Author Archives: awtraughber

On Being Occupied

Posted on March 15, 2022 by awtraughber

I think often of this story from Jesus, particularly during times like spring break: 43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will … Continue reading →

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Spring Break Start

Posted on March 14, 2022 by awtraughber

Spring break has sprung.  And it is much-needed.  The third quarter of the year is always a little rust.  This year especially so.  Every day felt like an avalanche.  No matter how prepared I was (some days more than others, … Continue reading →

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On Ash Wednesday

Posted on March 2, 2022 by awtraughber

Today was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent for many Christians around the world.  I’m not much of a Lent person, for reasons I’ll get to at some point during this season.  But I appreciate the general … Continue reading →

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Sunday’s Best: Face Value

Posted on February 20, 2022 by awtraughber

Today’s classic Calvin and Hobbes could take the spot today on facial expressions alone.  And not just Calvin’s exaggerated expressions: the face of Calvin’s dad is a great foil to the almost grotesque Calvin. (image from gocomics.com)

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Out-of-Date Update?

Posted on February 16, 2022 by awtraughber

This past weekend I finally made it to the “barracks” of the Others from LOST.  We took a group of students to Camp Erdman for a day camp, our first off-site trip like that in over a year.  It was … Continue reading →

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Rings in the New Age

Posted on February 15, 2022 by awtraughber

It’s been some time since Amazon first announced their plans to adapt the stories by Tolkien that preceded the age of hobbits and the One Ring.  This past Sunday, they finally released a teaser trailer for the September-premiering The Rings … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Time

Posted on February 14, 2022 by awtraughber

I’m about 30 pages into Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties.  Klosterman is one of my favorite non-fiction writers, especially when it comes to American pop culture.  The book looks to be a 300-page dissection of what it was like to live … Continue reading →

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Gas in the Tank

Posted on January 14, 2022 by awtraughber

One of the questions you are asked when renting a car is whether or not you want to prepay for gas or if you’d rather fill it up right before you return it.  Over the years,  I’ve settled for the … Continue reading →

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Self-Knowledge and Systems

Posted on January 10, 2022 by awtraughber

Self-knowledge is almost meaningless if a system is indifferent and unresponsive. That’s one of my big take-aways from the last couple of years. Self-knowledge is a good thing.  Not everything, mind you.  But it’s something.  Observation of what makes you … Continue reading →

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Halfway Through

Posted on January 4, 2022 by awtraughber

About fifty days ago, I started a journey that I had thought about for some time but ever gotten around to: I started reading Dante’s Divine Comedy.  I did it because one of my favorite newsletter-writers, Matthew Lee Anderson, promoted … Continue reading →

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