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humorwithatwist · 3 days

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On Poetry

Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry. They have a life to live. We’re not that concerned with T.S. Eliot’s poems or Ada Limon‘s poems or anyone’s poems. Until your father dies. Or someone you went to school with has a heart attack. Or you lose a child. Or you have a mental health crisis. Or someone breaks your heart. And then, all the sudden, we become desperate to make…

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#Art #Beauty #Emotion #Feeling #Goodness #Grief #Loss #Poetry

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humorwithatwist · 28 days

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Come and See

Imagine Mary’s eyes, red from crying over the Sabbath. Watch as she wipes at them, emotionally exhausted and yet feeling something beyond pain. They had taken Him. They had murdered Him! And now, His broken body was just past this stone they had rolled into place to keep her away. Imagine those tear-filled eyes widening and then squinting and the shutting with the piercing luminescence of the…

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#Come and See #Death #Easter #Hope #Life #Mary #Resurrection #Resurrection Sunday #See #Victory

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humorwithatwist · 1 month

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The Inadequacy of Silver Bullets

sil· ver bul· let (noun): “a simple and seemingly magical solution to a complicated problem.” Everywhere you look, people advocate for silver bullet solutions to life’s problems. Want to lose weight? We’ve got a drug that will make that happen. Struggling with your energy? Try this supplement. Kid having a hard time with school? Just use this parenting hack. Know you need to drink more…

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#Change #Easy #Habit #Hard Work #Life #Life and Culture #Qucik Fix #Silver Bullet #Work

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humorwithatwist · 1 month

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The Books Most Responsible

Some time ago, a friend of mine shared a list of her “books most responsible” for who she is and how she thinks, and I found myself wondering which books might appear on my list. I’ve read many books (and have many, many more that I want to read), some of which have undoubtedly shaped me in some meaningful way and then been lost to the porous sands of my mind. But upon reflection, I believe…

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humorwithatwist · 2 months

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The Difficulty is the Point

“The difficulty is the point…. Sometimes we need the difficulty to get us to slow down and look at ourselves.” James K.A. Smith (How to Inhabit Time, xv) Right now, parenting has me at something of an impasse. One of my children (who will remain nameless) is struggling to routinely accomplish a normal, everyday task. We have coached them through this task, helped show them how it’s done, offered…

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humorwithatwist · 2 months

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The Splash of Social Media

There are many ills associated with social media. And most days, I’m more than willing to reflect on how we’ve collectively decided to destroy civilization and our mental health in one fell swoop. But I was recently reminded of one positive part of social media: lasting relationships. One of my favorite baseball writers, Michael Baumann, said it better than I can. So here’s his reminder: If you…

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#Baseball #Connection #Connections #Facebook #Family #Friends #Life #Memory #Mental Health #Reflection #Relationship #Social Media #Time

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humorwithatwist · 2 months

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The Practices of Lent

“Our savior knew pain and grief and despair, and so do we. Easter is coming, yes. But for now, we sit in the ashes of our broken dreams and broken hearts, knowing that God sits here with us.” –Kate Bowler, Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day Last week at our church’s Ash Wednesday service, we began our observance of Lent, the season of intentional preparation for the remembrance of Jesus’ death and…

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humorwithatwist · 3 months

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A Prayer of Penitence

The Vehu Rahum God is merciful. He pardons iniquity and does not destroy. He suppresses wrath and averts punishment. Lord, do not withhold pity from us. Your mercy and faithfulness have always shielded us. Save us, O Lord our God, and unite us, that we may give thanks to Your glory, and triumph in praising You. Who could bear it if You recorded sins? But You forgive and are revered. Deal…

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#Confession #Forgiveness #Judaism #Mercy #Penitence #Pray #Prayer #Prayers #Sin #Vehu Rahum

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humorwithatwist · 3 months

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January 2024 Biblical Studies Carnival

The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Biblioblogs. Three were given to the Old Testament academics, immortal, wisest and oldest of all topics. Seven to the New Testament scholars, great miners and craftsmen of Christian wisdom. And nine,…

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#Biblical Studies #Biblical Studies Carnival #Biblioblogging #Blogging #Book Reviews #Jim West #Lord of the Rings #Manuscripts #New Testament #New Testament Studies #Old Testament #Old Testament Studies #Phil Long #PsalmTweet #Scholarship

