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Reading Journal 2024: Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood Author: Gary Paulsen There are a handful of books that I would call formative when it comes to my love of reading as a young child. Hatchet was one of those books. What was it about Hatchet that captured my imagination? The adventure? TheContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood”

Film Journal 2024: Bob Marley: One LoveDirected by Reinaldo Marcus Green A rough and uneven first half finds its footing in the final 40 minutes. I think part of the issue is that it struggles early on to figure out what kind of film it wants to be and how to tell what is aContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Bob Marley: One Love”

Film Journal 2024: Madame Web Directed by S.J. Clarkson I keep waiting for the cynicism to die, but alas, here we are. Another fringe Marvel film left having to dig itself out of a pre-dug hole before it even releases. Sunk before it even had a chance to swim, and not likely to find itsContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Madame Web”

Reading Journal 2024: The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels Author: Beth Lincoln It’s definitely fun, quirky, even cheeky when it comes to its use of the dictionary and word play. And for all the ways it caters to its upbeat and carefree nature, it also takes on some big ideas. It explores that intersection betweenContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels”

Reading Journal 2024: Stride Towards Freedom: The Montgomery StoryAuthor: Martin Luther King, Jr. “One of the sure signs of maturity is the ability to rise to the point of self-criticism.” For as prominant a figure as Martin Luther King, Jr. was (and is), he writes with the sure handed and grounded nature of someone whoContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Stride Towards Freedom: The Montgomery Story”

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”Matthew 5:8 “I allow the question to surface, if only for a moment, “What is God?” Not “who” but “what”? What are You, Lord? What is this Reality that transcends it all and yet graciously chooses to meet with us? “They shall see God.” WhatContinue reading “Blessed Are… Those Who See God”

Reflecting on the most recent episode of the Lord of Spirits podcast, titled The Season of Virtue. They point out that an oft neglected aspect of the season of Lent is the number 40. Without this number we miss the story that the scriptures are trying to tell. 40 can be measured differently (days, months,Continue reading “The Season of Virtue: Expectation and Preparation In the Number 40 (Lord of Spirits Podcast)”

Reading Journal 2024: Paul and Time: Life in the Temporality of ChristAuthor: L. Ann Jervis Theological shifts begin with someone willing to challenge the status quo. Paul Barclay is a great example of this, pioneering a necessary shift in how we understand the terms Law, grace and faith within the social customs of the ancientContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Paul and Time: Life in the Temporality of Christ”

Reading Journal 2024: My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement Author: Willie Mae Brown There are qualities that make this book compelling, and qualities that act as a deterrent. Beginning, perhaps, with the choice of perspective. This is a Memoir, and it is mostly told throughContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement”

Reading Journal 2024: The Beatitudes: Living In Sync With The Reign of GodAuthor: Darrell Johnson “On first reading [the Sermon on the Mount] you feel that it turns everything upside down, but the second time you read it you discover that it turns everything right side up. The first time you read it you feelContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: The Beatitudes: Living In Sync With The Reign of God”