Serpentine sorrows weave their way through my thoughts tonight. It has been one of those days where things go well, but one person after another lets a little bit of ache show through. I see the hurt-yet-trying-to-be-vulnerable so the heart won’t harden. I see broken bodies and broken hearts. Sick bodies and sick souls. I see carnage and horror in the streets of Paris and Beirut. The pain piles high; the daily struggles of how

Teach me your way, O Lord,     that I may walk in your truth;     unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,     and I will glorify your name for ever. For great is your steadfast love towards me;     you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. {Psalm 84:11-13}   As we wrap up another week filled with violence, unexpected kindness, hard conversations,

“[Christians] live in their respective countries, but only as resident aliens; they participate in all things as citizens, and they endure all things as foreigners…They live on earth but participate in the life of heaven” ~Epistle to Diognetus 6.5, 9. As a former resident of Paris and its suburbs, I have shared the grief and pain of the attacks on that beautiful city.  I have always loved Ernest Hemingway’s, now almost cliché quote, “If you

Welcome back to the third and final “Myths of the Apocrypha!” In the first article, we asked whether Roman Catholics inserted seven “apocrypha” books into their canon to disprove Martin Luther. In the second, we asked whether early Christians rejected those same books for containing false teachings. Today, we ask the big question: “Did Jesus and His apostles quote any of these seven books?”   Myth #1: Roman Catholics inserted “apocrypha” books into their canon

Without the Bible—and more specifically, the New Testament—the Christian faith would not exist today. This is a fact that Christians of any branch would readily agree upon. But how did we get this collection of 27 New Testament books?1 How do we know that we have the correct books—that we haven’t left any out or included any spurious ones? To frame the question more poignantly, can we trust the collection of books we call the

A dying Christmas tree in the living room In the front window so passersby can watch it die Has a pile of disguised boxes beneath it Each with another reminder of my mortality Here is a box that reminds me I stink to high Heaven Here a box so I can drink my troubles away Here a box to keep dung from dungarees There are boxes of distraction Gift cards for my lack of openness

“Spectre” is a frustrating film to review: in its attempt to provide a resolution to the last several films, it has one hand in the best of modern James Bond (“Casino Royale,” “Skyfall”) and one in the worst (“Quantum of Solace”). Here, Bond (Daniel Craig) continues his journey into the modern era: MI6 is planning to launch a giant global surveillance program, while villainous organization Spectre (headed by an enigmatic figure allegedly from Bond’s past)

Happy Weekend Dear Readers! As we move into the weekend, please keep the people of Paris, Beirut, and Baghdad in your prayers. As the days move forward, details and analysis regarding these situations will be worked out. In the end though, it is only The Prince of Peace who will bring lasting peace to our broken world; and situations like those from yesterday serve to remind us that we are always called to pray for

The Adventures of the Sea Kids is a children’s book series that features Christian themes alongside fun (and fishy!) illustrations. To date, there are three books in there series: Fast Freddy, What a Bragger, and forthcoming I’m Not Afraid. The books are full-color, fully illustrated, fish-tales about a school of kids (fish) who learn not to discriminate (Fast Freddy) or gasconade (What a Bragger). The books also incorporate a hidden fish symbol for children to search for on each page. We