I have long been of the opinion that Mr. Collins of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice gets a lot more flack than he deserves. Read this thread to find out why I'm right: Why do people hate Mr Collins? The main reason, it seems, is that he’s so annoying. He says the wrong thing, he doesn’t know how to act at a ball, he proposes to women for whom said proposals are clearly undesired. Ironically, of course, much of this could be said of Mr. Darcy.

A quick thread on the most famous advent hymn: O Come O Come Emmanuel.

It originate in the sixth century (or possibly before) as a sequence of Antiphons sung each night for vespers (evening prayer) the week before Christmas (there are seven verses). Each "O Come" is followed by a Scriptural name for Christ from the Hebrew Bible: Wisdom, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Desire of Nations, etc. It is truly an advent hymn because it anticipates and invites Christ's arrival, even while Christ remains out of frame, as it were.

People often ask how they can help their kids/teens cultivate and keep a strong faith. My honest answer is to read them beautiful stories, take them to breakfast every week, encourage them, ask questions, pray together, have honest conversations about the world, don’t be afraid. People seem to think that a bible study or apologetic book or a podcast will keep their kids from deconstruction. I understand: it’s a scary world and parents want to pass on their faith. But unfortunately, that’s not how life, faith, doubt work.

Been reading various sermons for a piece on the parable of the lost sheep, which has led me to ask some very important theological questions, namely: are sheep STUPID or SINFUL? Staring into the eyes of this sheep on the Romney marshes, one sees the gaze of a stone cold sinner... Charles Spurgeon has very little confidence in sheep: "Of all wretched creatures a lost sheep is one of the worst."

We often think of anger as a “bad” emotion, but it can be a just response, & life-saving. It lurches us out of helplessness, makes us resourceful, active, brave. Anger casts a fiery protective circle around sadness & fear. When you’re mad ask your anger: what are you protecting? Anger is often a secondary emotion, meaning it comes to the rescue and protection of another emotion like fear or sadness. If we get stuck in the offensive we may never be able to heal, but anger is a good indicator that there’s something important with which we need to grapple.

It is the feast day of the Seraphic Doctor, Saint Bonaventure. He was a profound theologian, a skilled minister general of the Franciscans, and, most of all, a saint whose life was marked by affection, ecstasy, and love for Jesus. Today, I want to share a bit more about him... Bonaventure was born near Rome sometime in the 1220's, studied under the English Franciscan scholar Alexander Hales. To his own surprise, he was elected Minister General of the Franciscans, a role he accepted with some trepidation because the order was in tatters.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: Twitter can be a wild and very destructive place, but it can also be a great place to connect! Through trial and error, I’ve developed some rules for myself that help my engagement with this app be more enjoyable and virtuous. Today, I’m going to share them. Trolls are like your teeth: if you ignore them, they’ll go away. If someone is clearly a troll, out to argue and belittle in bad faith, don’t interact with them! Their goal is to get attention and you’re making that possible. Stop.