Don’t feel bad… we all have done it. The English language can be tough to master, even if we have been using it our entire lives. Lord knows I still need help. So, to that end I’ve compiled a list of common mistakes. Strictly speaking, these are not grammatical errors. I stink at grammar. I misuse the occasional semi-colon, confuse ‘if’ and ‘whether,’ as well as ‘that’ and ‘which.’ Here’s a helpful list of common mistakes of grammar. This top 10... Read more

I confess I have never paid attention to leap day until this year, and then only because of media/entertainment coverage. I confess that I have had to stifle my annoying need to debunk the idea that it is a “free day.” I confess that when we saw “Anything Goes” on Broadway a couple of weeks ago, one of the actors shot off a gun and it startled the crap out of me. It was so loud & came at a... Read more

Are we getting dumber? Seriously, are we as a species becoming less intelligent? Evolutionary scientists believe they have solid evidence. I say you don’t have to go nearly that far. The evidence is all around us and much of it is simply too hilarious (and wrong) to pass up. So, I’m going to begin to feature it here. When I run across something from our current culture which suggests our species is slipping, I’ll highlight it here to remind us... Read more

It hurts to be lonely So I keep on the move Don’t want to feel the damage So I find an excuse I’ve got these arrows Buried deep in my chest I want to be known But I’m hiding again So starts “Need You Now,” one of the songs from the first official recording of the John McKenna Band. John McKenna has been on the move, writing and recording, for a long time. From his first low budget cassette, (I... Read more

Franklin Graham issued an apology today for his comments calling into question the veracity of President Obama’s Christianity. Graham’s apology read, “I regret any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president.” He went on to say that he didn’t feel like he had done a good job of articulating what he meant in his critique. Graham was receiving a lot of pressure, especially from leaders in the African American... Read more

I confess that I’m so into the Hunger Games trilogy that during prayers of the people at church yesterday, I momentarily thought to pray for Katniss Everdeen. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever been tempted to pray for a fictional character. I confess this was disturbing. It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to blasphemy… I’m chalking it up to lack of sleep. I confess that I start book three today. I confess that I’ve been too busy lately... Read more

After the death of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins was allowed to wear the title, “world’s foremost atheist.” As it turns out, it was only for a short time. Only about a month, in fact, right up until his debate / conversation at Oxford  a few days ago with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. There Dawkins admitted he wasn’t one hundred percent sure there wasn’t a God. 6 out of 7.0 he said, before joking that it was more like a... Read more

Franklin Graham made himself look silly on MSNBC the other day. Let me say up from that the hosts were condescending and self-righteous. If you watch the video, look at their faces… wow. Nobody came out of this interview looking okay. Nevertheless, there were many low points for Graham. The gist of the trouble was that he displayed a complete double standard in considering the faith of several presidential candidates. You really should watch the whole thing (below). I have... Read more

I was excited to hear about the book review written for The Other Journal, on An Evangelical Social Gospel? My excitement comes on two levels. First, I really enjoy reading The Other Journal. What is happening there is really good – scholarly, smart stuff dealing not with dry minutiae, but rather with the intersection of theology and culture. Second, it’s a really kind review. I feel like the critique is fair and am really gratified that the reviewer thought it a worthy... Read more

I found this at Manpacks, a quirky site I check about once a week. It’s pretty funny, so if you want you can read the article before reading on, because I’m about to rip it a little bit. Seriously… it’s funny I you might want to enjoy it first. Here’s a link. The 5 ways to appear smarter are: 1. Ask Questions: “Just because you’re willing to admit that you wouldn’t be the smartest person in a room full of Harvard... Read more