by Wendy Widder | May 4, 2014 | Babylon, Daniel 3, Daniel 6, Pain, The Book of Daniel
Over the weekend, a friend posted a video from graduation ceremonies half a continent away from the Edge of Nowhere, and I was able to hear one of my former students sing “I Am Not Ashamed (of the Gospel).” By herself, she was every bit as good as the Brooklyn...
by Wendy Widder | Mar 30, 2013 | Easter, Pain
The first pre-Easter Saturday was a black day. For the dear ladies who followed Jesus, the horror of Friday had been even worse than their worst nightmares. Jesus was dead; they’d watched the crucifixion with their own eyes. He was buried; they’d watched Nicodemus and...
by Wendy Widder | Dec 28, 2012 | Christmas, Pain, Teaching
This week I lost track of the hot air blowing around the Capitol and the wintery winds blowing across the nation. Headlines from home whipped me back to another life in which I taught fifth grade. During those six years, I shepherded 153 ten-year-olds through what I...
by Wendy Widder | Nov 12, 2012 | Blessing, Pain, Transitions
I’m headed out of town for some conferences, so Daniel is on leave until I return. Meanwhile, I’m recycling a piece I wrote more than ten years ago when I was at Marah. I’ve revisited Marah over the years, but I’ve been to Elim, too. These days, I’m somewhere in...
by Wendy Widder | Sep 3, 2012 | Pain, Transitions
I have a favorite children’s book entitled Tuck Everlasting. It weaves an interesting tale of “what if?” What if there really was a Fountain of Youth? What if we could pick a perfect age and stop aging forever at that point? After the first couple of chapters, it...
by Wendy Widder | Dec 3, 2011 | Christmas, Pain
It was Christmas 1997, and my church singles group was out spreading holiday cheer. On this particular Saturday, we were taking Christmas to a needy family whose name we had received from the local Rescue Mission. We had spent weeks gathering Christmas decorations and...