I awoke, as I have for the past few weeks, several minutes ahead of my 5:00 a.m. alarm. I checked my phone and verified that it was not time yet. But I was awake, so as has become my habit, I thumbed through my podcast library in search of someone to talk to me. As...

I recall hearing it since I was a child: just ask. It came up recently, as I read Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 20. The mother of James and John, disciples of Jesus, asked that her sons be granted positions of authority in Jesus’ kingdom. At first, I hid my face in my...

“What brought you here,” I asked the tall, auburn-haired cashier. After learning she wasn’t originally from the small Montana town I was passing through, it was my follow-up question. I had stopped at the grocery store to stretch my legs and gain some local...