How much do you know about animals in the Bible? Take Beliefnet’s quiz to find out! I had a lot of fun working up this little test. And gosh, there are so many more biblical animals that we could talk about… Meanwhile, I rescued a big painted turtle yesterday from the humiliation of canine objectification as …
Biologists in FL are working to preserve native species threatened by the catastrophic Gulf oil spill, and they’ve dubbed it “Operation Noah’s Ark.” Echoing that story in the biblical book of Genesis, Jack and Anne Rudlow are collecting what critters they can house in their Gulf Specimen Marine Lab to preserve and then release when the …
Living as a nomad, it was bound to happen: I left my computer behind. Bouncing between cities (two) and offices (four) as I’ve done the past semester, I rely on THE LIST — things to do before leaving the house (empty the kitchen compost, e.g.) and things to bring (er, that’d be the computer, e.g.). The list works great… if …
Can learning be a spiritual exercise? Check out my Good Morning America essay and plz comment. I’d love to hear your ideas on the topic!
The storied “sea” (actually a freshwater lake) where Jesus performed miracles among its fisher-folk and from which Jesus called his disciples to become “fishers of men” is now off limits. Galilean fish stocks are so depleted that Israel has instituted a ban on fishing there, in effect for two years, in the hopes that that piscis population …
Must something be situated in time and space to be true? Must one believe that somewhere on Earth there’s an old boat that survived a flood sent by God in order to accept that the biblical story is, well, true? Some say yes. Absolutely yes. And so they search for the ark’s remains… and search and …
A version of this post first appeared in Christian Century‘s “Theolog.” It’s spring, and Richmond is busting out in lush green. White pompoms of elderberry blossoms are bustling with bees. Hard new figs are attached impossibly to smooth branches, and my grape vine sports countless tiny clusters of lime green nubbins. The cats stretch out in …
Sexy Spring Comes ’round Again, Just Like Back in Biblical Times Read More »
“Yuck-o and the Fiery Serpent” sounds like a YA short story or moralistic tale. It is neither. Instead, it’s how anyone might react to reading about a particularly awful parasite called the guinea worm. Because it burns like hell on its way out, it shares description as a “fiery serpent” with strange biblical creatures. I’ll spare you the details …
Summer came flying into Virginia this year. Just last week, I was scraping frost off the windshield, and today they predict highs near 90, even in Charlottesville. So last evening, as we in the Commonwealth rotated away from the sun, I gave some serious thought to hanging out in the hammock or maybe paddling up …
Brief Meditation on House and Home, Private and Public Read More »
This essay first appeared in the Fredricksburg Free Lance-Star on April 4, 2010. Of all the Christian holidays, it’s Christmas that gets the most attention. And can you blame us for that? Light and life in the dead of winter, gifts galore, and cookies to boot — no wonder it’s a favorite. Yet Easter is the …
