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Category Archives: The Long Story
New Year’s Day 2026 (Hope to Carry On)
The new year started off with a slightly-later-than-usual pre-dawn walk up into the valley. The breeze was nice and the road mostly quiet. Morning prayer, some monastic podcast, talk, and then the first full song of the year. You just … Continue reading
Posted in Caedmon's Calling, Faith, Life in the Fifth Act, The Long Story
Tagged Caedmon's Call, Rich Mullins
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Maintenance Work
Week two of fall break has felt significantly different than week one. Week on was full of movies; week two has been full of board/dice games. Week one was about wrapping up the first quarter; week two has been about … Continue reading
Posted in Books, The Long Story, Travel
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Twenty Years of The Far Country
This past week, Andrew Peterson celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of The Far Country. It was the first of his albums after Carried Along that I learned to feel deeply, that tapped into something I was still just … Continue reading
“Beyond Sentiment”
Here’s a great excerpt from this week’s Desert Fathers episode by Erik Varden about Christian joy lived out over time: So my fidelity must be rooted at greater depth, beyond sentiment. St Benedict stresses this when, in the midst of … Continue reading
Posted in Church, Faith, Life in the Fifth Act, Scripture, The Long Story
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The Mid-Week’s Best?
I usually wait until Sunday to post links to some great comics, but I think yesterday’s comics call for an exception. First: it’s not every day that you get the word “ontological” in a comic strip. But Calvin does, and … Continue reading
Posted in Comics, Teaching, The Long Story
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Lifted
Many years ago,during the short window of time between college and seminary, I served as an interim at an area mission church. At the end of every service, which would often number three a week, we would make a circle … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, Teaching, The Long Story
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About Temptation
The folks over at Desert Fathers in a Year recently crossed the halfway point of their project. One of the highlights of the project has been the occasional interview with Bishop Erik Varden, who does the exposition of each episode … Continue reading
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
“Longing, Beauty, and Community”
A couple of months ago, Airbnb released this ad emphasizing their latest offering: experiences. It’s a great ad, one that anyone who has planned international travel can appreciate. I don’t think things are as black-or-white as the ad suggests, but … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Church, Faith, Life in the Fifth Act, The Long Story, Travel
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Communion, Community, and the Soul
I’d like to spend a few posts this week reflecting on Curt Thompson’s The Soul of Desire, a book I mostly read while in Tennessee this summer. I’d like to start with a few quotes and three points of to … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Church, Faith, Life in the Fifth Act, The Long Story
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Space Enough, and Time 