Articles by Debra Bendis

Cover Story

ABCs of faith

Beginning with Alpha

Mar 09, 2004 by Debra Bendis

At an Alpha training conference in Detroit, a dozen people came forward to testify to the power of the Alpha program. One couple had been close to divorce when they encountered Alpha. The course inspired them to salvage their marriage and become active in a church.

Features

Aftershock

Soldier in the family
May 17, 2003 by Debra Bendis
The truck next to me at the stoplight had these words pasted across the back window: “I Have a Son in the Army.” There was no flag decal, no “I’m proud to have” in front of the words, just the fact. I imagined that this son was in Iraq, and that this father was thinking about him as he waited for the light to change.
Books

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife

Peggy Vincent

Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood

Susan Steingraber

I Don't Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother

Allison Pearson

Misconceptions: Truth, Lies and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood

Naomi Wolf

Intruder in my arms

Apr 19, 2003 reviewed by Debra Bendis
When I last delved into the culture of pregnancy and motherhood some 20 years ago,
Features

Field of corporate dreams

Farming without the farmer
Jun 19, 2002 by Debra Bendis
In 1977 Wendell Berry warned that the rise of corporate farming and the disappearance of the family farm were destroying local communities and economies. These developments also caused soil erosion, and reduced the quality of the food we eat.
Music

Openhearted prayer

Feb 27, 2002 by Debra Bendis

When folk singers Suzzy and Maggie Roche began collecting prayers and putting them to music, they had no idea that a national disaster would highlight the poignancy of the songs.

Features

Navy mom

Living with the military

Jul 04, 2001 by Debra Bendis

Like many Americans, my family will celebrate July 4 by sharing a picnic with friends. After the usual greetings, jokes, and anecdotes about our children, we’ll no doubt find time for a political discussion. And since most of us are Democrats living in a very Republican county, my husband and I won’t have much trouble triggering a good argument with strong opinions.

Books

The Shadow of the Sun, by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Jul 04, 2001 reviewed by Debra Bendis

I  lived in Africa for several years . . ." The reader will think of Isak Dinesen or Beryl Markham, but these are the words of Polish correspondent Ryszard Kapuscinski, who spent 40 years reporting on a continent that is "too large to describe . . . a veritable ocean, a separate planet, a varied, immensely rich cosmos."

Books

The clerical life

Nov 22, 2000 by Debra Bendis

A Bishop's Tale: Mathias Hovius Among His Flock in Seventeenth-Century Flanders, by Craig Harline and Eddy Put

Books

Checklist for pilgrims

Mar 22, 2000 by Debra Bendis

A Place for God: A Guide to Spiritual Retreats and Retreat Centers, by Timothy Jones

Features

Anne Lamott’s divine comedy

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith.
By Anne Lamott. Pantheon, 275 pp. 

Jul 28, 1999 by Debra Bendis

Read the sidebar interview, 'God lets me start over.'

Features

‘God lets me start over’

Jul 28, 1999 by Debra Bendis

Read the feature article Ann Lamott's divine comedy.

While Anne Lamott was on tour promoting Traveling Mercies, we had a chance to talk to her about the book and her journey to the church.

Books

Table grace

Returning to church

Mar 17, 1999 by Debra Bendis

By Nora Gallagher, Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith. (Knopf, 234 pp.)