Author Archives: awtraughber

A Song to End the Season

Today is Pentecost Sunday, which marks the arrival of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts and brings an end to the not-so-ordinary part of the church calendar.  Here’s a song that didn’t make the cut for U2’s All … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Faith, Music | Tagged | Leave a comment

Return of the Rings

I knew something was up a couple of weeks ago when the icon for The Rings of Power suddenly returned to the front of “Amazon Originals” on my TV (after being conspicuously absent for some time).  Earlier this week, Amazon … Continue reading →

Posted in Television | Tagged , | Leave a comment

On Ascension Day

In the Eastertide narrative, today marks Ascension Day, forty days after Jesus’ resurrection and ten days before Pentecost.  Erik Varden reflects well on the day in Entering the Twofold Mystery when, using Luke’s account of the moment in the book … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Faith, Holidays, Life in the Fifth Act, Music, Scripture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cinematic Stakes

I caught a late-afternoon screening of The Fall Guy yesterday.  It is a great movie, one that works on practically every level.  It really is the kind of movie you really want people to see: it’s funny, thoughtful, action-packed, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Leave a comment

On “Living Vastly”

I appreciate how well Erik Varden works with phrases: both how he unpacks them and how he coins them.  Consider a recent reflection on “living vastly“ (his words, not mine). First, he mentions the source of his reflection: a prayer … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Some End-of-April Book Notes

Back during Lent, one of my plans was to read shorter books only.  And I kept that, for the most part, which was nice.  Since then, though, I’ve taken the plunge with a few longer books (and one short book … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Beating Death at Its Own Game

Eastertide continues, of course, up until Pentecost, which is just under a month away.  Here’s another great Easter song.  Andrew Peterson did that rare but great thing (almost George Lucas-like) by releasing Resurrection Letters Volume One years before releasing Volume … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Music | Tagged | Leave a comment

Forty-Eight and Four Squares

Today is Birthday 48 for me.  Not quite as cool a number as 47, which is prime , or as 49, which only has three factors, but it is what it is.  I’m hopeful for a mostly normal day: early … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Life in the Fifth Act, Music, The Long Story | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“In the Valley of the Shadow”

A great song to remind us that Eastertide continues.

Posted in Faith, Music, Scripture | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Tension of Enchantment

This semester in class we’ve started each period with a reading from the New Testament letter of James and prayer.  This week, as we’ve come to the end of the letter, we’ve read and briefly talked about what James says … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Scripture, Teaching | Leave a comment