Mid March, halfway through Lent. Hobby Lobby shelves a pastel bouquet of Easter kitsch. Target aisles stocked with Reeses bunnies and Cadbury eggs. The sun’s more concentrated rays stir the listless to life in the slumbering ground.  In our California backyard, a soggy winter gives way to blooming calla lilies, daisies, trumpet vines, bougainvillea, azaleas, and just about anything else we put in dirt. Bees swarm around our blueberry bushes to pollinate the newly blossoming buds. Anna hummingbirds show up often to raid the camellia flowers. The sudden onset of fragrant orange blossoms giv ..read more

There is a temptation in the modern age—where we can fill our ears and eyes with media at every spare moment—to over-due it. Too much of a good thing, after all, is a bad thing. I often struggle with this, because there is always another great book to read, another excellent movie to watch, and so forth. In light of that challenge, I appreciate lists and curators who can help us prioritize quality over quantity: sifting through the glut so not everyone has to. To that end, here are my favorites in the genres I have time to prioritize: books, music, and movies. In case you’re wondering, I watch ..read more

Summer is approaching and families are making vacation plans. If you’re a dad of young kids like me, the thought of an ambitious road trip or elaborate vacation to an exotic locale might sound stressful. From screaming toddlers in the backseat to incessant “are we there yet?” impatience, interrupted sleep schedules, emergency potty stops, and all manner of other chaos, you might think a daring family travel adventure is unwise and not worth it. I’d challenge you to reconsider. My wife and I traveled the world prior to having kids and loved the freedoms afforded by our (short) DINK lifestage. H ..read more

Note: I’m speaking for myself here, not on behalf of The Gospel Coalition (my employer and a ministry I care deeply about).  I believe wisdom moves necessarily slower than the pace set by social media.  In processing the explosive response to Josh Butler’s March 1 Beautiful Union book excerpt at The Gospel Coalition, I’ve thus been slow to say anything publicly. This has required great restraint! But I’ve lived long enough in the internet age—and worked long enough in the online content industry—to know that defensive hot takes and emotional responses to online storms are usually unh ..read more

Earth Day is not a Christian holiday, and its reputation as an occasion for left-leaning political grandstanding may indeed make some Christians leery of celebrating it. But if we look beyond the political fault lines that have developed around environmental policy, and consider Earth Day as simply an opportunity to express gratitude for the good gift of God’s creation—and perhaps also an opportunity to recommit to good stewardship of this gift—then why shouldn’t Christians join in? The Earth is the LORD’s after all (Ps. 24:1), so any celebration of the Earth should be a celebration of the God ..read more

I’ve been an arts and culture writer/editor/curator for all of my adult life, but I admit: Even when it’s your job, it’s so hard to keep up with the glut of movies, TV series, books, and music out there. That’s why this year, I decided to not even try to keep up on TV. I watched and wrote about a few shows (Rings of Power, Severance), but honestly my time is limited and TV shows require such a commitment of hours (I haven’t even had time to watch the new season of The Crown yet). I’d rather spend my limited time watching quality one-off movies, reading books, and discovering excellent new musi ..read more

My 40th birthday is this week on Dec. 3. As part of my reflections on the four decades of life I’ve lived to this point, I do what I often do. I created a playlist. The 40-song playlist includes one song from each of the 40 years I have been alive. I chose songs not just because they were released in that year, but because each has some sort of significance in my life. Music has an unusual capacity for encapsulating moments in time. We hear a song and it conjures a memory. We listen to an album for the first time in 25 years, and it takes us back to high school. As I put together this playlist ..read more

It’s not hyperbole to say Poor Bishop Hooper’s EveryPsalm project is one of the most significant projects ever in contemporary Christian music. For the last three years, the Kansas City-based, husband-wife duo (Jesse and Leah Roberts) has written, recorded, and released a song based on all 150 biblical psalms. One per week for three years. What a feat! That kind of discipline and creative output is not for the faint of heart. But I’m so grateful. Beyond being something I’ve championed through various interviews (in 2019, 2021, and just last week), the EveryPsalm project has been significant pe ..read more

Someone asked me recently, “What’s the most complicated aspect of engaging movies and pop culture as a Christian?” I should have responded, “How long do you have?” There’s a lot to say. But the thing that came to mind first as an answer is simply that pop culture itself is complex. It would be easier as Christians if we could look at any given movie, TV show, or song and say, “It’s all good! No concerns whatsoever,” or “It’s 100 percent awful. Stay away.” Occasionally something falls in one of those extreme categories, but it’s very rare. Because we are made in God’s image and yet fallen ..read more

It was another pandemic year—which meant the comfort, escapism, and meaning-making of pop culture was as necessary as it was last year. Maybe more. In a post-truth world where little seems trustworthy or certain, the transportive nature of the arts and literature were welcome. Beauty makes sense when little else does. In 2021 we cautiously tiptoed back into concert venues and movie theaters, even as our stream-at-home habits continued to be the norm. Book sales were up again, even with supply chain shipping issues. In a crazy world, culture offers a semblance of sanity. What were your favorite ..read more