I mean, we think we can, but we can’t because we’re sinners. So that’s too bad. Still, keep trying, says Jesus. One The last two days I’ve watched back to back coverage of the death of Jacques Chirac, former French president for anyone who might not have been alive way back when. He suffered a stroke in the early 2000s and disappeared from public life, giving way to the era of Sarkozy and now Macron, both of whom would look... Read more
I’ve been pushing myself along at an insane pace the last month…well, maybe six weeks, ok since May…whatever, don’t question me. I am the kind of person, apparently, who is pretty sure that work will be my salvation.* I didn’t grow up this way. I grew up in a culture where the rhythms of the day were sane, proper, dare I say, ordered. One of the most rational ways of living in the world is to not have free and unfettered... Read more
There is a really good and interview over at CT of Kate Bowler by KSP about the thing that the Pelican Project, and a lot of people on the internet really, have been so interested in the last few years—the integration of women into the church. A lot of women get to be famous “people who speak” “in the church,” says Bowler, because they are married or otherwise related to famous men who have “platform”—such a horrid word, I think,... Read more
In spite of all my best efforts to avoid watching clips of that young lady coming unglued at the UN, Matt playing it over and over meant that I did end up seeing it after all. Fortunately, however, I had just read this really excellent article, which helped me find some sane framework to put around such a distressing spectacle. The article is not about climate change. It is about Drag Queen Story Time. It’s by someone commenting on the... Read more
In some kind of fit of amazing productivity, we did two podcasts last week but only posted one, and then, by the grace of God, there were no Terrible Things that happened that Absolutely Required our special commentary, and so here is the second one. It is another What We’re Reading episode, plus passion reading. Enjoy! Here are some links too! Here is my mother’s now tri-monthly blog. Gosh she needs to write more. This is brilliant. Here is an... Read more
This morning’s gospel lesson makes it impossible for me not to relish—just a little bit—the poking in the eye of those who don’t want to take the Bible “literally.” The Dishonest Steward is one of my favorite parables in the New Testament. For one, it’s hard and needs some reasoning out. And two, if you’ve decided that the Bible shouldn’t be read the way you would try to read any book—by trying to understand what it says—you will end up... Read more
These three, though, I never tire of, NEVER. One One of the main problems with homeschooling—and this is the problem with having a lot of kids in general—is that after you do something once, it’s hard to be like, ‘Yay! Let’s do it again!’ The first time is filled with the delight of discovery, the anxiety of not knowing exactly what you’re doing, the thrill of occasional success. You watch your children grow and realize it’s all going to be... Read more
Jesus, reading Twitter during the night. I was going to do Three Things on Thursday, but the internet yesterday (and during the night) turned out to be my Dream Come True. There are so many things, I just can’t pass by on the other side of the road without noting them with relish and delight. The First Thing The wondrously clueless people over at Union Seminary, like sheep wandering around banging into each, unable to hear the voice of any... Read more
Following up on yesterday, I thought I would provide for myself, but really for you, three ways to stop being Janet from The Good Place. The first step, on the road to recovery, is to realize you have a problem. The second step is to do something about it. One: Stop Dressing Like a Flight Attendant I mean, I know, your flight attendant look is the thing that everybody loves most about you. Not only are the clothes comfortable and appropriate,... Read more
Well, after an initially underwhelming impression of The Good Place, I must say that I have changed my mind and am enjoying it very much. The stiff acting seems to be a feature, not a bug, and as the plot twists and turns, the actors are getting a lot more, well, human. The character I love best, though (and I’m going to try not to do spoilers, and hope that commenters won’t either, because I’m only in the middle of... Read more
Preventing Grace
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