Holidays are an...interesting time. The season can make you want to share the joy of your faith while also studiously avoiding talks about religion with family members. We all feel stuck on how to bring up the topic of Jesus, but relational boundaries and internal fears can smother even the best of intentions.

When I was asked to write this article about the struggle we endure when God seems silent, the first thought that came to me was the familiar verse in Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Ah, the joys of the holiday season – a costume party here, a “Friends-Giving” there (that’s Millennial for “potluck”) – but the greatest part of every holiday party is that moment when someone has a temporary mental lapse and suddenly the room is plunged into a conversation about one of the topics in the Unholy Trinity of Polite Conversation - Politics, Religion or (newly added) Sexuality.