A reflection on the gift of Tim Keller’s life, written on the day of his death

If the fasting of Lent is meant to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, then the feasting of Eastertide is meant to prepare us for life in the new creation where we will experience the fullness of the never-ending abundance and joy of God’s presence.

I’ve been anticipating this particular birthday since I was 6 years old. It’s not quite what 6-year-old me expected.

At its core, materialism is a soul-cry for belonging. It’s a symptom of a good, God-given desire of our hearts that hasn’t found its fulfillment in Jesus. Sin always seems to work this way. | Lent 2023

God’s power isn’t all seas parting in a matter of hours and death angels passing over in a night. Sometimes it’s forty years of daily manna in the desert. | Lent 2023

In Christ, we have a Companion who has plumbed the depths of disappointment, who can say to our raw hearts, “My child, I know.” | Lent 2023

Are we reaching for the peace of God or the God of Peace? | Lent 2023

A few books and practices that help me enter into this season of preparation with gentleness and an unhurried look at Jesus.

In God’s mercy, some things, even with their inherent imperfections and difficulties, really are as truly good as they seem, as wonderful as you hope they’ll be.

What if God not only loves me, but also likes me? I am learning to receive and trust in his delight in me.

I’ve found that the practice that has done the most to cultivate a heart of gratitude to God is not a mental list of things to be thankful for, but a physical posture that allows me to reach for God, right in the moment.

My season of life is full and busy, and reading has continued to be joyful, restful, beautiful, enriching, and absolutely necessary. 

Will stress be part of the picture over the next few weeks, even in our most anticipated moments and dearest traditions? Oh, for sure. But it doesn’t tell the whole story. I can also let it be fun.

Tomorrow marks the start of the Christian New Year. But this new year comes in not with a bang, but with a groan. Not with goal setting and a good decluttering, but with deep longing.

Our participation in the electoral process forms us and trains us. Into whose image and toward what vision of goodness—well, that all depends.

I think the closest thing to a full-blown Wild West shootout we have today are the volley of shots fired from Christian parenting-focused social media accounts. What is going on under the surface, and where do we need God’s healing and a better story?

The hilarious story of how my son lost his tooth during communion, and welcoming our children as the Church of today, not the Church of the future.

May you find yourself in a “thin place” between heaven and earth, where the goodness and peace and delight of the new creation isn’t that hard to imagine.

A prayer for my little girl on National Daughters Day

A phrase I hadn’t noticed before in the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8 reminded me of the deep goodness and gifts of growing older.