2008 backyard concert & picnic; by Raine Pipkin
As believers, we often talk about the “already/not yet” of the Kingdom of God; that we are already saved and that the Kingdom is advancing, but that things are not yet restored to the fullness and glory that God intends…
Slipping out (and in) the back door
“We like to think of our beliefs, and disbeliefs, as founded on reason and close, thoughtful observation. Only in theory do we begin to suspect the power of aesthetics to shape our lives.” Tobias Wolff A church movie night, during…
Summer Reading: Ron Hansen’s Exiles
Ron Hansen writes about exiles – people who find themselves on the outskirts of society for various reasons. Hansen’s first two novels, Desperadoes and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (now a movie) recount the stories…
Christianity, the Advertising Ban
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil with well over ten million inhabitants. In early 2007, the municipal government decided to ban all forms of public advertising under what is called the “Clean City” law. This ban included all…
“the ineffable enjoyment of an unmixed good”
One of my best friends called me yesterday and asked me to write a letter to his oldest son, who just graduated from high school. At All Saints we’ve just started a sermon series that will follow the Old Testament…
Covenant Seminary offers online courses (for free)
Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, alma mater of both Bill and Tim, is now offering a selection of courses online as part of their Covenant Worldwide Initiative. “Covenant Worldwide is a ministry of Covenant Theological Seminary to distribute a…
Mary Grace the Neurotic
“The book struck her directly over her left eye.” If I had a Top 5 Fiction Sentences list, which I probably should, this would be on it. Recently I re-read Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Revelation,” a story about people in…