Well, there’s a first time for everything. In my many years as a blogger, the last four on sites that advertise, I have never commented on one of the ads on my page. It was tempting in my former blog platform, because the ads were atrocious. I wanted to write something like: “I deplore this ad and denounce this product.” But, I knew that wouldn’t be prudent, so I held my tongue (or my fingers, to be more accurate). Today,... Read more
In The Millions, Nick Ripatrazone writes an ode to photocopies: 1. I make too many copies. 2. When using even the best machines, including those newly serviced and primed, a double-sided job is a risk. I say prayers while the sheets are sucked through the feeder. Hail Mary, full of grace(the sheets disappear), the Lord is with thee (the originals reappear on the other side of the feeder, safe), blessed art thou among women (the copies begin to move through the machine’s hidden innards), and blessed is... Read more
If you think of technology and Thanksgiving, what comes immediately to mind? You might think of watching football on some giant screen of a million pixels. Or you might think of the technology that enables you to fly a long distance to be back with your family. Maybe the tech that enriches your Thanksgiving is the ability to talk long distance with loved ones, or Skype with them, or share videos of your children with their grandparents. If the kitchen... Read more
Have you seen the mind-bending Interstellar yet? I did, last week, and in Christianity Today I wrote about its religious dimensions: To me it seems that Interstellar, perhaps more than any of Nolan’s films to date, positively resounds with religious—even Christian—stuff that might not ring as loudly if you weren’t steeped in it to begin with. To wit: Cooper promises Murph he’ll return to earth, and she despairs of his return, then realizes he’s been talking to her and guiding her all along, which rings... Read more
Something to chew on: only one in five Americans share their faith online, says the Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project: In an average week, one-in-five Americans share their religious faith online, about the same percentage that tune in to religious talk radio, watch religious TV programs or listen to Christian rock music. And nearly half of U.S. adults see someone else share their religious faith online in a typical week. These are among the key findings from a... Read more
Buried deep within this fascinating post about how TV episode recaps changed the way we think about both TV and our lives is a bold assertion: Our real-life ethical debates tend to bottom out at this point – the point at which, despite living in the information age, we can claim in Facebook threads that the truth is fundamentally unknowable. We no longer believe that we as a society share a common text. There was a time when we all... Read more
My friend Callie wrote a marvelous essay on writing (or not writing), reading, and life getting in the way. It made me want to write! My study is a nook on our second floor. My desk faces a window that boasts a view of baby oak trees that were planted about ten years ago. Brick townhomes just like ours line the street. I love to look out the window when I’m sitting here. I love our street. It’s the only... Read more
Over at Relief, my friend Ross Gale writes about re-reading the past, and writing a different future: A recently divorced friend told me how he and his ex-wife have different stories about how they met. His version is that he approached her at a party. Her version is that she introduced herself in a class. They fought about what actually happened not because they wanted to be right, but because of what the versions meant. Their unique stories portrayed each other... Read more
Over at The High Calling, Randy Kilgore points that our work for God is, in some very real way, an art – one that anyone can share in. So what about our work transcends time and becomes something eternal? We sometimes believe that Christians are the only workers capable of doing the right thing or even the noble or romantic thing. In fact, we can sometimes do great harm to our culture’s view of God when we pretend Christians are better... Read more
Just for fun: here are nine pretty awesome “hacks” for cooks: Read the rest here. Read more
Mark D. Roberts
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