Good with God
“They must not believe in God.” These words from my daughter came after a conversation we had been having at bedtime about someone who she had heard yelling at their […]
Small-sized Happiness
As harmless as it might seem, that dress billboard is part of a culture that defines beauty and happiness according to its own commercial logic. It is an illustration of our society’s ideal of happiness as duty, as an implacable, unbinding rule forced down on everyone.
Who Needs a Saviour?
As far as big budget storylines go, the plot of The Following, which began this year on the FOX TV network, is reasonably familiar with its basic premise of good […]
Jesus According to Charles Dickens
Between 1846 and 1849 Charles Dickens wrote The Life of Our Lord, a simplified version of Jesus’ life for his children, who ranged in age from newborn to 11 years-old […]
A Hard Approach?
Whenever I travel by plane there is a moment before landing where I grow tense, anticipating a hard approach to the runway. My “touch-down” checklist goes like this: check belt, […]
Grace is Gamble, Always
The latest film rendition of Victor Hugo’s classic, Les Misérables, is beautiful and intense and lyrical. The photography is gorgeous, the storytelling vivid, and the songs continue to hum in […]
Running Toward Life
I was flipping a book at a friend’s house one day – one of those fancy editions that even smell well – when an image took hold of me. It shows two […]
Chopped-Up Existence
I read very few novels during my formal studies in university and graduate school. There was too much required reading for my courses and, when combined with the ordinary demands […]
Miracles
Let me briefly share two personal stories with you. I was 3 years old when my first brother was born. A few days later we learned he had a serious […]
When to say Thank You
‘A little old lady lived all by herself With a table and chairs and a jug on the shelf. A wise old man heard her grumble and grouse, “There’s not […]
Wondering Fair 