Local Ghosts
Even in the Hudson Valley, I think the larger appeal of Halloween is that our local ghosts can scare us, but we can, ultimately, domesticate them.
A Good Life, a Good Death, and Good-Bye
The longer we live, the more losses we accrue. It doesn’t get easier. There is no ideal life.
The LEGO Batman Movie as a Picture of Family
In The LEGO Batman Movie, Batman’s fears for his for friends’ and family’s safety prompt him to change, to acknowledge his need for them.
Family Dinner and the Presence of Christ
It’s not a religious event, per se, but it buoys my spirit to love and be loved, to place myself within a tradition of ever-present love.
Girl Scout Cookies and Community
Girl Scout Cookies alone can’t change our culture’s vulgarity, but by the grace of Christ, communities can.
Project Runway Junior and Childlike Wonder
Project Runway Junior demonstrates a sense of play and wonder.
Power Plays in Masterpiece’s Victoria
Can Jesus be with Queen Victoria as she struggles to find the right man in a court filled with uncles and male cousins who just want to control her?
Christmas and The Great British Bake Off
As I contemplate the end of the The Great British Bake Off as I know it and its intersection with the end of Christmas, I can’t help but think about the challenge of the Nativity.
Picwits and Getting Picked
Playing the game Picwits helps call me back to God, the one who knows us completely, who makes us whole.
‘Tis the Season for Self-Care
We can work ourselves to the bone trying to make this season meaningful, thereby leaching it of all its meaning.
Ruby Bridges and the Problem We All (Still) Live With
Ruby Bridges reminds us that hatred of God’s children cannot be anything but sinful, and we must be vigilant in confronting not just what we’ve done, but what we have left undone.
‘What Has Cast Such a Shadow upon You?’ Reading Benito Cereno after the Election
As my students and I discussed Herman Melville‘s “Benito Cereno” the text on Friday, many of them wept.
Game Nights Filled with Family, Fun, and Fellowship
Regular installments of game night illustrate our family values of teamwork, togetherness, and joy.
The More Things Change, the More God Stays the Same
Friendships change. Families change. Traditions change. There is, in every season of change, an everlasting, eternal, unchanging God upon whom I can fix my eyes.
All Saints’ Day and Election Season
We are all sinners and saints alike, but on All Saints’ Day, we trace our lineage through the departed saints who’ve walked in the faith before us.
Loving All the Little Children, in Preschool and Beyond
God is in those supermarket conversations, and God is in those preschool classrooms; the challenge may be to see Him beyond our own biases.
