Ironically enough, I finished a book this morning that wasn’t about the middle but instead about the margins. Sean Gladding’s Holy Week book, A View from the Margins: Stories from Holy Week was my book throughout last week and into this morning. Each day of Holy Week was a different story from someone on the margins of the Jesus stories and their possible different perspective on what was taking place. It spoke so deeply to me throughout the week and was a reminder for me about the importance of de-centering myself and my experiences and to try to see not only Scripture but life in general through the eyes of others, especially those who are on the fringes, the edges, the margins. This is so vital right now when it is so easy to simply keep looking through the same perspectives day after day and not doing the work of trying to understand through the experiences of others. I cannot recommend Gladding’s short book enough for encouraging and challenging us to have a wider openness to understanding, learning, and growing.