But I am here to worship, not complain, because it is right, and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I am here to notice, be astonished, and tell others…
All tagged Religion
Resurrection
Today was the day my first child was supposed to be born….
Returning to the Silmarillion
In order to prepare for The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon, I had to read Blood and Fire by George RR Martin and reread the Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien…
War and Peace in Ukraine
What do we do if ending oppression requires us to resist the one who is evil? …Is my soul worth more than Ukrainian lives?
Chasing after Breath
This will not be my only season of grief. More will come. But there will also be a time for joy. I’m looking forward to those wonderful days. Until that time, I will wait for them, and hope for them, and long for them, and trust in them. I will hear His call, be still, and wait. For God alone my soul in silence waits.
Returning to Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley continues to change the way I think - about the game itself and about the world and the way in which I move through it.
Matrix: Julian of Norwich should be more famous
My immediate thought after finishing Matrix by Lauren Groff was that Julian of Norwich needs to be more famous. This is my attempt to make that happen.
Théoden, Dune, and Savior Narratives
There’s as much truth to be found in the pages of fantastical novel as there is in the world around us. Today, we face the ability of others to use their powers of persuasion to seemingly alter reality around them. Yet in the face of that, we can still see and believe in what is true.
On Beauty
This world around us is undeniably beautiful, even the birds and the bees know it. But why is it so and where does beauty come from?
Learning from Job
Job is perhaps the most perplexing book in the Bible - but maybe that’s what makes what it has to say all the more significant.
Why I Love 22, a Million
As discordant as Bon Iver’s album, 22 a Million, is, in it I’ve found a kind of solace, a solace I’ve only ever experienced in the Psalms.
Why I Love Entangled Life
As I’ve recently discovered, fungi have rather a lot to teach us, and they’ve helped me rethink a few things about myself and the world too.
Holy Night
What IS the meaning of Christmas, demands Charlie Brown, surrounded by the hallmarks of holiday commercialism. So I ask the same question, and think about the miracle of the birth of Christ.
My Mixed Feelings about Piranesi
Despite the illusions to CS Lewis’s The Magician's Nephew, it’s unclear what precisely Susanna Clarke is trying to say in her novel Piranesi. I, for one, see as much more than an homage, perhaps even a natural successor to Lewis’s work, but not everyone will.
Theology in the Wheel of Time Revisited
What is the point of life? Is the certainty of suffering or the assuredness of love? This question haunts many of the worlds’ religions in much the same way that it haunts Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time Saga.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent and Crime and Punishment
This world needs saving, but can we save ourselves? No. This year, more than ever, we need the life changing power of Resurrection.
Baking Bread and Liturgy
As the world spins out of control around us, there are a few things that force us to slow down, to live in each and every moment.
Why I Love Lent
Lent is often wildly misunderstood, mistaking self discipline for punishment, and assuming it forgets the grace of the Gospel. We need to realize that Lent is a time not when we give things up, but rather we gain something greater as we focus on our relationship with Christ.
What's the Point of Fiction?
As a lifelong reader of fiction, I find myself wondering what the point of fiction truly is. Polish author Olga Tokarczuk offers some insight on what engaging in fiction can do for humanity, but as in all things, it is in the Gospel where we find what need most.
What's the Point of Government?
“All get what they want; they do not always like it.” I’ve wanted impeachment, but now that it’s here, it’s exhausting. How effective is our government and can government’s priority truly be the betterment of society, or is it, at the end of the day, to keep itself running?