A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma...
About Sam Bush
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For God So Pitied the Fool: Humor and Hope in this Present Age
“Neither man nor woman can be worth anything until they have discovered that they are fools. This is the first step toward becoming either estimable or agreeable; and until it is taken there is no hope.” – William Lamb (British Prime Minister from 1834-1841) Whenever I read the Book of Proverbs, I get uncomfortable when “the […]
Keep Watch, Dear Lord: Life Behind “The Neighbors’ Window”
The beauty of the short film is that it can provide the same amount of catharsis of a full-length movie while demanding far less of a time commitment. At this point in my life, it feels as if the genre exists solely for parents of young children, for those of us who can fall asleep […]
The Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living: Reflections for Ash Wednesday
James Parker wrote a delightful, 500-word gem in this month’s Atlantic entitled Ode to Middle Age. If you only have ten minutes to spare, skip the commentary and just read the whole thing here right now. Not only is it a refreshing tribute to one’s aging experience — you don’t have to be middle-aged to […]
Caught in the Current of Current Events: The Difference Between The News and the Good News
“The newspaper is the second hand in the clock of history; and it is not only made of baser metal than those which point to the minute and the hour, but it seldom goes right.” – Arthur Schopenhauer There’s a story that when Napoleon’s army was abroad at war, his mail would come only sparingly. […]
For Those Who Wish Their Lives Away: God’s Presence in Our Absent Mindedness
“Oh. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. I didn’t realize. Good-by to clocks ticking…and Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses, and hot baths…and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you.” – Emily Webb from Our Town These days […]
New Year, Who Dis: How A Love That Ruins Everything Gives You a New Beginning
“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose, new feet, a new backbone, new ears and new eyes. … Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is […]
Let Heaven and Nature Sing: The Inspired Stories of Christmas Carols
Each December, my church hosts a carol sing in which the wider community participates. About a hundred people gather — families, college students, older folks, Christians and non-Christians — to sing through the wide Christmas canon, everything from “The Grinch” to “Silent Night.” After we run through a few songs, we descend onto the downtown […]
The Science of Gratitude (Won’t Make You Grateful)
“Gratitude is one of those things that cannot be bought. It must be born with men. All the obligations in the world will not create it.” – George Savile Gratitude, it turns out, is good for you. Studies have suggested that a sense of gratitude improves one’s quality of sleep and overall physical health. It […]
Above the Noise: A Word of Comfort in a World of Sound
The ears, Martin Luther said, are “the only organs of the Christian.” His point was not to contradict Paul’s “body of Christ” analogy but that hearing is the most passive of the senses. While the watchful eye and the grabbing hand both suggest a more aggressive mode of action, the ears simply receive whatever comes […]
Very Superstitious: The Human Propensity for Faith in the Unseen
“We make trifles of terrors, ensconcing ourselves into seeming knowledge, when we should submit ourselves to an unknown fear.” – William Shakespeare A couple of months ago, Julie Jargon wrote a piece in the Wall Street Journal called “My Baby Monitor Is Haunted,” about a number of parents who have witnessed paranormal activity from the […]
G.K. Minds His P’s and Q’s: Why Human Happiness Depends on Good Doctrine
I hate to admit it, but I am not a DIY person. In an age where there are countless instructional videos online to walk me through any number of household tasks, I, for the most part, tragically remain a get-someone-else-to-do-it person. Call it what you will — apathy, entitlement, laziness — but it is a […]
A God’s-Eye View (In the Grip of the Talons): Big Fish, Small Ponds, and the Fisher of Men
Every bus, trolley, and fire truck in my town has a proud slogan blazoned on its doors: “Charlottesville: A World Class City!” No doubt, what is meant to bring a sense of pride to our 40,000 residents is pretty cute to those who live in any actual city. The claim isn’t totally unwarranted: there’s a […]
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