How fragile is my relationship with God? Today I was reading about plants. I typed into Google, “What happens to a 40-year-old plant?” I thought that if I could understand how plants grow, maybe I could understand something about my own spiritual state of existence. After all, are humans not living things? Are we not, […]
“The sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord.” The purpose of the semicolon here is to hold together both the cause and the judgment.The cause: they did not know God.The judgment: they were worthless men. These two ideas are closely linked. Our relationship with the Lord determines much about who […]
So much is happening in Hannah’s song. It is more than simple gratitude for God giving her a child. In fact, we see no direct mention of, “the child.” Instead, we see the language consistent with victory—victory over her enemy, over her hardship. Peninnah’s name is often understood to relate to “face” or “pearl,” and […]
“The Lord had closed Hannah’s womb.” Her barrenness was not accidental. Year after year she was provoked by Peninnah, her rival. She wept. She would not eat. She was deeply distressed and bitter in soul. How many times have I been warned about bitterness taking root in my heart — only to sink deeper into […]
In middle school, I was assigned to write a short story. I must have mentioned it to my dad. I remember him leading me into his bedroom — the room that was always locked, always shut. It felt forbidden. There was a bathroom no one was allowed to use, a secret closet with, a door […]
My Faith Place 