One of my favorite writers is John Muir: a Christian, a naturalist, and an exceptional wordsmith. What follows is just a sample of why I love him, from his book The Mountains of California. Makes me wonder: Instead of always singing hymns in church, maybe we should try a few folk songs?
On August 7, Karen and I will have been married for 37 years. What better way to celebrate than by publishing an excerpt from my book The Mystery of Marriage, which is almost as old? (Well, actually I can think of a few better ways to celebrate …)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” has a fascinating story attached to it. It seems this poem came to Coleridge fullblown in a dream.
Nearly twenty years have passed since I completed the experiment in joy that changed my life, which I wrote about in my book Champagne for the Soul. Sometimes I’m asked whether the joy I discovered back in 1999 really has continued, every day, down to this present day. The answer is yes, and I want to say something about how this works in practice.
My daughter Heather is a blogger. For several years I’ve noticed what a fine writer she is, but now she’s really hit her stride and found her voice. It’s a deep voice, deeply thought and felt, and she expresses herself beautifully and in surprising ways.
This week, more excerpts from Eugene Peterson’s Introductions in The Message, this time from the New Testament.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
~Psalm 100:1-2
In the wake of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks on churches in Sri Lanka, my thoughts turned to the grim reality of Christian martyrdom in modern times.
This week, a reflection on Easter by Frederica Mathewes-Green:
Looking ahead to Palm Sunday, a poem and a meditation by the English poet Malcolm Guite.