The old paradigm is gone. It seems people no longer consider age a boundary marker. It used to be that “retirement” was regulated by years. Now we say, “Sixty is the new forty.” One student, who discovered my age, in an obvious lapse of decorum, intoned that I was “older than his parents.” Yeah. That
The line Between Here and There Now and Then Does not exist In the way We think, Enamored, As we are, With what We think. Instead Of what He thinks. The Majesty Of the moment Is in every Clock’s tick Our opportunity Our responsibility Our urgency To live As if Tomorrow We die [We will]
“How ya’ doin’?” is the general way the question is asked. People who ask it fall into categories. Some mean, “Hi.” The question becomes an informal greeting. The person isn’t expecting you to answer. Others wonder, truly, about your well-being. The individual is expecting a reply akin to “Fine, thank you.” Their interest is intentional,
My children dragged me kicking and screaming into poems and their poets in the 90’s. And I am ever thankful that they did. Now, I wonder if I could live without it, without expressing myself in it, without giving the poetry of Scripture its due. This week I discovered Marianne Moore, a modernist poet whose
202* Asterisk *stars* are used for emphasis instead of C*PITALIZING expunging the vowel in a prof*nity a symbol in c*lculation footn*tes in essays r*dialing the last call For all these reasons I will use the asterisk to mark This year. To expunge a day To multiply days To emphasize daily To footnote the date To
I sat on the deck Talking to him tonight Smoke and glass hand Telling him how much I miss him On this earth with me Ahead of the artic blast I shiver and shake Not for cold But for the absence The son who is On the Other Side To say
My job on earth. Give me a minute to explain. Bill Murray stars in the movie Vincent. Murray plays a world-weary character who befriends a young boy. At the end of the film the young man praises Murray’s character for his friendly care. St. Vincent teaches us that listening and loving are the best responses
When I was in high school my nickname was Padre. I was always preaching. During football season, my teammates would mock me, until they needed someone to block the middle linebacker. I wood-burned the name Padre into my lacrosse stick. But it wasn’t until I was introduced to Francis Schaeffer that my preaching was
Academics need partners. Give me a minute to explain. The academic life is not for everyone, but I love it. It is good to be with other like-minded professors at conferences or on campus. There are two groups of likeminded Christian profs I would like to mention. The Consortium of Christian Study Centers is dedicated
Atheists believe in miracles? Give me a minute to explain. A number of Christian apologists are pointing out that atheists believe in at least six miracles: (Number one) something must come from nothing, (Number two) reason originates from non-reason, (Number three) life appears from non-life, (Number four) the personal arises from non-personal, (Number five) order
To understand the natural world There is need of a supernatural lens. Give me a minute to explain. In the movie Fallen Denzel Washington plays a detective, trying to catch a criminal. But this is no ordinary criminal. The evil entity in this movie is a supernatural force which is attempting to invade Denzel Washington’s
Can A.I. become ‘god’? Give me a minute to explain. Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, meets an evil Entity in Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. The hero calls it, “An anti-god that thinks it’s God.” “The Entity” – notice the capitalization – of the sinister agent known as “AI” (artificial intelligence) is given a