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
“It’s all been said before,” a charming English professor from my college days commented so often that the words surface each time I remember him. “But you can add your grain of sand," he'd add with a twinkle in his eye. Oh, those grains of sand! Where would our lives be without writers who take … Continue reading Highlights from 2024’s Reading List
When I'm talking with friends about a book I enjoyed, I sometimes catch myself sheepishly confessing, "Well, I listened to it," as if listening didn't count as reading. I still believe that reading a printed copy of a book, pen in hand, is the most satisfying and enriching reading experience and that reading a book … Continue reading Five (Plus Five) Favorite Audible Narrators
I once grabbed a paperback called 3 by Flannery O’Connor to occupy the hours on a road trip from Colorado to Missouri. My husband was at the wheel and our two sons, armed with snacks and action figures, were belted in the back seat. At the time, I was finishing my English degree at the … Continue reading Wildcat Was Worth the Wait
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
If there was a scripture haunting the protagonist of Flannery O'Connor's "Greenleaf," it was Romans 14:10. For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Religious without humility, Mrs. May--a widow intent on protecting her land--would offer a resolute, "I've worked, I have not wallowed" in the presence of her Judge. Flannery O'Connor … Continue reading Flannery O’Connor Exposes Our Judgmental Hearts, Preparing Us for Grace
