Welcoming Children (Friday Devotional)

Then children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

- Matthew 19:13-14

Every night this week, I had two responsibilities at our church’s Vacation Bible School. First, during the opening and closing rallies, I put on a glow-in-the-dark costume and served as “The Illuminator,” a silly character whose jobs were to hype the kids up and to recap the Bible lessons from the week. In between those rallies, I led the recreation time for each class, facilitating everything from Capture the Flag to cup stacking to a hula hoop toss.

For a pastor, this was far from a typical week. Yet inevitably, it is always one of my favorite times of the year. Why is that? The answer, I believe, comes straight from the Bible.

In his ministry, Jesus was often confronted with a familiar complaint: he wasn’t falling in line. Sometimes that was because he was choosing compassion over law. Sometimes it was because he was looking more to the spirit of the law than to its letter. Sometimes it’s simply because he was paying too much attention to people that society said weren’t worthy of it.

One of those times was when a group of parents brought their children to Jesus to be blessed. If you’ve ever been around a group of kids, you’ll know that they’re far from orderly—undoubtedly some of the kids were screaming, some were running around, and some were utterly unimpressed by the Messiah. As such, Jesus’ disciples were ready to send these children on their way so that the Savior could attend to more important matters. However, Jesus would have none of it. Speaking sternly to his disciples, he demanded that the little children be brought to him, “for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Now as then, we are quick to dismiss children. They’re cute, but so loud. They’re innocent, but so unpredictable. They’re beautiful, but ultimately secondary to the important work of adult ministry.

Jesus saw things differently. He valued children in all their boisterousness. He didn’t see them as a nuisance, but as a blessing. Indeed, he said God’s kingdom belonged to them.

So today, we ought not regard children’s ministry as the minor leagues, but as crucial work. Dressing up in silly costumes is not an inconvenience, but an opportunity. Crafts and games are not trivialities, but tools for gospel ministry. Vacation Bible School is not an event to trudge through, it is a revival to be celebrated.

Jesus welcomes the little children, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Are you welcoming them too?

May Reading Log

As a reader, I often adopt my own version of actors' famous "one for them, one for me" rule, alternating between books that are intellectually stimulating and "important" works with those that are pure entertainment. So, with last month's reading heavily focused on the lengthy classic Les Misérables, and with another long historical classic on deck for next month (stay tuned!), I gave this month over to lighter fare. Take a look!



BRAVING THE TRUTH by Rachel Held Evans, edited by Sarah Bessey

One of evangelical Christianity's most important and most eloquent writers in the 21st century so far has been Rachel Held Evans, whose blog and subsequent books made her one of the earliest and most prominent voices of what would become known as the "deconstruction" movement. Rachel spoke for millions of young adults who, after growing up in the warm cocoon of evangelicalism, started asking existential questions and found their religious authorities' answers—or, more commonly, non-answers—unsatisfactory. She never stopped loving Jesus, but she had quite a few bones to pick with his church.

Rachel's story came to a sudden and tragic end in 2019 when she was placed into a medically induced coma following an allergic reaction to medication she was taking for an infection. She died a few weeks later at the age of 37, leaving behind a husband, two small children, and thousands (millions?) of devastated friends and readers. I count myself as one of those readers; I vividly remember the gut punch I felt upon learning of her death.

Braving the Truth is her final offering to the church, a posthumous collection of her blog posts compiled by friends and family and interspersed with their reflections on Rachel. The writings included span the topics Rachel most commonly covered, from the hypocrisies of the religious right to her embrace of LGBTQ+ advocacy to her journey out of evagecalism and into mainline Christianity. As with all of her writings, they are both passionate and compassionate, articulating a vision of the church where nobody is left behind and all are welcome. 

This is a sad book for those of us who felt like we knew Rachel and who miss her voice. As was always the case when I was reading her contemporarily, I don't agree with all of her conclusions, but I never question the heart behind them or her love for the Lord. At both a spiritual and an emotional level, this is a challenging book, and one I am grateful her loved ones gave us.

 

MUSIC IS HISTORY by Questlove
HIP-HOP IS HISTORY by Questlove

These books have intrigued me ever since I first saw them on the shelves at Barnes & Noble, so when the public library had both available at once, I knew it was time to pick them up. Written by Questlove, founding member of the Roots and musical director for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the books purport to be a walk through recent American history as told through the lens of popular music and his own experiences within its industry. Neither, in my mind, quite lives up to that mission statement, but one is superior to the other.

Music Is History is the more rambling of the two, a book I always enjoyed but never quite knew how to explain. With each chapter representing a year, beginning in the early 1970s, Questlove offers readers a sense of what that year was about for him, specifically as it relates to R&B and hip-hop music. Part memoir, part sociology, part music history, it relies heavily on the contagiousness of its author's excitement and expertise to carry you along. Mostly that's enough (I did finish it, after all), but there were admittedly times I'd complete a half hour reading session and think, "What did I just read?"

