One of my favorite novels is Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Set in the 1950s on an Iowa prairie plain, it’s a story in the form of letters penned by the seventy-six year old Reverend John Ames to his very young son. When the minister discovers he’s dying, he begins to write about the things he [...]
The final grades have been submitted, and I (and my students) are now on break. My brother arrived home from college last night. My own semester of grad school has ended. It’s Christmas break!
Break is often a time of seeing old friends, celebrating holidays with family, and catching up on sleep. During college, it was [...]
Milkweed bursts with silken seed. Crushed almonds scatter like spilled cinnamon. A child clips basil at the tender neck, after a family friend passes away. Love is swallowed in moondust, bared in cherry rose. Across the landscape of human experience, can inside really be disentangled from out?
- L.L. Barkat, InsideOut
Over the years I have collected quotations related to Advent and Christmas. This morning I took some time to read and reflect and I have some favorites to share. Maybe you have a favorite quote related to the first and second coming of Jesus that you would like to share as well.
“Waiting patiently in expectation [...]
Rejoice: for my M.A. thesis has been submitted.
I’m not only a college instructor (mercifully, not a TA); I’m also a graduate student. Or I was. I’m not quite sure when I can switch over from identifying myself as “grad student” to an “M.A.” – it could be when the department notifies me that the graduate [...]
The three things I remember most from my 9th grade English class are1) the day our 6 ft tall teacher came to our conservative catholic school in a cow costume (it was totally rebellious for her and hilarious for us!), 2) the day she talked about beer and kegs during her lesson on short stories, [...]
Jubilee 2010 speaker Jim Belcher’s life was radically changed in college. He had grown up in the church and wanted to honor God with his life. For Jim, like many of us who grew up around Christianity, he understood “salvation” as being primarily personal—being saved from sins and living morally for God. A life following [...]
It’s December, and a season is upon us – a season of merriment, of longing, of looking eagerly toward the day when our deepest wishes will be fulfilled.