I am delighted to be writing a series on Isaiah 58 for Live 58, an incredible organization committed to ending extreme poverty by 2035. Here is the first in that series.

I have a new favorite phrase. I learned it from my friend at work, who unlike me, is a native of the south. “Someone needs to tell her about herself.” As a high school teacher I can tell you, that no one needs to be told about themselves more than teenagers. As amazing a time as I believe the teen years have the potential to be, there is something about some youth that makes them unable to see the blinding reality of how they are part of the problem. A zero in the grade book is my fault, even though they neglected to put their name on it or turn it in in the first place. The head of the mean girl pack is the first one to cry out if a negative word is uttered against her. How could someone be so cruel? As much as I would like to paint this as a youthful folly that I have fully grown out of, sometimes I need told about myself too.

You can read the rest here.