Not My Own
“I am not my own. I am bought with a price.” The woman recited the words quietly, without power of voice or presence. A petite, white-haired woman in a...
Author: Laura Cerbus
Seasonal Disorientation {The Grove: Regional Traditions}
In the northeastern United States where I grew up, the holidays of the church moved with the rhythm of the seasons. In November, the days grew shorter as our...
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Last week a neighbor popped over to give my children the toys she had earned through her grocery store purchases. That gesture, entirely mundane and unremarkable...
When It’s Not My Story
I have a prayer letter to write. It’s been on my to-do list for the past three weeks now -- each Saturday, I write it again in my planner...
Pruning Season
July — here, in the Southern Hemisphere, the second month of winter. In southern Australia, this means just-above freezing temperatures, rain, rain, and more rain. It also means pruning...
Where Discernment Begins {The Grove: Discernment}
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is...
A More Complicated Story
A few months ago, while we were back in the States for the holidays, a dear friend asked me how I thought I had changed since moving to Australia....
Going to Jesus {The Grove: Let Us Go}
As 2018 draws to a close, my family is approaching the two-year mark of cross-cultural ministry. As this anniversary approaches, the stress and exhaustion and homesickness borne of moving to...
[Not] Changing the World
It's not a classroom I'm used to. I'm seated at a long table, chairs gathered around. No orderly desks lined up facing a whiteboard. Instead, we're set...
