I’m calling 2020 The Year ‘O Fear. But I don’t want to talk about that right now. Maybe later. Instead, I am going to share (that’s a Christian word) a very pertinent passage from Murder Must Advertise. I’ve given up reading new books for the moment because life is stressful enough. I’m going back to the ones I know are likely to pull me back from the edge of whatever precipice we all might or might not be standing next... Read more
It’s a bright, sunny, beautiful day here in the North East. The serene morning quiet is a jarring contrast to my roiling twitter feed. To celebrate, we’ve done a whole podcast about how it is really not ok to cancel people for any reason, how ex-communication is not cancelling, how naming names is not cancelling, how ordinary justice is not cancelling, and what to do instead of cancelling. Think of it as our giftingness for such an impactful time as... Read more
Well, this is pretty exciting. We are going back to IRL church this morning—a lot of us anyway. Some will stick with couch church for a while, some will worship outside, some inside, it’ll be like having campuses. It’s going to be great—and also complicated and maybe even a little bit stressful. The main thing, as we’ve contemplated this eventuality for a whole week but really three whole months is that it’s not really fun, it doesn’t really feel like... Read more
It’s Friday, and also our church is finally going to get to meet again, which means that all of the children who haven’t yet had to put on a mask are going to have to for the first time. There has been a lot of moaning about this fact, along with the tragic fact that we will not be able to sing much or at all. But I’ve been putting on a mask to go places for the last three... Read more
I spent a few minutes yesterday trying to think of women who lived interesting lives who could help Rachel Hollis and Glennon Doyle and all the people to try to blame “society” and “the patriarchy” for all their problems. When really, having discovered that they are sad and bored by their lives, they should go read something, or maybe even watch an interesting movie. There are so many curious real people and fictional characters out there, there is no reason... Read more
Well, I guess coronavirus and racism are finally over because the golden days of celebrity ruin are back. Thank Heaven. Yep—Rachel and Dave Hollis are getting a divorce. Here’s someone else’s blog post with all the Instagram posts so that I don’t have to go find them. The small portion of twitter that cared deeply about this melted down as the night was spent. A portion of tweeters were heartbroken—women who had taken all the Hollis’ marriage advice to heart,... Read more
I’m over at Stand Firm today. ************ I never thought I’d wake up one June and find that the blazing headlines of the moment would not be about Gay Pride month. That cyclical liturgy is now so much a part of the American experience that I have been shocked to see it unseated on the daily twitter scroll. But when I go over to that great stream of common humanity (that’s a joke) the covid updates are still fixed at... Read more
Good Morning all. We woke up and talked for a good long time about racism and the gospel. We said a lot of things, probably none of them the thing that anyone wants to hear, but there you are, that’s our unique impactful giftingness. You do have to turn the volume way up, tragically, because my computer is still completely dead and we used Matt’s phone. Sorry! I have an appointment this week and hopefully they’ll be able to figure... Read more
Well, it’s Trinity Sunday, which means I must dust off all my heresy and see what may be said. If you’re a person who prays, shoot a one liner into the sky for all the people who are trembling in their pulpits, wondering if this was the morning they should have scribbled out a whole text, instead of notes and an outline. As for me, I am teetering between two decisions. On the one hand I am reading an oldish... Read more
Well, this has been quite the week. Let me see if I can find some takes somewhere. One I found myself the last few days thinking a lot about culture shock, about the discomfiture that occurs when two cultures clash, when one cultural worldview doesn’t understand the other. Like when I would come back to America from Africa and feel a deep sense of alienation standing in the toothpaste aisle. Or how I didn’t even see the packages of cut... Read more
Preventing Grace
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