Make a social blunder, and you’re finished “Why all this vicious gnawing on each other? If you are not careful, you will find you’ve eaten each other alive!” Galatians 5:15 VOICE Adam Rapoport was a brilliant editor at one of my favorite magazines, Bon Appétit. When he left GQ in 2010 to take the helm … [Read more…]
God’s ingenious perfection of form and function Our Love Affair with Flowers Around this time of year I’m immersed in seed catalogs. Even though I will only buy zinnia seeds, I still have to explore all the possibilities. After decades of pondering my options, I can name every flower and usually recognize their Latin equivalents. … [Read more…]
How do I understand mental illness as a Christian? Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889, Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay, Paris Wiki Commons To pass the time while doing physical therapy for a broken wrist, I’ve watched a lot of TV. After catching up on The Crown and The Great British Baking Show last fall, I … [Read more…]
Finding the Power to Live a Godly Life Essay #4, Biblical Sexuality “Where does the power come from to see the race to its end? From within.” —Eric Liddell (b. 1902, d. 1945), international rugby star, Olympic medalist, missionary to China I hope this essay will be practical and encouraging by considering the Bible’s guidance … [Read more…]
Essay #3, Biblical Sexuality It’s fun while it lasts, but the consequences aren’t In the first essay on biblical sexuality, we looked at the body’s spiritual importance. In the second essay, we considered the conflict between body and spirit: the body has a mind of its own. Both were published in August. In this third … [Read more…]
Essay #2, Biblical Sexuality The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak My first essay looked at the importance of the body. It carries out our desires. Because we sin in our bodies, Jesus paid our debt to God with a body. In his body he was crucified and resurrected. As Paul wrote the … [Read more…]
Everything happens in the body Essay #1, Biblical Sexuality TEMPLE 101, A LITTLE HISTORY At the time Jesus was born, Herod the Great was more than halfway through rebuilding the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, a project that took decades. The glinting temple, embellished with gold, was the centerpiece of a massive complex called the temple … [Read more…]
Is the pandemic enabling us to finally see systemic racism? Our state’s first case of COVID-19 occurred March 3. The NCAA basketball tournament, fittingly known as March Madness, was called off nine days later. Schools began closing the next day, and the Augusta National Golf Club announced it would postpone the Masters. It would be … [Read more…]
As we tamed our unruly property, spiritual parallels emerged Phil looked down the hill at the kudzu tangled up in the trees along the creek and then scanned the choked trunks at the edge of the pasture. Kudzu vines poured like a waterfall over the skeletons of smothered pines. Most 60-year-old men would have called … [Read more…]
By Laurie Prince Last night President Macron of France announced his country will remain under lockdown until May 11. On that day, only schools will re-open. Restaurants, cafes, museums (including the Louvre), hotels, and cultural sites will remain closed until mid-July. We were supposed to leave for Paris in a few weeks with our two … [Read more…]