Goodness, what a long week. And it’s raining, so how ‘bout some takes. One My weather app says that it is not, in fact, raining. It is only cloudy with a light autumnal breeze. So I must be wrong, because technology is certainly the measure of my true reality. Glad to have that cleared up. Two Matt posted too “cleverly” on Facebook that I am filling in this week for our inimitable and irreplaceable church secretary. She is allowed to... Read more
I was on The Ride Home with John and Kathy yesterday (40min mark) complaining about the idea of having to get my life together. Found myself using the term “radical dependence,” which I think I must have made up on the spot, unless someone has already. Anyway, it struck me, as I was saying it, how again, Christianity is not what the world is looking for. Because radical dependence, while it offers some psychological comforts, is really a narrow and... Read more
It may be that I am ruining my life with Rachel Hollis videos on YouTube. It’s only because I am very backed up on my own life—so what better time to go down a YouTube rabbit trail. Truly, if it wasn’t for YouTube at critical moments like this, I would probably have earned a million dollars and saved the world. But also, how is it that in spite of my incredible dedication to this time-wasting platform, I never know about... Read more
The best thing about the modern world is that you don’t have to read books or watch television programs any more to be able to know what’s in them, and, more importantly, to be allowed to weigh in out of your virtual ignorance. Because, tragically, the ignorance isn’t that virtual. All of us have put all of our lives online. So instead of reading the book you can read someone’s facebook post and listen to her a podcast somewhere, and... Read more
Woke up late and in a stupor and recorded a scintillating, if rambling, podcast about the Grace Cathedral Ents, the James’ river church light show, the Girl Wash Your Face trend, and how the solution is for us to put ourselves on YouTube—just kidding, that would be so much work. Enjoy! Let’s see, here are the Ents, and here is the light show, and here is the Girl Wash Your Face. And here is a review of the book. And... Read more
I have been unfortunate, lately, to be constantly running into the word “flourishing.” It is not technically a bad word, although I am including it in my Association of Bad Words anyway, because of its ubiquity amongst Christians at the moment. No matter where you go, there it is. And also because it has come to mean something it doesn’t really mean. If you have used the word “flourish” in the last twenty-four hours, I forgive you. I caught myself... Read more
[I don’t have a Pony yet, all I have is this Tiny Gnome Holding A Dragon.] [UPDATE: Apparently Frodo started out with ponies, but he didn’t get to keep them, did he. The ponies went away and he went on alone, as one does.] Today is not only Friday, which you probably knew, it is also the International Day of Peace. One I myself now know this because Facebook’s clunky, moralistic, blocky cartoon people lectured me first thing, even before... Read more
A true and wonderful friend posted this where I could see it yesterday. Go on, watch it and then watch again. And then, as a chaser, here’s my favorite. You’ve seen it before but you’ll really want to watch again. The second one is a joke, of course, but the first one is disarmingly funny and if you get your back up I’ll come through the web and biff you. …did you watch them? There’s no point reading on if... Read more
Here’s an interesting word, “housework.” Wouldn’t it be nice if it was the house that did the work? Instead of you doing the work of the house. So this was a funny article—apparently husbands create lots more work as soon as you acquire them*, and the Babylon Bee concurs (hashtag self-care). I carefully skimmed the article and then, of course, examined my own life to see if it was true. And the answer I came to is…well, keeping house is... Read more
It is utterly fascinating, in a troubling and terrible sort of way, to watch the unwitting convergence of two cultural trends at this precise moment. Yesterday Adam Ford on his very helpful Christian Daily Reporter had links both for the Kavanaugh controversy (is that what its called?) and further down the page for the incredible rates of suicide amongst the teenage transgender population, and underneath that the appalling report that apparently there are real doctors in California willing to perform... Read more
Preventing Grace
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