I love gardening. I enjoy tending to plants, watching them produce beautiful fruit or flowers. In doing so, I’ve learned about one unseen but extremely vital part of the plant—the roots. If a plant doesn’t have solid roots, it won’t produce fruit. The roots anchor it and provide it with the nutrients it needs to […]
Our society seems to have grown star-obsessed, craving to know all about elite actors, businesspeople, athletes, and influencers. But if we look deep into the lives of many we perceive to be living their best life, we’ll find they’re really more like us than we thought. They have good and bad days, strengths and limitations, […]
A few years ago, I visited the house my grandparents lived in. It was a small, blue house in rural Pennsylvania, where they raised my dad and his four siblings. My grandfather, Kenneth, worked in a glass factory, was the chief of the volunteer fire department, and played softball lots of weekends. My grandmother, Jeanne, […]
Our culture places a heavy emphasis on “finding ourselves”—on discovering who we are and where we fit. From developing our Instagram aesthetic to discovering our ancestry, it seems we’ve become obsessed with relating to a certain group—so much so that we may edit, crop, and filter who we are to fit who we think we […]
One hot summer day in 1967, a 17-year-old girl named Joni staved off the summer heat by dipping in the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, the water Joni jumped into was more shallow than she thought. In an instant, she went from athletic to paraplegic, completely paralyzed from the shoulders down. She grew angry—at herself, at God, […]
It’s been thirty years since we televised our first Sunday morning service on Victoria’s local ABC channel. Recently, I watched a show from those early years and had two thoughts. First, God is so faithful. Second, I was so young and a lot skinnier! If you would have told that 32-year-old all God would do despite his shortcomings in […]
The cross. It’s a symbol we see a lot this time of year. On it, Jesus uttered a phrase that changed our lives and eternities forever. Through heavy breaths and blood-stained lips He said, “It… is… finished.” And with His last breath, the sacrifice was complete. Jesus’ followers’ hearts shattered as they stared at their […]
I grew up attending mass every Sunday. But the older I got, the more I began questioning the long-term benefit of the faith my parents raised me with. I appreciated some aspects, like the value placed on morality and family. But at 17, I remember thinking, Can’t I have these things without Jesus and the church? […]
Many of us are currently honoring a beautiful season called Lent. I love this season not only because it allows me to fondly reminisce my Catholic upbringing, but also because it helps me fix my priorities. It reminds me to keep God first so I can live the life He wants me to. It helps […]
The man, who is in a stable condition in hospital, has "potentially life-changing injuries" after the overnight attack in Garvagh, County Londonderry. He was shot in the arms and legs.