Sisters in Vienna
My sister and I are very different. Liz is a painter; I am a writer. She looks like my mom; I look like my dad—as long as you swap the noses. Liz can slay a room with her wit; my gifts lie more along the lines of the Read More ›
On Canine Baptism
A while back I told a story in which my elementary school running buddy Mark radioactivated a spider with the intention of giving the boys in Mrs. Crawley’s class super spider powers. Mark’s other claim to fame was the fact that he had baptized his dog. We were in third grade, and the topic was how many people we had in our families. Read More ›
Un-Ironically Whole-Hearted (by James Witmer)
America’s current crop of bright young things, like every crop before them, seems sure they’ve invented some new ideas. Like smoking pipes, home-grown vegetables, and over-sized mustaches. Read More ›
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Pt. 5: Scowling at the Angel
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” —Galatians 5:22-23
The Artist and His Country
When my dad was in eighth grade, there was an art contest at his school. The winning picture would be displayed in the state Capitol in Atlanta. It was only 137 miles from Chester, Georgia to Atlanta, but it was a lot further than that. I don’t imagine very many of the students at Chester School had ever been to Atlanta; my father hadn’t. Read More ›
RR Interview: Melanie Penn
“If I had a donut for every time I’ve listened to this album I’d be dead by now.” -The Proprietor, on Melanie Penn’s Wake Up Love.
Jellybean Highfive and the Tyrannic Dominion of Lord Kings
Jellybean Highfive got lost in thought, dreaming of a day when the boundaries between people and everyone would be blasted apart and no one would have to be told what to do any more and the shackles and stuff would be obliterated by powerful lasers of justice. Read More ›
Album Review: Stacy Lantz’s Ready This Time
Sometimes when the singing starts at church, I don’t sing but just stand and listen. This usually happens on those Sundays when Stacy Lantz leads worship. When Stacy sings the old songs, somehow it seems more worshipful to listen than to sing along. Her voice is strong and soulful Read More ›
Discussion Question: Good Sadness and Bad Sadness
In a conversation about sad stories over at my blog a couple of years ago, S.D. Smith made a great point. To quote the man himself:
“Maybe JR, there’s something in the discussion of what kind of sad is helpful and what kind of despair is basically hurtful. There’s a difference between digging through the septic tank to recover the wedding band and just going for a swim in the thing.”
Wonderful Tonight
“I think that people are the greatest fun…”
—Bryan MacLean, Alone Again Or
I love people. Really, I do. But sometimes I don’t like them very much. Read More ›
Carrying the Fire on the Emerald Isle
On the north coast of Ireland there’s a town called Castlerock, where I left a bit of my heart. I’ve thought about it every day since our return to Nashville. In fact, if ever go missing from the States for a few years and you need to find me, it Read More ›
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Pt. 4: Struck
“By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8
“I had been my whole life a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck.” – Annie Dillard Read More ›