Author: Michelle Van Loon
-
Backed into a corner?
Being backed into a corner brings clarity. When you are fighting for your life, that punch list of Thursday afternoon errands (Grocery store: Eggs, toilet paper, broccoli; Dry cleaners: pick up winter coat; Office Max: Business envelopes; Make dentist appointment) is nothing more than ephemera tumbled into a northwesterly breeze. The corner – no visible…
-
Invisible no more
When we first met Carlos 9 years ago, he was working as a busser in a Mexican restaurant. He didn’t have papers, but he did have our daughter’s heart. The two married, and after a couple of years, they began the long process of getting Carlos a green card, and then applying for U.S. citizenship.…
-
Go on out to the lobby, go on out to the lobby…
On Thursday, November 3, about 350 leaders from northern Chicago churches and non-profits gathered for the 6th annual Christ Together Forum. The shot above was taken during the main session. Well, that’s what we all call the time when we sit together in a big auditorium and pray, sing, hear some keynote messages and learn…
-
Book review: Bound For Glory
I want to celebrate the incredible gift of music that African Americans gave to the church and to the whole world. It is amazing that these people, many of them enslaved by Christian people, saw beyond their owners hypocrisy and embraced the real Jesus. I believe that these miracle songs are an example of how…
-
What a book review is – and isn’t
Anyone who has ever read a book and then told a friend, “It stunk” or “Buy it!” is a book reviewer. Of course, book reviewing can be a lot more formal than a verbal “thumbs up/down”. I have long relied on thoughtful print/web book reviews to help me decide what to read as well as…
-
Move over, Barney Fife
My big, beefy imagination is usually overkill for most of the tasks requiring creativity in my life. But that inner world becomes a whimpering Barney Fife when it comes to one really important area. I can not comprehend how God can transform the church from a weary, jaded and frequently unfaithful renegade with a kaleidoscope…