Finding the Divine in the Secular

reading

Let’s play a game.  It’s no secret that, with a degree in English language and literature, I am a sucker for classic literature.  Shoot, I’m a sucker for a good story in general.  I love love love to get into the nitty and gritty – theme, plot, character development, allusion, language…even grammar!  But one of my favorite things to do is find Jesus in non- overtly religious texts.  I’m not talking about the Piers Plowmans written by the monks and prioresses in the middle ages.  I’m not talking about Pilgrim’s Progress written by the Puritan preacher, John Bunyan.  These are literal allegories with heavy religious influence.  I’m talking about the pop literature (of any time) meant to entertain.  Art reflecting life.  Human stories. So play the game with me for a minute.  Find the divine in the secular. Henry V In the first round, I’d like to get you started […]

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Ancient Wisdom for Our Social Media Age

social media typing

Between a pandemic and feeding a newborn a billion times a day, I’ve spent a significant amount of time on social media over the past several months. I pick up my phone, use my thumbprint to unlock it, and pull up Instagram or Facebook like a bad habit. By the time I’m done, my heart is heavy because while my thumb was busy scrolling, my heart was busy comparing, judging, loving self-promotion, and wanting to respond to someone’s online foolishness with my own folly. For such a simple and mindless habit, my heart can really come out spinning. While social media may be an area of temptation we need to flee at times, there are many beautiful, redeeming aspects of social media, especially in this moment in history. Social media is not the reason why my heart spins out of control; my sin is. Social media may be new, but […]

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