Skyscrapers, Social Media, and Science: C.S. Lewis on “Progress”

Proof number 793 that I’m an old soul: I resonate with a poem that laments the evils of progress…from 100 years ago. On my latest reading of C.S. Lewis’s The Pilgrim’s Regress, I came across this powerhouse of a poem in the last chapter….

An Allegorical Conversion Story: C.S. Lewis’s The Pilgrim’s Regress

This week I finished re-reading C.S. Lewis’s The Pilgrim’s Regress, and guys—it was thrilling. Seems like an odd description for a spiritual allegory from almost a century ago, but it’s true. I’d read it before, maybe during high school, so I found plenty of…

On Pickwick, Dickens, and a New Crush

Will you despise me if I admit that, while I’ve loved reading since I was a wee child, I’d never been much of a Charles Dickens fan? I know. It’s heresy. He’s one of the greats, and I had tried (from time to time)…

How God Saved Me: An Easter Story

Growing up, I heard the gospel (the good news that Jesus came to forgive us) from every angle: from my parents, church, story books, vacation Bible school, evangelists, and even Christian children’s records. Yes, records. I’m that old. But somehow my takeaway was always,…

When Distraction Outweighs Motivation

Did you make a resolution to tackle more creative endeavors this year? Write that book? Query that agent? Paint that picture? Compose that requiem? Solder that gigantic stained glass window for your second beach house? The Usual Process If so, then you know that…

“Introduction to Poetry” By Billy Collins

There are two approaches to studying poetry: observation and interrogation. Only one leads to enjoyment. Which will you choose?

“Praise and Thanksgiving”: A Puritan Prayer

When you think of the puritans, what comes to your mind? Grim men in gold-buckled hats, and strict women who never smile? A group of religious fanatics who upended their lives and families to move to colonial America? That’s pretty much what I thought…