Cultivating Mindfulness of Christian Virtues
The big ideas about life need to be woven into the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly routines of living if one wants to keep important Christian virtues fresh… like gratitude,…
Wrestle Scripture; Grow Strong
When I was working on my first Master’s degree in Biblical Studies, a classmate and I were sitting in my living room, tussling over the meaning of a certain passage…
What to Expect When You’re Expected to Read Your Bible
In my early teens, I tried to read the letters of Paul in the New Testament. It was an embarrassing experience. I lacked the skills to follow his arguments, had…
Reading the Bible and Loving It
Practicing Jews and Christians are called to be “people of the book.” That doesn’t mean they always are, but it does mean that while our religion is meant to be…
Nice Guys Finish First
When my daughter and her other senior teammates ran their last track race together, the four of them held hands and crossed the finish line together, shouting, “The class of…
Christians Worship God
If you’ve spent your life in church as I have, the special vocabulary of church as well as the common events of Sunday gatherings are like a comfy old blanket…
Putting on Christian Glasses
Now, I know that Christians have a reputation for being the most stylish people in the room, but the title of our little chat today isn’t about wearing fashionable eye-wear,…
So You’ve Accepted Jesus
If you recently responded to an invitation to “accept Jesus as your savior,” and someone handed this devotional to you, let me be the first author to welcome you to…
Kate and the Yakuza Talk Critical Theory
I came across a fascinating exchange, practically a monologue, between a Yakuza boss and a dying assassin in the recent Woody Harelson film called Kate. Spoiler Alert… big time, by…
Controversial Thoughts on Immigration
There are some 25 million immigrants living illegally in the United States. Many of them snuck across our Southern Border and many others came to the US on visas of…
A Daring Claim about Colonization
A word to the wise… read the footnotes. A review of the long history of violence and abuse by ancient rulers the world over would make a sensitive soul ill.…
Wisdom, Folly & “Blaming the Victim”
I recently saw a picture of young woman from India holding up a sign that read “Don’t ask your daughters not to go out, Ask your SONS to BEHAVE.” (sic)…
Strike a Level 5 Pose for Me, Will Ya?
In his book, Talking to Strangers, Malcolm Gladwell discusses how difficult it can be to properly assess a stranger based on demeanor and facial expression. People always assume they are…
Should Anyone Be Shunned?
Why do so many assume that a society with more tolerance for previously less tolerated members of society is automatically an improvement and a cause for celebration and joy? Wouldn’t…
CHESTERTON’S FENCE, FAMILY, & HUMAN SEXUALITY
In The Thing, G. K. Chesterton declares, “…the truth is that nobody has any business to destroy a social institution until he has really seen it as an historical institution.…
What were they walling in or walling out?
In Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall,” one line has outlived all the others in the common tongue of the English speaking world, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Each year, as…
I Pity Stunningly Beautiful People
There is an Episode of 30 Rock, called “The Bubble” in which Liz (Tina Fey) begins to date a character played by John Ham, whose good looks have allowed him…
Child 44 and a Life of Lies
The movie, Child 44, and the novel of the same name, explore the life of a red-pilled Russian war hero, now, military policeman, Leo Demidov, in the days of Stalinist…
Know Your Boundaries: A Morality Metaphor
One of my teachers in grade school grew up in Europe in the preceding and early years of World War II in one of the many nations bordering Germany. If…
For the Nothingness Set Before Them They Endure Nothing: Temptation as Pain
The Book of Hebrews is written to help Christians who, in the face of growing persecution and pressure from Jewish religious leaders, have begun to waver in their determination to…