Good sex is a matter of discipline, which can’t start early enough because, hope as we might, sexual fidelity doesn’t drop from the sky. Good sex—love-making—is also a matter of inspiration, which takes place because “God is making us a gift of the Holy Spirit.” That is why sex, done right, is, as Paul put it, part of a living, spirited dance. Read more
People in the grip of poverty can pray—and grasp—the Lord’s prayer, especially the line, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), in a way I can’t, even though I’ve studied it in Greek and said it thousands of times in church. Jesus tells us to pray for daily bread. When was the last time you or I had to pray for daily bread? Read more
In Resurrection Year, author Sheridan Voysey nails it on the head when he writes, “childlessness can bring isolation.” Read more
It’s been twenty-five years, and words spoken after our first miscarriage still rankle. People didn’t know when to shut up when faced with our misery, so they dispensed silly vending machine formulas—a Snickers Bar, a bag of chips, a God-has-a-purpose box of cheap theology and pop psychology. Read more
Introduce regularity to your spirituality, and your brain, given its plasticity, can become more serene and less harried, more focused and less scattered—qualities that are essential for developing a robust spirituality. Read more
When my daughter Chloe was a couple of years old, she’d climb onto my lap, stand unsteadily, set her small mouth full on over my nose, breathe deep—and blow. A full-force gale of toddler’s breath. Whoosh. I’d feel my nose fill, my head swell, and her breath sneak out of my eyes, even. Alive! She’d giggle. I’d belly laugh. Adam in the garden. The breath of life breathed full-on into my face. Read more
It dawned upon me on Friday night, as I sat anonymously, or nearly so, in that dark high school theatre, that I do a lot of this. A lot of my hours are spent in non-accomplishment. Non-writing. Non-production. And that, in essence, defines much of fatherhood, at least from where I sit. Read more
They’re still teenagers, still prone to gruffness and grumpiness—but for several hours a week, they are part of something that teaches them virtues which will serve them when their fastballs look more like changeups and their speed between the bases a slow jog. Read more
They’re formulas, after all—not prophylactics that protect us from death, ignorance, pain, and evil. Read more
My wife, Priscilla Pope-Levison, whose book Building the Old Time Religion will be out this fall, has told me the dirty little secret that after many revivals—nine months later to be exact—a whole lot of women who attended those revivals gave birth. Evidently, more than just bonnets, caps, and combs came flying off. Read more
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