Time Traveling Emotions By Beth Demme Are you a time traveler? No? Are you sure? Hear me out, because the truth is you might be. Or at least, you might be living like one. I’ve never been good at science (especially the mathy parts) so I have no idea how actual time travel would work, even in theory, but I …
Our Eroded Places Don’t Have to Remain Empty
By Beth Demme In the course of a lifetime, we all endure moments that range from unpleasant to dangerous to downright destructive. Sometimes those hard experiences get submerged deep inside our hearts. Like a small stream running through limestone, they cause erosion at such a slow rate we don’t even see it happening. Then one day, the erosion becomes a …
The Problem With Father’s Day
By Beth Demme As we approach Father’s Day this year I’m in the midst of an emotional quandary, pulled between grief and celebration. It’s already been 16 months since my father passed away, but it seems like we were chatting and laughing together yesterday. His absence from my life is palpable and bottomless. In these months, nearly a dozen of …
God Is Big Enough For Our Disagreements
I tried. Honestly, I tried. I joined a Facebook group based on a version of Christian theology I knew I didn’t entirely agree with. I hoped to learn something by observing the conversation. Disagreement doesn’t scare me; I’m comfortable admitting there is a lot I don’t know. Plus, I try not to insulate myself with only like-minded people. I want …
Why The Disciples Were Disappointed at Easter
I love Easter! I bounce into Spring, happy the dreary days of Lent are over. I look forward to Easter Sunday, with full pews, pretty dresses, and our family’s annual Easter party. I like Easter because I like happy endings. I love that the Easter story ends with Jesus triumphantly defeating death. Way to go, God! But this year I …
Spring Clean Your Attitude in 3 Steps
I was standing in my closet the other day, contemplating how badly it needs to be cleaned out. Standing there and thinking wasn’t as productive as actually cleaning it out, but —to be honest— I still felt like I accomplished something. Standing there, I came face to face with reality. My closet is crowded with stuff I don’t need. There …
I’m Normal AND I Read the Bible
Every once in a while, a bumper sticker catches me by surprise. About a year ago, the truck you see in the picture was in front of me at the gas station. I don’t know how you feel about these bumper stickers, but they make me sad.
It Sounds Like A Bad Joke
An orthopedic surgeon, a psychologist, a high-end interior designer, and a lawyer walk into a factory. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but actually it was just my Tuesday.
The One Key to Unlocking Happiness in Marriage
I was nineteen years old when he proposed and this week we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. We’ve been married long enough that if you were born around the time of our wedding, you’re now in college. In other words, we’ve been married a lifetime. And yet, it feels like we are still at the beginning.
Valleys Lead to Mountaintops
Lately I’ve been asking myself, “What is my life communicating?” After all, we are each writing our own life story day by day. Guess what? Storytelling can be hard. When I was in high school, our 10th-grade English teacher, Ms. Albritton, taught us about something called “The Tilley Plot Scheme.” This is the front of Professor Tilley’s book and it …