While division has always marked the human experience, "the speed, frequency and intensity with which we can now share ideas has brought us to a crisis of polarization - one that more and more threatens the future of civilization." Matthew Becklo had me from the opening of his new book, The Way of Heaven and … Continue reading Pointing Past Polarization: Matthew Becklo’s The Way of Heaven and Earth
My grandparents’ home held many fascinations. The gray-shingled parsonage contained old stamp albums and metal tackle boxes with bright lures bearing fierce barbed hooks. Gorgeous marbles rolled around in a battered metal tin. Real cornhusk dolls and a reedy African rattle were not withheld from curious fingers. When our family came for overnight visits, my … Continue reading Grandpa’s Watch: A New Year’s Confession
"Joy" is a bright, simple word. It tugs on the heart. The mere mention of joy reminds us of a deep lack in our lives. We live without joy more often than we'd like to admit. So I don't have anything against the political planner who came up with the notion of employing "joy" as … Continue reading Joy: God’s Utterly Uncontrollable Glimmer
My father passed away on Christmas Day. Even though he was 89, the hospital call informing us that he was "letting go" was a sad surprise: it wasn't his long struggles with COPD and atrial fibrillation or even the suspected prostate cancer worrying him that ultimately caused his death. A stone lurking invisibly in his … Continue reading A Story Doesn’t Always Go the Way You Had in Mind: Thoughts on Faith and Suffering
Advent's simple candles and starry nights temper December's brisk pace. If we let them, they restore us to better rhythms of prayer. The melancholy yet hopeful tones of traditional Advent hymns, especially "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" have prepared hearts for Christmas for centuries and they never fail to help my weary heart find that … Continue reading “Joy to the World” – Not a Carol, but a Psalm?
Oh the dear bodies, slumped and eye-shut, that could not/keep that vigil, how they must have wept/so utterly human, knowing this too/must be part of the story. — Mary Oliver One of the reasons I believe the gospels are true is the realistic portrayal of Christ's disciples. They leave everything–fishing nets, families, worldly wealth, everything–to … Continue reading The Utterly Human Peter: Lord, Save Me
When it comes to news consumption, I mostly have two kinds of friends. The first backs away from any conversation about current events. “Oh, I don’t pay much attention to the news,” they say with a dismissive wave of the hand. “It’s too political for me.” I know what they mean. Many of us are … Continue reading Books Before Newsbites: Curating the News with C.S. Lewis and Dorothy Day
When I was a young mother trying to finish a Bachelor of Arts in English, I relished my Tuesday evening class at the local college. The English department head, a kind woman with twinkling eyes and exacting standards, required us to read a book a week and come prepared to spend the first 30 minutes … Continue reading “Go and Be Human” with Close Reads: A Podcast for the Incurable Reader
“One year from now, you are likely to be much the same person except for the people you meet and the books you read.” I don’t remember who told me this back when I was young but I never forgot it; it's helped me track my reading year after year ever since. Lately the Goodreads Reading … Continue reading Fiction, News Addiction & The Genesis of Gender: Standouts from 2022’s Reading
The Bible came up in conversation the other day. Didn't I know, I was asked, that the gospels were written a hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ? Why on earth would I believe the gospels were true? It's a fair question, so it's essential to know that compelling evidence for gospel historicity is … Continue reading Gospel Historicity and Resurrection Hope
