I am reasonably functional. A casual cataloging of my behavior will not reveal gross dysfunction. But I cannot laugh. I make do with what I have and get along. I cope. A sharp cry of delight, a quick derisive whoop followed by a blow to the knee or a clap gets me by in most … Continue reading How I Wish I Could Laugh

In our homes, us Anabaptists have a genre of instructional literature and media produced in the post-feminist era of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Bill Gothard, Michael and Debi Pearl, Denny and Jackie Kenaston--these teachers and others marketed a large amount of material to an audience hungry for tools and corrective theology to respond … Continue reading Debi Pearl, Denny Kenaston and the 14-year-old Husband

Psychologists, therapists, counselors, preachers, horsemen, wives, Paul and the Holy Scriptures all say it: the path to a healthier you is radical honesty. Amy has been telling me this for years. I am honest, I tell her. I’ve never cheated even once. She lets it go but I don’t like the way she looks at … Continue reading Honestly

My brother Joel did not want chickens but Bethany, his wife, did. He spoke of the squawking and flapping, the copious droppings, the inevitable butchering and did she know what these free eggs actually cost? He ran the numbers. Seven years of eggs before they would break even. Bethany was undeterred. She could feel the warm brown … Continue reading The Coop

On a cold January morning at 2:30 a.m., I walked into a small gas station in the bad part of Billings, Montana. I needed coffee. Or, more specifically, caffeine. I found the dispensers and groggily contemplated the selection. Highlander Grogg? Morning Mist? Fireball Blend? The decision seemed overwhelming, and I stood as though in a … Continue reading Grandma Purple and the Crow