notes on christianity, belief, and art
Three weeks ago my father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Leukemia. It reminded me of one really good reason Christians should attend church.
I say “one reason” instead of “the reason,” because I don’t think it’s possible to boil church down to a single argument. But I do think this is an important point we don’t talk about as much as we should.
My son Weston
This Sunday is my first Father’s Day. It’s difficult to believe Weston will be a year old next month. Pretty soon he’ll be able to bring me the television remote and mow the lawn when I need to rest up for dinner. I think I’ll teach him how to bake cookies too. You never know when you’ll need a skill like baking cookies. Oh wait, yes I do. Every single day. Continue Reading…
Godzilla (2014) – Legendary Pictures
After I watched Monsters—director Gareth Edwards’ first feature-length film—I couldn’t stop gushing over it. “Have you seen Monsters?” I would ask a friend.
“When I was seven, I thought I saw one hiding under my bed,” was usually their reply.
“No, the movie Monsters.”
“The one with Mike and Sulley?” Continue Reading…
A year ago this week, I was told to look for another job. The Christian school where I taught saw an enrollment drop and couldn’t afford to keep me on staff.
Days after the news, the tips of my fingers still tingled with numbness when I thought about finances. I didn’t know if there would be any money left to scrape out of our bank account in the next few months. If this news wasn’t enough, we had just moved into our first home and my wife was seven months pregnant. Continue Reading…
The clean version of an Eminem song gave me the feels three weeks ago.
Most people think I’m a huge fan of rap, but that’s just them playing off of stereotypes. Even so, when I heard Eminem’s new song “Headlights” on the radio, I lost myself in the music, the moment.
I owned it. Continue Reading…
Noah is a film I have looked forward to for some time. My previous blog about the movie (Noah Might Not Be Biblical, But That’s Okay) is by far my most popular article to date. Most liked it. Some disagreed. Some agreed, saw the film, and then disagreed. Continue Reading…
Yesterday, I turned twenty-seven (in lieu of gifts, please send cake). Time has evaporated faster than I ever imagined it could. Now, I’m just a not-so-young, young adult who’s fond of nostalgia.
Taking some time this past week, I penned a list of twenty-seven things I’ve learned these first twenty-seven years of my life. I’ve always found the key to growing is first being aware. Once we are aware, we allow our ears to hear the lessons screaming all around us.
Here’s what’s screaming at me:
Sometimes I feel like prayer is an enemy of productivity. That’s not an easy statement to make out here in the open, but it’s nice to release doubt from the basement every once in a while. Continue Reading…
Two years ago, Barkhad Abdi drove limos in Minneapolis. Today, he is an Academy Award nominated actor for his role in the brilliant Captain Phillips.
Did I mention Captain Phillips is brilliant? Because really, it is. If you haven’t seen it, why are you still reading this? Redbox that mug. Director Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Ultimatum) is stellar and Tom Hanks is well, Tom Hanks. Continue Reading…
I like to think of the Bible as a large puzzle. In some ways, a Star Wars puzzle featuring all the monumental scenes from the franchise. There’s Obi-Wan confronting Vader, Han shooting first in the Mos Eisley Cantina. I could go on and on, but you get the point. Continue Reading…