Hip-Hop Is History, by contrast, takes a more disciplined approach, operating as a history of the genre as told by someone who started as a fan, became a star, and has now grown into an elder statesman. While it maintains Questlove's distinctive and discursive voice, I appreciated that this one was easier to grasp. Taking readers from the origins of the genre in the Bronx up to today (and then, in a weird predictive epilogue, into 2073), it's not fact-heavy enough to be a reference work, but teaches you plenty along the way.

These were both light reads, but I'm glad I was able to finish them in 2 weeks instead of needing a whole month. By the time I finished, I was ready for something a little more concrete. Fun books for music lovers, but definitely the kind I'd check out from the library rather than buy.

BIG FAN by Michael Schur and Joe Posnanski

Every two weeks or so, Joe Posnanski, my favorite sportswriter, and Michael Schur, writer and showrunner for iconic TV shows like Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, get together to record the Poscast, their podcast about sports and nonsense. It is not, and I cannot emphasize this enough, a professional production. There is little to no planning done beforehand. There are ads clumsily jammed in by their editor, but no slick reads by the hosts. For many years, the only equipment they used was the microphones on their laptops. Most importantly, they don't engage in their conversations as professional sports commentators, but as fans—there is no attempt at objectivity, a total absence of the "no cheering in the press box" mentality.

Big Fan exists as an extension of that podcast and their friendship. Conceived by Schur and instantly agreed to by Posnanski, the book is an exploration of what it means to be a fan, undertaken through a series of varied trips around the world to fan-centric events. Roughly half of those are sporting events of some kind, but there are also trips to a magic show, the warehouse of a baseball card collector, and a darts tournament. Their overaching goal is to explain why being a fan of something is so fulfilling and how it brings people together.

That higher purpose aside, this book is mostly about the laughs. One chapter sees Schur forcing Posnanski, a tennis fanatic and pickleball hater, to participate in a weekend-long pickleball tournament. Another sees Posnanski returning the favor by making Schur attend Wrestlemania accompanied by a Grateful Dead concert. The last chapter describes the two of them winding their way through the Los Angeles Dodgers' PR staff in pursuit of a private meeting with Mookie Betts, all so they could determine for themselves whether or not he is a good hugger.

If sports make you smile, so will this book. I won't pretend it's Posnanski's most important work, but I suspect it may have been the most fun he ever had writing a book. You will certainly have fun reading it. And isn't that what being a fan is all about?

 
 

MARCH: BOOKS ONE, TWO, AND THREE by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
RUN: BOOK ONE by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, L. Fury, and Nate Powell

When activist and congressman John Lewis suggested to one of his staffers that he should write an autobiographical graphic novel about his role in the Civil Rights Movement, it wasn't an immediate yes. Nevertheless Lewis, inspired by the success many years earlier of 1958's Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story comic book, persisted. The result was a trilogy of award-winning graphic novels and a posthumously published sequel that introduced Lewis's story to a new generation.

March is essentially an autobiography, taking readers from Lewis' boyhood up through the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and focusing intently on the Civil Rights Movement and Lewis's role in its major events, including the Nashville Student Movement, the Freedom Rides, and the march from Selma to Montgomery. Structurally, the story is told by Lewis on the occasion of Barack Obama's 2009 presidentiaul inauguration, offering readers a modern perspective even as they are immersed in history.

Illustrated in black-and-white by Nate Powell, the art achieves the perfect balance of realism and cartooning. His style somehow makes the story feel both true to life and mythic, especially in the most tragic moments of the movement, such as the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Shadow-heavy and high-contrast, Powell's work is excellent for a historical graphic novel like this.

Run, perhaps appropriately, feels unfinished by comparison as it continues Lewis's and the movement's stories. It's clear that Lewis here wanted to highlight more key figures from the time period (the index of names at the back runs 30+ pages), and this volume is clearly heavily researched. It does bring on a second artist, L. Fury, and I thought that change was for the worse when compared to Powell's singular vision for March. Nevertheless, anyone who reads March should spend the extra hour it will take to read this follow-up.

March is a celebration of one of the 20th century's greatest heroes and a memorial to what I consider American Christianity's finest hour, when a Black Baptist preacher stirred the soul of his nation through nonviolent self-sacrifice. Last month the Supreme Court gutted that movement's crowning achievement, the Voting Rights Acts that John Lewis bled on the Edmund Pettis Bridge to win. Maybe if enough people read these books we'll eventually be inspired to get back to the work of forming a more perfect union.



THE COMIC BOOK HISTORY OF BASEBALL by Alexander C. Irvine, Tomm Coker, and C.P. Smith

When I saw this book at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix a couple years ago on my annual pilgrimage to MLB spring training, it was an instant impulse buy. The Comic Book History of Baseball? This was made for me!

