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How You Handle the Jolie-Pitt Split Actually Matters
I was at the checkout counter of a pharmacy when I first saw the design on the back of Angelina Jolie’s gown and veil. The drawings of her and Brad Pitts’s children had been stitched into her custom wedding dress by the master tailor at Atelier Versace. I stood stunned. She had put children’s sketches into a Versace dress. A Versace! The next time I gathered with my friends, our conversation quickly made its way to the Jolie-Pitt union. We laughed. We shared our disappointment. We wanted the Jolie-Pitt wedding to wow us, but our celebrity stalking left us underwhelmed. Our chatter never covered the union of two people. This…
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Books to Get You Reading Your Way Through August
Summer gets me. In the summer, reading becomes the runner up for America’s national pastime. For three months out of the year, I walk the edge of reality and written fiction the way an intoxicated person deals with the white line on the side of the road: one may as well be the other. Stories invade my mind. I just can't help it. Every summer culture encourages us to disappear into a book, but reading is not merely an escape (although escape is plenty enough reason to read). Stories have the ability to take us to places where our theology expands further than our own experiences lead. Expositional teaching profoundly impacted…
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Finding Christlikeness in Question Marks
The word "what" marks months 14-31 of my daughter's life. I gave explanations for cardboard, tattoos, fingernails, and 80% of my surroundings at any given time. Then, right before Faye turned three, environmental comprehension reached sufficient levels. The question changed. We now walk in the land of "why." Why must we take baths? Why do our neighbors walk their dogs? Why can't my daughter lovingly refer to me as "Kels" like her daddy does? With each answer, concentration replaces curiosity. Faye mulls. Then, hours later she pours me pretend tea and offers her understanding of our conversation. One of my favorites is "Mom, you told me we have to be…
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Justin Bieber’s Face Tattoo May Just Inspire You
Justin Bieber boasts a tattoo count of 50 plus. He has so many tattoos that MTV news once made an interactive "Justin Bieber Tat Map" allowing enthusiastic fans to discover the details of Justin Bieber's ink—oh, the magic of the internet. The animated map is tens of tats behind, but this month it became decidedly outdated when Justin added a small cross tattoo to a previously clean area of his body, his face. Jonboy, the artist who tattooed Justin's face, told Us, “Justin came in last night and decided on a small cross near the corner of his eye. It represents his journey in finding purpose with God.” The cross on his face isn't Justin's first religious tattoo.…
