The Devil’s Pulpit On our first day in Wales, Jay and I hiked from Tintern Abbey to a place called “The Devil’s Pulpit.” It wasn’t much to look at: just a natural rock formation on the ridge of a hill … Continue reading
We studied John 20, verses 19 through 29, as a Life Group yesterday evening, and I found myself fixated on the repetition of a phrase that’s been translated in most English versions of the Bible as “Peace be with you” … Continue reading
My wife Marci said it as soon as I saw her this morning: “Christ is risen!” And I responded, “He is risen indeed!” My mother-in-law texted it to me at 7:09 AM: “Christ is risen!” And I responded, “He is … Continue reading
Pith can be defined as “the essence of something.” Pithy as “concise and forcefully expressive.” These two words, in both noun and adjective form, are terms of power and wisdom. So how did these words settle into a negative association … Continue reading
There’s a scene in the film Anchorman where one of the characters reveals a hidden treasure trove of colognes to his coworker, saying, “Time to musk up.” And I think of that scene more than you might expect: when making … Continue reading
It’s crazy how much I think about this YouTube series that I watched over the summer: “50 States in 50 Days,” by Ryan Trahan (and his wife Haley Pham). Marci and I started watching it with Cor during our Allegheny … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. I’ve read a couple of Lamott’s books before, and I enjoyed them. But my brother pointed this particular piece out at a book shop in Cincinnati … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Wendell Berry’s novel, Jayber Crow: The Life Story of Jayber Crow, Barber, of the Port William Membership, as Written by Himself. I’ve read it before (twice, I think). In fact, one might say that Jayber Crow was my … Continue reading
I’m noticing an intriguing common thread as I continue to catalog my old journals, blog posts, prayer letters, sermons, and such. I’m far more interested to revisit the episodes of sadness and anger and hardship than I’m interested to revisit the episodes … Continue reading
One of my sabbatical activities has been cataloging my old journals, blog posts, and prayer letters (eventually, I hope to add sermons and stories that I’ve written, too, but I haven’t gotten that far yet). I’m trying to start with … Continue reading