We've experienced a drop of God's goodness in the face of this little girl. An eternity in the ocean of his goodness awaits us. But we're not home yet.
Thirteen Years and One Daughter Later
From Wastelands to Worship
Just like God intended, God had spoken through his creation, and his words were unmistakable: "I am here." But that wasn't all God was saying to me in that moment, for because I had read the words of a much older book, I also knew that the God who exists is also for me.
Waiting To Get Wet
"We had decided to take a step out of our boat and see if the raging waves would hold us up. That morning outside the supermarket, our feet were still falling—hadn't hit the waves yet—and it wasn't looking like the waves were going to be able to hold us up. In fact, I was wondering if car trouble meant we shouldn't just fling ourselves back in the boat, that is, return home, put our pajamas back on, and spend the rest of the day binge watching Columbo."
Joseph’s Descent
"The image of her clutching the shirt he'd wriggled free from before fleeing Potiphar's house earlier that afternoon appeared like a storm cloud over the horizon of his mind. He could not envision a positive outcome."
When His Body Fails
Yet they hurry by, can't stop. / There's pressing business on ahead, / And stuck sticks don't fit in their plans.
Medicine and Magic
"It is awfully easy to poke fun at ideas that sound like little more than backward, misinformed superstition. The first time you chuckle. The hundredth time you clinch your jaw to prevent yourself from saying what you really think." Then you stop and think about your own culture.
The Dead Girl’s Father
"Jairus wanted to push the woman aside, take Jesus by the hand, and continue their trek back to his house. Jesus held her hand and her gaze as if she were the only person there."
Hold Fast the Rope
She'll make it to the end as long as she holds fast her rope.
At the Door
A hungry beggar looked and asked, "Might he to one so mean impart / Such life and with it hope endow?"
All In
"As hatchlings dread the truth that they must fledge, / So trembled the small boy back from the ledge." But then his father spoke.