“Me and John went to the store earlier today…” “You mean, ‘John and I went to the store…’” “Thanks again, Correcto-man. You little brat.” I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. A bad habit as a child without much social awareness turned quickly into a nickname, and not in a nice way. I, … [Read More]
On Loneliness
Of all the unspoken words in the wild world of language, few quiet a conversation as quickly as “lonely,” “loneliness,” and “alone,” especially when preceded with a confessional “I am…” The utterance of such brings a stillness into a conversation, whether one from empathy or from awkwardness. Empathy, because there are few things as … [Read More]
Questions, Old Walls, and (still) Going through It
“You’ve got to go through it, Tony.” It’s maybe a hundred meters long, jagged stones stacked on one another. Though it is centuries old, the constant presence of young people on its ledge erases ideas of noble conquest or stately affair. No, it is just the Neckarmauer, the wall that runs alongside the Neckar River. … [Read More]
Coffee Shops
Coffee Shops. There are about a thousand things I want to write about these days, and maybe we’ll get to a few of them eventually. But today, coffee shops. As those who are connected with me via social media are probably well aware, I spend a lot of my life in coffee shops. Like right … [Read More]
Doing the Bernie, Changing the World: The Externalization of an Introvert
It was like waking up from a long sleep. Bright rays of light, illuminating the glistening landscape of what God was doing. Much of this Germany journey for me has been in my weak attempts of faith. I am convinced that God called me toward this move, but there was much I did not understand … [Read More]
Come Be My Light
It was cold. Though the beginning rays of summer light warmed our skin, there was a distinct hollowness that swept over me as I stepped into that beautiful, sixteenth century cathedral. The walls of stone and stained glass windows seemed to magnify the emptiness of the surprisingly dark interior. This place was once a place … [Read More]