Riding the truth tracks

WHEN KING DAVID finally faces the enormity of his sin in that dark episode involving Bathsheba and Uriah, he knows that he has nothing to offer…

A queen for such a time

THOUGH I HAVE never been a flag-waving monarchist, like many people I found myself shedding a few tears on learning of Queen Elizabeth II’s death at…

Watch the door, not the window

IT’S COMMONLY OBSERVED that King David’s terrible fall can be traced to him not being where he should have been: The whole sordid Bathsheba and Uriah…

Aaron, Holy Ghostwriter

THERE’S AN OLD saying that everyone has a book inside them. If that’s true, then it’s only partially so because the second part of the sentence…

Saving Oliver

THE LATEST ROYALTY statement for one of my two-dozen-plus books hasn’t secured my retirement, but the recent announcement of the $1.71 earned by two sales of…

Answering our own prayers

IT’S BEEN WELL said that praying about something is both the least you can do and the most you can do; it all depends on how…

Angles or agendas?

THE RECENT U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision has highlighted how subtle shifts in language can affect the way we understand the world. Depending on…

Ghosts and ancestors

THOUGH I’VE LONG been a Bruce fan (first concert: The River tour, way back when), I’ve yet to watch the recording of his celebrated solo Springsteen…

Overcoming the dad deficit

IT’S NOT BREAKING news to anyone that many people have some sort of “dad deficit” in their lives, a father-shaped hole that can leave them walking…

Dealing with others’ doubt

THE NEW TESTAMENT has a pretty unyielding posture toward doubt—it’s not good—but it’s not an uncaring one. There’s some helpful pastoral advice for how we might…