Opening Up
Lois Darbonne

Opening Up

For the last 14 months we’ve all been playing a pretty intense game of “keep away” from others. Physical distancing, face masks, working from home, social bubbles, Zoom meetings, and live streaming have all meant that we’ve had limited personal contact -- sometimes even with people we have close relationships with, and certainly with neighbors, acquaintances, and particularly strangers. (For those of us who are introverts, this, perhaps, hasn’t been all bad.) :) Read more...
Politics and Religion: What Happened in Conversation with “Cookie”
Walk the Way

Politics and Religion: What Happened in Conversation with “Cookie”

The first time I met “Cookie” at our coffee shop, he asked me if I was a famous violinist, which made me erupt with laughter—I am not musically talented! Over time, I had many other “chance” encounters with Cookie. Our talks were always brief and light.

Then one day in the coffee shop, Cookie sat down right at my table, which wasn’t typical. He started ranting about politics and religious people. Read more...

Love Your Neighbor
Walk the Way

Love Your Neighbor

In Dave Runyon’s book The Art of Neighboring, Runyon writes about his journey as a pastor and how that journey led him to his town’s city hall and a meeting with the mayor and the city manager. Neither were Christians. When Runyon asked them what area churches could do to help the city, their answer was Read more...