“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” –Luke 2:52 I remember the first time I really heard that verse, the first time the word “increased” leaped off the page and slapped me in the face. At that time I believe I pictured Jesus as something more than…
The inimitable ND Wilson has just released another novel, Outlaws of Time #2: The Song of Glory and Ghost, and we’ll have a review for you on Friday! In the meantime, this seems like a good place to share an interview Wilson did with the good folks over at Apologia Radio. Watch for some thought-provoking…
She may be seven, but my girl soaks up the truth in a room without even realizing it and only reveals her observations after dark or in private conversations with her brother. “Some people think that God is just a tall tale.” The two of them, miss brown-eyed beauty and little take-over-the-world, were hunched over…
I love to sing. But let me get something straight here. I’ve got what might best be described as a voice made for a choir. I can hit the right pitch, read music, adjust my dynamics, and really belt it out. Put me with a few dozen other singers, and we can really make some…
A leaden and snow-flecked sky drifts by outside my window tonight, as I ponder a question I feel compelled to put to you. It may be simple, but profoundly so: What will you do when the darkness wins? This question resides in all of us, but does the answer? Trust me, times will come, and…
I taught high school before I had my children. During the course of a day, I saw maybe 150 students, some of them studying World History, others American Lit, and some singing in choirs and ensembles. At the end of my third year of teaching, I got it into my head to write a letter…
I grew up in an orange grove in central Florida, in the little nowhere town of Fort Lonesome. For fun, my brother and I searched the sandy rows between orange trees for used shotgun shells and shards of colored glass. We lived a good forty-five minutes from town. There were no neighbors, not really. There…
C.S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” What a profound statement. The Word of God gives light to everything the Christian sees. Consider how this is true of the stories that fill…
“Celebrations punctuate our year, and our punctuations define us as a people.” –Malcolm Smith The people of ancient Ireland marked their year with eight solar and lunar celebrations. Every six weeks or so, they gathered, performed religious rites, feasted, danced, and held competitions. If a man committed a crime, he could be excluded from the…
This summer, quite by accident, my son and I stumbled into a new bedtime reading routine that has been so nourishing and therapeutic, it’s opened my eyes to a fresh vision of rest and margin. One night, as we were heading into his room, my son pulled a chapter book from his bedside table and told me…
It occurred to me the other day, as I placed my bookmark between the pages of a novel, that reading, particularly reading fiction, is much like being a Christian. I had in my hands a complete adventure. A journey that begins and ends, and in between is full of life: ups and downs, drama, intrigue,…
There are plenty of scenes from my childhood of which I’m not terribly proud. And then there are those scenes of which I shouldn’t be proud – yet I am. Recently, I was cleaning out our library and discovered a Bible that led to the discussion of one such occasion. The summer after fifth grade,…
