Rhett Smith 119: Dust and Identity

“for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) In this episode I reflect on the passage found in Genesis 3:19 that is repeated every Ash Wednesday. It’s a beautiful, but harrowing passage that reminds us of just how fragile and short our...

Rhett Smith 89: Lent, Trauma, and Remembering

I have been thinking a lot about the Lent season, which is appropriate since Ash Wednesday was yesterday. Here is what I posted on Facebook last night: Over the next 40+ days I am going to take some time to reflect on some of the things I am exploring around Lent,...

Good Friday: Death…Awaiting Resurrection

Painting: White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really...

NO TV: 36 Days and Counting

My wife and I have been talking for months about whether or not we should get rid of our TV. And it’s a slow process. It first began by reducing from two DVR’s to one. Then it continued with cutting all of our cable but the bare minimum/basics so we can...

Ash Wednesday: The Journey Begins (from March 2006)

Growing up in a non-denominational Bible church as I did, I had no concept of Ash Wednesday. Rather, that was something my Catholic friends did, but not Protestants, and certainly not evangelical, Bible church goers. It was not until about 1999 that I attended my...