Story Garden

A remarkable, and entirely unexpected adventure has occupied the last twelve months of my life.

God of the Compost, Conclusion

From Glory To Glory

The things I have described in this series of articles are glimpses of the glory of a God Who has not abandoned His creation to the dust of history. These small illustrations hint at the deeper and grander work He has taken on of reclaiming and remaking His human creation.

God of the Compost, Part 3

The Miracle of Fermentation

A process, parallel to that of composting, takes place in the production of another near-miraculous substance– one held in much higher regard than compost– wine. While the growing of grapes (and any other fruit for that matter) stands as a worthy story in its own right, the transformation of fresh grape juice into the remarkable liquid sought by both prince and poet is astounding.

God of the Compost, Part 2

Life From Decay

My wife and I have enjoyed the wonders of growing plants, both edible and ornamental, for many years. One of the early revelations we received in this pursuit concerned the power of the compost pile.

Memory Metal

A nearly occluded carotid artery slowly squeezes off the flow of blood to a woman's brain. Her brain's supply of oxygen and glucose drops dangerously and she slips closer toward a deadly encounter with a stroke.

The Fatal Fall

I grew up in a household of mostly boys. Constantly looking for ways to entertain ourselves, we three brothers invented countless curious psychological games. The way the brain works, and how it connects with the real, objective world constituted for us an endless source of fascination.

In the Belly of Sheol

Death and taxes—the inevitability of these two provoke the cliche. And while the forcible extraction of citizens' finances generates endless debate, the ending of life enjoys no such conversational popularity.

The Body

The label seems nearly trite– The Body of Christ. How often the phrase is thrown out in conversation referring to the Church, the Called Out Ones, the Believers in The Lord Jesus– the Body of Christ. But despite our too familiar and casual usage of the term, the profound depth of its meaning remains. 

Only Celebration

The early morning sun rose over the cemetery, and the long shadows cast by hundreds of gravestones shortened. Though the day was young, sweat already trickled down my forehead. Like a pack-mule, I carried my year-old daughter in a carrier on my back, and the walk to the graveside service was long. A couple of decades had passed since, as a boy, I last attended a funeral, and this was my first since fully arriving at adulthood. Uncertain emotions flooded my soul.

Transfusion

A calloused hand grasped the handle of an earthen pitcher, tilting it. Cool water tumbled out of the spout, falling in a twisting, twining stream, making its way downward, earthward.

Much earlier in the day, the Rabbi sent two of his students ahead of him to prepare the Passover meal. When they inquired how they could know the place in which to make preparations, he responded that–