After the Charleston tragedy, I posted this on Facebook: “No words for what happened in Charleston. Just no words...stunning...” I was right in one sense. It was stunning. I wrong about the other part. There are words. There must be words. In Charleston Shooting: Speaking the Unspeakable, Thinking the Unthinkable, Charles P. Pierce challenges us …
You as Parable
If folks a thousand years from now preach sermons on your life, what would they walk away with... Those are the opening lyrics to a song I wrote several years ago. My reading yesterday in IMAGE journal reminded me of it by way of an interview with Walter Brueggemann, professor emeritus of Old Testament studies …
Does Art Matter?
I've rarely asked this question. I've always believed in my bones that it does. But in exiting paid ministry, in which lives can change pretty dramatically as a direct or indirect result of your work, I wonder not only about the theatre, but about art in general. Who gets their busted lives put back together …
Words at 51
My throat's a little scratchy. I refuse to give the sensation a name (like "cold"), seeing as any malady seems completely inappropriate on a birthday. But on this May 4, Nashville is under water, people mourning everything from the loss of homes to the hit to tourism, but more importantly, mourning several older residents of …
Where Heaven and Earth Meet
The nest is empty again. Amy's back in Cincy, and Daniel made it back to Ann Arbor late last night. The house was quiet, and Anjie and I talked, quietly thankful for our kids. Funny...with our children it's easy to see and celebrate the two different worlds of what-has-been and what-will-be. Intersecting worlds of that …
JEFF BERRYMAN 