’A Christmas Carol’ Conversion: What Scrooge Teaches Us About Reconciliation
Whether it’s the original novella by Charles Dickens or one of its many screen adaptations, “A Christmas Carol” is enshrined in my mind as a…
Entertainment
‘Backyard Baseball’ and the Saints: Building Teams That Help Us Grow
Pablo Sanchez, Pete Wheeler, Luanne Lui . . . Do these names strike any memories? If so, you may have invested more hours than you…
‘Inside Out 2’ and the Journey of Self-Acceptance and Reconciliation
As a rising kindergartener, my 5-year-old feels our summer schedule should encompass all things big-kid-related. One of her ideas for a rite of passage: movie…
A Good Dog: How ‘Bluey’ Inspires Goodness for the Whole Family
A red dog gently bunts a cricket ball to his younger sister; she triumphantly catches it and immediately runs to him to celebrate her big…
More Than a Story: How ‘Star Wars’ Gives Voice to My Spiritual Journey
People like to tell me that they haven’t seen “Star Wars.” It started out as a joke with friends: “Eric loves ‘Star Wars!’ This will…
‘Jonathan & Jesus’ Is a Story of Surrender We Can All Learn From
Let’s get this out of the way first: I’m an unapologetic fan of “The Chosen,” the series about the life of Christ that went from…
Faith and the Force: ‘Ahsoka’ and the Power of Relationship
I thought I was done with the Jedi. As a child, I swung electronic lightsabers and pretended I’d become one of these Force-wielding warriors fighting…
How the ‘Hollywood Priest’ Impacted People On and Off the Camera
When Fr. Ellwood “Bud” Kieser arrived in Los Angeles for his first assignment after ordination, he had no plans for the future beyond serving as…
The Netflix Children’s Movie That Draws Us in to Christ’s Nativity
“Angela’s Christmas,” a 2017 children’s film on Netflix, is unassuming to say the least. It’s become a favorite of my 5-year-old, who calls it simply,…
‘Dune’ Helped Me See the Strength of Prayer in the Face of Fear
Frank Herbert’s epic novel “Dune” is often considered science fiction’s answer to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” While die-hard Tolkienians such as myself…
