This is an entry in the “Acrostic Contemplation.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Memory is a fraught and fickle thing. What may seem certain and fixed in our minds as fact may be, to another rememberer, something entirely different. Something we may desperately […]
Grief
This is an entry in the “Acrostic Contemplation.” “Our Father, who art in heaven…” Fatherhood is a term referring to the state of being a father, not the biological fact of “fathering” a child, but rather the lived experience of being a father, engaged with and a part of rearing […]
This is an entry in the “Acrostic Contemplation.” (Not coincidentally, this post is delayed due to the events recounted in the opening paragraph.) ex·haus·tion | \ ig-ˈzȯs-chən \ a state of extreme physical or mental fatigue. the action or state of using something up or of being used up completely. […]
My back was sore as I scrambled off the floor and the pile of wrapped presents to slide onto the couch and pick up my glass of port. I stretched and observed to Elizabeth that it has been a really challenging fall. There were three main challenges that I had […]
Today in the Church Calendar1 we remember the slaughter of the Innocents by Herod (Matt. 2:13-18). There can never be justification or explanation sufficient for the death of the innocent, wherever and whenever, and I will make no efforts to do so. But the prayer that we offer in the […]
“Put the apocalypse back into Advent” is a phrase that has been making the rounds of the internet for the last few years, a riff on the “kept Christ in Christmas,” no doubt. For many Christians it is a curious concept, what can the apocalypse possible have to do with […]
Those of us who grieve loved ones who are no longer with us view All Saints’ Eve and All Saints’ Day in a different way. We remember those who have gone before us, often too soon, and we try and do so in hope. The resurrection is that hope, “the […]
The following is an excerpt from Beautiful and Terrible Things, chapter 8, “Raised Imperishable.” A recent comic by my friend Michael Jantze made me think again about how we refer to death. I may be pushing my exegesis of 1 Cor. 15:20, but I think there is significance in Paul’s […]
A few weeks ago I had the honor of being interviewed about Beautiful and Terrible Things by Shelley Craig for the Faith and Grief Podcast. The less than stellar audio quality was my fault, I was recording from my iPad via Zoom (so sometimes it would speed up/slow down). It […]
Elizabeth and I were so honored to be invited on Open To Hope’s Conversations: The Podcast. It was a wonderful chance to talk about Mack, grieving, and finding hope.