Personal Holiness

“I probably wouldn’t apply for these scholarships. They are for people who want to change the world,” my college advisor said. He flipped through my résumé and then paused to make eye contact with me. Point taken. But am I supposed to change the … [Read more...] about Am I supposed to change the world?

The seminar was called Honors 102. A mismatched collection of old dining chairs surrounded a large pine table covered with etchings from students long before my time. The windows, one on each end of the room, displayed the large white columns of the … [Read more...] about What I Learned in Honors 102

When I moved out of my parents' house to Atlanta, GA, my mother gave me a flower vase. It was clear glass with diagonal etchings in it, and it sat under my sink for ten months until my birthday last year, when my boyfriend of six weeks showed up at … [Read more...] about A Necessary Extravagance

When I think about lions, I imagine a fierce, magnificent, beautiful creature prowling around the Serengeti. It has total control; its mane and fur are the color of the sun itself, and its sharp teeth deter prey. Proverbs describes lions as “the … [Read more...] about At the Watering Hole

Last summer, I needed a gift for a friend, and the obvious possibilities—a giftcard to JCrew, a giftcard to Banana Republic, a giftcard to Target—didn’t strike a chord. Trying to think of other things my friend liked, I remembered his admiration of … [Read more...] about Drawing Hudson Taylor

The fresh snow on top of the lake was so deep that I wasn’t sure where the lake started and where the beach ended. In fact, until I got on my hands and knees, dug through the snow, and hit a cold brick of clear ice, I didn’t believe that I was … [Read more...] about At Magic Reservoir