The Cross & the Quill

Katelyn 2023-05-02 Katelyn 2023-05-02

Far Apart: A Reflection on My Trip to Bolivia

My parents have been missionaries in Bolivia for nearly six years. I have visited them twice, most recently in April 2023. This is an essay that I have written on my reflections on Bolivia — its history, its status as a ‘third world’ country, and its beautiful landscapes, people, and culture entirely unlike my home country, Canada.

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Christian Theology
- May 8, 2026 People-Pleasing: The Idolatry of Being Needed May 8, 2026
- Mar 28, 2026 To the Church: Stop Asking for More Mar 28, 2026
- Mar 24, 2026 What Jesus Actually Meant by “Denying Yourself” Mar 24, 2026
- Mar 11, 2026 When Love Feels Like Disappearing Mar 11, 2026
- Mar 6, 2026 Your Personality Isn’t a Problem Mar 6, 2026
- Feb 13, 2026 The Inner Cathedral Feb 13, 2026
- Jan 30, 2026 Seeing the World as Good Jan 30, 2026
- Jan 23, 2026 The Quiet Fire Jan 23, 2026
- Jan 16, 2026 The Gift of Complexity Jan 16, 2026
- Jan 7, 2026 The Scaffolding of Obedience Jan 7, 2026
- Dec 27, 2025 Silence as Resistance Dec 27, 2025
- Dec 8, 2025 Seeing Beneath the Surface Dec 8, 2025
- Nov 14, 2025 Holy Hesitation Nov 14, 2025
- Nov 7, 2025 The Labyrinth Within Nov 7, 2025
- Oct 31, 2025 The Weight of Knowing Oct 31, 2025
- Oct 17, 2025 When God Hides Oct 17, 2025
- Jan 20, 2025 Will All People Be Saved? A Review of “Until the Last One’s Found” by Curt Parton Jan 20, 2025
- Nov 9, 2024 A Critical Review of “Inspired” (Rachel Held Evans) Nov 9, 2024
- Feb 14, 2024 The History and Purpose of Lent and Ash Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
- Feb 13, 2024 Reflections on Lent: Why the Church Calendar Matters Feb 13, 2024
- Sep 20, 2023 A Creed For Postmodern Times Sep 20, 2023
- Jul 13, 2023 Are the Gospels a Myth? Jul 13, 2023
- Apr 3, 2023 Social Set Theory: Bounded and Centred Sets Apr 3, 2023
- Mar 23, 2023 A Case for Christian Universalism Mar 23, 2023
- Mar 23, 2023 A Case for Christian Universalism Mar 23, 2023
- Dec 12, 2022 What Do We Do With Violence in the Bible? Dec 12, 2022
- Dec 1, 2022 Three Views On Hell Dec 1, 2022
- Nov 23, 2022 What and Where is Heaven (And Why Do We Care)? Nov 23, 2022
- Jun 2, 2022 The Holy Who? Jun 2, 2022
- May 19, 2022 Being Blessed Is Not What You Thought It Was May 19, 2022
- Apr 21, 2022 What Does It Mean That Scripture Is “Authoritative”? Apr 21, 2022
- Apr 14, 2022 Did Jesus Have To Die? A Look at Theories of Atonement Apr 14, 2022
- Mar 10, 2022 Is Infertility a Curse? Mar 10, 2022
- Mar 3, 2022 Where is God in My Infertility? Mar 3, 2022
- Jan 27, 2022 Community: Because God Did Jan 27, 2022
Spiritual formation
- Mar 24, 2026 What Jesus Actually Meant by “Denying Yourself” Mar 24, 2026
- Mar 11, 2026 When Love Feels Like Disappearing Mar 11, 2026
- Mar 6, 2026 Your Personality Isn’t a Problem Mar 6, 2026
- Feb 13, 2026 The Inner Cathedral Feb 13, 2026
- Jan 30, 2026 Seeing the World as Good Jan 30, 2026
- Jan 23, 2026 The Quiet Fire Jan 23, 2026
- Jan 16, 2026 The Gift of Complexity Jan 16, 2026
- Jan 7, 2026 The Scaffolding of Obedience Jan 7, 2026
- Dec 27, 2025 Silence as Resistance Dec 27, 2025
- Dec 8, 2025 Seeing Beneath the Surface Dec 8, 2025