This is exactly what it sounds like, a linear walk through the story of our national pastime, from its earliest days as an offshoot of British games like cricket and rounders to the long-awaited triumph of the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series. Interspersed throughout are one-page biographies of notable figures, overviews of key events, and the occasional off-the-wall story. At a mere 176 pages, it understandably takes a 30,000 foot view of the game's history—don't expect to see every single World Series champion or league MVP highlighted—but each page is dense with information.

The art is an appropriate style for a book of this nature, using an "illustrated photo" technique that is neither hyperrealistic (which gets distracting when depicting famous faces) nor cartoony. While not especially dynamic from a stylistic standpoint, it fits the book's format well, giving things a documentary feel.

If I have one complaint, it is that the book's storytelling feels choppy and disjointed, owing mostly to those one-page discursions mentioned earlier. It's hard enough to try and tell a sport's story as though it is unitary, since there are at least 30 little stories happening at once on any given day. Interrupting that linear story every few pages with an unrelated splash page makes this feel at times less like a graphic novel than a bound collection of loosely related pages.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed reliving some of the biggest moments in baseball history in comic book format. This is a reference book I'll certainly hang onto for years to come, and a worthy read for any fan of our national pastime.

The Simple and the Sublime (Friday Devotional)

Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.

- Colossians 3:23-24

I love to go camping, and like many people who do, I tend to romanticize it. I savor the smoky taste of food cooked over a fire. I revel in the beauty of nature—the glory of a sunrise, the sounds of birds chirping, the chill of the night air. I boast in the feeling of “roughing it” (albeit in my REI tent and sleeping bag), abandoning the creature comforts of modern society for a weekend in the woods.

But for all that romanticism, even the most devoted outdoorsman must admit that much of camping is a drag. Constantly swatting at bugs gets old. Sleeping on the ground makes you feel rugged, but it also makes you feel sore. And as for when nature calls, well, the less said about state park bathrooms, the better.

But the reason so many, myself included, still enjoy camping is because of those moments when the little aggravations are overwhelmed by something glorious you never could have experienced back home. Camping is, as a recent New Yorker article puts it, “full of rain, mosquitos, and, intermittently, the sublime.”

It occurs to me that the same is true of life in Christ. There are many who, upon giving their lives to the Lord, find themselves chasing spiritual highs: emotional worship experiences, life-changing mission trips, etc. They want for every day with Jesus to be a thrill, every step of obedience to feel life-changing.

But the truth is, some days Paul just made tents. While we are drawn to big moments and key sermons and turning points, we should also remember that even the greatest of the apostles knew the drudgery of a hard day’s work and the inconveniences that come with it. Not every day was a mountaintop experience.

The key—for the titans of the early church and for ordinary believers today—is to remain faithful when you’re not making headlines, to give the Lord everything you have even when you’re not yet seeing the fruit. Don’t make the mistake of thinking there is nothing spiritual in your day-to-day life, because God is found there too.

Rather, devote your drudgery to the Lord, seeing even the most ordinary tasks as opportunities to give God glory and find his blessings. For it is in the simple, common things of life that you sometimes stumble upon the sublime.

Commencement (Friday Devotional)

For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

- 1 Corinthians 13:9-12

It is officially commencement season in America. I spent Wednesday morning watching my daughter graduate from kindergarten, yesterday witnessed my son “cross over” from 3rd grade to 4th, and this Sunday our church will honor high school and university graduates during the worship services. Caps and gowns are being pulled out of closets across the nation. Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go! is seeing its sales numbers rocket for the umpteenth May in a row. “Pomp and Circumstance” is playing on a loop in parents’ heads.

Graduation ceremonies themselves are strange things, because almost nobody is fully present during them, fully attentive to the words being spoken or the traditions being passed down. Those on stage are running through their speeches in their minds. The graduates themselves are silently fretting that they will trip on their robe or that a heel will break when they cross the stage. And as for the families in the bleachers, their brains are alternating between the tedium of the moment (how many more minutes? where did we park? boy are these seats uncomfortable!) and a mental film reel of their graduate’s life.

Nevertheless, when the final commencement speaker congratulates the graduates and the hats fly up in the air, everybody understands that a milestone has been reached. Students have crossed the bridge from one stage of life to the next. As the valedictorian inevitably said in his or her speech, “we did it!”

The Bible promises such a moment of achievement for believers as well, when faith becomes sight and we know God fully, even as we are fully known. In that long-awaited moment when “the complete comes,” when Christ returns and makes all things new, we will set aside who we used to be—fallen, frail, but faithful people—for the fullness the Lord died to ensure us. Setting aside “childish ways,” we will step into new life…and the reward will be far greater than a diploma.

As we eagerly anticipate that day, we are called to train for it, even as students learn and are tested in preparation for commencement. While for now we exist in the interim between Christ’s first coming and his second, our salvation secured but not yet seen, we are called to live as citizens of the kingdom of God even as we are residents of this world. Worship today is preparation for heaven. Discipleship today trains us to follow Jesus for eternity. Sacrificial love today anticipates the love that will cover the earth.

