Remember VeggieTales? If you were around in the 1990s and were much into Christian pop culture, you do. Their Bible lessons on VHS tapes were ubiquitous in the homes of Christians with kids. And their lessons and songs—well, what can I say? They stick with you. Silly songs with Larry (“oh, where is my hairbrush?”). Rack, Shack, and Benny–because Bible names are too hard to pronounce. And that moment when Jonah gets tossed overboard and…
The death of a beloved is an amputation.—CS Lewis As we wrapped up 2018, our coastal congregation was rocked by grief. Loved ones near and far were lost as if the ending of the year meant that lives were concluding as well, like a succession of doors clicking closed. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings. And though no loss is less than another, none struck me quite like the Facebook post by a young mom who shared…
It’s a fuzzy memory, but it’s there. On Library Day in the elementary school I attended, I pulled from the shelves a biography of the Marquis de Lafayette. I remember liking the book, reading with fascination the exploits of one of the heroes of the American Revolution. That was the early 1970s. But if I had been a student in the elementary schools of 21st century Cumberland County, I probably would have never seen the…
So far, it seems that 2017 is shaping up as the season of comebacks. In January, at the Australian Open, the Williams sisters faced off again, with Serena winning her 23rd major title. And the men’s final also echoed earlier days when Roger Federer, the oldest man on the court at a wrinkly 35, came back to beat his nemesis, Raphael Nadal, in a nail-biting final. And the trend continued February 14 when “Rumor,” a…