And today, it’s Mat Kearney’s song, “Breathe In Breathe Out.” Those who follow this blog will know that I greatly enjoy the music of Mr. Kearney, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to watch the video. I don’t exactly understand the video, but I can say that I find the music altogether beautiful, and I think you will, too. Sometimes a song comes along that you feel compelled to play eight times in a row simply because of its musical power.... Read more

I recently read a story in the New York Times about a new surgical phenomenon known as “Mommy jobs” in which women who have given birth to children undergo surgery costing in the tens of thousands of dollars to reshape their body according to pre-pregnancy standards. The story is worth the few moments’ time it takes to read as it illuminates our culture’s obsession with physical beauty. Surgeries of this type represent a revolt against the established order of creation.... Read more

I appreciated very much Ben’s kind words and his comment from yesterday about seeing very dressed up people living disastrous lives. This is certainly the case for many people in our world. The clothes–and beyond this, one’s outward appearance–often do not tell the story. Many people–this clearly is not a single-sex issue–are hurting and discombobulated who appear to be quite happy and whole. I think that there are two errors we can make in this debate. First, we can follow... Read more

I recently read through Diana West’s new book The Death of the Grownup. I highly recommend it and found it quite stimulating. One of West’s purposes in writing is to highlight the immaturity of the younger (and older) generation. According to West, both young and old alike today strive to emulate not the mature and wise but the young and foolish. It’s a strange tradeoff that has resulted in the proliferation of “cargoes,” as I once heard CJ Mahaney call... Read more