There’s a simple wisdom in the mild comedy of the late 90s/early 2000s TV show, King of the Hill that is due for some renewed appreciation. Hank Hill, a straight-laced, suburban Texan, husband, father, and seller of propane and propane accessories lives a good life. He does his best to love his family. He takes pride in his work. He cares about his friends and his community. Yes, it’s a cartoon, but those sure sound like the basic ingredients for... Read more
We gave our second daughter, Rosemary, the middle name Hope. It’s a direct reference to the Charles Péguy poem, “Hope,” from his anthology God Speaks: Religious Poetry. (Linked is my favorite translation, but you can find a decent free one HERE). I had recently discovered Péguy when my wife was pregnant with Rosemary, and I was enamored with his writing. His poetry reflects a desire to speak to everyone with a simple but masterful use of language. Though he was... Read more
I have a friend. One of those rare treasures of a friend with whom you can seamlessly jump from topics of faith to home repairs to literature to Radiohead all in one dinner. At one particular dinner, in between our small kids falling off chairs they shouldn’t be on and sneaking scoops of ice cream with their bare hands, Radiohead came up. Between the four of us (myself and wife, him and his wife), we shared a collective moment of... Read more
It took me 3 tries to get into Georges Bernardos’ The Diary of a Country Priest. It reads as it’s titled, diary entries of a newly ordained country priest in early 20th-Century France. I jumped into it assuming it would be a pleasant pastoral, an easy read before bed. By the end, I thought, I would feel that the Christian life has some challenges, but overall it’s quite lovely. This is not that book. By the third attempt, I had... Read more
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