First: A “He said, He Said” Story.. In the event any of you are in the market for a good fresh dose of weapons-grade insanity, ponder the Nicholas Kuhnhausen story and the utterly bizarre way 48 Hours chose to tell it. It begins with the disappearance of 17 year old girl named Nikki, who is,..
Oh, Zion! Dear Zion! I have a lush novel planned–full of carnivals and music and beautiful girls slow dancing with their young men on moonlit patios. In the broader landscape described here, kindly old men will give sing-song sermons full of teary-eyed spiritual assurance. It will all be set to a big, swelling chorus, and..
In the era of blogs and podcasts and independent, streaming news, I’ve been hesitant to agree when people blame “the media” for our problems. Personally, I can’t imagine taking CNN or MSNBC’s word for anything. I certainly don’t agree with everything I hear on Fox and I can’t imagine slogging through a daily diet of..
..before it heals So I’ve taken to a new diet of contention on YouTube — theological debates. Roman Catholics vs. Protestants. Reformed vs. Arminian. Saturday vs. Sunday, Gifts vs. No Gifts. I’m beginning to believe the serious inquirer, on any subject, won’t need anything like a “channel” anymore, not because content consolidators aren’t useful, but..
The various defenses we make for our shortcomings — have you noticed this? — can almost never survive an honest conversation. I’ve been pondering Vince Gilligan’s character “Jessie Pinkman” in Breaking Bad. You’ve seen this guy. We all have. He’s the aloof, distant stoner, the guy who can’t be bothered to study, to apply himself,..
There are some truths so obvious you get a bit hoarse repeating them: Phoenix, Arizona is a nicer place to live than Tejarcillos, Costa Rica for a reason. Seattle, Washington beats Zimbabwe for a reason. Salzburg, Austria trumps Sinhung, North Korea for a reason. It’s easier being a woman in Madison, Wisconsin than Riyadh, Saudi Arabia..
I wrote yesterday about someone in my life who is “real,” but it would be a mistake for anyone to think that’s an easy thing to accomplish. We say that so easily, don’t we? “Be real.” “Get real.” “He’s just not the real thing.” ..as though it were natural. As though it were the norm…
Somewhere, on a Sunday morning, people are filing out of a chapel after the service and the pastor spots a teenage boy, waiting by himself for his parents to finish socializing. There’s an exchange that goes something like this: Pastor: “How are you, Jeff?” Jeff: “Fine.” The young man fidgets, looks off in the..
“Let me put it this way,” Walt said, taking a calming, diplomatic breath, “we need an Irish tenor to sing this song.” “What are you trying to say?” “I’m saying we need an Irish tenor.” (more…)
