Our Com-fort-er

Comfortable: down pillow, smooth sheet, cotton quilt; food of equal parts anticipation and regret; familiar music, favorite show; a lifestyle greater in wealth than need, or the income capable of funding it. Comfort: the disposition comfortable items afford. Also,...

The Sound of Faith

A few decades ago I am watching a pianist, a close friend, accompany a choir’s rehearsal. He is a brilliant technician, sight-reading well enough to lead the ensemble through its first look with no faux pas of any substance. I comment on the impressive showing, and in...

Our Problem with the Problem of Evil: Part 1 | Episode 42

Barry begins a discussion of the Problem of Evil, which studies the question of how to reconcile the concepts of a good and all-powerful God with the existence of evil and suffering in the world. We are often tempted to doubt our faith when a theoretical argument...

From Nostalgia to Something Better

Country music songwriters, politicians, and marketers know the power of nostalgia. And better times past can be more than rose-tinged memories. Childhood should be safer with fewer cares than adulthood. So songs, campaigns, and ads invite us back to better times. When...

Looking Up to Move Forward

As if no one ever told me to watch my step, I stub my toe on the uneven step, trail rock, bed post, door jam, or canted sidewalk slab, as I have untold times before, and as induction tells me I will until God coats everything in smooth, soft gold. Experience tells us...

It’s Good to Hear Your Voice | Episode 41

What do severe thunderstorms, earth-swallowing floods, decimated forests, and teeth-shattering earthquakes have in common? They all evoke the voice of God. Feel a little frightened? No need—God uses that voice to give strength and peace to his people.    ...

Images Are Closer Than They Appear

When I describe setting up a telescope on a mountain in Colorado, people often respond with something between a joke and perplexity, since the altitude of the mountain will diminish the distance to my astronomical target so little as not to be measurable: 1 or 2 miles...

So Heavenly Minded | Episode 40

Barry talks about why it is important to consider the ramifications of a choice before one needs to make it. He covers some fundamental aspects of ethics, reviews what ethics can’t do, and explains why on earth he is talking about what most people often ignore.  ...