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The word "Christmas" comes from the Christ Mass, a liturgical service in celebration of the birth of Jesus. In science, "mass" is the measure of how much of something there is. Here on earth, the mass of something is essentially equal to its weight, or the pull of ...  (Read more)

CW: Suicide

Jacob had just parted ways with his father-in-law. He was en route to meet his estranged brother, Esau, whose inheritance he had stolen some decades earlier. Messengers brought back word that Esau was already on his way, along with 400 men, who were presumably ...  (Read more)

Since childhood, I'd feared a burdensome foresight, a vague intuition of changes approaching from just beyond the horizon. As Micah and I walked in the renewed excitement of full candor, compassion, and, I believed, desire, I felt dissipate my dread of his choosing to leave. Yet what ... (Read more)

Did you know there’s a term for the skill set needed to plan ahead, follow a set of directions despite interruptions, stay focused in the midst of distractions, and self-regulate? It’s called “executive function” and, in my inexpert opinion, it’s the biggest reason ... (Read more)

When he’d asked, I told Micah I had always known, yet that was not the whole truth. At the start, in my innocent expectations, I did not fully understand. I believed he desired me as a man is said to want a woman. In the early nights of our union, he seemed to respond readily. While ... (Read more)

I was younger than nine, I know, but how old exactly, I’m not sure. Our house had a mostly finished basement where the black-and-white tv sat atop an ancient-even-then reel-to-reel tape player. I remember sitting on the brown couch watching an episode of something that had suddenly ... (Read more)

Micah’s heart pounded as he dashed along the path through the forest. Tonight, he was sure, would change everything. He stopped at the edge of the clearing. In the distance, Balaban stood facing away from him. Micah took care to mask the sound of his steps as he approached Balaban's ... (Read more)

This essay is something of a continuation on last week's Questions in Genesis.

I was taught the Bible was literally God’s letter to humanity, providing me the answers I need to know and the instructions I must follow to live a good and godly life. And, for most of my life, I accepted ... (Read more)

The harvest festival continued in the square as revelers drank and danced and thanked the gods for their bounty, but Micah had had enough. Unused to strong drink, his head seemed to buzz behind his eyes and the sounds of the celebration were too loud in his ears. He walked the path ... (Read more)

Many accusations are hurled at people who begin to deconstruct their faith. I imagine this is similar no matter what belief system you have followed, but as I come from American Evangelical Christianity, I can say with certainty it’s true here. After I admitted out loud I no longer ... (Read more)

Micah spent the evening swinging his axe over the firewood. Frustrated by weakness after his days in the dark, he pushed himself harder, chopping long after the sun began to set. Only when the light was growing so dim he had trouble making out the log on the block did he stop ... (Read more)

“I don’t know.” 

The words spilled from his mouth without conscious thought. Looking up from the table, Micah saw the sheen of new tears in his wife’s eyes. He recognized her pain and berated himself for causing it. After another long moment of silence, he spoke again, “I don’t want to ... (Read more)

Church communities, I believed for most of my life, were a place of belonging. And some churches, I still believe, truly are. However, in the past few years, as I’ve begun to ask more questions and look from new perspectives at what I was taught as absolute truth, I discovered just ... (Read more)

Approaching home, Micah could see smoke rising from the chimney in the distance. Coming closer, he saw clothes drying on the line he'd set from the back corner toward the vegetable garden. The door was open as he walked up the stone path. He noticed the absence of everyday noises he  ... (Read more)

Last week, my friend shared a quote from Pete Buttigieg. Loath to take anything I read on social media at face value, I researched the source and found video from a 2020 town hall meeting for presidential candidates.

“One thing about my marriage is it's never involved me having to send hush ... (Read more)

Another meal had passed and a third, when the trapdoor opened and a light shined down into Micah's dank cell, momentarily blinding him. An unfamiliar sound reached his ears, then he felt a rush of air moving past his face. He squinted against the dim brightness to see a frayed rope ... (Read more)

Grandpa Joe was born in the opening years of the 20th century. I was only four or five when he died, so I don’t know too many of his stories. However, one in particular has been coming to mind quite often lately. Joe worked as a commercial artist for an advertising agency in Chicago ... (Read more)

It was time for his breakfast, such as it was. A few swallows of water, a crust of bread, a single, overripe berry. A treat, Micah mused, as the trapdoor slammed closed above him. Chewing slowly, for what need had he of haste in this darkness which knew no passage of time, Micah ... (Read more)

The one you miss being with, and the one you desperately want to leave behind, sometimes exist in the same person. 

Adam was my very first love, the man I thought I’d grow old with, the man who chose me, and the man who abused me. In the battle against his demons, he refused to allow ... (Read more)

Micah sat in the darkness of his cell. He had lost count of the days. It was difficult to keep track of time when days and nights looked the same. No sunlight streamed in the window. No windows broke up the stark, packed-earth walls that surrounded him on each side. The only opening  ... (Read more)

This International Women’s Day, I find myself asking, what is a woman? What does it mean to be a woman? As a woman, who am I?

My newsfeed has been filled lately with discussion about what a “real” woman must be. Raised in a conservative Evangelical Christian subculture, I accepted ... (Read more)