Author Archives: davetcourt

Reading Journal 2024: Loving Disagreement: Fighting For Community Through The Fruit of the Spirit.Authors: Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos My awareness of this book and its authors came from being a subscriber to and active listener of The Faacinating Podcast, which both authors co-host with fellow pastor and author JR Foresteros. One of the reasonsContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Loving Disagreement: Fighting For Community Through The Fruit of the Spirit”

Reading Journal 2024: Bookshops & BonedustAuthor: Travis Baldree Legends and Lattes became the literary poster child for cozy fantasy through sheer word of mouth over a very short period of time. Tha author even touches on this fact in the authors note at the end of the book, speaking about the challenge of now writingContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Bookshops & Bonedust”

Reading Journal 2024: My Father and Atticus Finch: A Lawyer’s Fight For Justice In 1930’s AlabamaAuthor: Joseph Madison Beck While Harper Lee is on record saying that the story of To Kill a Mockingbird was not modeled after Joseph Becks trial case of a black man (Charles White), at least part of this research project,Continue reading “Reading Journal 2024: My Father and Atticus Finch: A Lawyer’s Fight For Justice In 1930’s Alabama”

Transitions They come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes they arrive as a matter of intent. From a desire to seek something new, to take on new challenges, to grow. Sometimes they take you by surprise. It forces itself on you, unwanted and unexpected. Sometimes they express optimism and hope, sometimes they rob you ofContinue reading “Transitions: Finding Beauty in the Ugliness of Life”

Fittingly, I started the year with Wright, reading through his earliest work (What Saint Paul Really Said) and ended with his most recent work (Into The Heart of Romans). Inbetween, I finally finished his magnum opus (The New Testament in its World). All three of these books emphasize three crucial facets of Wright’s work- theContinue reading “2023 Retrospective: My Year In Books (Non-Fiction)”

With 2023 having turned the calendar corner, its time to be looking ahead. Looking at the current slate of official film releases in 2024, which, if the last few years have been any measure should be taken more as a starting point than written in stone, the first thing that jumps out is the #2:Continue reading “The Movies I’m Looking Forward To in 2024”

I have fond memories growing up of being that kid in school who would typically end up having most of the box from those infamouse scholastic book fair orders being plopped straight on their desk. Some might have called it a problem. I called it my obsession. There was little I looked forward to moreContinue reading “2023 In Review: My Year In Books (Fiction)”

A few years ago I began a New Years Resolution Plan called Rosebud. I heard about it on one of the travel podcasts that I follow. The process essentially looks like this:Step 1: List Three Roses-This is the stuff that I would consider the greatest strengths, successes or accomplishments of the past year, the stuffContinue reading “Rosebud 2023: A New Years Resolution Plan”

If I had to sum up 2023 in words other than “Barb-enheimer” or “writers strike”, how might I describe it? There seemed to be much about the uncertainty of our present moment. There also seemed to be much about the relationship of our present moment to the past. I’m thinking about films like Asteroid City,Continue reading “2023 In Review: My Top 20 Films of the Year”

I feel like it is fair to say it hasn’t been a stellar year for animation. Part of that has been the story of Disney’s woes at the box office, taking the shine off of what are typically a handful of high profile release. Netflix has been increasing its investment in animation over the lastContinue reading “2023 In Review: Top 10 Favorite Animated Films”