On Wednesday April 8th, my Father-in-Law Norman Platnick died. He had been in the hospital for 1.5 weeks following a nasty fall down the stairs and severe head trauma and stroke. My husband Will and I were not allowed to visit him in the hospital here in Philadelphia due to
Note: This is a guest post written by Sean Ewbank, Director for Evangelical Mission/Assistant to the Bishop in the Southeast Michigan Synod, ELCA. “You have a unique opportunity to begin again.” Those words were spoken to me by my dear friend as we stood in front of the smoking ruin
Hi! My name is Becca, and I’m an online shopping addict. It began when I got sick back in 2015 after the death of our son, and no one could figure out what was wrong with me for years. I sat on the couch feeling horrible (physically, emotionally, and spiritually).
“New year, new you.” This phrase is pretty much everywhere when a new year rolls around. The beginning of a new year seems like a natural time to start fresh and make some beneficial changes in our lives. Yet 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail. We assume that it being
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has become a classic Christmastime tradition. Whether we watch one of the many film adaptations, the stage play, or read the original written story, it has stood the test of time and continues to be a tradition every year. It’s a story that has ingrained
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to
A few years ago, a pastor colleague of mine mentioned to me an interesting conversation he had recently with a church member. This church member asked him if he had any siblings. He responded, briefly describing the birth order of each of his multiple siblings. The church member then asked
More is Better…? A few years ago, there was a TV commercial for AT&T that made the rounds. It featured an executive in a suit sitting on the floor in a circle with a bunch of young kids. He asks the kids, “Who thinks more is better than less?” All
There is no doubt that the use of smart phones, the internet, and social media have helped us connect with one another and made information accessible to more people than ever before. Thanks to our phones and social media, we can see what our friends from across the country or
Over the last few blog posts, we have discussed how living as a Christian minimalist is counter-cultural. Our theme verse has been: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is