The film Lars and the Real Girl tells the story about a young man—Lars—trying to work through relational and emotional issues. His mother died giving birth to him; his father, crushed by his wife's death, was emotionally distant. Lars is awkward - living in…

Two weeks ago I went to the late showing of Gravity… by myself. Fitting, I guess. Alone, with my glasses on, in the darkness. I read somewhere that this film is really a horror film without the alien or monster—reality is monstrous enough. My reading of…

James K.A. Smith came to Dordt College this past week, bringing with him Augustinian desire, liturgical praxis, and Charles Taylor. It's the Charles Taylor piece that I find the most intriguing. Smith creatively wove together Taylor's insights on haunted secularity, the "cross pressures" of a…

  Every Tuesday and Thursday I teach a class on the church: ecclesiology. Students don't have a clue what that word means - they take it either because they need it for their major or they need an elective and this one fit into their…

A few years back, every so often, I would sneak over to Oskaloosa, Iowa to worship at a small Episcopal church. I always joke that my 6 years of Catholic school ingrained a desire for "high" liturgy, so every other month I'd head over to…

In the Southpark episode "Britney's New Look" Stan, Cartman, Kyle, and Butters decide to make some money by snapping a photograph of Britney Spears who happens to be holed up in the local Komfort Inn. They eventually make it into her room only to find…

Over the past year I've done much reading and listening to podcasts on the show Breaking Bad. Sunday marked the beginning of the end - the last installment of the mythic transformation of Walter White into Heisenberg. Much is made, by those who care, about…

Heads up... the 80 year old man in me is breaking out this morning. He doesn't come around too often, but every now and again he shows up, rants, and then disappears again. He usually shows up looking and sounding like Jerry Seinfeld, or maybe…

For the past two weeks my family and I have been hanging out in Grand Rapids where I've been immersed in a seminar discussing Eastern Orthodoxy for the West. Generally speaking, the Orthodox have a practical approach to the Christian faith. There are a few…