Very early on, I believed. These memories are faint, but I still remember praying aloud every Sunday for a parking spot, at my mom’s request, while my mom drove us around the cramped alleyways of Taipei. I asked God for help whenever I lost something, which I often did. I prayed with my mom before … Continue reading “Unravelings”
Athens doesn’t have skyscrapers. Due to strict zoning laws that prevent any building from obstructing the view of the Acropolis, the city simultaneously feels both incredibly open and claustrophobic. There are no buildings looming over you, so you can see plenty of sky, but at the same time, that means all the buildings and sidewalks … Continue reading “Kingdom Ruins”
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” – 1 Corinthians 13:11. When I was a child, my parents taught me two moral maxims: “Try your best,” and “Treat others the way you … Continue reading “As a Child”
When I first sat down to read And So I Walked: Reflections on Chance, Choice, and the Camino de Santiago, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d never heard of the Camino de Santiago before, and didn’t consider myself to be a memoir type of girl. “Just try the first chapter,” I told myself. I’d … Continue reading “And So I Walked”
I. “All you who labor and are heavy laden… Misunderstood–again. Heart trampled, Torn to pieces. You throw your head back. A nasally laugh squeezes past the roof of your mouth before you bite down hard. Clenched teeth, sharp inhale. You hold your breath. Silence as you sit across from her. The table, a chasm … Continue reading “Laden”
If you’ve ever watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame, you’re probably familiar with the concept of sanctuary. If you haven’t, allow me to set the scene for you. Near the end of the movie, we find Quasimodo, the titular character, chained atop the Cathedral of Notre Dame. He is crying out for Esmeralda, his gypsy … Continue reading “Sanctuary: The Manifest Kingdom”
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it” — Phil. 1:6(a). the bible, our definitive epic. infinite source, muse for all humanity. studied, celebrated, repudiated, loved, hated. the hero’s journey from manger to messiah. story that made history, told throughout the centuries. all … Continue reading “Maranatha, Tetelestai: An Encounter”
The struggle of life is rough, and waiting for better things can hurt like hell. We pray for better times without knowing when they will come or if they will come. But love redeems the struggle. Love gives us patience when we are tired of waiting. Love gives us hope when … Continue reading “Unending Love by Joshua Hewson”
When I went to summer camp before the fifth grade, I experienced intense homesickness and overwhelming anxiety. To comfort me, my parents wrote me frequent letters. My favorite letters were two my father sent me containing long excerpts from two chapters of The Lord of the Rings: “The Choices of Master Samwise” and “The Tower … Continue reading “Humanity’s Homesickness”
In the land of manna, you experienced healing through reflections of street lights in rain puddles the sale bin at Brandy Melville broken train lines & kind faces You rode a moving staircase that emerged above ground under a tree canopy In the land of manna, you felt beautiful for the first time … Continue reading “Above Ground”