Iron Chef Got Her Start as “Girl Next Door” at Lacey Township High School @LaceyPatch

Home Economics classes were catalyst for Dena Marino’s culinary career. Although food was a central part of life for acclaimed chef Dena Marino’s Italian American family, it was in Home Economics courses at Lacey Township High School that… Read More

Lessons from Elite Leaders: Speaking in Different Registers at Work, Part 5 of 8 @TheHighCalling

People are afraid of evangelicals. Why? Laity Leadership Senior Fellow D. Michael Lindsay says his latest research shows that those outside the evangelical fold have fears about evangelicals based on two things: They’re afraid evangelicals won’t do the  things… Read More

Jersey Shore Churches Preparing for a Celebration @NJShorePatch

  Long before MTV popularized a negative caricature of the Jersey Shore with its Seaside Heights reality show, a fourth grade teacher from Belford was worried about what kind of community his three young children would grow up in…. Read More

A Religious Treasure Trove at Princeton University @NJShorePatch

Who knew the Ivy League gem offered a wealth of free public religion events? As a girl growing up in Point Pleasant Beach, I didn’t give much thought to Princeton University. It was the 1970s and I was, shall… Read More

Who Gets the Money? @UrbanFaith

Are Christian donors less likely to write checks to minority-run ministries? Anecdotal evidence from the world of nonprofit fundraising suggests there’s a race-based disparity in giving. Trust is vital to any relationship, but when it comes to funding… Read More

Deceit & Hidden Cameras in the Abortion Debate @TheHuffingtonPost

As a Christian, a pro-lifer, and a journalist, I’m ambivalent about the Planned Parenthood hidden camera sting that was perpetrated here in central New Jersey and reported sporadically by news outlets this week. The California based anti-abortion activist… Read More

Connoisseur for Christ: Roberta Green Ahmanson @Christianity Today

In its 2005 list of the 25 most influential U.S. evangelicals, Time magazine described former religion reporter Roberta Green Ahmanson and husband Howard simply as “The Financiers.” Indeed, that is what they are. But these are no ordinary… Read More

The Smoking Bra Flames Out AKA The Unfunny Side of Modern Feminism @Her.meneutics

I enjoy reading the perspectives of the women at Slate’s Double X channel. (I also like Ann Althouse and Penelope Trunk, two smart, quirky bloggers who live in Wisconsin.) But I’ve had a particular fondness for Double X… Read More

Pressing Past the Heartbreak @UrbanFaith.com & @HuffingtonPost.com

The photo above is of Lynn Ann Bogard and her two sons, Dustin (left) and Daniél (right). She and her husband Craig were kind enough to talk to me about how they are able to continue on in… Read More

On Quitting the Circus & Coming Home to the Jersey Shore @HuffingtonPost

A while back I was invited to blog for The Huffington Post Religion channel. I had a nice conversation with an editor who I’d met in 2008 at a professional event. I sent a couple emails in reply… Read More

Art That Reveals Our Need for Grace @Her.meneutics

My latest post is up at the Christianity Today women’s blog, and it’s one I really love because the artists  it features are so inspiring (both the film makers and the photographers). I had the privilege of speaking… Read More

The Art of Ministry @Urban Faith

My first column is up at Urban Faith. It was inspired by the International Arts Movement’s Encounter 10 gathering. That’s one of the speakers, David Sacks, talking about his gorgeous photography work in the photo above.  I interviewed… Read More