Last week, my oldest son started kindergarten. Having heard stories from other parents about sobbing in the car after drop off, and knowing myself to be a crier, I anticipated the worst. But he was so excited and ready to be there that I was able to give him a quick hug and a waveContinue reading “A Time for Lament”
Category Archives: Claire Bischoff
Granting Wisdom
Many mornings at our house begin the same way: my boys wake me up and then watch a video while I take a shower. Then we all shuffle into the kitchen, and as I put the waffles in the toaster, the brotherly battle begins. Hungry and a little bored as they wait for their food,Continue reading “Granting Wisdom”
Humility
Each November, on the weekend before Thanksgiving, tens of thousands of people living in the U.S. and abroad who study, research, write, and teach about religion in all of its facets travel to a major U.S. city for the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).Continue reading “Humility”
Entering the Doorway of Parenthood
As the sun was turning the western sky an unspeakably beautiful shade of rose, my husband and I sat in rush hour traffic. We were on the way to the hospital for the birth of our first child, and fortunately for me, I was not yet in active labor, so I had the luxury ofContinue reading “Entering the Doorway of Parenthood”
Peace Begins with Me
Quick: When you read the word “peace,” what do you think of? If you could take more time, how would you define peace? If you could take even more time, what plan would you draw up to promote peace around the world? A few days ago, a friend of mine gave me a card smallContinue reading “Peace Begins with Me”
Vanity of Vanities
When my first son was born five years ago, my life narrowed and what was truly important came into focus in an incredible way because there simply was not time or energy for anything extraneous. I was so taken aback by the joy I got from watching my son sleep that I did not evenContinue reading “Vanity of Vanities”
Turning to Prayer
This past Sunday we were returning from a long weekend visit with my husband’s extended family in Iowa. It was a thoroughly pleasant trip, but as the road passed beneath us and we got closer to home, I could feel my anxiety rising. Running through my head was a ticker tape of things to accomplishContinue reading “Turning to Prayer”
The Good Samaritan, Part 3: Seeing Those Who Need Help
By Claire Bischoff These past two weeks I have been writing about the parable of the Good Samaritan as it appears in Luke’s Gospel. As a refresher: when asked by a lawyer, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus’ response to this question is to tell this parable about a man who is beset by robbers, whoContinue reading “The Good Samaritan, Part 3: Seeing Those Who Need Help”
The Good Samaritan, Part 2: Who are the Good Samaritans today?
The Good Samaritan, Part 2: Who are the Good Samaritans today?. In our world and in our time, who are the people from whom we do not expect to see goodness and compassion? Last week’s Gospel story was the infamous parable of the Good Samaritan, a story Jesus tells about a Samaritan man who stopsContinue reading “The Good Samaritan, Part 2: Who are the Good Samaritans today?”
Family Vacation, Spiritual Journey? Part 1
Family Vacation, Spiritual Journey? Part 1. Coming weekly beginning in August, the work of Claire Bischoff who currently writes atSpirit4Teens.com. In Luke 9:51-62, we are told that Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem. His journey, which is narrated over the next ten chapters in Luke, will take him first to his death on the cross butContinue reading “Family Vacation, Spiritual Journey? Part 1”
Keeping Faith Today 