom | Kingdom of Heaven | Love | Prayer | The Beatitudes
Blessed are the Peacemakers: 3 Places to Encounter Shalom
ByEmilyWhen I look at the news headlines, I almost always see accounts of discord and power struggles, which catch our attention because of our aversion to pain and conflict. The global history of wars speaks of the human tendency to seek power, yet there remains a deep desire to live in a place of peace….

Sickness, Grace, and Healing: 20 Years of Experience
ByEmilyI recently came across some old films from two decades ago. These are not pictures of my family making memories or reminders of my youth. They are images of my brain, MRI films from an era when hard copies were mounted on a lit background for evaluation. 2002 was the first time I got an…