Someday we will all cross the stage from here into paradise, graduating from this life into the next. But for now, there is still work to do and preparations to be made. And so, future graduate, keep learning and growing—-your heavenly commencement awaits, and you want to be ready.

Growing Together (Friday Devotional)

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 

- Ephesians 4:11-13

Periodically, Facebook will automatically generate a post from the “Memories” section at the top of my feed, ensuring that I see an old post from 2, 5, even 10 years ago. And given that a sizable majority of my posts feature family photos, that means the algorithm is usually reminding me of that unavoidable parental reality: my kids are getting older.

Faces once defined by chubby cheeks have thinned. Newborn and 18 month outfits have been donated or stored in the attic. My babies became toddlers, then became kids. And before I know it, they’ll be teenagers. That, as I often remind Lindsey when she despairs at how big they’re getting, is how time works.

Growth is a part of life—as nice as it might seem to remain in one stage of development, you have to progress to the next. And hopefully with age and its accompanying experiences comes maturity as well, growth that is spiritual, emotional, and intellectual, not just physical.

What is true for a person is true for the church too—a body of believers is intended to grow together in faith, in unity, and in knowledge of the Lord. When you worship, serve, evangelize, pray, and read the Bible with your fellow Christians, you are changed by the experience. As individuals and as one body, you mature in your faith together.

There’s a nostalgia that we all feel about certain stages of development, whether we’re looking at family photos or church directories. But even as we remember the good ol’ days with fondness, we can also rejoice at the ways we have grown. You’re more mature today than you were yesterday—and by the grace of God, you’ll be even better tomorrow.

Biography and Eulogy (Friday Devotional)

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

- 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

One genre of literature I enjoy reading is biographies. To write these, historians spend months, sometimes years, poring over primary sources and interviewing relevant figures to understand their subjects as fully as possible. Then, over a few hundred pages, they give readers the highlights of people’s lives: the biggest decisions and most important moments that explain who they were and why they matter.

An alternative way to synthesize someone’s life is through a eulogy, usually given at someone’s funeral. In some ways, eulogies are similar to biographies; both seek to sum up a life. But where biographies tend to focus on accomplishments, eulogies are more personal. Rather than pointing to the big moments that a biography would highlight, eulogies are all about little moments—small acts of kindness, meaningful points of connection, small stories that illustrate a larger narrative.

The world encourages you to find your identity in your biography: your achievements, your accolades, your moments in the sun. These, we are assured, are the things you will be remembered for. And maybe that’s true for the presidents, pro athletes, and business titans you find in the library’s Biography section.

But for most of us—those whose only published biographies will be the obituaries our families write—those biographical elements will be secondary. It’s the characteristics highlighted in the eulogy that will stick. Did people know you cared about them? Did you give of yourself to help others? Did you point people to Jesus?

In a world so focused on the biography, maybe Christians can be the ones focused on the eulogy. Following the lead of a Lord who spent most of his earthly ministry pouring into a mere 12 disciples, we could focus less on mass impact and more on the personal touch. Believers can be the ones with the perspective to know what matters in the end: not what you accomplished, but how you lived.

Chances are, none of what you do today will make your biography. But your eulogy is up for grabs—with every interaction you have today, what will you add to it?

Buttered Noodles and Kind Words (Friday Devotional)

Anxiety weighs down the human heart,

    but a good word cheers it up. 

- Proverbs 12:25

A few nights ago, Lindsey had plans with some friends, meaning I was responsible for making dinner for me and the kids. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea here—my “cooking” amounted to whipping up some buttered noodles for Katherine and Isaac and a few quesadillas for me and Andrew. Nobody was winning a Michelin star here.

Nevertheless, when Katherine took a bite of her dinner, her eyes lit up. “Daddy!” she exclaimed. “These are SO GOOD! You’re like an expert at buttered noodles!”

At first, my reaction was to brush off the compliment, to look at it as proof of just how low the expectations were for my cooking. But as I watched her happily gobble down her meal, I have to admit: I appreciated the praise. I hadn’t done anything big or special—but it was still nice to be appreciated.

Sometimes we underestimate the value of encouragement. We know to thank people when they do something really momentous. We set aside special occasions—anniversaries, birthdays, etc.—to recognize people for how they contribute to our lives. But in the day to day, the little things just go by without comment.

In the New Testament, we see how important it was for those in the early church to encourage one another. Facing everything from poverty to persecution, a spirit of brotherhood was crucial to maintain their gospel witness. Led by people like Barnabas, the so-called “son of encouragement,” they kept each other going not only with the strength of their conviction, but with consistent kindness.

It may feel silly to praise someone for doing what they always do, or to thank them for something that barely even qualifies as a favor. But don’t lose sight of what a blessing your encouragement can be to them in that moment. For someone you love, even buttered noodles are worthy of a kind word.

Embrace Interruptions (Friday Devotional)

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.

