books
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My Substack Anniversary: Why I Post There but Prefer to Post Here
Substack is prompting me to write about my anniversary on the platform. Apparently, it’s a great way to boost engagement, but I doubt it. Still, I’ll take up the invitation and share it to my preferred platform, this blog, as well. I feel a bit like an outsider on Substack. I am not overly active… Continue reading
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Some Ideas Netflix Might Want to Consider
Sin is derivative. Evil is unoriginal. I am not alone in this observation, which is backed by church fathers and theologians and anyone who has endured a bad adaptation of a favorite story. C.S. Lewis, drawing on Augustine, famously describes sin as a parasite in Mere Christianity. Sin cannot create, so it latches onto what… Continue reading
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Stories Woven in Silver
If you have not figured it out by now, I love children’s literature. Seriously, if you examined a sliver of my brain under a microscope, I’m pretty sure you’d find characters from The Chronicles of Narnia, clues from The Mysterious Benedict Society, and recipes from Redwall imprinted in its little gray cells. I am beyond… Continue reading
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Books and Babies: How Motherhood Has Changed My Reading Habits
Throughout my first four months of motherhood, I have continued to read, perhaps even more than before. It is, after all, easier to read a book during nap time or while nursing at 3:00 a.m. than to enjoy most other noisy, baby-stimulating occupations. But my reading habits have changed in ways that I find worth… Continue reading
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I Lost My Top Subscriber
Last week, I lost my top subscriber. I know I’m supposed to be tough and keep writing regardless, but blogging just isn’t the same without her. She used to comment with astonishing, almost unsettling swiftness. Mere moments after I pressed “publish,” my inbox would ping with her praise. It was an antiphony I miss already.… Continue reading
books, death, encouragement, family, grandma, grandparent, grief, life, loss, love, reader, Reading, top reader, writer life, writing -
Lessons from My Favorite Fictional Mother
Throughout Little Women, Mrs. Margaret March—fondly called “Marmee” by her daughters—seems to be a background character. We are told about the appearances, idiosyncrasies, aspirations, relationships, and weaknesses of the four March sisters, but are given very little information about Marmee. Instead, whatever glimpses we catch of her come through conversations with and among her daughters.… Continue reading
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In All Things Thee to See
Throughout church history, one encounters many shepherds who, like David, were also masters of verse. Consider Martin Luther, writing hymns to restore and invigorate congregational singing, and Isaac Watts, who versified the Psalms for corporate worship. Or John Donne, unflinchingly describing his love for God in terms of romantic passion, and George MacDonald, who used… Continue reading
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Don’t Know What to Post? Try This!
To my dismay, my Instagram algorithm has been showing me influencer content—not content by influencers, but content aiming to help users become influencers. With increasing frequency, reels pop up in my feed with captions like this: “Don’t know what to post today? Try this!” or “Not sure what to share? Use this trending audio.” These… Continue reading
algorithms, blog, blogger, blogging, books, Christian writer, content creator, data cow, digital, digital content, digital platforms, digital writing, instagram, pressure to post, publishing, puritan wisdom for the digital age, Reading, reels, social media, thomas brooks, writer, writers as content creators, writing, writing in the digital age -
The Freedom of a Lower Reading Goal
Last year, I intentionally set my GoodReads goal lower than the year before. Admittedly, I still ended up reading 76 books, but having a lower goal led to more discerning, attentive, and formative reading—both of dense classics and the occasional “brain candy” book. If you’re looking to read better—not just more—this year, consider keeping your… Continue reading
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What If I Don’t Like My Church’s Music?
When visiting Crossway’s headquarters over the summer, the publishing team and I were chatting about how wonderful God’s timing is. Without necessarily planning to do so, Crossway ended up releasing several resources for musical worship within the same few months including The Sing! Hymnal, Spirit-Filled Singing: Bearing Fruit as We Worship Together, and What If… Continue reading
Recent Posts
- My Substack Anniversary: Why I Post There but Prefer to Post Here
- Running for My Life
- A Worship Leader’s Take on the Caleb Flynn Case
- Some Ideas Netflix Might Want to Consider
- Pastor Appreciation Month
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