Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baka,

they make it a place of springs;

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:1-3

In recently reflecting upon Psalm 23, I realized something I’d never considered before. Though David was writing from his heart about all that God was to him, his words transcend his specific context and foreshadow what was yet to come. Every verse in this psalm speaks to the Kingdom of Heaven that has come through Jesus Christ and will be completed upon His return.

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious

I’ve heard of a Space called

Liminal,

between what was

and what will be.

Filled with

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens....” Ecclesiastes 3:1

This has been a long, hard winter. While my little corner of the world has not seen massive storms, we have been inundated with consistent snow, bitter cold, ice, wind, and mostly gray days for many weeks now. The snow has accumulated ever so

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” ~ Jesus (Matthew 11:28-40 MSG)

I am the stranger. I am the slave. I am the surrogate wife. I am the refugee. I am the immigrant. I am the outcast. I am the other.

You know me but perhaps you do not understand me. I am the biblical non-Hebrew matriarch. I am the mother of Abraham’s first son, but not included among “God’s chosen people.”

And yet, my story continues.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.” Isaiah 58:12 NRSV

Whenever I read this Isaiah passage about the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets to live in, interestingly what

When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. … those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered

I want to tell you about my miracle.I grew up in a city called Jericho. I belonged to a people who had no regard for God, and from an early age I was taught to live for myself—simply for whatever I thought I desired. The problem was… life was really hard, and women in my day were not considered to be of much value. To make a long story short, in an attempt to support my family as best I could, I found myself as a