2020

I used to think of really smart people as walking encyclopedias. But I’ve come to believe that’s entirely wrong. Really brilliant people are more like very powerful calculators. They have the capacity to consider a question and produce a good answer. Instead of a huge collection of facts stored and waiting to be regurgitated, theseContinue reading “Impeachment Questions”

In An Introduction to Film Genres, Friedman defines the genre of melodrama as, “Films centering on personal relationships…that seek to elicit spectator sympathy for the film’s protagonists and tell their story in a lighthearted style that may include spectacular effects, implausible coincidences, plot twists, and a clear dichotomy between good and evil” (Friedman, 85). Marriage Story certainlyContinue reading ““Marriage Story” film review”

This is the most complete collection of my songs ever collected! Most of them have been posted before (not all), but never all in one place. What follows are all my EPs with all their songs (click the links to listen) and a short synopsis for each album. “Fourth Time’s the Charm” (July 2024) TheContinue reading “All the Songs”

— *if you are inclined to receive any other writing I may or may not do, you could hit the subscribe button or comment your email to be sure to receive updates.

I got to watch Jojo Rabbit with a group of friends – and it’s the best film I’ve seen lately. The reactions I’ve heard/seen from some friends have been somewhat mixed – but I certainly loved it. Simply put, Jojo Rabbit a melodrama wrestling with deep, dark questions of nationalism, hate, and compassion through the eyesContinue reading “Jojo Rabbit (film review)”

“I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids.” (Psalm 132:4) It is somewhat trivial in relation to worldwide catastrophe, but I sure do miss waking up in the morning to the thought of needing to be somewhere soon. Of speed walking across campus because I took too long in theContinue reading “Slumber nor Sleep”

First, you marvel. Then, consider the possibility, Finally, you take up your tools and work. This sort of process has been my experience over and over again. I see someone make something – the coolest thing ever. And it’s like they must have been blessed by the gods to be able to create like that.Continue reading “Making “Pete””

Every time a murder happens which is touted as racially motivated, many of us re-enter the conversation about racial relations in America. Maybe it’s a conversation we should have more often – hopefully it doesn’t take killings to get us to the table. History.com says slaves were brought from Africa to America for use aroundContinue reading “curses of our fathers”

— We went, Across the green hills of Alabama to a breakfast in Birmingham, On the red roads of Mississippi saw the house of Elvis in Tupelo, Skirted the corner of Tenessee and over the river at Memphis, Through the open fields of Arkansas on 412 until route 63 north, Stayed with old friends inContinue reading “across america”

My friend, I remember sitting on a blanket in the backyard across the street after a phone call. 2,000 miles away your car had gone off course by 12 ft., and you weren’t breathing anymore; we were trying to keep breathing ourselves. I remember feeling like a slice of lime tumbled around in a glass,Continue reading “limes.”

Our Place We got into Phoenix last week around midnight on Saturday night after a very long day of traveling from Oklahoma City. We get to stay this beautiful, fully furnished home, the owners of which are a law professor and a speech therapist who are traveling as a family during summer break. We’ve bothContinue reading “Week One”

A ride through the neighborhood and downtown Phoenix. Use link, or click the image to see the video. music: “Amazing Day” by Coldplay

This film review was written for and published by FilmFisher, you can also read it on their website. While the wild west has certainly evolved in the past two hundred years, Hell or High Water evokes the power of romantic frontier stories. This contemporary west is a stage for gunfights and thunderstorms as well asContinue reading “Hell or High Water”

This is a video showing what our wedding looked like from the clouds. A friend of ours named Melvin used his drone to film the day before and day of our wedding. The photos are by Lauren Straman – a photographer we highly recommend!

It’s becoming clear we’re in the throes of a national crisis. And the conversation surrounding race and racism has completely nullified all other conversations. It’s not in the spotlight – it is the spotlight. It’s the sociological filter of every piece of communication, new and old. Perhaps there is still a presidential race going on,Continue reading “The Statues Can’t Speak”

The staff and interns at Aim Right took the day to cool off on Bartlett Lake. Caleb rented a pontoon for us, and good times were had by all. View this video by clicking these words, or on the image itself.

