Tina Boesch

Given—the video

By: tinaboesch June 3, 2019

blessing, Christian living, faith, featuredLeave a Comment

There are words that hang in the air. Some words dissipate like vapor, but others linger, their full force felt weeks, months, or even years later as they settle in our minds and hearts. It’s the words that stay, the words that settle, the words that transform us that are the subject of Given. Given…

On My Grandmother’s 95th Birthday: A Blessing for the Dawn

By: tinaboesch January 19, 2019March 21, 2019

Christian living, family, writingbirthday, blessing, grandmother, Greatest Generation4 Comments

My grandmother was born in 1924, the same year the lilting melody of “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin was first performed to a packed house in New York City. She is a member of the generation affectionately, nostalgically, deemed “the Greatest.” And indeed, she is great—great at loving long, great at making a life that is stable and meaningful. This is a blessing to mark her 95th birthday.

Dormition of the Virgin at Chora church in Istanbul

A Portrait of Mary You’ve Never Seen

By: tinaboesch December 26, 2018March 12, 2019

art, writingbyzantine art, Chora church, Dormition of the Virgin, Mary, Mary's death, mosaicLeave a Comment

The first time I saw this portrait of Mary at Chora church in Istanbul, I had no idea what to make of it. Questions flooded my mind: What did it mean? Was there any significance in it’s placement over the door exiting the church? And most confounding: Why was Jesus holding a baby swaddled in white? Who was the infant in the Savior’s arms?

Waking Up in Ephesus

By: tinaboesch May 25, 2018April 23, 2019

travel, writing1 John, church history, Ephesus, love10 Comments

The place where John’s body is buried is bathed in light. Literally. His grave is fully exposed to the rays of the sun from dawn to dusk. And when night falls, it basks in the lunar glow. For a couple hundred years John’s grave was sheltered by the dome of a magnificent basilica, but that…

How the Meaning of the Hagia Sophia Made Me Rethink My New Year’s Resolution

By: tinaboesch December 30, 2017March 12, 2019

travel, writingart history, church history, hagia sophia, incarnation, New Years resolution, symbolism2 Comments

What relevance could a 6th-century cathedral possibly have for the life of a 21st-century girl? That’s a fair question. But a visit to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey taught me that Christians from the past can speak into our present.

Feeling Frayed? Me too. That’s Why We Need Advent

By: tinaboesch November 30, 2017March 11, 2019

Christian living, faith, writingAdvent, christmas, hope, weary6 Comments

We still wander awed, says Annie Dillard, because this world is dear. And the people in it are beloved. We were made for this word, even in its splintered state. As we take in the ravages of our frayed and nibbled state, we don’t long for an ending. No, we long for renewal.

Perfect Age in an Imperfect World: 7 blessings for my son

By: tinaboesch August 27, 2017March 11, 2019

Christian living, family, writingblessing, childhood, Christian parenting, family, prayer, prayer for my son, prayers for boys, prayers for my son, protection from pornography4 Comments

The first seven years of childhood are an intriguing mix of energetic exploration and tenderness, stubborn outbursts and loving affection, curiosity and innocence. And if there’s one thing I don’t want my son to lose as he steps into the next seven-year stretch, it’s his innocence. But I know that it’s the thing the culture is most likely to take from him. Here are 7 ways I’m praying for my son.

A View from Way Up High: Summer with Ezekiel & Jeremiah

By: tinaboesch August 20, 2017March 15, 2019

faith, writingBible study, Christian living, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, lament, prophecy1 Comment

I’ve been reading back and forth between Ezekiel and Jeremiah—two prophets that I’m pretty sure had the most unenviable jobs in the world. God called them to speak words that no one in their day really wanted to hear. Worse still, he called them to deliver divine messages in ways that were bound to offend pretty much everyone. But God also gave them something extraordinary—he gave them a birds-eye view, or more precisely, he gave them a heavenly view.

Sketches of Love: Postcards from My Father

By: tinaboesch June 18, 2017March 15, 2019

Christian living, family, writingChristian life, creativity, family, father, Father's Day, God3 Comments

Before we meet God as a sovereign, law giver, and judge, we meet him as Maker. Our very first impression of God in Genesis is as a creative, as a visionary. God sees formless chaos, and he envisions the world in all its organic wild gorgeousness. He takes the void and shapes it into something magnificent, something essentially good.

The Arena of Wonder…and Laughter

By: tinaboesch May 7, 2017March 15, 2019

Christian living, writingAbraham and Sarah, Christian faith, Christian living, comedy, Genesis 21, humor, laughter3 Comments

Some people may have the impression that mirth doesn’t mix well with faith. But the Bible doesn’t eschew laughter; in fact, there are a few places where it’s essential to the story line. When God tells Abraham and Sarah that they’re going to have a baby in their exceedingly old age, their response is identical: they both laugh.

Tina Boesch

When Weaving Becomes a Lens for Seeing Life

The Inestimable Value of Unintentional Mothering

Emotional Women: Grief Contained and Grief Exposed at Santa Maria della Vita

Gardener or God? An extraordinary case of mistaken identity

For the Time Being: Thoughts on Auden’s Christmas Oratorio

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