a blog by Candice Gage
Today is February 14 -- the day history tells us St. Valentine was martyred. It also marks 51 days since retail stores were stocked with heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, shiny red balloons, innumerable stuffed animals, and enough Hallmark cards to provide kitschy reading material for even the longest winter. Of course, since St. Valentine is… Continue reading St. Valentine and the Tyranny of Aphrodite
"Everybody lies." My nineteen-year-old eyes widened as I listened, speechless. How could my fiancé excuse his dishonesty like that? How could he think that way? He was a Christian. We read the Bible together. I trusted him. How could he lie to me? In the aftermath of my teenage betrayal, I was baptized into adulthood… Continue reading Who Can You Trust?
Love is a tree that shimmers verdant light on those who rest in its green shade. It is safety and rest. Love is the home we always long for, even when we sit in our living rooms, feet propped up on the coffee table. Sometimes, love finds us. We open our closet doors one morning… Continue reading Love is a Tree in Winter
Earlier this week, I reached mentally for the source of a passage I’d recently read on the importance of example. I could not remember where the bit of writing came from, but tonight I stumbled across it in a seminary class forum. Of course, the passage came from Bonhoeffer. The church is the church only… Continue reading Bonhoeffer and the Under-Estimated Human Example
This Advent season I'm reading God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas. Compiled from various works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this small devotional has been a means of light and peace for me in the bustle of seminary finals and holiday festivities. This week, the reflections focus on mystery. One such mystery is love.… Continue reading Bonhoeffer: The Mystery of Love
