photo by Sweetmart

via NPR

HT: Josh Hanks

“You ought to live your life with such freedom and joy that uptight Christians will doubt your salvation.”

Steve Brown

HT: TClair

The fine gents over at Brandywine Books (the first blog I ever read) have revealed (to me) the existence of an audio recording of Flannery O’Connor reading A Good Man is Hard to Find at Vanderbilt University in 1959. Thanks, Phil.

I have mixed feelings about O’Connor. I appreciate her work on many levels and yet I am not –to my surprise, given the wide agreement I share with her many admirers– very much taken with her work. I have guessed that it is a matter of seasons of life. In another season, I shall likely find her a treasure. This kind of thing happens.

But, if you are, or are not, captivated by the spell of this Southern treasure, you may enjoy this fascinating recording. I really enjoyed it.

I am sure I shall finally and fully be convinced of O’Connor’s brilliance when I read this upcoming book by my friend and fellow pants-wearer, Jonathan Rogers.

This is beyond cute. There’s cute. This is past that point. A ways past.

HT: Whit Elam

I am amazed at this work by Justin Gerard. See his gallery here. I have come back and looked at this over and over again. It is magical. Click to enlarge.

I was once attacked by Pete Peterson (author, A.S. Peterson) in the sanctuary of a church in front of a hundred people. This is true. There were one-hundred eye-witnesses and all of them except Aaron Roughton are reliable. I have often wondered what might have brought on this barbaric, senseless attack. Now, I think I know. There’s a history here.

The rare home video below features just one of the often brutal scraps the young Peterson brothers would regularly engage in. Watch the devastation, if you can stand it.

Even today, in holy places, tensions rise.

Andrew: “Do you wanna fight right here in church?”

Andrew: “I will chew Pete up and spit him out in combat, just like I chew this combat…chew this gummy bear…like…I will dominate you, Pete!”

Pete: “I was in the Marines. The end.”

Here’s the brutal fight. Avert your eyes!

Makes you rethink the Peterson’s image, does it not?

HT: Jonathan Rogers

“Art is love creating new worlds; justice is love rolling up its sleeves to heal the old one.”

N.T. Wright

I love our kids.

If you can’t read this (because I don’t know how to scan, but just held it up for Photo Booth) then I’ll give you the details here.

The side says “b.r. news by a. smith.” She means “Bike Riding News.”

The top says “Thumbs! Up! Josiah!”

Next line…

“aperently, Josiah is doing wonderfull,

at his bike riding skills. if he is

having trouble, he gets frustrated,

but he never gives UP!”

Pictured girls saying “yea woo!”

Bottom: “News Paper.”

HT: Todd Agnew

Photo by Steve Kovacs. More amazing shots here from National Geographic.

Click to enlarge.

HT: Jon Swerens