December 21, 2017

Rejoice, Rejoice

This the week of joy in the midst of longing. A feast in the middle of mourning. A contradiction and a command.

Have you ever read The Chronicles of Narnia? Remember how often we find the Narnians eating, drinking, dancing, laughing, and generally making merry? Usually the way the heroes know they’re in the right place is there’s a party going on. What makes this ragtag assembly of men and animals and mythical creatures distinct from those around them is their capacity for joy. They’re fierce in celebrating the goodness they know and experience. The Witch’s power is broken. Aslan is on the move.

November 5, 2016

On a Rainy Thursday

It took until Thursday afternoon of a long week off—four days of phone-scrolling or binge-watching or wardrobe-dusting finally came to this: the rain and the falling leaves and the words.

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April 6, 2014

Everything Sad is Coming Untrue

Sometimes I get discouraged about how broken the world is. I mean, I have a theological answer to suffering that makes logical sense, but that logic falls to pieces when faced with the senselessness and the depth of pain attached to something like slavery, or child soldiers, or the mass and systematic oppression of women around the world. It’s just too much to cope with, even for me, sitting in a trendy café with my MacBook and my $4 cappuccino. Darkness is overwhelming. And I can’t say I’m not nearly convinced by those who can’t believe a good God could exist in such a dark world as ours.

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June 6, 2013

Old Friends

I’ve been pretty lucky in the friendship department, so one of my favorite parts about growing up is having “old friends.” Something effortless comes into a relationship with history, a settledness that does wonders for my slow soul.

I grin when I remember I’m approaching ten years of friendship with college friends like Elisabeth, Amy, Courtney, and Megan. The fact that they knew 18-year-old Erin, and have seen all the iterations since then, means I don’t really have to explain myself. It means one look or a familiar phrase can replace a paragraph. With them I’ve known some of the golden sessions C.S. Lewis talks about, when “Affection mellowed by the years enfolds us.” What joy.

I’ve been thinking today, though, about even older friends.

April 24, 2013

Fellowship in the Light

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

I love John’s first epistle, and I especially love this verse. What a beautiful summation of a profound truth. It reminds me, too, of a sweet time in my life when I experienced this verse firsthand. I was nineteen, and in the midst of forming the friendships that are my dearest today. 1 John 1:7 was the theme verse for our residence hall, and it was perfect. Over the last year, the Holy Spirit had completely transformed my heart and mind, and He was faithful to give me friends who walked each step of the journey with me. The intimate fellowship we experienced as a result of our mutual transformation was, and is, precious.

February 26, 2013

Brudders

Brothers are the best. I mean, I get sad when I think about girls who don’t have one. Who gives them advice? Who helps them with their cars? Who gives them a hard time when they say stupid girl stuff? I happen to have the world’s greatest two brothers—don’t ask me how I got so lucky, but it’s true. And if you’ve ever heard me talk about either one of them, you know it’s pointless to try and convince me otherwise.