Well, the end of a week, the end of a month. How ‘bout some quick takes? One The promised storm, yesterday, finally did materialize just in time to wrap things up at church and send the children out to their labors. They came back soaking wet and heavy-laden candy. Meanwhile, I took the exhausted Eglantine home straight from church, dumped three bags of candy into her bucket, and convinced her to go to bed. She is still asleep, thank goodness.... Read more
There’s a big storm brewing that will make the business of collecting a lot of candy from friends and strangers more than usually fraught and uncomfortable. Many mile-an-hour winds, driving rain, cold, and power outages have been ordered up, probably by God, because he loves parents and wants to give them a break, just this one year. My children are all in a frenzy, mainly about how the weather will affect their costumes, but also about the potential haul they... Read more
God—in his providence, I mean, I hope it’s providence and not something more awful—foresaw that I would lose several nights sleep in a row this week, and arranged for me to write elsewhere both yesterday and today. These pieces have been in the works for a while. Eglantine (not her real name) was an absolute dream yesterday, transforming overnight from someone who screamed loudly whenever she stubbed her toe into a person who gracefully and cheerfully endured to be stuck... Read more
I’m both in the hospital waiting while Eglantine (not her real name) has her elbow pinned back together, and over at the American Bible Society annesplaining why you should read the Bible even when you don’t feel like it. Pop over and take a look. ************** The Bible is usually the last thing I want to face in the morning. I lie in bed in the early dawn, that netherworld between darkness and light, my phone in my hand, teetering between... Read more
It’s that time of year again! Time for our annual make fun of all the Halloween earnestness of all other people, whoever they are. Don’t worry, we will get to Kanye, about whom we have much to say. But we have to pop this one in here or the moment will pass, where I feel somehow that the Kanye phenomenon will be with us for some time. Here is a great article about Halloween. Apparently CCLI does a Hollywood type... Read more
There is a fine and providential tweet over on the twitter this morning, one that my heart cries out, yea, faints to plunk down right here. My Relationship With God Is Not Measured By My Attendance At Church #SundayThoughts #SundayMotivation pic.twitter.com/UYSlwGU64v — 6lAcC ChYnA Meanwhile, over in the temple—that wide, smooth court, that place where God promised to dwell—Jesus hangs about watching all the people coming and going with their blasé unconcern that is the common touchstone of our humanity.... Read more
Self-Portrait by the Afflicted It’s Friday, so that’s Takes Little Egglantine (not her real name) (not that little) broke her elbow yesterday. Six kids in and this is our first broken bone. This seems like the perfect time to document all our injuries and some exciting illnesses thus far. One One kid finished up a Lyme treatment Wednesday morning, which is her first time on antibiotics. Which brings the count up to three kids on one round of antibiotics each.... Read more
If your baby can’t read the Bible by age three you’re definitely failing. You should pay someone a lot of money to make it look like he can read. Or just fudge it on social media. I’ve been pretty fascinated by the Varsity Blues scandal—the one where some Hollywood celebrities tried to buy a way for their children to attend elite universities. A lot of messing around with tests, buying access to things, signing children up for sports teams for... Read more
Binge finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn last night. It veered perilously close to the category of ‘real book,’ by which I mean a book with any kind of darkness or trouble. It was pretty gentle, though, over all, and it was very interesting to read such vivid descriptions of Brooklyn, a place, I am pretty sure, I have actually never been. Wanted to go there, but then, of course, realized that the place described is not there any more,... Read more
The Internet is kind of stupid this morning. I’m trying to stay off the main thoroughfares of the Interwebs this morning because I am seriously losing my temper. So let’s find two things to argue about that don’t matter at all, shall we? The First Thing These rooms are all pretty ugly, I don’t mind saying. I thought I liked green, but somehow these verdant arrangements make me want to die. I can’t get on board with ‘jungle vibe’ and... Read more
Preventing Grace
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