 They discovered graves on the hillside just down the street. Down on the south end of LaBelle, just behind the laundromat, construction workers tore up the vacant lot that’s been empty for as long as I’ve lived here. I was sorry, because there’s so little nature here in LaBelle. I wish they’d let every vacant lot grow up wild and turn back into prairie, but of course, they can’t. Workmen came in their noisy excavators and flayed away the... Read more
 You didn’t kill Jesus. You couldn’t have. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father. Such a Being couldn’t possibly die, unless He chose to become something else. And He did. He voluntarily chose to become a man, with a body that could break and die, so He could be closer to you. Jesus is not angry with you. He isn’t upset with you. That’s not what this day is about. Jesus came to earth because He wanted... Read more
 Hi friends, this isn’t a real blog post. This is my every-few-months boilerplate where I tell everyone where to find me when I’m not here and how to support my work. This winter was a turbulent one in our country, and I’ve been documenting that by discussing white supremacists’ odd notions about immigrants including the family of Steubenville’s own Dean Martin. I have been reminding people about the Catholic Church’s Just War Doctrine and how the war in Iran doesn’t... Read more
I went into Holy Week, a little sad and apprehensive, not knowing what to say. I suppose I would have much more success in life, if I could ever wear a face that wasn’t my own. But I’ve tried, and I can’t. All I have is myself. I can only tell you about myself. I can never say what people want me to say, except by coincidence. I can only tell you how I really feel. But I’m afraid the... Read more
I went for a hike with Adrienne, and Jimmy’s boy. We went to Frankfort Mineral Spring, to the waterfall and the shale rock cave where I once felt so certain I was going to hell. I didn’t feel as if I was going to hell now. I felt as if I was in Heaven. Adrienne and Jimmy’s boy also seemed to think they were in Heaven. We climbed up the hill and through those magnificent pines, marveling at everything, happy,... Read more
 There were exactly two things on my to-do list. I was going to sit and write, not only my daily writing but also working on my book that I’ve neglected for months. And I was also going to clean the house. The kitchen in particular was getting shocking. Michael was at a ten-hour shift and Adrienne was in school, which meant that I had the place all to myself. I was excited to get a lot done–writing first, then... Read more
 Jimmy’s boy knocked at the door while I was taking a nap, and then again while I was trying to wake up. I came stumbling down the stairs to see him on the doorstep in his brand new bike helmet, which is a bit too big and makes him look like a Lego man. “Can we plant peas now?” he asked. “You promised we’d do it on my birthday.” The last thing I wanted to do was go outside.... Read more
 It’s not a good news cycle, for someone who was raised in an apocalyptic religious movement. I am aware that not everyone who’s been in the Charismatic Renewal has experienced its apocalyptic side. I’m jealous of those people. My sect of the Charismatic Renewal was awash in end times prophecy, and I’ve written many times about how that traumatized me.I’ve been thinking an awful lot about end times prophesies and the hysteria that follows them this week. I get... Read more
 There comes a point at which, if you can’t see how something is wrong, I can’t explain it any further. You either have empathy or you don’t. There’s no syllogism I can quote to you that will make you lead a moral life. There’s no set of rules that comprehends everything a Christian ought to do in every possible situation, without your actually having to deliberate and think. To lead a moral life, you have to have empathy. The... Read more
There were still two weeks of winter left, but the air was was so warm, it might have been summer. The last of the snow had shrunk away and soaked the earth. The blades of brown grass had grown green. Besides the constant murmuring of LaBelle’s fat pigeons, the air was full of the chirrs and chirps of robins. Finally, just this week, it got good and warm. I went outside to the garden, to tend to the soil for... Read more
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