the in between times

It’s been a while since my last post (say bloggers the world over), but as my writing lapsed I savored some of life’s precious in between times. After the squirrels devoured the pumpkin, and the robins pecked at all the winterberries, the rhythms of the church calendar ushered our little household into the season of Advent. We celebrated Christ’s incarnation—the fully divine becoming fully human, in humanity’s humblest form. We joyously anticipated the kingdom to come—another lighted city.

The “now and not yet” of Advent took on a rich (very human) meaning as we encountered the many in between moments of expecting our first baby. There was a time of waiting to see if “it” was really there; a time of waiting to share the news; a time of waiting for sickness to subside; a time of waiting to feel the slightest flutter or kick; and, a time of waiting to find out whether the little shadow was a son or a daughter. 

Our son (!) still has a lot of growing to do before we meet him face-to-face in early June. In the coming months, my hope is that this short season will be more than just a time of busyness. Yes, there are windows that need replacing, compost that needs turning, and books piled high next to the television. I just hope I can endeavor to pursue prayer with the same focus as decorating the nursery.

are the love languages lacking?

“The 5 Love Languages” were a staple of my evangelical college experience. We didn’t take the concept too seriously, but we loved taking the quiz and comparing our results. Although it was a fun couple’s activity, I always found it more intriguing when applied to family relationships. (For the record, my love language is quality time.)

A Cardus blog post today makes me think twice about it. Excerpt:

“… there is good merit to the metaphor of love language, but like too much of evangelical literature on relationality and community it assumes that with the right disciplines, therapies and understandings our marriages, relationships, families (etc) can become sites of intimate communion which fulfill our desires as human beings. And nothing could be further from the truth. This ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ is a market for self-interested, love starved individuals looking for the latest fill of the ‘love tank.’ It suggests: my desires are ok, you just need to learn how to meet them.”

Is this treatment too harsh? How can we use the love languages in a way that is unselfish?

culture on the web, not of the web

I’d like to recommend a few “culture” sites I’ve come across in my browsing as I strive to be a “well-informed generalist.”

These webmags, blogs, forums – whatever you want to call them – are providing valuable content for consideration. This content may vary from film reviews to personal essays to recipes. But I’m as interested in the curation of the content as the content itself; in an age of information-overload, curating may be the thing I value most on the web. In learning to name it, I benefited from Brett McCracken’s blurb about “taste-keepers” in a trends-analysis piece for Relevant.

the (non)writing life

The past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about writing, and why I don’t do much of it. There’s the “I’ve developed A.D.D.” theory—more on that later, when I can focus and explain—and the excuse that my editing and research at work (always due asap) doesn’t leave me with enough intellectual energy to spit anything else out at the end of the day. These two excuses are linked, of course.

A recent New York Times article explored why good writers often aren’t good conversationalists or speakers. Arthur Krystal recounts watching an interview on TV with Vladimir Nabokov:

"But wait! What’s that Nabokov’s doing with his hands? He’s turning over index cards. He’s glancing at notes. He’s reading. Fluent in three languages, he relies on prefabricated responses to talk about his work. Am I disappointed? I am at first, but then I think: writers don’t have to be brilliant conversationalists; it’s not their job to be smart except, of course, when they write."

I’m a big conversationalist, so I wonder if the flip side might also be true—do extroverts who love to talk have a harder time writing well? Writing requires discipline, regardless of your temperament, but perhaps those in “blah blah blah” mode need an extra nudge.

shameless blog post stealing

Do you ever steal blog posts from other people? I think it’s a fantastic idea, if you give the original author credit. The list below recommends books to read to understand the culture. It comes via Justin Taylor via James Kushiner from Ken Myers. I’ve read some Lewis, Berry, and Barzun—but not from the list below. Have you read any of these works? I’m intrigued by the books that focus on a particular cultural product, like language and music.

Five “Thinner” Books:

1. C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man (1943)
2. Wendell Berry, Life Is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition (2000)
3. Colin Gunton, Enlightenment and Alienation: An Essay Towards a Trinitarian Theology (1985)
4. George Parkin Grant, English-Speaking Justice (1985)
5. Richard Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (1948)

Five “Thicker” Books:

1. John McWhorter, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care (2003)
2. Jacques Barzun, The Use and Abuse of Art (1974)
3. David Thomson, The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood (2004)
4. Julian Johnson, Who Needs Classical Music?: Cultural Choice and Musical Value (2002)
5. Langdon Winner, Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought (1977)

good friday

Justin Taylor has posted a prayer for today from “The Valley of Vision.”

Quiet, contemplative posts like these remind me to pause, but it’s hard to respond appropriately to the text when I’m reading it on a computer. How do I pray off a blog post? Maybe I should go read the hard copy …

the blogging endeavor

A variation of a common saying instructs “Never discuss religion or politics in polite company.” I majored in politics at a distinctly religious institution, and my professional career is decidedly at the intersection of those two spheres. Sometimes it makes for awkward dinner parties (though I have many like-minded friends). I believe it’s important to probe the depths of what we believe and carry our beliefs into the “public square”—whether that means the local park or the presidency. The challenges of my generation—or any generation—cannot be addressed with an insufficient picture of what it means to be human and what it means to serve a sovereign God.

Another saying declares, “I write to know what I think.” Writing is a worthwhile exercise in itself, and I need to do more of it. I may never write an original thought here (and readers may laugh at my naïveté!) but I hope it’s a fruitful synthesis of ideas. There might also be updates from the farmer’s market, because that’s always a more popular topic at dinner parties. :)

why "another lighted city"?

This is a personal blog, and the title is derived from my initials. As I begin writing, I am preparing to leave one city (a small university town) and establish a home in another: our nation’s capital. The title also reminds me that this world ultimately is not my home, and a better place is prepared.

When I was growing up, my mom took me to New York once or twice a year. I remember staying up in the hotel room, sitting up against the window, and peering out at all the lights.