I was away for about ten days (more on that in the focus on section), meaning I skipped last week's culture roundup. So I have three weeks of books and music to talk about today. Roundup Music As is probably apparent by now, I've been struggling to figure out the rhythms of 2026's music release … Continue reading Culture Roundup (May 30, 2026): Revisiting Very Old Stories
Two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the churches in Rome. This letter turned out to be one of the most widely studied, debated, and influential books of the Christian Scriptures. It is equal parts insightful and confounding; it opens up the heart and yet remains resistant to being opened up … Continue reading Our Common Cause – An Integral Study of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: Introduction
Our lives are full: full of responsibilities, to-do lists, distractions, and the anxieties of a news cycle that has morphed from a twenty-four hour news cycle (which was bad enough) into an 86,400 second news cycle. To quote the great 1980s philosopher Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around … Continue reading Soul Speech: Conclusion
Today is the wonderful feast of Pentecost, the day when we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon God’s people. To hear many Christians talk about it, what this looks like in practice is the founding of the Church. Theologically speaking, there’s no doubt that that is correct. But it feels more than a … Continue reading Many Gifts, One Spirit: A Reflection for Pentecost 2026
My best friend likes to tease me about how little I buy in the way of home decor. Despite that, I wouldn’t say I’m a minimalist. My apartment is filled with books and art and photographs. The difference is that I want to be surrounded by beautiful things that are also meaningful to me. It’s … Continue reading Soul Speech: Florilegium
Matthew Root 