The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a short novel about a boy who follows his dream to find hidden treasure across the seas—only to discover that the treasure he sought was actually right under his nose where his dream first originated. It’s a strange and magical story for restless souls looking for “where their heart is.”…

This week my son has been teaching me about the importance of being transparent about our questions about God and life. I mentioned he was scared. He still is. The source of his fear, a giant foot on a rampage belonging to nobody but itself, has now morphed into Chuckie. (Remember the movies back in…

Here’s the beginning of that list I promised earlier, just for starters- 8 reasons for why I’m convinced God has a sense of humor, in no explainable order: 1. God plays with dirt to make human beings and even heal them (like in the healing of the blind man, when Jesus essentially puts a mud…

This week, in the days and hours leading up to today’s celebration of motherhood:   – both my kids used me as a human napkin without my permission; apparently my shirt makes a good substitute for wet wipes or paper napkins – my son insisted on repeatedly wishing me “Happy Father’s Day!,” with a gleeful,…

[Note: this post has been updated since yesterday when Beliefnet was experiencing technical issues and my brain was working less clearly.] This weekend I finally watched Life of Pi. The movie, directed by Ang Lee and inspired by the 2001 novel by Yann Martel, tells the story of an Indian boy who survives 227 days on…

More Americans than usual will probably be praying this Sunday- this by implication, according to a report this week by CNN, summarized by Religion Today. No, it’s not the National Day of Prayer or another Billy Graham crusade- it’s the Super Bowl, and millions of Americans will tune in to watch the San Francisco 49ers…

“There are no ‘heroes’,” an old theology prof used to say. I disagree.  There are no superheroes, yes, despite what Nietsche might claim- but heroes?  They’re around. Some friends and I were discussing the movie, The Hobbit.  One friend said he doesn’t go for flicks in which the hero is small.  Heroes in his book need…

How do you describe a smell? Surely, Hemingway or Faulkner or another of the real literary greats could help here. For the time being, imagine oregano on steroids. That’s what happened when I emerged from Whole Foods the other day with “nature’s strongest known antibiotic.” The directions on the bottle call for “1-4 drops daily…

Today’s musical feature comes much in the same spirit of Andrew Sullivan’s “Mental Health Breaks.” Chalk it up to the Scottish side of my family, but I guess I have a weakness for folk rock bands that magically blend some combination of violins, fiddles, mandolins, or tambourines (think Mumford & Sons).  This Denver-based band, The…

Fellow saint and sinner Tammy gives below another honest, raw examination of her life through the lens of God’s grace.  God’s grace, not our own often clumsy efforts to achieve goodness or live right or follow our own hearts or lost dreams, is, afterall, I believe, the most important thing.  It’s the reason we’re alive…

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