Michelle Van Loon

How can the church better nurture spiritual growth for those in the second half of their lives? I contend that the way we answer that question may well change the way we disciple all of our members. Certainly cultivating the…

As a writer, I spend my days playing with words. This also means I spend too much time – usually when I’m writing a first draft – watching cat videos, rearranging my cabinets, thinking about what to make for dinner,…

My friend A. was an old hippie who looked a little like Jerry Garcia (the old guy version) with grease under his fingernails. He worked at a body shop by day, and gave his nights and weekends to what he…

To The Good People Of Mitford, NC – You may be classified as fictional characters living in an imaginary place, but after reading all nine books in Jan Karon’s series featuring so many of you during the last two decades, I…

2015 is poised to enter, stage right. It’s a time-honored tradition for many of us to greet the new year with a fresh list of resolutions. I’m going to lose 10 pounds. I’m going to run a marathon. Skydiving – it’s gonna…

The December 5th edition of This American Life featured three haunting audio stories on the topic of regret. Host Ira Glass introduced the topic by noting the persistent nature of long-term regret: “Some regrets never go away. People tell us…