Karen and George always have a stack of books they are working through. On this episode of the Standfast podcast they discuss some of the books they are reading right now--and how those books are shaping their thinking and their day-to-day work.

Do you remember when going out to dinner meant spreading a red and white checked tablecloth over a picnic table in the backyard? Remember when playing some music meant gathering the whole family on the front porch with mismatched instruments, everyone singing gleefully about “Power in the...

Readers are inveterate and unapologetic list makers.  Indeed, according to Umberto Eco, “Lists are the most necessary literary accessories of all.” 

• There are lists of books that must be read. 
• There are lists of books that must be reread. 
• There are lists of...

A doxology is a short chorus of praise to the Lord, often sung as a stand-alone piece or as a coda at the conclusion of psalms, hymns, or canticles. The word comes from the Greek doxa, meaning, “appearance” or “glory,” and logia, meaning, “study” or...

Clichés are by definition stock phrases or expressions that have become hackneyed, trite, or banal by overuse. They are worn-out platitudes, maxims, or truisms. They are tired and predictable declarations of self-evident truths. Clichés are, to use a cliché, old chestnuts....

Every year new words and phrases find their way into our vocabulary. 

• Sometimes these neologisms are the result of political turns of events, like Brexit, alt-right, or newsjacking.
• Sometimes it is technology and digital media that introduce new words like hashtag, emoji, or listicle.
• ...