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humorwithatwist · 3 months

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News and Misinformation

We live in a world where “a lie makes it around the world before the truth can get out of bed.” It’s all too common to see headlines and stories reported on social media and in the media, only to later learn that the sensationalized story is more complex, or that key context was missing from an initial report, or that the headline was just downright misleading. It’s not a novel insight to claim…

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#Beauty #Christian #Christianity and Culture #Complexity #Culture #Goodness #Hot Takes #James #Listen #Misinformation #News #Patience #True #Truth

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humorwithatwist · 3 months

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Book Review: The Book of Enoch for Beginners

In 2014, the Darren Aronofsky’s Noah soared at the box office while causing angst among people of faith everywhere. Countless movie goers walked into the theater expecting Russell Crowe to retell the familiar tale of Noah’s ark, only to walk out dazed and confused by what they had just seen. For instead of the Sunday school version of Noah’s story, they had witnessed a retelling filled with…

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#Apocrypha #Bible #Biblical Studies #Book #Book Review #Books #Darren Aronofsky #Enoch #Intertestamental #New Testament #New Testament Studies #Noah #Old Testament #Old Testament Studies #Phil Long #Pseudepigrapha #Review #Rewritten Bible #The Book of Enoch for Beginners

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humorwithatwist · 3 months

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Book Review: Answers from Aslan

Does the world really need one more book about C.S. Lewis? Donald Williams thinks so, as is evident from his latest book, Answers from Aslan (DeWard, 2023). This volume explores the apologetic contributions and arguments of C.S. Lewis in light of Lewis’s reception and subsequent apologetic works. In brief, Williams argues that, yes, Lewis is still the dean of Christian apologetics and, yes, he is…

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#Apologetics #Arguments #Book #Book Review #Books #C.S. Lewis #Donald Williams #Lewis #Library #Morality #Ontology #Reading #Reason #Review

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humorwithatwist · 4 months

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Just Justice (God Is...)

This post originated as a message at Arise Church. What comes to mind when you hear the word, justice? Probably a lot of things, because right now, justice is a hot button issue. You can hardly get on social media, watch the news, read something, or make a TikTok without being confronted by conversations about justice in one form or another. I can’t even watch some of my favorite movies without…

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humorwithatwist · 4 months

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God on Trial (God Is...)

This post originated with a message at Arise Church. In this scene from God on Trial, Rabbi Akiba questions the goodness of God, concluding that, no, God has revealed that He is not good. If you get the chance to watch this full scene, it’s powerful and emotional, made all the more palpable by the fact that it takes place at Auschwitz. Finding themselves in a horrible situation, the Jewish…

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humorwithatwist · 4 months

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What I Read in 2023

Every year, I commit to reading as much and as widely as possible. And as a means of attempting to remember everything I’ve read and holding myself accountable to my reading goals, I track the books I’ve read each year. (Click here to see what I read in 2022) A couple of notes on this list. First, this is not a “what you should read” list like some of the others that you might see floating…

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humorwithatwist · 4 months

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The Surrender (God Is...)

This post originated with a message from Arise Church. In this scene from the show Turn, George Washington accepts the British surrender at the end of the American Revolution. This was the moment that solidified Washington’s status as perhaps the Father of our nation. Everywhere you look, the United States remembers George Washington. He graces the one-dollar bill and the quarter; our capital is…

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#America #Church #Church Planting #Faith #George Washington #History #History of Christianity #Jesus #Kenosis Hymn #King #King Jesus #Message #Paul #Philippians #Revolutionary War #Sermon #Surrender #Theology #Turn

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humorwithatwist · 4 months

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I Love You 3000 (God Is...)

This post originated as a message at Arise Church. I love the Avengers (and the whole OG Marvel Cinematic Universe, to be honest). I love it so much that I saw this movie twice on opening day: once at midnight with my college buddies and then again later that afternoon with my family. I love the storytelling, I love the connections between the films, I love the heroes, and I love the blend of…

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#1 John #Application #Arise Church #Christianity #Church Planting #Culture #Faith #God #God Is #Love #Marvel #MCU #New Testament Studies #Sermon #Theology

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