Taryn R. Hutchison's Blog: The Glorious Muddle, page 10

What if Your Church Vanished?

The following article, What if your Church Vanished? , was published in my local paper, The News Herald, on April 27. Hundreds of churches are sprinkled across Burke County’s towns and tucked away in its back roads. With all sizes and denominations, there’s something for everyone who’s interested. My church is about to break ground […]

When Life Interrupts Your Plans

Life is full of interruptions. Every day, you have small, nagging distractions that interfere with whatever you intend to do. It may not be anything major, and it may be short-lived. But these interruptions are constant. And irritating. People who are demanding. Things that waste your time. Machines that break down. You can’t stop these […]

Gifts at Easter

This Easter week, you’ve probably reflected on the most central story of Christianity: Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the dead. The greatest gift ever offered. A few parallel stories, some of my favorites in the Bible, are also about gifts. Sometimes I forget how close in timing and proximity they are to […]

Parallel Stories to the Central Story

During this holiest of weeks, you have probably reflected on, or at least been confronted with, the most central story of Christianity: Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the dead. A few parallel stories, some of my favorites in the Bible, highlight this larger one. Sometimes I forget how close in timing and […]

Take Care as You Give Care

I spent my Spring Break week off work in a hospital room in a city an hour away. No, not as a patient. I didn’t experience any excruciating physical pain but I suffered the emotional stress of waiting and watching someone I love hurt. No question that the patient has the harder role, and I […]

The Impossibility of Being Set Free

Have you prayed for something for so long, with no answer, that you’ve begun to doubt that it’ll ever happen? You might even think it’s impossible. My husband and I, along with an army of people from our former church in California, have had such an ongoing request. Last night, we received news so wonderful […]

Go Directly to Jail

These words appeared on a letter I just received in the mail. No, not the bit about not passing Go or collecting $200. The “Go Directly to Jail” part. A jury that’s not so grand You see, I’m part of the Grand Jury, and every month, I get a new summons. We meet one day […]

Good-Bye, Billy Graham

My home is sandwiched between Billy Graham’s homes. Today, I was present to witness the procession carrying his body from his adult home in Montreat to his childhood one in Charlotte, right past my small town. Right past people old and young, many too young to have known him in his vibrancy. Past people of […]

What’s the big deal about Valentine’s Day?

You probably know that February 14 has something to do with a saint named Valentino. It’s not his birthday or the day he was sainted; it’s the anniversary of the day–about 1,750 years ago–that he was beheaded in Rome, martyred for his faith. His life and death have nothing to do with romance or buying […]

Brokenness is Meant to be Displayed

Two art techniques shed light on the spiritual principle of stepping out into the light–not hiding who we are or the fact that we’re broken. I blogged about  Kintsugi  before, and recently its similarities with another technique, Pentimento, caught my eye. Check out my article, published today. When a friend struggles, it’s easy to respond with […]