[Picture of Jesus freaked out about tomorrow just like you are.] Thanks to the time change we woke up an hour early and said a bunch of stuff about tomorrow’s election. Is Mrs. Clinton a Christian? (no she isn’t) Is Mr. Trump? (nope) Does it matter? (not really) But you should still listen because we say a lot of other stuff as well. As for links, hmmm. Let me see. Here’s something old and good about the importance of reading,... Read more
It’s that auspicious time of year. The air is cold and crisp, the mums are glorious, the leaves are falling and swirling in a blaze of color, the candy has almost all been consumed, we’ve recovered our lost hour, and we’re in the process of electing a new president. Now more than ever is a good moment to notice what is the use of being a Christian. As the leaves die and fall, and the world rushes to each new... Read more
I have got to plant out some bulbs today, even though it’s probably late. I’ve been waiting for it not to be too cold so that I won’t feel like I’m dying. Soon, because winter is coming, I won’t be going outside ever again. Speaking of which, winter I mean, tomorrow is daylight savings. Should I just go ahead and say some bad words? Or what? To what can I compare my deep sorrow that some jerk sitting in some... Read more
2016 has been kind of a drag, as almost every year ends up being in one way or another. You read the news as the months go by and say, “Things can’t possibly get worse,” but then they do. Whatever may be going on for good or ill in your personal life, the rising and falling of celebrities and empires will probably have some kind of effect on your mood and feelings. But this is November (already, thank goodness) and... Read more
Trying to understand this goat curse. Had never heard of it before this week. Even after much reading I confess that I don’t really understand. This is partly because every article I clicked on confused the issue by including a lot of words about baseball, which I know even less about than goats. The only thing I know about baseball is that little boys are dead cute when they play it. So this goat, if I can understand it, was... Read more
Every so often I take a break from the various political podcasts I fill my empty headspace with (although, who are we kidding, as soon as I get my next audible credit it’s back to 44 Scotland Street for me) to listen to the Art of Manliness. This is not some weird inclination towards gender bending. It’s that the host of that podcast reads books and then has the authors of those books on to talk about them. And given... Read more
Today begins the short quick march to Advent and the beginning of a new church year, which means you will want to be rustling up your advent candles and your copy of Let Us Keep the Feast or ordering a new one if you’ve lost it. So yesterday was Halloween/Reformation Day, and because they’ve gone by and the Internet doesn’t care any more, I really have no business blogging about them. I should obediently turn my attention to the next... Read more
We’ve climbed back on the bus of our usual routine and done up a little podcast for you. This week we talk about Jen Hatmaker with special mentions of Anthony Weiner, Halloween, and, on a more cheerful note, Timothy Fountain’s book Raising a Child with Autism which is available today! Next up, here is my mother’s monthly blog post. Donuts, so many donuts. And here is a really great post for Reformation Day about how to get into the habit... Read more
One of the best ways to be happy, I have found, is to sometimes meditate on the imminence of death. I know, I like to be a cheerful presence here in my small corner, and to spread sweetness and light. I always endeavor to give satisfaction. The last couple of weeks with my small Sunday school class, we have read and talked about that starkly beautiful verse, So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart... Read more
Somebody on Facebook yesterday tried to tone police my mean and snarky post about that song, Good Good Father. I was reading busily away, preparing to freak out, when Matt took my phone and deleted the comment before I could do anything about it. It was kind of amazing, cathartic even. I hate being criticized. It’s only fun when I can criticize others. Incidentally, being tone policed about a dumb song is exactly what I was talking about yesterday about... Read more
Preventing Grace
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