Monday, November 18, 2013

Santa Dunking a Basketball and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

Santa Claus, basketball, Christmas, dunk, basket
by Ben Howard

Reads of the Week


1) The White Noise of War by Jeremy Bowman


"It’s too quiet to sleep in my warm bed at night without the white noise of the gunfire in the background.  I pace the hall in the middle of the night. The overwhelming guilt keeps me awake. I feel it for everything, for leaving the war, for abandoned my people.  But mostly for surviving. “WHY ME?” you ask God a hundred times. You never get an answer."


2) No, The Book of Jonah Cannot Be Read As History by Fred Clark


"That’s satire, kids. It’s pretty much the textbook example and definition of satire. It couldn’t be any more obvious about it if the author of Jonah had named the character Mr. Backwards-and-Upside-down, son of Don’t Be Like This Guy."


3) This Is My Brain On Hugs by Jamie Wright


"It's not terrible because hugging is terrible, it's terrible because MY hugging is terrible. It's like my brain and my arms belong to two different people and my mouth is caught in the middle of their bickering. My hugs are, like, schizophrenic."


4) Room for Hope by Robin Dance


"I remember the night my father died.  I was sitting alone in our playroom, mindlessly watching tv while the rest of my house was asleep.  My phone buzzed later than people know better to call, and as soon as I heard my sister’s voice, I knew."


5) So Great a Cloud of Witnesses by Antonia Terrazas


"It’s the time of the Church year–the end of Ordinary Time–when we are not sure if we are supposed to say alleluia in the liturgy. We’ve lost the excitement of saying it again in Easter, when it’s a given, and it kind of tapers off liturgically. In the prayer book where the word is in brackets, you can feel the hesitancy in our throats."


Honorable Mention


Virtual Fig Leaves by Nate Pyle


My Complicated Relationship With Sports by Alan Noble


In Which Slavery Exists Because of Me by Danielle Vermeer


On Pop Theology Week in Review

On Entitlement by Lyndsey Graves


"It is true that entitlements become dependencies. It is especially true for the most vulnerable people."


An NBA Preview for Theologians: Part 2 - The Western Conference by Ben Howard


"Today we continue with part two of the On Pop Theology NBA Preview for Theologians by covering the teams in the Western Conference."


On Sharing The Things I Love by Ben Howard


"Last night I got to do one of those things that everyone loves to do. I introduced my friends to something I like."


Song of the Week

"Comfort Eagle" by Cake



Peace,
Ben

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