Funny People (Judd Apatow, 2009)

Movies

Apatow and Aristotle on Friendship I went into the theater expecting to love Funny People. I’d been pleasantly surprised by the way Judd Apatow’s…

Interpol, Our Love to Admire (2007)

Music

Recorded at the infamous Electric Lady Studios this is the third album from the New York based Interpol; the first on Capitol (a departure…

Joyeux Noel! Great Music for the Celebration of Our Lord’s Birthday

Music

Christmas, the time of magic, the time of mystery. In it’s present manner, surely it’s a bit much sometimes. The pervasive materialism, the shallow…

Wearing Out on Purpose

Books

Deliberate obsolescence in all its forms—technological, psychological, or planned-is a uniquely American invention. Not only did we invent disposable products, ranging from diapers to…

Pride of Baghdad (Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon, 2009)

Books

A Modern Day Parable The lions had nearly forgotten what it was like in the wild. They had grown accustomed to their keepers, feeding…

Christmas 2008 Gift Suggestions from Toad Hall

Books / Hospitality / Ordinary Life

A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie, Fireside Edition, 1949. (devotional) Teach us to pray. If this has ever been a desire of…

Heavy Metal In Baghdad (VBS.TV, 2007)

Movies

The Right to Thrash in Post-War Iraq Despite the enthusiastic fan base (albeit small) heavy metal is not a welcome musical style in Iraq.…

Love and Loss Amidst the Dunes: a review of the novel The Maytrees by Annie Dillard

Books

Annie Dillard has an uncanny ability to see—to observe things, creatures, people, and life with a beguiling simplicity and clarity. More remarkably, she is…

Resources for Understanding Scripture

Books / Scripture

Christian discernment is not the process of applying minds and imaginations to issues of life and culture. It is, rather, applying minds and imaginations…

Rickie Lee Jones, The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard (2007)

Music

Back in the Eighties, film writer, director, and producer Robert Lee Cantalon decided to “write the words of Jesus in modern language, and publish…