Artificial things have been with us long before technology. Many of us remember the spray-on snow we used to decorate our windows at Christmas. We didn’t buy those cans because we needed snow; we bought them because they promised a feeling—warmth, nostalgia, a sense...
Across our communities, a profound ache has taken hold of daily life. People describe a fatigue they can’t quite identify — the feeling that something valuable in our daily routines has been unraveling. Conversations seem more pointed. Neighbors feel more distant....
Christmas is supposed to feel real — filled with warmth, wonder, and worship. Yet for many, it doesn’t. The decorations go up, the playlists return, and the obligations multiply, but something inside feels missing. Many of us go through the motions, trying to...
From the air, parts of the Midwest look like a quilt of green circles stitched into brown soil. Each one marks where a machine turns, drawing perfect patterns of life into the land. Inside those circles, crops flourish; beyond them, the earth withers. Six years ago, I...
We’re living in a season of deep weariness and division. So many of us feel exhausted by the noise of accusation—the endless cycle of blame and counter-blame that fills our headlines, our conversations, even our inner thoughts. Every day, we’re told who is to blame...
Cyndi and I are building a log home. As each log was placed during the first stage, I picture an old story coming to life through the grain—an ancient, steady, and deeply human tale. There’s a sense of nostalgia that makes you imagine pioneers carving out a life in...
Senator Elizabeth Warren, commenting on a photo showing roof tiles and windowpanes falling from the East Wing of the White House, said it captures our current president in a single image. “Illegal, destructive, and not helping you.” Journalist Jess Bidgood, in a New...
The past few months have left many Americans feeling powerless and wondering if anyone in power is listening. Prices continue to rise as new tariffs ripple through supply chains, pushing the cost of basic goods higher. News outlets from The Washington Post and Reuters...
A movement is underway to change both the meaning and original intent of the word “woke.” The word first appeared in African American communities in the 1940s. And through the 1960s, to “stay woke” meant to be aware of racial injustice and the need to be alert to...
On October 1, the start of a new fiscal year, the U.S. government was forced to cease all non-essential operations after Congress was unable to agree on funding. Both sides of the political aisle blame the other for the shutdown. But this is a gross oversimplification...