- Matthew 14:13-14

A couple of days ago, my daughter Katherine was the first one to wake up after me, wandering into the living room a few minutes after 6:00 AM. Having already had more than an hour to myself to drink my coffee and read, I was cleaning the coffee maker and sorting a load of laundry when she emerged.

After a minute or two, she asked me from across the room, “Daddy, would you like me to read a book to you?” Focused on my tasks, I initially told her not right now, but maybe some later.

Then a few seconds went by and I caught myself. Katherine, who is finishing up her kindergarten year, is working hard on her reading these days. What’s more, she loves it; she’ll happily spend as long as you’ll let her sounding out each word and making her way through a book.

We weren’t in a rush to get out the door yet. Neither of my tasks was time-sensitive. And my little girl was asking me to let her sit in my lap and practice her reading. So I dropped the laundry on the floor and curled up in the chair with her. Jobs could wait; it was time to read with my daughter.

In an overstimulating world full of distractions, it can feel like a rare thing to be truly focused on something, which makes it all the more frustrating when you’re interrupted. Oftentimes, such interruptions—the ding of a text message, the notification of another email—can and should be set to the side so that you can continue what you’re doing. But every now and then, interruptions are opportunities to differentiate between the urgent and the important.

In Jesus’ ministry, people always wanted something from him: a fresh word from God, a healing, a heavenly sign. Periodically, he would go off by himself to rest and pray. But on one occasion, the crowds would not even give him that moment, following him to his place of solitude.

Jesus could have demanded they respect his boundaries. He could have told them to make an appointment. Those would have been reasonable reactions. But instead, he saw their needs and had compassion on them, allowing love to override self-interest.

You don’t always get to plan your opportunities to serve others. Sometimes those moments come at the most bothersome of times, when you’re busy or exhausted or locked in on what you’re doing. But don’t let inconvenient timing make you lose sight of a chance to show God’s love. Maybe, in Jesus’ name and by the Spirit’s power, you can even do the most countercultural thing of all: for love's sake, embrace interruptions.

One at a Time (Friday Devotional)

Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

- John 6:26

At the beginning of the week, our dishwasher bit the dust, and we haven’t gotten around to replacing it quite yet. As a result, I’ve been handwashing the dishes every morning and most evenings.

It’s been something of a blast from the past for me, since the first apartment Lindsey and I ever shared—Section 8 apartments built in the 1950s—didn’t have a dishwasher either. In those days, I actually kind of enjoyed the slow, tedious, methodical process of scrubbing every last plate, fork, and glass. But with three kids now running around our house, I fully expected it to be nothing but an unpleasant chore this time around.

To my surprise, I have once again found myself taking an odd pleasure in the work. Something about starting with a mountain of dishes in the sink and then working my way through it one spoon at a time is satisfying. It’s not as efficient as the electric dishwasher, but going one by one turns a chore into a joy.

It reminds me a little of Jesus’ approach to ministry. Our eyes are often drawn to the work Jesus did for big crowds of people, like when he fed the 5,000 or preached to multitudes. If we were planning Jesus’ ministry, we probably would have put a lot more of those encounters on his agenda—we’d have had him preaching in the Roman Coliseum, not in backwoods towns in Galilee.

Yet more often than not, Jesus' ministry was about individual encounters rather than pleasing crowds. Indeed, sometimes he would send the crowds away at the height of his popularity lest they get the wrong impression about his purpose. Jesus was more interested in one conversation with a widow than speeches to multitudes.

In our “efficiency is everything” culture, it’s worth remembering that the kingdom of God plays by different rules. There is not much earthly glory to be found in slow, intentional, personal ministry—especially compared to the lure of making a big impact that will be recognized by many. But there is more to God’s work than numbers. Don’t underestimate the value of sharing the gospel one person at a time.

He Knows Your Name (Friday Devotional)

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.

- Isaiah 43:1

Every day when I pick up my kids from school, we all exchange pleasantries with Mr. Bill, the school crossing guard. He’s been manning the intersection at least since Andrew started kindergarten in 2022, holding up his stop sign and wearing his neon vest.

His job, of course, is to ensure the kids’ safety. He steps out into the intersection before they do, signals to oncoming traffic to stop, and then tells the kids they’re free to cross. That’s why he’s there. But beyond that, what has endeared him to us—and everyone else—is that he greets all my kids (even Isaac, not yet a student) by name. Despite only seeing them for a few seconds each day and even though he has hundreds of kids to keep up with, he knows their names.

There’s something about that gesture, that simple act of thoughtfulness, that speaks volumes to people. In a crowded, distracted, busy world, you want to know that you matter enough to somebody for them to know your name.

So what an awe-inspiring thing to know that the God who created the universe not only calls you his, but calls you by name. You are not merely a drop in the ocean of humanity, you are important to him. So important, in fact, that he sent his Son to die on the cross for you.

Coming out of Easter Sunday, when we remember the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, don’t lose sight of what it means at a personal level. God so loved the world, and God so loved you. No matter what the world may tell you, you are not anonymous—for God knows you by name.

