It didn’t occur to me to pair my love of reading to my job at church until my husband suggested I start a book club. It was not a suggestion that needed much deliberation beyond a gasp of instant excitement and a plunge forward into planning the details. I called it the “Faith and Fiction […]
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I’m not saying that my decision to put on makeup earlier that morning caused the car accident on the I-5, but as I inched along in traffic, the two events grew more connected. I was on my way to a large speaking event at a church in Orange County. When they’d reached out a few […]
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One day last month, I sank into our couch with particular enthusiasm. It had been after a long day working at my church: I’d been running around the rooms, setting up signs here, laying out a tablecloth and centerpieces there, rearranging chairs, restocking the church pantry, coordinating with the ladies helping with childcare. The work […]
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I cherish my slow summer mornings at our family’s farm in Michigan. I can sip my coffee on the back porch and listen to birdsong, watch the sun rise over the fields. Looking out over the oak trees, I wish that every morning could be a slow summer morning, but I know that eventually all […]
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I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, and that’s how I came to be out our local Barnes & Noble one Friday morning. The last time I stepped into a Barnes & Noble, we were living in a different state, and the bookstore had been connected to a mall, back when […]
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Last year was my first time observing Lent by “giving something up.” Throughout the years, I was vaguely aware that Christians from other denominations participated in some sort of fasting during the 40 days that led up to Easter. I always thought this was strange and unnecessarily hard: why wouldn’t everyone just skip to the […]
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When we lived in the south of France during my junior-high years, we had a cherry tree in our small backyard. Our house shared walls with a row of houses on a busy street near the edge of town. My parents had chosen to rent this house for all the space it afforded us: three […]
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My French is rusty. It pains me to admit this, because I have a lot of pride about growing up bilingual as a missionary kid. My family moved from California to France when I was seven. We attended language school for a year, and then I was dropped into French public school for the rest […]
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It’s becoming a familiar, but unwelcome feeling: my body in one place and my mind in another. Even as I grow aware of it, I struggle to return my attention to the moment—to be wholeheartedly present. Just last month, I met up with a friend for a walk. After an hour or so, we circled […]
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One bright morning, I laced up my shoes and went for a walk in the hopes of escaping our noisy household. I meandered up the hill into a neighborhood, past houses with million-dollar views of our San Diego beaches. I passed by fragrant natal plum bushes, clusters of succulents lining the sidewalks, and palm trees […]
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Sarah K. Butterfield 