Tag Archives: Bible

The Resurrection of Liturgy

This article first appeared in the Devils Lake Journal Sept. 25, 2025. liturgy: (n) a form or formulary according to which public religious worship is conducted; from the Greek “leitourgia,” meaning public service The mass might have been in Latin for all my classmates knew. I peeked to the right and to the left. ItContinue reading “The Resurrection of Liturgy”

Whatness

On the reservation where I live, there is a little town called Tokio. It is funny when visitors ask, “Tokyo? Isn’t that in Japan?” Well, yes, and no. Tribal historian Louis Garcia once told me how Tokio got its name. The railroad was going to be coming through that area, but it was sparsely populated.Continue reading “Whatness”

Disarmed

This article first appeared in the September 4, 2025 edition of the Devils Lake Journal. In 1798, President John Adams issued a proclamation that May 9th be “a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer” due to the danger the United States was facing. France threatened. Commerce halted. The fledgling nation had barely enough toContinue reading “Disarmed”

Timeless

This article first appeared in the Devils Lake Journal August 28, 2025. In a conversation with my favorite three-year-old, I said, “I will come pick you up at five o’clock.” She promptly reversed the camera on the phone she was holding so that I could see the digital clock in her mom’s car. “Look Grandma,”Continue reading “Timeless”

Made Beautiful

“Hello? This is Dakota Baptist Church.” “Sarahcanyoubringmeapop??” One of my responsibilities the summer I was seventeen was to answer the church phone. The caller was a twelve year old girl. She spoke so quickly that all her words ran together, and we had the same conversation everyday. “Well, where are you?” “Atmyhouse.” “Where’s your house?”Continue reading “Made Beautiful”

Urgent Need

“Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” my husband was preaching from James. I happened to turn and glance over my shoulder at the kitchen where two ladies were making a potluck meal. A third lady stood toward the back of the entryway waving frantically. I wondered if she might beContinue reading “Urgent Need”

Carrying the Banner

wp-1753043391164 I love that movie from the nineties called, “Newsies.” Homeless, streetsmart boys find employment selling newspapers, and they often do it by embellishing the headlines. Their theme is that they are “carrying the banner.”  I thought of the movie, and its catchy song, this week at backyard Bible club. The kids in my neighborhoodContinue reading “Carrying the Banner”

Survey Says…

I only see that old game show “Family Feud” now in doctors offices, but I watched a lot of it as a child.  I remember the host saying in his dramatic voice, “Survey says…” while all eyes turned to the results on the screen. Every summer, I get a general survey of what is troublingContinue reading “Survey Says…”

Big Sins, Little Sins

I cradled the little rubbery model of a 12 week old fetus in my hand. “You were only this big when your mother was three months pregnant,” I said to the little girl I was talking to. Her eyes grew wide. “I was so little!” she said. We talked about how God made her, plannedContinue reading “Big Sins, Little Sins”