Shin Dong-hyuk is the only person known to have escaped from Camp 14, a horrific concentration camp in North Korea where the prisoners are incarcerated, not as individuals, but as families; parents, grandparents, siblings, and children, are all arrested in an attempt to wipe out the scourge of rebellion. They will work long hours on starvation rations and, if they’re obedient, generally die by the age of 45. Children are born inside the camp and live their entire lives... Read more
Remembering has never been more important, and yet forgetting has never been easier, especially for those distanced from the violence of war by time or geography. Here’s why remembering matters: In Judges chapter two we read about who came after Joshua and his troops fought: “...there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Lord” (Judges... Read more
Manic: affected with or marked by frenzy Cultural pluralism has intersected with capitalist consumerism, and a byproduct of it is what I’m calling spiritual mania. It happens because the world in which we live creates tons and tons of wasted. There’s wasted packaging, wasted time spent on trivialities, wasted relationships that have become as commodified and disposable as an consumer product, and wasted environments, poisoned as they are by the entire system that has displaced creativity, meaningful work and relationships,... Read more
People who follow the “Christian Year” know that the Bible readings from December through Pentecost are designed to cover the story of God’s restorative plan for the cosmos revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Today begins the long stretch in that same calendar called “Ordinary Time”. Ordinary is a word we don’t use much at all, and nearly never in a flattering way. “It was an ordinary day” means that nothing exciting happened. “Just another day…” we... Read more
Stuff happens. Job loss. Marriage challenges. Parenting that wearies you to the bone. Accidents. Health. Money. Wendell Berry says, “By expenditure of hope, Intelligence and work, You think you have it fixed; It is unfixed by rule” Life happens and it’s the unexpected turns that reveal what we’re made of. This is a priceless gift, because if we’re teachable, we’ll adapt, adjust, and come back stronger. Here’s what I mean: The alarm goes off at 3AM and it doesn’t take... Read more
In honor of mother’s day, I wanted to write some notes to each of the three moms in my life. Of course, none of them were or are, perfect. But I’m fortunate, in that each of them are easy to honor. My mother-in-law is equally wonderful, but this blog’s already too long to add a fourth mom, so I’ll just say thanks here. In the comments feel free to share how your mom has been a gift to... Read more
” And yet what is the burden of the Bible if not a sense of the mutuality of influence, rising out of the essential unity among soul and body and community and world? These are all the works of God and it is therefore the work of virtue to make or restore harmony among them” Wendell Barry “This is what God planned for the climax of all times: to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along... Read more
In my Bible reading this morning, I came across the phrase “put away the foreign gods” and realized that it comes up over and over again the Old Testament. Instead of creating and arrogant and judgmental provincialism, pondering what it means for us today could lead to a whole new way of living: Thoughtful people sometimes have a hard time reading the Old Testament because the Old Testament God as mean, judgmental, violent, utterly other than the God of the... Read more
Look at any cultural institution: family, church, education, government – and you’ll quickly find evidence of a leadership crisis. Broken marriages, absent parents, hypocrisy and power abuse, and the obvious lack of moral fiber to make hard decisions are evidence that the crisis is an epidemic. The fruits of these failures is a polarized culture addicted to trivialities, power, and the value of appearance over substance. It can feel overwhelming, but there’s something each of us can do. Each of... Read more
With vacation, a planned hike to the summit of St. Helen’s, and a climbing project brewing that I’m excited about sharing later, I recently reread a book called “Bone Games: Extreme Sports, Shaminism, Zen, and the Search for Transcendence”. Rob opens with the story of his most desperate moment. He’s fallen, is seriously injured and stranded on a small ledge with hundreds of vertical feet below waiting to devour him when he tries to down climb – with his injury... Read more
Fibonacci Faith: Changing Everything
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