My bat mitzvah, November 2001 I recently found a Word doc called "Testimony" that I had written to share with my church small group a few years ago. Consider it a condensed version of Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter...even at 2000 words! *** For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with reading… Continue reading The condensed “confessions”
Tag: Writing
He stood at the gallows and had the last laugh
Excerpted from my essay collection, Things You Can’t Un-see For as long as I can remember, every morning my father made my mother coffee. Contrary to stereotype, my mother was completely inept with everything in the kitchen, including the coffee maker as old as their marriage. That coffee pot symbolized to me everything a good… Continue reading He stood at the gallows and had the last laugh
The gospel of “self help”
There’s a lot of advice out there about how to conquer your problems and live your “best life.” I’ve never been entirely certain about what that means. How to become rich and famous? How to be great-looking and best dressed? I have no idea. Just perusing the Self-Help section at Barnes and Noble, I notice… Continue reading The gospel of “self help”
Sharing toilet paper with Jesus
I pre-ordered Laura Fabrycky's book, Keys to BonHoeffer's House, back in January, and was fortunate to have my local independent bookstore ship it to me last week despite being closed due to the coronavirus. I haven't been able to put it down since I pulled it from my mailbox. Bonhoeffer, a theologian living in Nazi-occupied… Continue reading Sharing toilet paper with Jesus
How to talk about politics on social media without being annoying
Many people are annoyed by the onslaught of political posts on social media. I can't say I blame them -- because not all political posts are created equal. It would be easy to say "Just don't" in response to the question, Should I post something political? But the truth is, almost everything is political in… Continue reading How to talk about politics on social media without being annoying
Redeeming September 25th
September 25th is a dark day in my life. I was sitting at my father's hospital bed with my mom and brother, watching as his breathing grew more labored until, finally, he stopped altogether. David Joseph Caplin died at around 11am on the morning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, 2014. Not long before… Continue reading Redeeming September 25th
Spinning Crap Into Fertilizer: cover reveal + foreword
I am thrilled to present to you the cover for my next book, Spinning Crap Into Fertilizer: How American Christianity has forgotten the necessity of suffering: When it comes to suffering, there are two kinds of people in this world… Those who say, “Crap happens,” and those who cry out, “Why is this crap happening… Continue reading Spinning Crap Into Fertilizer: cover reveal + foreword
For the Christian whose testimony is “different”
There are a lot of articles out there for Christians whose testimonies are too "bland." For the person who grew up in a Christian home and answered an altar call at the age of four, who can't remember a time in their lives when they weren't Christian, they often wonder: how can I make an… Continue reading For the Christian whose testimony is “different”
“You can’t sit with us,” Jewish edition
For a magazine whose demographic is liberal Jewish women, I was rather surprised by the responses to the article “Please Stop Asking Me ‘Are You Even Jewish’?” that was recently shared on Lilith's Facebook page. The author, Alyssa Weinstein, was raised by interfaith parents: an Episcopalian mother, and a Reform Jewish father. Though Weinstein’s mother… Continue reading “You can’t sit with us,” Jewish edition
Jewish hair, Christian faith
My one-time experience at a Jewish sleepaway camp (I know, I know, don’t get me started on the absurdity of the phrase “Jewish camp”) was full of, shall we say, unique experiences: from a production of The Sound of Music featuring nuns with popsicle-stick Stars of David instead of crosses to lively debates about who… Continue reading Jewish hair, Christian faith