Safe Haven

Heresy. Actual heresy. In First Things. We are doomed! [But Leithart writes there often.--ed.] That was rude. [You were thinking it.--ed.] Fine. And just to be clear, I do not believe--nor am I permitted to, I don't think--that the creation account is a myth.

My favorite songwriter, and a legend. Thanks for asking. He wrote this song. And this one.  And this one.  You can hear him singing the background vocals pretty clearly. I don't know what to tell you. I daydream about writing a pop song half as magnetic as he's done routinely. His own albums blow me away. "For The Cool In You" is the perfect R&B/pop album. And that came in 1993, after the LP "Tender Lover" made him a star. Have you heard this one ? And cue the wedding standard. That last one was from 1996, off the album "The Day." It's incredible. The whole bloody thing. And then he got bored, and did a Christmas album, which gave us this. If that doesn't end up in a sappy picture slideshow of my life, someone's in trouble. That's all I'm saying. If you put out a greatest hits collection a mere 14 years after your debut as a solo artist, and it gets criticized for being incomplete, you've done very well indeed. ...

It's just too hard. It is not triumphalism, but rather, profound respect which leads me to make a conscious choice to avoid the occasion. I know enough theology to carry some semblance of sympathy for almost every non-Catholic Christian position you can name. I love so many hundreds of people in other communities, it seems as though my heart would burst if it were not kindled with divine Love, like the bush that was not consumed. It was that Love which drew me gradually toward the Church, toward a peace I could not begin to fathom. No sexual attraction could touch this. No charm can replace it. I won't date you because I love you too much to lie to you. Holy Mother Church always teaches with truth and love, by virtue of her special gifts, despite the failure of her children. Chief among them is me. That said, when she hits back, she hits back hard. You don't get back up again, theologically speaking. But her love is like a good jab that blinds to the overhand right behind...

You can do this. Satan would like nothing more than for you to turn inward on yourself. Word by word, you conquer. Power through the frustration. Make each sentence a prayer. You are approaching your destiny. Thank Him for this life. Let the song in your heart play all day. No one can take your joy, but you can give it away if you forget. You are great. There is no one like you. You were made unique for a unique thing. You are not alone. You have done more than you think. You are more loved than you realize. Embrace who you are, and seek grace to be better.

Scripture according to whom? Who decides what Scripture says? Until you say who the Church is, and what standard they are going to use, you're wasting everyone's time. But in fairness, I don't think you can do this in a principled way, anyway. At least you're starting to bite the bullet by admitting the Councils have no authority in themselves. Same problem as before.

There was a meme about successful people versus losers today on the interwebs. A "meme" is one of those pithy pictures with a thought-provoking, snarky, or otherwise hilarious caption made to make a point. Anyway, it said that people who watch TV and fail to keep daily journals were losers. [What if you kept a daily journal about watching TV?--ed.] That's what I was thinking. In any case, it got me thinking: Have you ever noticed that people always say they don't like "bumper-sticker" politics? First of all, you're lying. You don't like the other side's bumper stickers. I know I don't. And let's cut the mess: There are "sides" in politics, just like in every discussion. And there's nothing wrong with this, inherently. But I think disenchantment comes when we use the same words, but mean different things. We get really hostile with politicians who willfully equivocate for political advantage. But I think it's fractious ...

His mercy is new every morning. Don't stop writing. Don't stop praying. Do your best to forgive. Sing a little song. Maybe even write one. Take the risk of being too sentimental. Take a moment or ten to think of the Cross. Thank the Lord for your friends. Remember your father. Remember how you are him in all the ways that are good. There is no harm at all in trying to live today to make him proud of you. Dad's just a little picture of the Father. He'd shake his head, ashamed of himself, but everyone falls short. Call your brother. You haven't talked in a while. Save him time by looking at the game recap. But if he wants to talk about it, let him. Baseball is not trivial; baseball is a part of our past, a reminder of all that once was good, and could be again. Don't forget to eat. And for Pete's sake, drink some water! Shave the beard. Don't be afraid to embarrass yourself. No one will ever say, "He loved me too much."