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Category Archives: The Long Story
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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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
The Good Shepherd (and a quick word on 49)
This past Sunday, many churches celebrated Mother’s Day. Other churches also commemorated “Good Shepherd Sunday,” which is celebrated every fourth Sunday of Easter. The key text for the day is John 10, where Jesus says: 11 “I am the good shepherd. … Continue reading
Posted in Church, Faith, Holidays, Scripture, The Long Story
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A Song for the Season
Marked on the front end with Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent begins today. Here’s a recent song by Andrew Osenga that captures today (and everyday) wonderfully.
Loose Ends at Lent
It won’t be long until Ash Wednesday begins a new Lenten season. And while deep roots for neither of these moments exist in my own tradition, I am grateful for the opportunity they supply for both reflection and action. And, … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, The Long Story
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Choices and the Day-to-Day
My favorite quote from a great piece by Kirsten Sanders about Christianity and the nature of everyday life: Discernment doesn’t mean that you are responsible for the result of your own choices. It means that at the end of your … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, Life in the Fifth Act, The Long Story
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A Long January
April may be the cruelest month, but January feels like the longest. That seems to be the way that some people feel, at least. Maybe it’s because the end of December is more loosey-goosey and less defined and then the … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, The Long Story
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Sentence Stems for Two Conversations
There are two kinds of sentences that one should hear at church or in relationships with other Christians. One should be primary, the foundation for everything that could follow. Unfortunately, the second one has become the actual primary sentence stem, … Continue reading
Posted in Church, Faith, Recovery Journal, The Long Story
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