MONDAY A.M. REMINDER:USE POWER FOR GOOD, NOT EVIL … Doo doo, caa caa. Now, go have a good week, kids! GG Read more

GODSTUFF: DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? How would Jesus sound? Would he sound like an American? Would he have a southern accent? A British accent? Would he sound forceful and strong, or quiet and meek? Would he sound like a white guy or a black man? Arab? Hispanic? African? None of the above?What does Jesus sound like in our heads when we read the words on the page? In the provocative new project, “The Bible Experience,” Jesus sounds like... Read more

IF YOU WANT TO SING OUT, YUSUF, SING OUT … Inshallah,as my Muslim friends say, Yusuf Islam’s first pop music album in 28 years, An Other Cup, will be released on November 14 by Atlantic Records in tandem with the artist’s own Ya imprint. The album is being released in time to mark the 40th anniversary of his debut album, I Love My Dog, which came out under his more familiar name, Cat Stevens. He was born Steven Georgiou in... Read more

SOMETHING TO PONDER … I’m fortunate to live in a village with two good home-town papers. I’m not talking about Chicago with the Tribune and the Sun-Times. I mean the People’s Republic of Oak Park, Illinois with the Oak Leaves and the Wednesday Journal. Vibrant local journalism is so refreshing and, sadly, so rare these days. So I thought I’d pass along a column by Wednesday Journal writer Dan Haley. Tackling faith and journalism is not for the thin-skinned or... Read more

GODSTUFF: GET EM YOUNG: ‘JESUS CAMP’ IS A NIGHTMARE Do you know where the expression “Out of the mouths of babes . . .” comes from?I was surprised myself by the answer.The Bible. There are two references — one in the Gospel of St. Matthew and the other found in the Book of Psalms, which says, in part, “Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and... Read more

ON COMMON GRACE: HENRY, OUR MULBERRY TREE Lord, the air smells good today, straight from the mysterieswithin the inner courts of God.A grace like new clothes thrownacross the garden, free medicine for everybody.The trees in their prayer, the birds in praise,the first blue violets kneeling.Whatever came from Being is caught up in being, drunkenlyforgetting the way back.— RUMI Read more

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: A theological straw poll When I say the word “GRACE” to you, what comes to mind? What’s the first thing? And then, upon further reflection, perhaps, what does it mean to you, grace? Really, I’d love to hear from you, so please respond in the comment/peanut-gallery section. Many thanks,God Girl Read more

THE DUDE COMETH: Don’t be fatuous, Jeffrey . . . Yes indeedy folks, it’s that time of the year again when the leaves begin to turn and the Lebowski Little Achievers gather to dance around the maypole, bowl a few frames and quaff massive amounts of white russians in celebration of their annual festivus — LEBOWSKIFEST. Sadly, I cannot make the pilgrimage to Louisville, but I will be with you in spirit, because whenever three or more Lebowski fans are... Read more

LIVE PHOTOBLOGGING A DELAY … STUCK IN A MOMENT THAT I CAN’T GET OUT OF, PART DEUX Best if viewed while listening to anything DeVotchKa . . . Read more

STUCK IN A MOMENT THAT I CAN’T GET OUT OF . . . Hi kids. No column today, sorry. I’ve been up here in Minnesota (and yes, they talk like that), speaking at the “Journalism through the Eyes of Faith” conference at Bethel University (I kept describing it as the “Jesus and Journalism Convention”), and now I’m stuck at Minneapolis airport trying to get back to Chicago, where, apparently, it’s threatening to rain and thusly all of the flights are... Read more