It has become a tradition during the Trinity term of the Fellows Program at Theopolis to hold a feast in the style of a Georgian keipi. Food, served in courses, rounds of toasts orchestrated around specific themes (e.g. “eros” “death” “mothers” etc.), led by a tamada (kind of master of ceremonies meets hierophantic celebrant…
Read moreAll books are enchanted
p/c Chris Blair via unspalsh
My family is doing a read-aloud through C.S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader right now. We just completed the chapter in which Lucy enters the library of the magician Coriakin and reads through a portion of his book of spells.
The book is wondrous, it is alive. As one reads new words appear, the illustrations begin to move, smells and sounds begin to pour-forth from the pages… the book, in other words, comes alive…
Read moreTwo conditions of a good story
p/c Bhautik Patel via unsplash
In The Poetics Aristotle makes the claim that a good story —a really good story— must satisfy two conditions that seem mutually exclusive:
a good story must satisfy the hopes and anticipations which it cultivates in us.
AND a good story must surprise us; it cannot merely conclude or resolve; we can’t see it coming.
Think of the way we critique movies…
Read moreThe devil can cite Scripture
Shakespeare notes the way in which “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose” (Merchant of Venice, I.3). This is what the Devil does when he tempts Jesus in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11; Mk. 1:12-13; Lk. 4:1-13). This is part of his much larger deceiving and perverting craft of simultaneously ruining good things and making evil things appear good. As Shakespeare again notes “O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”
It is the devil who, for instance, makes a violation of God’s instructions for kings of Israel (a military census) appear like prudence and wise leadership…
Read moreRepost: Worshiping under branches
p/c visualsbying via unsplash
What’s with all the services where Christians worship under branches? We hang greens in the sanctuary in Advent, we decorate Christmas Tress, we burn branches for ashes on Ash Wednesday, and we wave palms on Palm Sunday. Is there any Biblical reasoning behind these practices?
You betcha! It’s all about being a part of God’s Big Story…
Read moreThe heart's desire of a true squire
p/c @tobyjay2010 via unsplash
No Japan Travelogue yet. I’ll be working on that this week for both you all and for Theopolis and have it out early next week.
Today I just want to share a scene from my fiction reading (which has been sparse as of late). As I tell each fellows cohort at Theopolis: be careful of becoming the kind of person who only reads non-fiction theology, or you risk becoming the kind of person who only reads non-fiction theology...
Read moreJapan itinerary
p/c Nomadic Julien via unsplash
This week Landon and I will be travelling to Japan on the first formal international missions trip of All Saints Honolulu with the main goal of establishing long-term missional relationships there.
What follows is a loose itinerary of our trip —at least, what our itinerary looks like right now. As you think of us in the days ahead, and as you pray for us, this itinerary can help give you and idea of where we are at as you pray…
Read moreListening to Leviticus while nursing a terrible fever
p/c public domain via wikimedia commons
…The first two days of the sickness were particularly terrible. Unceasing high-grade fever and a dizzying migraine perpetual, were attended by the whole panoply of aches, muscle cramps, chills, and frequent trips to the lavatory —a veritable Jabberwocky of bodily discomfort.
During those two days I listened to Max McClean read through the books of Leviticus and Numbers as I drifted between various degrees of awareness. And I must say it was an absolute treasure…
Read moreTuesday fat and Tuesday shriven
p/c Cayetano Gil via unsplash
“Fat Tuesday” and “Shrove Tuesday.” Are these two concepts opposites?
It may be easy to equate the whole tradition of “Fat Tuesday” with all the excesses of Mardi Gras: too much greasy food, too much inspirited beverage, too much skin, etc. And it may be easy to think, as the righteous Anglicans we are, of “Shrove Tuesday” as it’s redeemed antithesis: prayers, sobriety, the long deep breath as we plunge into the austerities of Lent.
I contend, however, this is not so… or, at least, if it is so, that it ought not to be…
Read moreSimeon's song and the generations of the Faith
p/c Joshua Applegate via unsplash
On Candlemas Simeon holds the infant Christ in his arms and, by the power of the Spirit, sees that God has been faithful to the promise given to him —that he would not die before he saw the Lord’s Christ (cf. Luke 2:22-40).
Having seen the Child, Simeon declares those famous lines “Master, now you can let your bondservant depart in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen your Salvation….” you know the rest.
Read more