Jan Gompper
Jan Gompper spent most of her career teaching theatre at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee. She also served six years as a cohost for Time of Grace during its start-up years. She has collaborated on two faith-based musicals, numerous Christian songs, and has written and codirected scripts for a Christian video series. She and her husband now reside in the Tampa area, where she continues to practice her acting craft and coach aspiring acting students as opportunities arise. She also assists with Sunday school and other church-related activities.
When we stop practicing
Years ago, a student who had graduated from the Christian high school where I taught shared that she was struggling with her faith. “Don’t…
The comfort in the Lord’s Supper
There are differing beliefs when it comes to celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Some Christians believe that the bread and wine “represent” the body and…
Are you all in?
Have you ever done the Hokey Pokey? “Put your right foot in, put your right foot out, put your right foot in, and shake…
Beware the bully
Most of us grew up with a bully in our schoolyard. You used to be able to see him or her coming. Today, it’s…
A good kind of jealousy
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word jealous as “hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage: envious.” Jealousy is considered a negative…
Brighter days
When I was younger and going through a rough patch, my mother would always (and I mean always) tell me, “There are brighter days…
Is your God dead?
Early church reformer Martin Luther sometimes fell into periods of depression that could last for days. During one of these periods, his wife, Katie,…
No quick fix
I come from a family of solvers. Whenever we face a problem, we dig in to try to fix it quickly. Sometimes we approach…
A Lenten reflection
During high school, I loved the church season of Lent (the time leading up to Easter). As a way to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for…
A dull ache
Loneliness is real. The world is filled with people who live with a dull, nagging ache inside them much of the time. Many of…
A little bit racist?
A song in the Broadway musical Avenue Q kind of shocked me when I first heard its refrain. The lyrics say that everyone is…
No separation anxiety
I was in a department store one day when suddenly I heard a bloodcurdling scream, followed by relentless sobbing. A little boy had gotten…