“I was the worship leader of a large church. What am I doing behind the bar of a coffee shop? I don’t even like coffee,” he said. “I know I am called to be a missionary to the third world. I’ve studied pediatric nutrition, I’ve been to seminary, I’ve learned the language, I’ve jumped through…
Author: Charis Psallo
Martha Martha
“Who’s coming over, Ma?” I had just washed the floor in the entrance and dining room, vacuumed the living room, started the dishwasher and was scrubbing finger prints off the fridge door. “That’s not fair!” I told my son. “You guys always say that. What makes you think someone is coming over? Maybe I’m cleaning…
Day by Day
She didn’t know me anymore. To be honest, I didn’t know her anymore either. The child in this old woman’s body was like a fictional character to me. I had heard stories about her but I didn’t know how to talk to her. She was my mother, and yet she was not. In her mind…
Hope for the Betrayed
I’ve learned to pay attention when unusual co-incidences occur in my life. When the same book or the same topics pop up in random conversation and unexpected places I tend to wonder if there is a reason. The recurring topic this week was about people who have been deeply wounded by experiences in the church;…
The Couch
“The greatest freedom is having nothing to prove.” – R.T. Kendall When I look at the big comfy couch and overstuffed armchair here in my living room, I think of open-hearted conversations with friends. I think of the times people have trusted me with their stories as we sat on sofas covered in white brocade,…
Carrying the Light
My friend and I drove around back roads looking for inspiration. Springtime in the Rockies, when trees blossom and snow gleams on mountain peaks above greening valleys, is a joyous time for amateur photographers. We understand that journeys can be destinations in themselves. While checking out a village by the river we passed an abandoned…
Behold
My dear friend suggested we spend a day together worshiping God in the beauty of the nature, outside of the buildings where we usually meet. We spent Sunday driving on the back roads in the countryside here in the valley in Southern British Columbia between the Rockies and the Purcell Mountains. We stopped to admire…
Saying Yes
“He leaned on the pulpit, and said in a stern fatherly voice, ‘Now ladies, there’s a case here in the news where a wife is making accusations against her husband. You need to understand this. There is no such thing as rape in marriage. There’s no such thing because the Bible says your body belongs…
Dyin’ with an Astronaut: When There is More to the Story
The woman at the tourist bureau said the full package ticket to the Kennedy Space Center included dinner with an astronaut – a real astronaut who had been to outer space! My husband perked up. Garden walks and theme parks were his gift to me. “Dine with an Astronaut” would be my gift to him.…
