A-Viking We Shall Go
It’s 2:15 a.m.
Tomorrow morning I’m getting on a plane and flying to Sweden, the land of my forefathers, with Ben Shive Read More ›
Second Edition: What’s New?
When the first printing of The Fiddler’s Gun surprised me by selling out in early December, I jumped at the opportunity to revise the book rather than merely reprint it. There were several aspects of the first edition Read More ›
The Problem with Flannery
I’m in the throes of writing a biography of Flannery O’Connor. Since I’ve been working on this project, I’ve talked to a good many people who feel that they are supposed to like (or at least Read More ›
The Hymn of the Crabapple Tree
I don’t remember ever pretending to be a princess. Not even once.
I wasn’t the sort of little girl who asked for plastic dress-up shoes or sparkling makeup sets. I didn’t have a Read More ›
Love Loses: Rob Bell, John Piper, and the Tone Of Public Conversation
I haven’t posted here for months as I’ve been working on my new record, so I thought I’d make up for lost time by making my first reentry a long one. Sorry. Read More ›
Ready, Set, Hut.
If you’re a writer, admit it. You have always wanted a “writer’s hut.” According to a source close to me, a writer’s hut is a little structure set apart from the bustle of home life, dedicated to eliminating distractions Read More ›
The Crown of Wisdom
Yesterday at breakfast, my oldest son had the sniffles. Prone to drama, and with the energy and vigor expected of a sinewy seven-year-old boy, he doubled over and raised up with every sniff. Repeatedly, he Read More ›
Dreamers and Keepers
It is always a bit of a mental jolt to discover that one of your best-loved authors greatly dislikes another of your very favorite authors. I felt this Read More ›
Jellybean Highfive and the Solitary Road of Streets
Jellybean Highfive’s unofficial detective business was booming -if booms are what explosions make. Oh, the devastation, he thought. Read More ›
On Ash Wednesday
It’s Ash Wednesday. Yesterday my friend Father Thomas, an Anglican priest, burned the palm fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday to make the ashes to rub on people’s foreheads today. Read More ›
Gus
Gus, a delicate yellow gosling, celebrated only a few waddling days on the Mississippi red-dirt farm where my mother grew up. Of the few sights the creature saw during its abbreviated life, the final was the inside Read More ›
Altars Among The Mundane
It’s often the story between the lines that’s most striking — and most surprising. As I’ve prepared for a five-month long teaching journey through the life of Abraham in our church, I recently found myself moved by one of those Read More ›