Cultivating the Christian Imagination

A few weeks ago I woke up to my dog eating our bathroom trash. Arghh...If I were to eat trash, trash from our bathroom would be a last resort. And yet, for my dog, we have to actively close the door so she won't get in. After this incident, I couldn't help but think of how this applies to our lives. Desires are a natural, and important, part of being human. EAT AND DRINK AND ENJOY Consider this theme in Ecclesiastes: There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God...(2:24) Having desires is not the problem and, therefore, finding a way to always deny what we want is not the solution. >>THE PROBLE

I saw Searching (2018) in theaters a few months ago, and I really enjoyed myself. It was very moving and thought-provoking. This film won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, which most of the time raises red flags in my mind, but not with this film. I'm not giving the film a review, because I think you should go see it. But I will give you five not-too-spoily reasons why I recommend this film. How's that for a compromise? (Note: While the movie does deal with a horrific and frightening scenario: a young girl going missing, I didn't see any of the language or violence as overly gratuitous.) 1. THE FILMING STYLE IS NON-TRADITIONAL AND ENTIRELY ABSORBING. In a way, the filming ch

A few months ago my wife and I got a dog. She's a little thing...half dachshund and half chihuahua. At 6'2", I stand much taller than she does, and so does my wife, my nieces, and the chipmunks in my backyard. I doubt you'd be surprised to learn that she's quickly become our friend and companion. But you may be surprised to find out that over the last month and a half she's helped me become a more efficient and effective writer. As strange as it sounds, she's given me more time. It's not magic. It's routine. She gets up every morning around 5 AM. Instead of ignoring her, I get up with her. My lovely wife somehow "doesn't hear". She -- my dog-- has become my mountain rooster. This inhumane t

Ray Bradbury wrote a wonderful short story called “The Pedestrian,” which is set in the year 2053. (It’s only two pages long--take a moment and read it!). The story centers on a man named Mr. Leonard Mead. Toward the beginning of the story, the narrator offers an eerie description of him, “In ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time.” Never met another person!? What kind of a future world is this? It is a dystopian one in which people are transfixed by their televisions and disconnected from real human beings. The homes were “[T]ombs, ill-lit by television light,” Bradbury writes, “where the people sat li

This morning a bird woke me up, and it wasn't to a pleasant song. It's getting colder up here in Lake Arrowhead and the bird has the dream to get inside our warm little cabin. Let me rephrase that, she's had this dream for about a week now. The problem isn't so much her dream, as I can't blame her wanting to escape the cold and join us. The problem is the way she's going about it. For the last week, she's been relentlessly charging the window over and over again. I'm not sure when she'll realize that the window will never give way, but I hope she discovers it soon. It's a waste of time and I can't imagine it's good for her beak! >>GEORGE BAILEY'S DREAM This week, at LifeHouse Theater, we ope

Movie nights are times to shut down. Off with work talk. Off with stress. On relaxation. On mindless joy. And who doesn't need that sometimes? I do! >>MOVIE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT But I can't help think that we're having movie nights more often then we realize. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, Americans watch around three hours (I rounded it up) of TV a day. That's almost a movie night...every night! And what if I told you that movies are Trojan Horses? They draw you in with suspense, intrigue, delight...and don't demand you to exert mental or physical energy. Unlike books, they don't require active engagement, but are fine with the passive kind. Perfect for when you're e

Editor's Introduction: I'm been looking forward to publishing this interview with Marian Jacobs for a while now. Marian and her husband, Tim, are close friends of ours from Kentucky. We served in the same church, and Tim and I both attended Southern Seminary. Among many other things, Tim is a philosopher and Marian is a writer. Marian writes at her own site (www.majacobs.com), Speculative Faith, Desiring God, and, of course, Stage & Story. One of the many reasons that I wanted to interview Marian is because she is a busy and loving wife, mother, and author. That's a lot to balance! I hope this interview inspires you in your calling. My questions, of course, are in bold (or if you're reading

I smiled when I recently saw that several seasons of 24 were available on one of the video streaming services. [Editor's note: All seasons are currently on Amazon Prime.] I smiled because 24 was a fascinating series. I did not actually watch it on live television, but instead watched it a season at a time via DVD. I really have no idea how anyone could have watched it week-to-week because every episode ended on a cliff-hanger, at least during the first few seasons. It was hard to turn it off after a few episodes, so I can only imagine what watching weekly would have been like. PREVIOUSLY ON 24 If you are not familiar with it or if you did not see it, the premise is that a single season t

STEP ONE: Share the “bad news” that no auditioner was good enough for the lead role, so you, as the director, will make the sacrifice and play the part. STEP TWO: In the middle of at least one rehearsal, when the actors aren’t meeting your standard of excellence, storm out of the theater. Remember, it’s not what you say but what you do that shows you’re in charge. STEP THREE: When blocking a scene, improvise the directions you give. Only a novice uses a crutch like forethought. STEP FOUR: Always focus on the big picture of the production, like re-negotiating your pay (every couple of weeks) and updating your Instagram status. Let your actors deal with the details, like scene changes and mic