Saturday Good Reads

It was announced last week that Buckingham Palace would receive some needed repairs and renovation to the tune of about 369 million pounds (that’s approaching $500 million at current exchange rates). Victoria Howard at The Crown Chronicles spends a little time debunking the true cost of the monarchy (and thumbs her nose a bit at those who would do away with it). And speaking of the royals, Dovid Hockney has been selected to create the stained glass window for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.

Thomas Kidd reminds us that it wasn’t the Puritans who came over on the Mayflower and held the first Thanksgiving celebration. It was – drum roll – the Separatists!

Do you remember who died on Nov. 22, 1963? Samuel James reflects on what C.S. Lewis means to him.

“Fake news” is a term much in the news lately, mostly associated with Facebook and the so-called “alt-right.” Turns out there’s fake news and the “alt-left,” and Buzzfeed took a look at the latest “evil-villain-Nazi-racist” – Steve Bannon, appointed by Donald Trump to be his strategy lead. There’s obviously more to this story. (Buzzfeed also has an in-depth stay on why Trump won Wisconsin and Pennsylvania - and it wasn't hacking.)

Some stunning photography this week, and some wonderful poetry. And All Sons & Daughters has a video, “You Hold It All Together,” based on the writings of St. Patrick.

Writing

4 Spiritual Disciplines for Christian Authors – George Guthrie.

Art and Photography

Dead Pine and Moon at Dawn and Fall Fungi – Tim Good.

Road Trip – Athol Dixon.

Sister Hog, Brother Tree, and the Voice of Copper – Jack Baumgartner at The School of the Transfer of Energy.

Frost highlighting the veins of a sycamore leaf – John Ritland via Facebook.

Amazing Survivors, Compton Hill / Gate District – Chris Naffziger at St. Louis Patina.

Biking Mountain and Plain – Neil Ennis.

Faith

Thanksgiving: Not All Turkey and Touchdowns – Thomas Kidd at The Gospel Coalition.

A Sermon for Christ the King Sunday – Diana Trautwein at Just Wondering.

Choosing Suffering with a Purpose – Jason Stasyszen at Connecting to Impact.

What C.S. Lewis Means to Me – Samuel D. James.

Report: Biblical Theology a Predictor of Church Growth – Samanthan Gobba at World Magazine.

Life and Culture

Legutko on the Trump Moment – Rod Dreher at American Conservative.

This is How Steve Bannon Sees the Entire World – J. Lester Feder at Buzzed.

Why Trump Really Won Wisconsin and Pennsylvania - Brandon Finnegan and Jeffrey Blear at Buzzfeed.

Donald Trump and the Great Projection - Pete Spiliakos at First Things.

Poetry

The Window Shoppers – Maryann Corbett at Curator Magazine.

Feeling the Weight of Time – Sandra Heska King.

A Brief History of the Universe – Own McLeod at The Missouri Review.

Meeting Point – Louis MacNeice via The Guardian.

No More Me – Martha Talent Shumba at Realistic Poetry.

Introduction to Poet Cortney Lamar Charleston – Maureen Doallas at Writing Without Paper.

Thanksgiving: A Sonnet – Malcolm Guite.

British Stuff

Debunking Royal finance myths: the true cost of Monarchy – Victoria Howard at The Crown Chronicles.

David Hockney to design Queen’s Westminster Abbey window – BBC.

You Hold It All Together – All Sons & Daughters

(inspired by the life and writings of St. Patrick, on their album Poets and Saints)

Painting: Man reading by candlelight, oil on canvas by Rembrandt van Rijn (1648).

Saturday Good Reads

I haven’t said anything on the series of videos about Planned Parenthood and the selling of fetal body parts from abortions. I am now. The simple reference to what this is about is enough to turn my stomach. Four videos have been released – both edited and unedited versions – by the Center for Medical Progress, a group that opposes abortion. Eight more videos are coming. Russ Douthat at The New York Times wrote one of the best columns I’ve seen on the subject. The Gospel Coaltion has a report on the latest video; The Federalist has a list of links to some of the latest stories. Corey P. at The Ink Slinger also has information and links. And Bob Smietana at Christianity Today interviewed David Daleiden, the 16-year-old director of the Center for Medical Progress and the man behind the video project.

I’ve seen the talking points, and that’s what they are, talking points – from Planned Parenthood, The New York Times editorial page staff, the spokesman for President Obama, and my own hometown newspaper’s editorial writers. They are largely the same talking points: “heavily edited videos,” “haven’t broken the law,” “attacks on women’s medical services.” Yes, they are talking points or “key message points,” designed to blunt our understanding of what is going on here, and make it okay to turn our eyes away and go about our busy lives.

I don’t know how else to say this: Planned Parenthood is an evil organization, and we are all a party to what they do by allowing our tax dollars to help subsidize this abomination. The videos that turn our stomachs are leaving us no out – none of us can say we don’t know what is happening. We can no longer pretend, like all those good people did who lived near the Nazi death camps, that we don’t know what’s going on.

I tremble for what we as a people are becoming.

Faith, Life and Culture

Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East? –Eliza Griswold at The New York Times.

Palmyra: Ruins That Inspired the Architecture of Power – Jane O’Brien at BBC News (Hat tip: J of India).

Sin is the Only Bad Word Left – Melissa at Your Mom Has a Blog.

Useless Information – Billy Coffey at What I Learned Today.

The Structure of Gratitude – David Brooks at The New York Times.

Neither Falwell nor Benedict, But a New Creation – Greg Forster at Patheos Mission: Work.

Therapeutic Superstition – David Bentley Hart at First Things (originally published November 2012) (Hat tip: Rod Dreher).

Photography

Three Butterfly Images and Summer Lavender – Tim Good at Photography by Tiwago.

Work

You May Be a Passive Leader If… -- Jon Mertz at Thin Difference.

Poetry

People like us – Troy Cady at T(r)oy Marbles.

Michelangelo – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

Poets on Poetry – Maureen Doallas at Writing Without Paper.

At Times – John Blase at The Beautiful Due.

Multitudinous Heart: Selected Poems by Carlos Drummond de Andrade – Review by  Mary Sayler at Poetry Editor.

“The Holy Round of Creeds and Chants and Mysteries” – Fred Sanders at The Scriptorium.

Endless - Aaron Brown at Curator Magazine.

Writing

Stay in the Process – Mick Silva.

3 Secrets to Overcoming Your Greatest Fears About Writing – Margaret Feinberg.

A Growing Divide in the Christian Fiction Industry? – Mike Duran at Novel Rocket.

Is Beowulf the First “Religious Horror” Story Ever Written? – Mike Duran at deCompose.

An Adjuster’s Letter to John Keats – Lyla Lindquist at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Lagniappe

Lemp History – Chris Naffziger at St. Louis Patina.

Photograph by Milana B via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.