Yes, this is how the me-first live: Carefree consumerists, Treating the world like it’s their oyster. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 73, page 168) I have a mouth. I eat stuff. I consume. Even so, I am […]
Tag: Wendell Berry
The best books I read in 2022
This year was a big year for reading and listening to books. I made my way through 160 books in 2022. Yep. A lot. Everything from Shakespeare to Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. So […]
The prayer of a maturing faith (Ps 71)
I’m actually enjoying getting older. Sure, there are some new creases on my face and I’m not the athlete I was before. Sure, I get tired earlier and forget things easier. But I’m less anxious, […]
Entering into the Big Story in prayer
There are some stories other people have told me that are so vivid in my imagination, it’s as if I was there, as if those things happened to me. My wife tells a story about […]
The problem with my book shelves
I have an incredible library. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reference — I’ve got thousands of incredible books on my shelves. I’ve even read some of them! But there are some problems with my having all of […]
Living as dual citizens
Almost a decade ago, we removed the American flag from the sanctuary of the church I was pastoring. I don’t remember why. It was probably a part of decorating for Advent. But it got put in such a safe place that […]
Wendell Berry & living gratefully in the place where the past meets the future
One of my favorite authors is Wendell Berry, who has been writing novels and poetry and essays for more than 50 years. I’ve soaked in almost 30 of his books over the past decade and have […]
The importance of patriotism (and its limits)
I am an American and grateful to be one. I have visited more than 20 countries and have lived for five years in Canada. Living outside of my home country and traveling widely around the […]
Re-membering — the relationship between community, worship & covenant
One of our sanest writers is Wendell Berry. His contribution as a Christian essayist to the environmental movement has been unique and profound. His poetry, especially his Sabbaths collection, is evocative and wise. But it’s his […]
Ignoring the wisdom of the past at the expense of our future
I’m not a curmudgeon. I don’t get sentimental about the supposedly good old days. I don’t gripe about kids these days. This world has always been a marvel and a mess. Kids have always been […]
How has Easter become the most predictable Sunday of the year?
I don’t get sunrise services on Easter morning. When I look back over my life of church stuff, I can’t remember a sunrise service that I liked. I never wanted to get out of bed. […]