Articles

WOULD ALL THE EFFORT that goes into the church service be worth it if only five people were here? An odd question to be asking myself, especially since, as First Reader, I was conducting the Wednesday evening testimony meeting at a large, well-attended church. Yet, as I stood there during a quiet period in the testimonies, the question persisted: Would you be willing to spend those hours praying about and preparing a church service if only a few people came? I was not sure I would.

Meet Meg Dendler —full-time mom, powerhouse church worker, Christian Science practitioner, and avid moviegoer. When Meg and her family relocated a few years ago from the Detroit area to a small town further north, the transition meant changes, not least of which was finding a small church with just a few members.

MY NAME IS MEHAK, which means "fragrance" in Hindi, my national language. I live in the foothills of the Himalayas in Chandigarh, northern India, where the summers are very hot and the winters are very cold.

THUD. It was the sound of our tackle football game.

THE SENSE OF WONDER I FELT watching my eight-year-old cousin at the beach stays with me. Collecting shells, she skipped in and out of the chilly water.

Lately, I've heard, the old expression "Keeping up with the Joneses" has been replaced by "Keeping up with the Gateses. " Apparently, it's no longer enough to want to match your neighbor's lifestyle.

Let's, for a short while, break out of the familiar everyday picture of what we're doing in a particular building or street or neighborhood. On a country lane or a city block in some fine building given to us by our forebears.

It began casually, just a mild curiosity, subtle yet persistent. I would visit pornography sites on the Internet every several months.

Centuries ago, in what has since been regarded as the most widely quoted speech ever given, Jesus of Nazareth encouraged his listeners to take no thought for the body. See Matt.

In the months leading up to the hike, this arresting inquiry—how many gods are there?—had caused me to stop and make sure my actions and thoughts worshiped one God. I HAD BEEN ASKED TO TEACH nature journaling for two weeks at an art, music, and writing retreat for adults in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.