- Nov 14, 2025 Holy Hesitation Nov 14, 2025
- Nov 7, 2025 The Labyrinth Within Nov 7, 2025
- Oct 31, 2025 The Weight of Knowing Oct 31, 2025
- Nov 6, 2023 A Review of Deep Mentoring by Randy D. Reese and Robert Loane Nov 6, 2023
- May 27, 2022 Desiring God’s Will by David G. Benner May 27, 2022
- May 13, 2022 Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport May 13, 2022
- Apr 23, 2022 Dream Big by Bob Goff Apr 23, 2022
- Apr 16, 2022 The Gift of Being Yourself by David G. Benner Apr 16, 2022
- Apr 6, 2022 Let Your Life Speak by Parker J. Palmer Apr 6, 2022
- Mar 29, 2022 Invitation to Silence and Solitude by Ruth Haley Barton Mar 29, 2022
Salvation
- Jun 30, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: What Comes After Revelation? Jun 30, 2025
- Jun 24, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: The Enigma of the Book of Revelation Jun 24, 2025
- Jun 17, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: Neither Jew nor Greek Jun 17, 2025
- Jun 11, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: The Embodied Resurrection Jun 11, 2025
- Jun 3, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: The Cross and the Crucified God Jun 3, 2025
- May 27, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: The Kingdom of God May 27, 2025
- May 13, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: Grace in the Exile May 13, 2025
- May 6, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: The God Who Draws Near May 6, 2025
- Apr 29, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: The Crux of the Exodus Apr 29, 2025
- Apr 22, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: Salvation Starts at Creation Apr 22, 2025
- Apr 14, 2022 Did Jesus Have To Die? A Look at Theories of Atonement Apr 14, 2022
Infertility
- Dec 10, 2024 When Childlessness Hurts during the Holidays Dec 10, 2024
- Jan 16, 2024 Moving on From Infertility Jan 16, 2024
- Jan 16, 2023 Will the Childless Have Children in the Afterlife? Jan 16, 2023
- Mar 31, 2022 How Can the Church Make Space for Childless Families? Mar 31, 2022
- Mar 24, 2022 Ten Things to Not Say to Your Childless Friends Mar 24, 2022
- Mar 17, 2022 What Are My Options If I Can’t Conceive? Mar 17, 2022
- Mar 10, 2022 Is Infertility a Curse? Mar 10, 2022
- Mar 3, 2022 Where is God in My Infertility? Mar 3, 2022
Spiritual Formation
- Oct 8, 2025 The Slow Mind of God Oct 8, 2025
- Sep 14, 2023 The Gospel According to a Physiotherapist Sep 14, 2023
- Jan 20, 2022 Living Within the Margins Jan 20, 2022
- Jan 13, 2022 Making Space Jan 13, 2022
- Jan 9, 2022 A New Year Jan 9, 2022
- Dec 22, 2021 Shame: Your Inner Attendant Dec 22, 2021
- Aug 28, 2021 How Do You See God? Aug 28, 2021
Architecture of the Inner Life
- Feb 13, 2026 The Inner Cathedral Feb 13, 2026
- Jan 30, 2026 Seeing the World as Good Jan 30, 2026
- Jan 23, 2026 The Quiet Fire Jan 23, 2026
- Jan 16, 2026 The Gift of Complexity Jan 16, 2026
- Oct 17, 2025 When God Hides Oct 17, 2025
- Oct 8, 2025 The Slow Mind of God Oct 8, 2025
Narrative
- Apr 6, 2025 The Pen and the Arena: Storytelling as Resistance in ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Apr 6, 2025
- Feb 24, 2022 What Will You Do With What You’ve Been Given? Feb 24, 2022
- Feb 17, 2022 Yes: The Word That Will Transform Your Life Feb 17, 2022
