Just when I thought everything was ok. Someone comes along and says those unexpected words. “I forgive you.” Immediately something turns in my stomach. The dread of exposure washes over me. Someone else has seen my dirty secret. Someone else has recognized that hidden path that I have been following. I didn’t even know I… Continue reading Angry at the Gospel
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has glazed over eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In… Continue reading Addicted to Sin
Dear God, I can’t pray to you. It wouldn’t be right. You listen to the prayers of your loyal people. Those whom you love. Those who listen to you. You want me to be good, you wanted me to act like your child, and I haven’t. You want me to honor you in thought words and… Continue reading A Prayer I Shouldn’t Pray
We’ve all done it, perhaps some more than others. It usually surfaces when we are at a cross road, an important decision, or an uncomfortable spot. Sometimes it is in response to something really terrible; a death, a loss, or an extreme sin we find within. It flashes through the mind of almost everyone who… Continue reading Seek God’s Will: Spit in the Face of Christ
That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. Unless the smell turns bitter. In memory or in fantasy. The thing that was called lovely, shoveled out a hole. Every hint of what once was, a hardened hiraeth Sentiment prepared this garden, rake and bury, smoothed Filth between the fingernails,… Continue reading Stinking Rose
I’m ashamed for her. I mean, there she is, acting like a fool again. She had every chance to turn her life around. Since her new life, she now knows what God really wants for her. She was almost over the mountain of her painful past. She was on her way out of the suffering.… Continue reading Fool-Proof Baptism
Revelation is the scariest book in the Bible, says almost everyone. I just mentioned the word to my high school Sunday school class, and life long, baptized-as-a-baby Christians shuddered at the name. I asked if anyone had actually studied the book before, and two kiddos who grew up in other church traditions sheepishly raised their… Continue reading Revelation is the Scariest Book in the Bible
Sometimes I find it comforting to tuck a little Bible verse away, you know, one of those that you can pull out when you are having a bad day. I have even Google searched bible themes before, like “comfort” or “patience” just so the eternal wisdom of God could enlighten my specific situation. Just yesterday… Continue reading Coffee Cup Theology
Exodus 12:1-27 “Why is this night different from all other nights?” the child asks. The golden twilight feels heavier than usual. Father ties up his sandals hurriedly, and mother paces looking out the front window. Dustier by the minute, neighbors and friends suddenly stir up the narrow streets with suspense. Bleating little lambs, anxious shouts… Continue reading Looking for the Lamb
It’s not Christmas. The neighbors haven’t plastered their home with Easter lights, nor has the Easter tree been trimmed with ribbons and bows. The little children don’t bubble with excitement in quite the same way. The grownups don’t stay up late shopping and preparing for the long-anticipated Easter Eve. It’s not Christmas. Rather, it is… Continue reading Ancient Easter Joy is for the Children
Cindy Koch 