Dear Darkness,
Boldly quiet, ageless grace
Still and steady resting space
First born calm eternal place
Did you ever anticipate the downfall of your reign?
The pain
The bane
Your slayer’s dressed in white
Vocation
Being a mother is wonderful and terrible at the same time.
This task is wrapped up in experiences and expectations not only passed down from her own mother, but from her ideals, friends, and mentors. Even in the Church, we have highlighted the vocation of mother, that this office is necessary and an important service to God and neighbor. There are plenty of blogs, books, and podcasts to guide one in the ways of being a great mother, secular, Christian and otherwise, but there is something critical they may not tell you about mothering. Because, if you considered this little piece of advice, the parenting paradigm may crumble.
I am always interested in films that involve pastors, whether the pastors are good or bad. Because this is something I know from the inside out, it is not hard to tell whether or not the filmmaker actually knows what he or she is doing in writing or casting the character. Phillip Youmans knows what he is doing in Burning Cane (2019; streaming on Netflix).
When traveling, I always like to stop in at the local USO (which stands for United Service Organizations). […]
I’ve been thinking about why we are affected by people who don’t exist. Even when characters are based […]
…until they get punched in the mouth. – “Iron” Mike Tyson. Ninety-six years ago, two men stood toe-to-toe […]
By Bob Hiller – Greetings, Dear Jagged Readers! It has been far too long since I’ve last blogged. […]
By Cindy Koch – Looking over to my bookshelf, I see two tiny books that have been there […]
By Paul Koch – It was Sunday afternoon a few years ago, and my kids were hurrying to […]
By Joel A. Hess – Surely since Plato’s republic—no, further back—since the builders of the tower of Babel, […]
By Joel A. Hess – Since seminary, I have been told by seasoned pastors and “expert” first timers […]
By Cindy Koch – There are a thousand different answers to this dilemma, most derived from experience. Too […]
By Paul Koch – There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink […]
By Cindy Koch – We live in a place and time where an ancient story of truth is […]
By Cindy Koch – Today in our world there is a battle between men and women. As a […]
By Paul Koch – “Yes, Haven, most of us enjoy preaching, and I’ve got such a bully pulpit” […]
By Joel A. Hess –
I often forget a little detail in our Lord’s command to His church in Matthew 28. He says, “Go and make disciples…” Every time I read and reread this almost cliché passage, I am reminded that Jesus tells us He is going to “make” disciples. It will be something done to people. No one will be waiting at the church door knocking to come in.
By Scott Keith –
“Traditionally, masculinity is what stands between the innocent and the wolves.” – Ben Shapiro
Well, I’m back. You can call me Pappy or call me Cantankerous. At this point it doesn’t matter. What I am today is mad, outraged, and oddly—at least for me—a little sad. The Gillette commentary on masculinity which was closely followed by Harry’s not-so-subtle jumping on the bandwagon has pushed me over the edge. I didn’t want to be the Cantankerous Critic, but apparently someone needs to be.
By Cindy Koch –
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Her eyes sparkled and grew a little bigger. Focusing into the future, somewhere beyond our present conversation, she released her hopeful dreams from within. I could see the inspiration of tomorrow lifting every little bit of her countenance. There in her mind she could imagine herself, in the best way, part of a world and an identity that she longed to see. Every so often you might be so privileged to see this glimmer of excitement in a child’s life. Every so often you might be so blessed to witness a moment of inspiration.
By Paul Koch –
The raising of a son is a noble and daunting task. In these days of safe spaces on college campuses and SJWs arguing over proper pronoun use, it is easy to get overwhelmed as to what is the best course of action. The time-honored traditions handed down from a father to a son are now often portrayed as being out of touch with modern sentiments and no longer needed in a modern society. The traditional understanding of what makes a man a good man and what makes him good at being a man are viewed with a certain disdain and uneasiness.