- Feb 10, 2022 To Live or Die: A Choice When Life Hurts Feb 10, 2022
- Feb 3, 2022 When I First Met God: The Beginning of My Own Uncertain Faith Feb 3, 2022
- Nov 2, 2021 Narrative: What's Yours? Nov 2, 2021
The Holy Plot
- Sep 6, 2025 For God and Country? The Price of Religious Nationalism in ‘The Everlasting’ by Alix E. Harrow Sep 6, 2025
- Aug 8, 2025 Is Love Weakness? The Upside-Down Power of Love in ‘Wild Reverence’ Aug 8, 2025
- Jun 24, 2025 The Theme of Deconstructing Faith in ‘The Knight and the Moth’ Jun 24, 2025
- May 29, 2025 When Hatred Meets Empathy: A Theological Reflection on ‘Heartless Hunter’ May 29, 2025
- May 28, 2025 The Power of Words and Knowledge in ‘The Name of the Wind’ May 28, 2025
- May 8, 2025 A Theology of Resistance in ‘Babel’ May 8, 2025
Biblical Studies
- Mar 20, 2025 Timely, Not Timeless: Why Context and Language Matter in Reading the Bible Mar 20, 2025
- Mar 15, 2025 The Bible as One Story — The Metanarrative Mar 15, 2025
- Mar 8, 2025 The Bible as One Story—Why it Matters Mar 8, 2025
- Jul 13, 2023 Are the Gospels a Myth? Jul 13, 2023
- May 5, 2022 How Your Worldview Influences Your Bible Interpretation May 5, 2022
Christian Spirituality
- Mar 21, 2024 Fasting from Certainty Mar 21, 2024
- Mar 9, 2024 Fasting from Control Mar 9, 2024
- Feb 22, 2024 Fasting from Materialism Feb 22, 2024
- May 1, 2023 When Shame Says You Are Not Enough May 1, 2023
- Apr 7, 2022 Why Do We Pray Anyway? Apr 7, 2022
Christian Tradition
- Nov 16, 2024 Rethinking Christmas Nov 16, 2024
- Feb 14, 2024 The History and Purpose of Lent and Ash Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
- Mar 23, 2023 A Response to The Naked Anabaptist Mar 23, 2023
- Mar 23, 2023 A Response to The Naked Anabaptist Mar 23, 2023
Christian Ethics
- Nov 9, 2024 Peeking over the Fence Nov 9, 2024
- May 2, 2023 Far Apart: A Reflection on My Trip to Bolivia May 2, 2023
- Mar 17, 2022 What Are My Options If I Can’t Conceive? Mar 17, 2022
Love Without Disappearing
- May 8, 2026 People-Pleasing: The Idolatry of Being Needed May 8, 2026
- Mar 24, 2026 What Jesus Actually Meant by “Denying Yourself” Mar 24, 2026
- Mar 11, 2026 When Love Feels Like Disappearing Mar 11, 2026
Quiet Spaces in the Church
- Mar 28, 2026 To the Church: Stop Asking for More Mar 28, 2026
- Mar 6, 2026 Your Personality Isn’t a Problem Mar 6, 2026
Childless
- Jan 16, 2023 Will the Childless Have Children in the Afterlife? Jan 16, 2023
Christian Leadership
- Mar 23, 2023 Book Review: The Homiletical Plot by Eugene L. Lowry Mar 23, 2023
Church and Community
- Mar 24, 2022 Ten Things to Not Say to Your Childless Friends Mar 24, 2022
Church history
- Jun 30, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: What Comes After Revelation? Jun 30, 2025
Ecumenical
- Jun 30, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: What Comes After Revelation? Jun 30, 2025
Eschatology
- Jun 24, 2025 Biblical Foundations of Salvation: The Enigma of the Book of Revelation Jun 24, 2025
Ethics
- Oct 6, 2021 What is Christian Ethics? Oct 6, 2021
Sermons
- May 22, 2023 Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light May 22, 2023
The Lord of the Rings
- Apr 3, 2023 Lessons from the Shire: A Study of Merry and Pippin Apr 3, 2023