The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. This, I think, is one of the most poignant lines in Scripture. It first offers an affirmation about the light. The light of the Word, the light of Jesus, shines in the darkness, illuminating, bringing hope, making...
Matthew 24:9-31
posted by DJL
“Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the...
Catching Fire Review and Discussion
posted by DJL
Fifth Friday Film Forum: Catching Fire Spoiler alerts: If you haven’t read Catching Fire or seen the film, you may not want to read this. I have to admit that when I first read Catching Fire and realized that Suzanne Collins was going to send Katniss and Peeta back into the arena to compete in another Hunger Games, I was disappointed. What seemed such a brilliant plot element in the last book suddenly seemed tired, as if Collins was a one-trick pony. But that feeling soon disappeared. Although there is indeed a second round of the Hunger Games competition in Catching Fire, the plot both inside and outside of the arena was different enough...
On Hope
posted by DJL
It took me a little while to figure out what I liked so much about this commercial from All State. And, truthfully, I didn’t just like it, I found it peculiarly moving. I’ll put it below for you to watch and then have a bit to say about it below. What’s moving, I think, is the sense of...
Let Evening Come
posted by DJL
One of the things that most defines good poetry for me is what I would call its “evocativeness.” Does the poet not just describe a setting but evoke a feeling, a memory, a sensory reaction? Jane Kenyon absolutely does that in her poem “Let Evening Come.” Whether you grew up in...