On July 16, Aleisha and I took some friends to the Bull Pen Swimming Hole, a lovely place near Camp Verde. We used directions found on this website to get there, but we had some trouble finding our way. Below are pictures of our excursion as well as directions on how to get there. TheContinue reading “The Bull Pen Swimming Hole”

in the park sat a boy atop a hill watching Phoenix clouds and declaring expectantly that he was waiting for the first drop of rain to trip and fall, aren’t we all. *photo by Aleisha Boley-Bear

“I finish things; that’s what I do, and I’m going it alone.” Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is a tall, white-haired, racist veteran of the Korean War trying to make sense of a changing America. The enjoyment he once found sharing his neighborhood with white folks has morphed into abjectly watching Hmong immigrants invade the homesContinue reading “Gran Torino”

8-7-20 12:26 p.m. Phoenix, AZ Heroes We are endlessly the heroes of our stories, It doesn’t seem to matter how tired We must be getting, or who we’re fighting, We’ve “fought a million battles, never lost a one,” * We are Abel, and Jacob, and Abraham, Never the murderer, tricked, or uncalled, Noah, Joseph, theContinue reading “Heroes”

I recently read an article written earlier this month by Kristina Grob, a professor at South Carolina University, and published in America, the Jesuit Review. In it, she argues for the usefulness of philosophy degrees in the workforce – hence the title “Want a Good Job? Major in Philosophy.” The article comes in the wakeContinue reading “Trading Up”

Collin and I are both beginning our senior year of college. It doesn’t seem like that long ago we were riding in a silver Ford Focus, I turned toward him and asked, “So are we actually gonna go to college?” And he said we were.  Somewhere along the way, we both decided to transfer andContinue reading ““Art, Wearing Masks, and Being Homeless””

I saw an advertisement yesterday heralding, “Unbiased News from a Christian Perspective.” In the comments, more than a few people pointed out the irony of that statement. It is the job of news media to make sense of the world. Some networks take a very active approach (Tucker Carlson giving energetic speeches in attempt toContinue reading “News Media – Why They Won’t “Give Us the Facts.””

In Phoenix this summer, Aleisha and I tried all different kinds of sparkling water. And then we rated them on a scale of 1 to 5. I recently set up Stripe, so I could use this platform to earn money at some point. The form below is evidence! Perrier – Peach Aleisha: “The shape ofContinue reading “The Water Reviews”

At the end of the semester, we have to decide and defend what we’ve come to believe. Let me explain. As a college student, there are classes I cannot wait to attend, and there are classes which require a considerable amount of determination to sit through. I’m thankful my experience has been mostly the formerContinue reading “Homosexuality, the Bible, and the Church (Introduction)”

“Listening to the Past, Reflecting on the Present” I’m writing this series of essays as a way of processing Homosexuality, the Bible, and the Church, the book edited by Preston Sprinkle, published by Zondervan, and used in my Critical Issues in Theology class (THE-423). (*for more on the why of this series of posts, pleaseContinue reading “Homosexuality, the Bible, and the Church (Part 1)”

Introduction The second argument I will examine is from Dr. William Loader. Loader is “widely regarded as the foremost scholar on sexuality in ancient Judaism and Christianity.” He received his doctorate in theology from Mainz, Germany and has contributed five scholarly volumes to the academic literature surrounding sexuality in ancient culture. Overview Loader is oneContinue reading “Homosexuality, The Bible, and the Church (Part 2)”

a short poem written from my office chair, about sitting in booths. *photo by Mary E. Dienner.

Introduction In part 3, I’ll be looking at the chapter written by Megan K. DeFranza who offers the second affirming view in the four part book, Homosexuality, the Bible, and the Church. She received a PhD in religious studies from Marquette University and is “an emerging leader in the theological study of sex, gender, andContinue reading “Homosexuality, the Bible, and the Church (Part 3)”

Taking Responsibility *This article does not necessarily reflect my current views on marriage and homosexuality. However, I am hesitant to edit its contents as it serves for me as an artifact of my movement to where I am. This is not how I planned to wrap up this series of articles. I intended to writeContinue reading “What I Learned Writing About Homosexuality (Part 4)”

This piece was written for a class in which we were to examine a cultural phenomenon and identify possible narratives and identities being created. A New Kind of Revival: Red Stripes in the Let Us Worship Movement COM 363: Media and Society October 31, 2020 Toccoa Falls College ABSTRACT In the late 1960s the JesusContinue reading “Examining the Let Us Worship Movement”

Come True It’s easy to miss recognizing things working out. I have a tendency to update my goals as I go, which is good, but it makes it harder to realize how good the present really is. I remember wishing so badly for a “real” guitar to replace the rather chinsy, never-staying-in-tune, stringed piece ofContinue reading “Dreams, Come True & Run Dry”