I thought I’d mix in some Advent hymns for our poetry this month. Nevertheless, the first poem and hymn that I thought of is a beloved Christmas carol. Perhaps because it’s so darn cold in Minnesota right now, the carol that keeps coming to mind is Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Mid-Winter.” All of Rossetti’s work is so melodic, fluid, and vivid, and makes great reading or singing. It’s such a wonderful song that there are some fantastic covers by pop artists like James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg that have helped to make it popular well beyond the church. But my favorite version is probably by Shawn Colvin. There is something...

Most Christmas songs are cheery, but not all. (Think, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” for a moment.) The song with which I decided to start our Advent series on Unlikely Christmas Carols is one of those songs: Pearl Jam’s “Let Me Sleep.” Except that it’s not so much sad as kind of tragic. Unlike Dave Matthews “Christmas Song,” which tells a full story, Pearl Jam tends to be more suggestive, evoking a feeling more than sharing a story. The song speaks of someone who is down and out…and cold…at Christmastime. Maybe a homeless person or drifter, but someone who is exposed to the elements. And, while shivering in the cold,...

Just a quick note to say two things about Preaching at the Crossroads, a book on preaching that I’ve just had published: 1) A huge thanks to the folks at Fortress Press who did such a wonderful job shepherding the project through to publication and are now promoting it: Will Bergkamp, Marissa Wold, Olga Lobasenko, Mark Christianson, and Joe Riley (and Emily Varner of the Somersault Group) – thank you! 2) To those interested, you can watch Nadia Bolz-Weber, Luke Powry, Sam Alexander, Deborah Arca, and I discuss the book and preaching more generally at the YouTube channel for the the Patheos online book club. And (okay, so this is a third...

What kind of Christmas do you think it will be in the Philippines this year? In cities like Tacloban that were so devastated by typhoon Haiyan? It always amazes me just how strong is our initial gut reaction to places like Tacloban as our hearts go out to the folks affected by natural disaster, and we’re eager to help, and the news is dominated by stories of those affected…and then how quickly the news cycle fades and our attention shifts. Haiyan hit one month ago, and already we only hear bits and pieces of the story of the folks who are still – will be still for years to come – struggling to reclaim their lives and rebuild their...