One of the recurring themes in Jesus’ teaching is his insistence that we sort out our priorities. As he famously put it in the Sermon on the Mount, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also;” and “No one can serve two masters …. You cannot serve God and wealth" (Matthew 6.21, 24). … Continue reading On Treasure, Again: A Reflection on Luke 14.25-33
We're now well into September, the unofficial start of Autumn here in North America. It seems like a great time to look back and think about the "Song of the Summer." But first, the roundup. Roundup Music After a notoriously slow first half of the year, the new music calendar has continued to pick up … Continue reading Culture Roundup (September 6, 2025): Booker Longlist Redux and the Song of the Summer
As you’ve probably guessed by now, part of what made my recent travels feel like a pilgrimage — even those parts that didn’t hold religious significance — is the way the feeling of the transcendent followed me around, in all its many guises. We've already looked at the transcendence of numinous or holy places, of … Continue reading The Heavy Hand of Time
I’m a huge ancient history nerd. (I may not quite fit the ‘think about the Roman Empire every day’ meme from a couple years ago, but if you add in Persia, Egypt, Assyria, or Greece, I’m absolutely guilty as charged!) For this reason, I can never get enough of ruins, and Roman ruins are absolutely … Continue reading Borderlands
A number of years ago now, I looked at the personality characteristics, shared across human cultures and spiritual traditions, which positive psychologists have identified as critical to human mental health and wellbeing. Of these, one that has always stuck out to me is one they variably labeled ‘awe’ or ‘appreciation of beauty and excellence’ — … Continue reading In the Footsteps of the Ancients
Matthew Root 