Marilynne Robinson on the Clothes that Truly Make the Man
Love Is Also One of the Things That’s True
To Be Able to Acknowledge the Good, Understanding that the Bad Doesn’t Negate It
Classic Jazz, Pinot Noir, and Law/Gospel Couplets
“The Law Makes Us Sad. The Gospel Makes Us Glad. That’s the Most Important Thing that I’ve Kept in My Brain.”
“Ad Astra” and Dad
Usually I disdain movies. But aesthetics can seduce, and I am a sucker for dystopia, and, well, last night I was beat. So we went to see “Ad Astra.” I had heard of the sublime art direction and the contrast between the full-on space travel and the intimate subplot of the father/son relationship. You may […]
Divine Amnesia, Cookies, and Ice Cream
Last Saturday, my son accompanied me on my typical weekend errands, and after he patiently endured the tedium of Costco’s packed aisles and long lines, we were finally en route in the Dodge Millennium Falcon to an impromptu father-son lunch date. As we approached our destination, he randomly blurted out, “Dad, remember that time last […]
Healing in the Middle
When I say Asa, I sing Asa – Bry Webb, “Asa” Our middle child is named Asa, which means Healer in Hebrew. His biblical namesake was the fifth ruler in the House of David, the third king of Judah. In his two and a half years, our Asa has had more days with a royally […]
Catch Me
A new friend, who is joining the church I serve, offered a Rumi reading to me from his morning devotional: Hold up a mirror to your worst destructive habits, for that is how the real making begins. ~ 1995 was my first year of high school. That spring, my baseball coach announced to the entire […]
Basements Floods and Gratuitous Grace
It’s been too long since we posted an entry from our maiden voyage publication, Judgment and Love, the price of which just went down considerably. This one comes from Justin Holcomb and was used to very powerful effect by Steve Brown in his talk at the Liberate conference earlier this year, also included below. Unconditional […]
Fathers and Sons in the Shadow of the Cross
My third anniversary as a father is fast approaching and I find myself asking, like David Byrne, ‘How did I get here?’ I’m 40 now. I’ve got a toddler. I’ve got a proper job. I’ve got a little gray hair. I eat vegetables and watch my fiber intake. I quit going to clubs years ago; […]
Michael Jordan is (Metaphorically) Killing His Sons
One of the lessons assigned in my church this past Sunday was a selection from Ephesians 4 and 5, wherein the writer implores the Ephesians to live a holy life, ultimately calling them to “be imitators of God” (Eph 5:1). This is, no doubt, a heavy burden, laid crushingly bare by Jesus in the Sermon […]
