Domestic Churches

Having developed an interest in fairies after borrowing a Tinkerbell movie from the library, my daughter asked to watch Strange Magic. While it's been a few years since we watched this movie, she had been periodically reminded of the movie when she heard one of its songs. In typical child style she decided to watch the movie on repeat and listen to the songs on repeat for several days in a row. We recently listened to I Can't Help Myself from the movie's soundtrack. Sugar pie

Spoiler alert! This reflection assumes you've watched the movie. It will reveal and reflect on key plot points from the movie. We recently brought our daughters to Disney on Ice and we prepared for the event by watching Frozen as a family. The movie is over four years old, but it has maintained its popularity and for good reason. Not only does it feature catchy music, dazzling visuals, and a compelling story, but it also beautifully explains the complex idea of true love in a

Spoiler alert! This reflection assumes you've watched the movie. It will reveal and reflect on key plot points from the movie. Wonder Woman is an entertaining movie about a heroine I previously knew little about. I've always been a fan of heroes from the Justice League of America, so I am thrilled to see a DC shared universe forming and I was excited to watch this installment in the series. The movie has all the usual suspense, special effects, explosions, and super villains

I'm an amateur photographer and I enjoy outdoor photography. Every year I make a calendar with pictures that I took throughout the year. As I've sorted through and edited my photographs from the past year, I thought for a little while about macros and landscapes. Both are perfect for Thanksgiving. Photographers have many tricks and tools available to make a subject more interesting in a photograph. We can use the lighting, the focus, the shutter speed, and so much more. This

Over the last few weeks I've been obtaining some new smart home technology and programming these devices to automate routine activities in my home. I got a smart hub, a smart thermostat, several smart light bulbs, and a couple smart outlets. For a software engineer like myself, this has been quite exciting. These devices allow me to extend the reach of my programming abilities beyond the confines of my computer screen and the possibilities seem endless. Unfortunately, many of

You're driving down the road in an area that you don't know and you take an unexpected turn. The GPS cheerfully announces "recalculating", and for a few terrifying seconds you have no idea where you're going. One of my theological heroes who has influenced my theological thinking is Bishop Robert Barron. I follow his work on Word on Fire and I recently watched this video about a GPS as an image for divine providence: I want to extend his image and reflect on that moment after

Once Upon a Time - Season 6 Episode 19 - The Black Fairy "It's terrifying how much this little thing changes you, makes you soft and sharp all at once." - Fiona My wife and I watched this episode of Once Upon a Time while sitting in her room in the maternity ward after the birth of our third daughter. In this context, Fiona's comment that a little baby makes you soft and sharp all at once resonated with me. Ignoring for a moment Fiona's choice to become the black fairy, I imm

Finding Dory Spoiler Alert! Finding Dory is a visually dazzling, compelling, and heartwarming story about a fish who overcomes significant challenges and learns to celebrate her abilities. "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them." - Romans 12:6 After a lifetime of dwelling on her inability to remember, Dory realizes that she has amazing gifts which have inspired others to do amazing things they would have never done had they

Designated Survivor - Season 1 - Episode 4 - The Enemy Most of us cannot imagine the pressure a man experiences when the fate of entire world rests on the outcome of his decisions. None of us envy the decisions that President Kirkman must make in Designated Survivor. However, we can sympathize with his position in this episode because we all must make difficult decisions to resolve conflicts in our lives. Some situations call for a show of force: she must discipline a misbeha

Jurassic World Spoiler Alert! I recently enjoyed watching Jurassic World. I was a little sceptical after Jurassic Park III but I really enjoyed this movie. I think it also reintroduced the deeper questions the franchise began with. Just how far are we willing to go in our attempt to dominate God's creation? The movie was appropriately released just a week before Laudato Si, the encyclical in which Pope Francis explored many of the same themes as the movie. Taken together they

The Giver Spoiler Alert! The recent popularity of stories about utopia is no surprise. The possibility fascinates us. Pain deeply touches each of us in some way and it is natural for us to wonder if human life without pain is possible. To this question The Giver answers yes, it may be possible to remove the experience of pain from our lives but it may not be worth the price of doing so. The Giver insists that in removing pain and suffering from our lives and from our world, w