Author: Michelle Van Loon
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What I Did On My Summer Vacation
I wrote a few of those “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” essays when I was growing up. You too? I think it was a quick way for a teacher to gauge the writing skills and interests of a new class full of students. The events of this summer called for an grown-up version…
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“Jews Will Not Replace Us!” And Other Heartwarming Sentiments
Like the rest of you, I watched with horror as events unfolded in Charlottesville, VA on Friday night and all day yesterday. Our nation’s constitution ensures free speech, though that freedom is not without limitations. A generation ago, my own thinking on this was formed by a seminal case that took place in the town…
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Job, Meet George Bailey
It’s A Wonderful Life: Love it or loathe it? Few people are neutral about the film. Either they celebrate it as an affirmation of life and the power of community, or they scorn it as a sticky-sweet bit of sentimental rubbish. I am unapologetically in the former category, and this summer has reminded me why that…
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Glorify God With This Body?
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) “Don’t smoke! Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit!” “Eat organic!…
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What’s A Nice Jewish Grandmother Doing At Seminary?
In 2013, I became a grad student at Northern Seminary. I wrote about the experience in this space here. My life-altering health diagnosis and costly montly treatments derailed my hopes of completing a degree, but the school was kind enough to tabulate the credits I did earn and grant me a graduate certificate. I am…
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Practicing Privilege In The Local Church
My friend B. had been a pastor for years before he stepped into the leadership of a parachurch ministry. During his work week, he worked and prayed with dozens of pastors and church leaders interested in transforming their congregations and communities. But on Sundays, he and his wife were invisible members of their own home…