Michael's Top 10 of 2019 Over the past five or six years, I’ve found myself surrounded by friends who have a love for the art of film. We hit the spectrum on what we see and enjoy. We’re there for a lot of the franchise films - the Marvels and Star Warses - but particularly [...]
Thoughts from a Rising Tide
As I stood on the shore practicing the tradition of people everywhere -- letting my feet be buried in the sand by the tide -- I knew I was ready to begin writing again. I've taken a bit of an unplanned but necessary break from writing. Between 2013 and 2017 I published as much as [...]
What’s Next
It's been a while, hasn't it? For the past year, I have been a wilderness season. This period is a conglomerate of happenstance and intentionality. While trying to decide some next steps for myself in a fluid world, I likewise recognized a need for me to take a step back to listen, reflect, learn. Part of [...]
The Sacred Art of Shutting Up
Over the past six months or so, I have intentionally withdrawn from much of the public dialogue and writing that I had become accustomed to over the past few years. Practicality played a role in this decision. I was in the last phase of completing the manuscript for my first book, which consumed much of [...]
‘mother!’ and the Honest Portrayal of Christian Living
By the time the end credits roll on Darren Aronofosky’s new film, mother!, you sit speechless in your seat, nearly paralyzed, by what you just experienced. And there is no more appropriate word to describe this film than experience. Make no mistake, this is not a fun film. Hell, it's not even enjoyable. Yet in all its [...]
Theology of Fear
At the close of 2016, it seemed as if people everywhere were clamoring for the year to end and for a new year to begin. I was less optimistic. The negative energy, the constant yelling, dividing communities, and rabid fear didn't seem like it would stop simply because the calendar page flipped. And it didn't. [...]
When the President Prays…
Lately I have made an effort to read articles & op-eds from those whose political and social views differ from my own. I often start with Drudge Report as it links to many news sites, most of which are right-leaning. Last week Drudge grabbed my attention by promoting an article which suggested that Bible studies were [...]
Find Your Desert Space
As I've begun to study the mystics in recent years, I've naturally been drawn to the idea of solitude as a method of prayer and meditation. Growing up in a religious setting where prayer was narrowed to a communal activity where what one said mattered most, the adjustment to contemplative prayer in solitude has been [...]
The Man in the Doorway
Like I do early each Sunday morning, I walked out of my apartment to take a contemplative walk around Denver's Cheesman Park. Complete with coffee in hand, the bright Sunday morning sun shined through my apartment window inviting me into a needed quiet space in the middle of a normally busy city. The normalcy only [...]
In Politics, There is No Forgiveness
I recently returned to everyday life from a week-long solo excursion into the the beautiful desert of Utah. It has long been a dream to visit Zion National Park. Its remoteness brought closeness with God and self. Its silence spoke loudly to my soul. Its stillness brought forth peace to my being. Perhaps one of [...]