March Reading Log

When I look back at the books on this list, I realize just how long the month of March was. 6 books to review this month, with my usual electic allotment. Take a look!

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE by John Piper

This was a reread of a book which I last read in 2017. To read what I thought then (which still holds up now), click here.

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis
PRINCE CASPIAN by C.S. Lewis

In mid-February, we finally hit a milestone I'd been looking forward to for years: reading The Chronicles of Narnia aloud at bedtime. These books were formative for me at a young age, and I was eager to introduce them to my 9 and 6-year olds.

Note: We are reading the books in publication order, NOT chronological order. That is, and I cannot emphasize this strongly enough, the CORRECT way to read them. Publishers who put the number 1 on the spine of The Magician's Nephew are simply wrong. I am a tolerant person, but I will brook no argument on this.

We started with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the story of two brothers and two sisters who stumble through a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, where they encounter everyone from a friendly faun named Mr. Tumnus to an evil White Witch to the heroic lion Aslan. This book is part fairy tale, part allegory, as becomes apparent when Aslan willingly gives his life to save even a treacherous child, only to be restored to life by "the deep magic." If you only know a little about Narnia, this is the story you know, and for good reason. After all, it's hard to top the gospel.

Prince Caspian, which we finished just in the nick of time to publish this log, is the sequel. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are brought back to Narnia a year later in our world, but several hundred years later in Narnia's. This time their mission is to help Caspian overthrow his wicked uncle for the throne so that Narnia can be restored to its former glory. This one is not as captivating as its predecessor (to be fair, none in the series are) and its allegorical notes are subtler, though the themes of renewal and restoration come through.

My kids were reluctant to start this series—children are usually skeptical, after all, that they'll like what their parents like—but it only took one chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to win them over. So be on the lookout for more Narnia in the coming months!

MEN AT WORK by George F. Will

Baseball is a game, a pastime. But for those who play it professionally, it a craft.

That is the essential argument of Men at Work, an ode to the game's intricacies by political commentator and rabid fan George F. Will. Building upon history, interviews with figures in the sport, and his own observations, Will makes the case that baseball is something taken very seriously indeed by those who have made it their trade.

Will's book is divided into four sections, with each focusing on one central character: the manager (Tony La Russa), the pitcher (Orel Hershiser), the hitter (Tony Gwynn), and the fielder (Cal Ripken, Jr.) Each section highlights the complexities of baseball, showing how much intelligence, preparation, and work is required to succeed at the major league level.

This book is highly regarded for its focus, detail, and how effectively it shows the sophistication of America's national pastime. No one leaves a chapter thinking players are just winging it.

Unfortunately, the title and central premise betrays the book's central flaw: Will makes baseball seem more like work than play. As a fan, my #1 priority is that baseball be fun, and sometimes Will's writing is so dense that it seems to lose sight of that. In seeking to show how hard the best players are working, Will sometimes makes them seem more like soldiers than ballplayers, and it left this reader periodically cold.

This book is a must-read for baseball fans for the way it reveals the game's complexities. Nevertheless, the more time you spend reading it, the more you need to go outside and get on the diamond with a 9-year-old. After all, no matter how hard the pros work at it, baseball is a kid's game.

ESSENTIAL MARVEL SAGA VOL. 1-2

By December 1985, the Marvel universe had existed for nearly 25 years, dating back to Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961. One of Stan Lee's innovations (and yes, this is the very rare time we can give Stan full credit) was the introduction of continuity throughout Marvel's superhero books—not only did these characters exist within a shared universe, but they regularly interacted with one another, and every story "counted." So by 1985, the Marvel universe was now a sprawling web of characters, stories, and lore. It was still possible to get your mind around it all and connect all the dots (in a way that's virtually impossible now), but it would take you a lot of time and effort.

So Marvel Saga, whose 25 issues are collected in these two Essential volumes, aimed to simplify that task for the reader who wanted to know it all without having to track down back issues from the 1960s. Each month in an oversized book, editor Dan Fingeroth and comics historian/writer Peter Sanderson gave readers a beat by beat chronology of Marvel's history as it had been told up to that point, using art primarily reprinted from those Silver Age stories. It was an ambitious task, but one Marvel zombies ate right up.

For somebody who has read a lot of the stories being told (thanks to the modern prevalence of collected editions like the Essentials), there were times I was skimming these issues more than reading every word, and at times it did feel a little like homework instead of storytelling. But for Marvel fans then and now, Marvel Saga provided an invaluable service. For a newbie to Marvel lore, I'd recommend this as a good place to dive into the lore, especially if all you know is the movies. For somebody who's read their fair share of the Silver Age, it's still an interesting time capsule and reference work.

April Reading Log

Five books this month and SO MANY PAGES. Look below to see what I'm talking about!

THE IMPERFECT PASTOR by Zack Eswine

Based on the title, you might have thought I wrote a memoir and forgot to tell you.  But in fact, this was a truly enlightening book about pastoral ministry—sometimes confessional, sometimes devotional, and always helpful.

