Author: Madison Wilcox

Have you ever wanted to be somewhere you’re not? I certainly have. Sometimes it’s as simple as wishing I could skip a few hours in the day or be done with the essay I’m struggling with. Other times I want to be in an entirely different situation altogether: another state, another year, another life.  We …

I have a confession to make: Sometimes God scares me. As a child, I would often think of the Second Coming. I would imagine seeing the little cloud appearing in the sky, the sign that the God of the universe was finally returning to Earth in power and great glory to judge all people, both …

Rest is often a good excuse for the lazy and an inconvenience for the work-obsessed. Most of us fall into either of these two categories throughout the semester, either struggling to start or struggling to stop, avoiding duty in the name of rest or avoiding rest in the name of duty. Thus, we muddle our …

Here’s just one more item to add your to-do list as you prepare for finals: Read Ecclesiastes. I think it would both discourage and encourage you, all in the best way possible. Let me explain.   I’ll begin with the discouragement, since that’s how the author of Ecclesiastes chose to begin: “All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1) …

Editor’s Note: I often find myself blinded to the meaning of Bible passages simply because I have heard them again and again. The more familiar the passage becomes, the easier it is for me to overlook its meaning. My goal in these paraphrases is to regain a sense for the significance of these Psalms by rewriting …

Dear editor:I'm a preacher’s kid (PK). What do you do when you hold anger in your heart against your parents but still want to respect and honor them like God wants you to? How can you let it go while still acknowledging the wrongs? Have I really forgiven them yet if I still remember? Dear …

I used to immediately lose interest when someone brought up faith. Faith brought to mind the cryptic words from Hebrews 11, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This made me shut my mind down to avoid confusion. Faith just didn’t make sense.  Then I read Hebrews 11 …

“So paradise does exist,” I wrote in my journal this summer after watching the sunrise on the face of Mount Rainier. I had hiked Dege Peak at 3:30 a.m. on three hours of sleep, but I didn’t regret it. I needed to see height, distance and enormity. I needed the sun in my eyes again …