Denis & Margie Haack continue to write at Critique-Letters
A record of brokenness
A few weeks back a dear friend confronted me about some unhealthy patterns of emotion she saw in me. She is correct. The unhealthy…
Category: A Glass Darkly
Uncertainty Fatigue
A friend recently mentioned that he has been feeling fatigued. He thought his body was signaling something his mind hadn’t noticed. Margie and I…
The Limits of Contentment
We can know some things about ourselves only when we are tested. Margie and I have taken “The Defensive Driving Course” that’s offered to…
Faith’s fragility
Over the last few months I’ve found myself in multiple conversations about the fragility of faith. That’s a phrase coined by philosopher Charles Taylor…
Gratefulness
Gratitude is hard to learn, as any parent will tell you. Sometimes I hesitate before giving some treat to a child because I know…
Not retirement, but faithfulness
Recently people have asked if I’m retired. No, I say. In fact, I don’t believe in it. For one thing, I don’t golf. Tried…
Let’s hit the Pause button
One of the things I find myself constantly thinking about is how discerning, faithful Christians can bring a measure of grace into our fallen…
A New Normal
Margie and I have been talking recently about what we call our new normal. We’re aging, which is no surprise since we’ve been doing that…
How Do You Love God?
I recently reread St Augustine’s Confessions. And once again I am impressed by his uncompromising insistence that love is central to Christian faith and…
The Growth of Nones
It is an interesting exercise to ask friends what changes going on in our world seem to them to be most significant. The answers…