Author Archives: davetcourt

Reading Journal 2023: The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson At one point Robinson muses about the challenges of being both an academic and a Christian. She describes how when people discover she is a Christian it tends to result in shock and confusion. In truth, the identifying feature that is probably more shockingContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson”

Film Journal 2023: The Territory, Retrograde, Wildcat Caught up with three recently released documentaries, one cited by some pundits as vying for a nomination at this year’s Oscars (The Territory, now steaming on Disney+), one an intimate and harrowing look at the moments before and after the announcement that American troops would be leaving AfghanistanContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: The Territory, Retrograde, Wildcat”

Film Journal 2023: Broker (Directed By Hirokazu Kore-eda)Where to watch: Mcgilvary Cineplex, Cinemateque If you are not yet familiar with the work of Kore-eda, one of the best living filmmakers of our present day, do yourself a favor and experience the sheer emotional and inspirational brevity of some of his most celebrated works. While theContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Broker”

Reading Journal 2023: The Silver Crown By Robert C. O Brien I was made aware of this book after listening to a podcast episode discussing the film adaptation of The Secret of Nihm. The book being a childhood favorite, I decided to revisit it in 2022. Unaware of whether the author had penned other worksContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: The Silver Crown By Robert C. O Brien”

Film Journal 2023: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (Directed by Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy)Where to watch: Apple TV+ “Life is difficult, but you are loved.”This beautifully animated film, based on the book by the same name, follows a simple cast of characters who happen to find each other as aContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”

Over Christmas I found myself meditating on and reflecting on the Gospel of Luke, specifically the parallel stories of Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary and Joseph. I came across an interesting thesis titled The Blessed Mother Sarah: The Figure of Sarah in Genesis Rabbah in Light of Christian Exegesis and the Rise of the VirginContinue reading “Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah and the Rest of the Women: Rethinking The Birth Narrative”

A couple observations on Luke 15:11-32 (The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother) for discussion: The context for the passage is found in 15:1“Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eatsContinue reading “The Father, The Prodigal Son, and the Larger Message of Luke 15”

Non-Fiction This walk through the majority of my nonfiction reads is something of an experiment. I tried to walk through my reads and track through my experiences of these books as a kind of story that defines the major themes of my year. I note the unintentional bookends that frame my first and final reads.Continue reading “My Reading Journal, 2022: Non-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 “Rose Bud 2023”

Fiction: I have a fond memory from earlier in the year following a blind buy of Gallant. I had been inspired to read more fiction. At the time I was immersed in non-fiction (still am), and I was craving a good story. This set in motion an intentional effort to uncover more literary fiction. MyContinue reading “My Reading Journal, 2022: Fiction”