It’s Hot in Kansas!

It’s Hot in Kansas!


It’s Hot in Kansas!

I like the wide open spaces of the great plains, with the wavy hills and the big sky with its incredible cloudscapes.  Perhaps it is because I don’t feel claustrophobic. Perhaps it is the size of place puts everything in perspective. This past Spring I traveled through Nebraska to see the SandHill Crane migration.  Last summer it was Iowa (I was leading a workshop in West DesMoines). This summer it is Kansas (for a workshop in Colby)

“Ragman” now available on DVD

“Ragman” now available on DVD


“Ragman” now available on DVD

A little over a year ago, I wrote here about the premiere of the short film “Ragman.” Now, with over 25 international film festivals on its cart, two awards and a finalist for a third, “Ragman” is finally available on DVD . The film, directed by local artist Dale Ward (I was the production designer), is a direct adaptation of the well-known parable by renowned writer Walter Wangerin . Simply, it is a subtle story of grace and transformation

NYG—New Orleans II

NYG—New Orleans II


NYG—New Orleans II

While at the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, a gentleman from Southern Illinois approached me after my presentation and asked, “why hasn’t the church taken the lead on issues regarding our responsibility for creation?” It is not the first time that someone has asked me that question. Their questions implied that the church should be at the forefront of advocating for the responsible care of creation. The instincts of these questioners are sound

NYG-New Orleans

NYG-New Orleans


NYG-New Orleans

This week I attended my first ever National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. I was impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of those who played key roles in organizing the event as well as the high energy levels of the youth and and their leaders who came

Do We See Ourselves as Creatures?

Do We See Ourselves as Creatures?


Do We See Ourselves as Creatures?

A few friends have recently brought to my attention that many Christians are perhaps not accustomed seeing themselves or thinking of themselves as creatures. That’s somewhat curious. Do most people use the word “creature” to speak exclusively about nonhuman creatures? By contrast, do we refer to ourselves primarily, if not exclusively, as human beings in order to separate and distinguish ourselves from all other forms of life on earth?

God Made Room for Them—Can We?

God Made Room for Them—Can We?


God Made Room for Them—Can We?

Norman Wirzba develops the theme of extending hospitality to all of God’s creatures in his book, The Paradise of God . He notes that hospitality in the Old Testament involved in part the inviting of sojourners into the home, in brief, making room for them. God carved out spaces (land, air, water) for all of his creatures

The Bible as literature: Bob Dylan and the near-sacrifice of Isaac

The Bible as literature: Bob Dylan and the near-sacrifice of Isaac


The Bible as literature: Bob Dylan and the near-sacrifice of Isaac

Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son” Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on” God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?” God say, “You can do what you want Abe, but The next time you see me comin’ you better run” Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?” God says, “Out on Highway 61” The word of the Lord according to Bob Dylan, in the opening lines from the title track of his landmark album Highway 61 Revisited . It is a sly and menacing retelling of the famous episode of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac from Genesis 22 . And Dylan sets it along the famous highway of the blues that stretches along the Mississippi River from New Orleans up almost to Canada. It is the highway where legend has it Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to play the…

Craniac Haven!

Craniac Haven!


Craniac Haven!

I grew up in Wisconsin but never realized all that was there. I didn’t know that it was home to Aldo Leopold (didn’t know who he was at the time either). I didn’t pay much attention to Horicon Marsh or Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. And I didn’t know that Baraboo Wisconsin was home to the International Crane Foundation

Looking for a summer read? The American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ

Looking for a summer read? The American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ


Looking for a summer read? The American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ

…is the title of the newest book from the Concordia Seminary Press. The American Mind Meets the Mind of Christ is a collection of essays edited by renowned scholar Robert Kolb . Here’s the synopsis from the back cover: Whether it is an altar to an unknown god or the New Atheists, Christians have always faced the challenge of translating the Gospel message within the surrounding culture. This is no less true for the tangled web that is 21st century America

The Bible as literature: the King James, Psalm 46, and Shakespeare

The Bible as literature: the King James, Psalm 46, and Shakespeare


The Bible as literature: the King James, Psalm 46, and Shakespeare

The “Chandos portrait” of Shakespeare Last night I taught our first class in a course entitled “The Bible as Literature” in Wash U’s University College . So don’t be surprised if there’s a few posts here over the next weeks with that title before the colon. One of my basic theses for the course is that perhaps the most foundational event in the history of English-speaking literature was the translation of the Bible into the Authorized Version, otherwise known as the “King James.” Shakespeare is a very close second. To illustrate my point, we played a famous little game with the King James version of Psalm 46

Life Abundant

Life Abundant


Life Abundant

One of my favorite quotes comes from Wendell Berry (not surprisingly). In commenting on the nature of the abundant life, he makes the statement that material sufficiency has been met (food, clothing, shelter etc.), “life itself, which is membership in the living world, is already an abundance” ( The Way of Ignorance ). Think about it. It goes to how we think about what constitutes the good life