Author: Michelle Van Loon
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S’mores And Much More
Last year, when some incredibly generous friends offered my husband and I the gift of a trip to join them for family camp at InterVarsity’s Cedar Campus, we had no idea what to expect. Would we be making lanyards and practicing our archery skills? I last attended summer camp in 1975. The one and only…
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When Fading Away Becomes “Done”
“Who will officiate at my funeral?” My friend Liz asked this question during a pause in our conversation earlier this week. “I don’t have a church these days.” Other important questions were bundled within her question: What have I gained by pouring myself into church for years? Where is my community now that I’m aging,…
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In Search Of A Little Help From My Friends
I’m reaching out to you because I’m looking for a bit of help. My book Moments & Days: How Our Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith releases September 1. I’m excited about helping other believers better know their spiritual heritage and faithfully enjoy our eternal God as we live in finite time. I’m writing today to…
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What Are The Odds? Today, I’d Say They Were 100%
On a day filled with #Brexit confusion and financial markets falling like boulders flung from a pinnacle, I am praying you sense God’s steady, unshifting shalom and sustaining, eternal love for you, no matter what the headlines tell you. Just for a bit of fun, I’m sharing a story full of irony. The fact that…
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Reclaiming God’s Intent For The Sabbath
The Fourth Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy”, tends to invite legalism, rabid antinomian sentiment, or spiritual innovation from Christians. In each of those cases, the conversation about Sabbath-keeping focuses on the individual. Talking about the Sabbath in those terms cuts out the fact that it wasn’t given to individuals. It was…
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An Ode To The St. James Devotional Guide
When my husband and I went to our first home school convention in 1992, we expected to discover curriculum and how-to’s. My husband picked up a sample of a devotional booklet from an exhibitor on our way out the door at the end of the day. In a sea of vendors hawking brightly-colored curriculum promising…