All Posts By

Jason Lief

Jason teaches Practical Theology at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

Light a Candle for Doubt Essay

Light a Candle for Doubt

A student asked to talk to me after class recently. "I'm not sure I buy it." "Buy what?" I asked. "Christianity. I'm not sure I believe the stories. They don't make much sense. I don't  go to church; I just can't believe this stuff it…
Jason Lief
December 4, 2015
First Snow Essay

First Snow

There's nothing like the feeling of waking up in the morning and looking outside to find the world blanketed in white. There's an excitement in the air: kids, parents, even the pets, are buzzing, everyone listening to the radio for school to be canceled. The…
Jason Lief
November 20, 2015
The Beauty of Baseball Part II Essay

The Beauty of Baseball Part II

For today's post I simply ask that you click on this link and read a wonderful story about failure and grace. More specifically, it's a story about a blown call during the 1985 World Series that some (Cardinals fans) say gave the World Series title to the Kansas City Royals. Fitting,…
Jason Lief
October 23, 2015
Ordinary Dust Essay

Ordinary Dust

Tuesday morning I entered the classroom with a strange, nagging, feeling.  I couldn't shake it... the feeling that things weren't going to go well. I asked the students to read the first chapter of Christopher Hitchens' book God is Not Great so we could talk about Descartes, modernity,…
Jason Lief
October 9, 2015
Sophie and Francis Essay

Sophie and Francis

Two students, two separate occasions, both brought to tears with just a simple question: “How are you doing?” I really don’t seek out people’s problems… they just break in. It’s what happens when life overwhelms, especially for new students trying to figure out college life.…
Jason Lief
September 25, 2015
Bob’s Bar Essay

Bob’s Bar

A couple of Fridays ago some friends and I took the hour long trip to an off the beaten path "dive bar" in Nebraska—Bob's Bar in Martinsburg, Nebraska. As you can see in the photo above it's not much to look at from the outside. Even when…
Jason Lief
September 11, 2015
I Owe My Life to VBS Essay

I Owe My Life to VBS

Have you ever looked back on your life and connected the dots, only to discover one particular moment that set you on your current path? I'm talking about a moment that if it had gone a different way would have meant an entirely different life. I was thinking…
Jason Lief
July 31, 2015