Category Archives: Friendship

Four Big Questions

Curt Thompson’s The Soul of Desire is the kind of book that paints a picture that you know is beyond your grasp.  He’s a professional writing from his own experience about a kind of community-building that he has created and … Continue reading

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What You Get, What You Really Want

It seems to me that a good deal of “religious” conversation boils down to two things.  The first is conversation as reporting.  This usually comes from a good place, a place of some interest and concern.  Sometimes it can grow … Continue reading

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Together

I was genuinely, and pleasantly, surprised by how much of Curt Thomspon’s The Soul of Desire is concerned with his idea of confessional communities.  I knew a bit about the idea from skimming through his podcast titles, but wasn’t quite … Continue reading

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Summer Reading: The Soul of Desire (part one)

One book I was able to finish before starting my summer mainland trip was Curt Thompson’s Anatomy of the Soul.  I did not intend to read his The Soul of Desire this summer, too, but it’s what I found myself … Continue reading

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In the Backpack

Frederick Buechner starts The Alphabet of Grace, his theological “slice of life” book, with this wonderfully true assertion: At its heart most theology, like most fiction, is essentially autobiographical.  Aquinas, Calvin, Barth, Tillich, working out their systems in their own … Continue reading

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“Where There’s a Will . . .”

We’re just over three months into the “Desert Fathers in a Year” series.  So far, my favorite saying comes from the section on hesychia, which relates to the idea of deep peace.  The saying comes from Abba Arsenius: Abba Mark … Continue reading

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The Fuel You Use

I’ve thought a good bit about internal and external motivations since my trip to Yosemite.  There’s an echo of that conversation in this recent post by Seth Godin, where he writes about what “fuels” you.  Motivation matters, I think.  But … Continue reading

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Yosemite

This time last week I was driving back to Fresno after staying the night in the Yosemite valley floor.  I’d been trying to get to Yosemite since some dear friends moved to the area over a year ago.  This time, … Continue reading

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John’s Maundy Thursday

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend a beautiful Tenebrae service at a local church where a dear friend serves on the worship team.  It was a service full of good music, poignant testimonies, and full readings from the Gospel … Continue reading

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Spring Break Photostream

I’ve spent the last few days over in Fresno, California visiting friends.  Pictures to the right in the photostream for receipts, right?  The pictures are from a Monday afternoon hike to Pincushion Mountain Peak, which is just outside Fresno.  The … Continue reading

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