At its heart, The Imperfect Pastor is a plea to young pastors to slow down and trade ambitions of mass ministerial impact for the still, small work of loving real people where they are. Author Zack Eswine, a pastor himself, tells of the mistakes he made as a young pastor with big dreams and how he only found peace—and success—when he stopped looking for the Next Big Thing and instead focused on the people God had given him to shepherd.

Written in a style reminiscent of Eugene Peterson (HIGH praise) and with similar thoughts, this was a book I took in slowly, even as I was tempted to gulp it all down at once. For pastors, especially those slogging through difficult times, I can't recommend The Imperfect Pastor enough.

LES MISÉRABLES by Victor Hugo

My all-time favorite Broadway musical is Les Misérables, which adapts Victor Hugo's 1862 novel. Its overtly Christian themes of grace, justice, and love are compelling to me for obvious reasons, its setting of a revolutionary period in 19th century France is intriguing, and, yes, the music is top-notch. It's also nearly 3 hours long...so who would have imagined they left so much on the cutting room floor?

That's right, before I say anything about this book's story or style, I have to acknowledge its size. My copy came in at 1263 pages, and that was with font I'd consider too small (I wound up reading it on Kindle rather than in my faux-leather physical copy, pictured above.) In principle, I don't like abridged literature, believing that if the author felt it was important enough to include and an editor and/or publisher agreed, then I as a reader should give them the benefit of the doubt. Les Misérables, in all its overwritten glory, admittedly made me reconsider that position, if not necessarily change my mind. This is a BIG book.

Thankfully, it's also a beautiful one. It tells the story of Jean Valjean, a convicted thief who is given a second chance at life thanks to the mercy of a kindly priest. Spared by this act of grace, Valjean then extends his own to Fantine, a woman whose life has taken such a steep downward turn that she has been forced into prostitution. Valjean adopts her innocent daughter Cosette, seeking to bring about some measure of redemption from his sins and Fantine's victimization. But as he does so, he must contend with four forces: Inspector Javert, that paragon of clear-eyed justice; Marius, Cosette's young suitor as she blossoms into adulthood; the vile Thénardier, who once housed the infant Cosette and now demands recompense; and the spectre of revolution in France.

Needless to say, there's a lot here in terms of plot, characterization, themes, and pages. But while staggering, it's never overwhelming and rarely boring (except for the novel's notorious Waterloo and sewer sections. If you know, you know.) Having also read Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I can confidently say that Les Misérables is his masterpiece, offering an expansive story about how God's love manifests in human kindness to those the world doesn't believe deserve it. Did it need to be 1200+ pages? Nah, 800 or so would have done the trick. But for those willing to climb this mountain of a book, the view from the summit is worth the journey.

JACK KIRBY: THE EPIC LIFE OF THE KING OF COMICS by Tom Scioli
I AM STAN: A GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY OF THE LEGENDARY STAN LEE by Tom Scioli

Alongside Lewis and Clark, Watson and Crick, and Lennon and McCartney, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee are an inseparable duo, whose work together changed their industry forever and whose work apart (some of which was actually quite good!) mostly pales in comparison. They are without a doubt the most important creators in comics history...and fans have spent 60+ years arguing who deserves more credit for their shared success.

In his graphic biographies of both creators, Tom Scioli (like most comics professionals) clearly chooses Jack Kirby. According to Scioli's well-researched account, Kirby is a blue-collar professional from an immigrant family who was repeatedly taken advantage of by his employers. Filled with ideas but devoid of business sense, Kirby was always a company man through and through right up until he'd been so worn down by his companies' demands that he was ready to quit.

Jack Kirby is not a hagiography, but it's clear that Scioli has tremendous admiration for his subject, and many of the sources cited in the bibliography are from Kirby-friendly publications. The art style is reminiscent of Ed Piskor (most famous for his Hip Hop Family Tree books), though it's marred slightly by the baffling choice to give Kirby (and only Kirby) an enlarged head and "anime eyes." It doesn't ruin the book or anything, it's just distracting, and something he doesn't repeat in the next book.

I Am Stan, though less critically beloved, might have actually been my favorite of the two books. At times it feels almost dreamlike, with its protagonist floating from life event to life event, as opposed to the more concrete Kirby biography. In Scioli's telling, Stan Lee is less a creator than a salesman, a would-be Great American Novelist who succeeded in comics through a combination of family connections, luck, bravado, and, yes, talent. It follows Stan's rise to the top of Marvel Comics, his fame as the face of that company, and his pitiable final years, when he was arguably subjected to elder abuse by his daughter and employees. It has been said that no one ever really knew Ronald Reagan, that he was a smiling cipher, and you get the same feeling after reading I Am Stan about Lee. Some readers will surely find that frustrating; I found it fascinating.

For comics fans, these are must-reads. For pop culture fans, I'd say the same. Whether you know it or not, Lee and Kirby are two of the most influential storytellers of the last century, and their own stories, told in the medium they shaped, are worth a read.

