travel
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Thin Places – Podcast Recommendation and Personal Reflection
I listened to this podcast on my drive today and found it deeply enjoyable and thought-provoking. I am eager to read Tracy Balzer’s books and encourage you to listen as well! The conversation on this podcast also reminded me of my own experiences with “thin places” such as the hike to the Hermitage of St.… Continue reading
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Two Poems for St. Andrew’s
When I moved to St. Andrew’s, Scotland to pursue my master’s degree, I was convinced that I would love that little town of stone and sea with my whole being. I was sure that falling in love with its historic ruins, its adorable streets, and its rain-purified air would be simple. Yet I found myself… Continue reading
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Flat Stanley’s Grown-up Adventure
Remember Flat Stanley? I’m sure many of you reading this are experiencing a burst of nostalgia. “Ah, yes!” you might think, “I remember sending Flat Stanley to my family in Michigan and receiving a cool postcard!” Alternately, I may have accidentally rekindled anger toward lazy relatives who made up excuses for putting minimal effort into… Continue reading
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A Lesson in Time
I posed for this picture without really putting much thought into the words on the wall. Right now, I am where I want to be: at home, writing in my favorite spot with snickerdoodles in the oven. At the same time, though, I am still caught in the in-between. This weekend, I will visit a… Continue reading
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Maybe it’s Because of Winn Dixie
I’m reading Gone with the Wind again for what is somewhere between the fourth or seventh time. It seems that anytime I am between books, unsure what to read next, or feeling unsettled, I turn (second to my Bible) to that enormous novel for no better reason than that it is a darn good story. But my… Continue reading
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To Travel: A Sonnet
I was a stranger here yet better known Away from all I thought myself to be— Away from all routines that made me, me, I found myself in being severed grown. Away from all the people I loved best I found myself in newer company— I found my soul in this older country Away from… Continue reading
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Italian Lessons
Okay, so the title of this post is a bit misleading. To clarify, I have not taken lessons in speaking Italian and, if I’m being completely honest, my Italian speaking abilities consists of basic greetings, “grazie”, and apologetically smiling and batting my eyes. Oh, and I got pretty good at ordering coffee and gelato. But… Continue reading
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A Bigfoot Story
I’m currently on vacation in Montana with my family, staying in a charming cabin near Glacier National Park. The cabin has a guestbook in which visitors are asked to record the highlights of their stay. In flipping through it I became bored immediately. Most people wrote things like this: “Ate pizza and went skiing. Fun… Continue reading
Recent Posts
- The Good, The Bad, or the Simply Not Good: Can we Pronounce the Music of Bethel and Hillsong as “Very Good”?
- Publication Update
- Ten Cheap and Instant Ways to Make Your Old-New House Feel Like Home
- Stop and Check Yourself. Are You Being Kind to People with Different Worship Tastes? Reestablishing the Terms of the Bethel-Hillsong Debate.
- Should we be Concerned that Using Music by Bethel and Hillsong is Contributing to our Culture of Immediate Gratification? On Patience and Using CCM Music in Worship