Few of us have been exiled to a foreign country, but we are surrounded by people who have. I previously lived in Minnesota, home to the largest Somali refugee population in...

Jeremiah writes to the leaders of a community in exile in Babylon. Though he is left behind, many others—religious and political leaders, artisans, and metal workers—are made to dwell in the...

My visit to a parishioner gave her the opportunity to show me her garden. It was luscious, vibrant, and full of scrumptious fruit and vegetables. She told me she sees herself...

When my friend and I finished a several-day hike on the Appalachian Trail, we were many miles from the nearest town. My father was to pick us up in the parking...

I was walking several miles every day until I caught a cold and felt miserable. After a week of the cold and a few more days of recovery, I started walking...

While hiking in the forest, I was startled by the cracking sound of a large tree as it began crashing toward the ground. I started to run out of its way,...

The Earth rotates at 1,000 miles per hour at the equator. Our world seems to change even faster than that, and such rapid change affects us. Technology and mass media, relatively...

We moved from our hometown when I was entering middle school. We left a community in which I felt known, valued, and loved. The center of our life was the little...

We often face difficult and painful—and sometimes even devastating—experiences. We encounter defeat, failure, loss, and death. Such experiences may seem to be punishment, and we can begin to feel vengeful toward...

In the past week’s meditations we have looked at reasons for inexplicable hope in God’s promises. We’ve seen the examples of Jeremiah and Lazarus. We’ve been challenged to participate in bringing...