ESSENTIAL MS. MARVEL VOL. 1 by Chris Claremont, Gerry Conway, John Buscema, Jim Mooney, et al.

Many years before Carole Danvers was Captain Marvel, one of the most prominent faces of Marvel Comics, she was a failed experiment. In the 1970s, Marvel editors, who prided themselves on their progressive bona fides, realized that they didn't have any superheroes to meet second-wave feminism's moment. So they hastily introduced several new books starring female characters: She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, and, yes, Ms. Marvel.

Carole Danvers, first introduced as a supporting character in Captain Marvel, was now reimagined as the editor of the Daily Bugle's Woman Magazine and imbued with powers from the alien Kree, including a "seventh sense" that Stan Lee absolutely would have called "superpowered women's intuition" if he'd been writing it. It was...clumsy.

This Essential volume contains all 23 issues of that original series, before Ms. Marvel was invited to become an Avenger and her solo book was unceremoniously cancelled. Supporting characters are introduced and then forgotten. Her costume changes. Her origin, mysterious at first, is revealed. Nothing sticks.

When Marvel mercifully put this book down, it wasn't because it was too woke, but because it was Bronze Age schlock that never found an audience. It's not bad exactly, but it's utterly unmemorable. It would take another 35 years for writer Kelley Sue DeConnick to make Carole Danvers relevant again, this time as Captain Marvel. I'm glad Carole got a do-over...because her initial series is only worthy of reading for historical purposes.

Give Us Barabbas (Friday Devotional)

Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.

- Luke 23:18-25

On that dark day so long ago, the mob made a choice. Angered by Jesus’ apparent refusal to meet their revolutionary expectations—to overthrow Rome and restore Israel to the greatness of their forefathers—they now turned, ironically enough, to Rome to enact judgment against him. Though Pilate was initially unwilling to execute an innocent man, they leaned upon a Roman custom of releasing one Jewish prisoner during Passover to force his hand.

He offered them a choice. On the one hand, they could have Barabbas, a murderous insurrectionist. Barabbas was the kind of criminal the Romans had devised crucifixion for in the first place, the sort of rebellious and violent spirit whose execution would stand as a stark warning to any who might be tempted to rise up against the empire. In a recent uprising, Barabbas had committed murder—the Gospel of Mark is careful to use that word, lest readers believe his violence was justified. To set him free would be to endanger themselves and others.

On the other hand, they could have Jesus, whom they had welcomed into Jerusalem as a king only days earlier. Jesus had healed the sick, had raised the dead, and had told anyone who would listen about the coming kingdom of God. But that kingdom, the people now understood, wasn’t going to come in the time or the manner they had in mind. To set Jesus free would be to accept God’s plans over their own.

The mob chose Barabbas.

Amid all the lessons of Good Friday, this is one of the most chilling: apart from the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we still choose Barabbas every time. We would rather feel secure in our own self-righteousness than in the righteousness of God. We would rather cling to our own vision for how things ought to be and risk the consequences than to open our eyes to God’s plan. We would rather accept destruction on our terms than renewal on the Lord’s terms. For those apart from Christ, Barabbas is always the choice.

But for believers in Jesus, those filled with the Holy Spirit, there is another way. You don’t have to let anger and bitterness guide you. You don’t have to assume your way is the only way. You don’t have to be self-destructive for the sake of pride.

Jesus died so you could have life; he took on your sins so you could be cleansed. In him you can live and move and have your being, you can live as a citizen of his kingdom even as you remain a resident in this world. By his blood, he offered you salvation from who you were and a pathway to who God made you to be.

Others will choose Barabbas. Christian, choose Christ.

Separation Anxiety (Friday Devotional)

“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.”

- Deuteronomy 31:6

It’s always tricky getting back into the swing of things after a long break, especially for kids. So after a week of vacation, Lindsey and I anticipated our two eldest children needing a couple days to readjust to waking up early, spending all day at school, and having a reasonable bedtime.

What caught me by surprise was the reaction of our 2-year-old, Isaac, when I was headed out the door Sunday morning to get to church. Clinging to my pant leg and sobbing, he cried out repeatedly, “No, Daddy!!! No go church! No leave Ikey!” After a week of us being together all the time, he couldn’t stomach the idea of being separated from his daddy.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” Shakespeare wrote. Being away from those we love most is a hard pill to swallow, whether at age 2 or 102. And especially when you are the one being left behind, there is a sting to it, a feeling that you are being abandoned—that they are not leaving because they have to, but because they want to.

So one of the Bible’s most welcome promises is that God never leaves nor forsakes his children. On the brightest days, the Lord celebrates alongside us. In our darkest moments, he steadfastly remains with us. Nothing is compelling enough to tear him away, and nothing is powerful enough to separate us from his love.

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” Jesus assures us. He remains Emmanuel, God with us, today. And nothing you do or the world throws at you will change that.