I think I need to limp out and buy some vitamin D. It is snowing, of course, and in an attempt to struggle into the reality of the day, I just spent a long time reading depressing twitter threads and articles about how bad everything is in the world. Like, I didn’t know that the fire in California was caused by a baby gender-reveal video/party moment. The father who organized it is paying a hefty fine and is on probation... Read more
Well, I survived Cyber Monday. And Black Friday. And that day you take to do all the laundry you shoved into every corner because there wasn’t ever a good moment to do it. And then I saw this article about what google calls “The Creepy Line” and wandered around reading about China’s new Social Capital system whereby they make life easier or harder depending not only on how you yourself behave, but on who you associate with. So now I... Read more
[Jesus reading twitter and thinking about checking his privilege.] Good morning on this gray, cold, rainy, bleak day. It feels like midwinter even if it’s only still fall. To cheer ourselves we did up a podcast about Jesus learning how to be woke from the Syrophonecian woman, how God is actually able to sufficiently communicate with human language, and how the way that Matt best images God in the world is by being mean to people on the internet. We... Read more
I happened by Psalm 24 the other day, not long after reading that long, interesting BuzzFeed review of Girl, Wash Your Face. I still haven’t read the book, which I suppose I should do some day, but in the meantime the review is pretty satisfying. The BuzzFeed author doesn’t appear to be a Christian, but does make some astute observations about the way Hollis handles the Bible, and manages, better than anyone heretofore, to hint broadly at the idea that... Read more
On this clear, frozen morning I want pause and thank God, of course, but also to say how grateful I am for this corner of the virtual world. I am so grateful to be able to write something, however badly, every day, and am grateful for every person who wanders by and reads whatever strange thing it was. And I am so so grateful for every single person I have met both virtually and in real life because of this... Read more
Nobody was awake just now when the piano teacher crept in to afflict the children. And from the sounds of it, nobody practiced. And someone is learning the theme from Charlie Brown, against my express and clearly stated wishes. The temperature is dropping into the depths of Sheol. I went and found my winter boots yesterday, and I decided that maybe the children do need warm socks after all. But don’t worry, I won’t go shopping on Thanksgiving, nor probably... Read more
Have valiantly swallowed down my annoyance at hearing Christmas music in every store I have warily entered in my quest to gather provender for the coming festivity later this week, a festivity that is not the incarnation of our Lord. I know I was very giving and magnanimous on Sunday, but Monday just about killed it until I managed to find my headphones and stop up my ears with Anthony Trollop mercifully drowning out the wailing and whining, “I’ll be... Read more
Good Morning All. We are crazy busy today and so have only had time to do up a short ridiculous podcast where we say a lot of things we don’t mean, and deride each other, and then remember the time and rush off to all the real work of the day. You’re probably busy too so you’ll be happy its so curtailed. Didn’t have too much time to read either this last week but I think I do have a... Read more
The children and I noticed a day or two ago, as we drove somewhere or other in the fading twilight—so 4:30 because of all the daylight that’s being saved—that a neighbor had a Christmas tree prominently displayed in the elegant front window possessed by so many houses all around us. The lights twinkled and sparkled, flickering warmly against the encroaching darkness. And my children cried foul. “It’s not even Thanksgiving,” several of them shrieked. “You’re not allowed to skip Thanksgiving!”... Read more
Friday and everything. One It did snow. Rather a lot. Not tons. But plenty. My plan of clearing out the garage enough to park a car in it before the first snow did not come into being. First because it is not supposed to snow this early, and second because I have like fifty other things to do. Guess I’ll have to send the kids out to scrape off the car…and to shovel…and shovel some more. Two Also, I just... Read more
Preventing Grace
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