The association of ashes (or dust) with repentance has a long history. After Job, for example, encounters God, his response is to “repent in…
I Wish I’d Known
One. He insisted if I was a girl I be named after her. Interesting, isn’t it? Boys are frequently named after the father and…
Crafting, Nativity and Comfort
A Salt Dough Creche Soire One December, many years ago when I was still into crafting like my redemption depended on it, I decided…
Mary comforts our Mother Eve
A Christmas card arrived last week. Nothing unusual about that in the month of December. It isn't often that a mere card digs into…
Reading novels about (Un)Belief
A failure of imagination In the July 30, 2018 issue of The New Yorker, Laura Miller, a Slate columnist published “Accept the Mystery,” a…
Believe Me (John Fea, 2018)
“Fear not” The 2016 election accomplished two things simultaneously. It put Donald Trump in the White House and it revealed some issues within the…
The Gulf (2017)
The tension of stewardship A few years ago Margie and I were invited to lecture in Florida, after which one of our hosts generously…
Writing with interruptions
Today like many summer days, I sit at my desk hoping to make some progress on my current manuscript. For any writer, not just…
Social media and spirituality
In a New York Times review of Jaron Lanier’s book, Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, which I have not read, Franklin…
Rhubarb and Barbcue Sauce – make strange new partners
Each spring one of the first things to poke up through the ground in the spring are little reddish wrinkled faces that quickly, somehow…
A Book for Hearts & Minds (2017)
For the love of books Hearts & Minds Bookstore is in Dallastown, PA, so if you ever pass through that area be certain to…
When Rumor Becomes Fact
The second Thursday in February Margie and I drove to Rochester to speak at the 2018 L’Abri Conference. I dropped Margie and our luggage…