Ep. 15 - Lila

In this episode, we enter the town of Port William through Wendell Berry’s novel *Jayber Crow.* Reading it alongside Jonah 1 and Matthew 5, we talk about place, romance, calling, love of enemies, and God’s mercy.    Up Next: *Human Acts* by Han Kang   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social TikTok: @holywritpodcast 

In this episode, we turn to Ursula Le Guin's novel *A Wizard of Earthsea.* Reading it alongside Matthew 4 and Genesis 45, we explore how fantasy can sharpen our interpretive imaginations, the scope and significance of Jesus's temptation in the wilderness, and what it means to face—and ultimately integrate—the darkness that bears our own name.   Up Next: *Jayber Crow* by Wendell Berry   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected] Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/ Instagram: @holywritpodcast Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social TikTok: @holywritpodcast

In this episode we discuss Cormac McCarthy’s brutally violent novel *Blood Meridian* with guest Dr. Brian Brock, Chair of Moral and Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Among many other things, we talk about the silence and absence of God, the dark side of Christian traditions and spaces, the interrelationship of violence and deception, and paternalistic forms compassion (touching on 1 Corinthians 1, Psalm 137, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Exodus 3 along the way).   Up Next: *A Wizard of Earthsea* by Ursula K. Le Guin   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social TikTok: @holywritpodcast 

In this episode, we turn to Trenton Lee Stewart's novel *The Mysterious Benedict Society,* a story that follows four gifted children brought together for a secret assignment. Reading it in conversation with Matthew 18 and Proverbs 7–8, we explore the meaning of childlikeness, the relationship between play and mission, and the challenge of recognizing wisdom in a world of competing voices.   Timestamps: 1:19 – Experiencing *The Mysterious Benedict Society* 29:24 – Tommy on Matthew 18 1:03:48 – Emily on Proverbs 7-8 1:35:12 – Next month’s book    Up Next: *Blood Meridian* by Cormac McCarthy with guest Dr. Brian Brock   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast TikTok: @holywritpodcast  YouTube: @HolyWritPodcast

In this episode, we turn to Herman Melville’s infamous novel *Moby-Dick.* Reading it in conversation with Numbers 9 and Matthew 12, we reflect on how Scripture forms and directs our attention, the presence of God both in and beyond the material world, and how distorting demonic powers relate to our habits of perception. Timestamps: 1:26 – Experiencing *Moby-Dick* 29:53 – Emily on Numbers 9 56:09 – Tommy on Matthew 12 1:31:03 – Next month’s book    Up Next: *The Mysterious Benedict Society* by Trenton Lee Stewart   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast TikTok: @holywritpodcast  YouTube: @HolyWritPodcast

In this episode, we turn to Marilynne Robinson’s quiet, searching novel *Lila.* Reading it alongside John 20 and Hosea 14, we reflect on alternative modes of practicing theology, discuss the reach of resurrection life, and explore the problems and possibilities of divine-human marriage metaphors.   Timestamps: 1:20 – Experiencing *Lila* 31:13 – Tommy on John 20 1:19:00 – Emily on Hosea 14 2:01:47 – Next month’s book    Up Next: *Moby Dick* by Herman Melville   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/ Instagram: @holywritpodcast TikTok: @holywritpodcast YouTube: @HolyWritPodcast

In this episode, we explore Yaa Gyasi’s book *Homegoing,* a novel that follows the branching paths of a single family across continents and centuries. Reading it in conversation with Joel 2 and 1 Peter 1, we talk about biblical genealogies, Christian entanglement with the legacy of colonialism and slavery, the integrative role of prophecy, how we relate to our ancestors, and the weighty meaning of chosenness.   Timestamps: 1:25 – Experiencing *Homegoing* 55:13 – Emily on Joel 2 1:25:08 – Tommy on 1 Peter 1 1:46:53 – Next month’s book    Up Next: *Lila* by Marilynne Robinson   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast TikTok: @holywritpodcast  YouTube: @HolyWritPodcast

In this episode, we turn to Markus Zusak’s *The Book Thief,* a novel that bears witness to the life of a young girl in Nazi Germany as she navigates profound loss, unexpected connection, and life-giving friendship—all told from the vantage point of Death itself.   Reading it in conversation with Esther 3 and 9 and Mark 13, we discuss the power of words to shape the world, the difficult work of discerning God’s presence, and the intimate relationship between the heavens and the earth.   Timestamps: 1:27 – Experiencing *The Book Thief* 43:57 – Emily on Esther 3&9 1:26:21 – Tommy on Mark 13 1:59:98 – Next month’s book    Up Next: *Homegoing* by Yaa Gyasi   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast TikTok: @holywritpodcast  YouTube: @HolyWritPodcast

In this episode, we explore Louise Erdrich’s novel *LaRose,* a story that resists simple answers in the wake of tragedy. Reading it alongside Leviticus 24 and Ephesians 2, we reflect on justice, atonement, and what redemption truly is—and what it is not.   Timestamps: 1:31 – Experiencing *LaRose* 1:02:51 – Emily on Leviticus 24 1:29:12 – Tommy on Ephesians 2 2:00:53 – Next month’s book    Up Next: *The Book Thief* by Markus Zusak   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast TikTok: @holywritpodcast  YouTube: @HolyWritPodcast  

In this episode, we step into the dreary beauty of Niall Williams’ *Time of the Child,* a tender, luminous novel that lingers over birth, hope, and the quiet rearranging of a family and community. Reading it alongside Matthew 1 and Psalm 8, we reflect on the scandalous miracle of Christ’s coming to us as an infant, the relationship between law and promise, and what it means for divine strength to arrive not as domination, but in nearness and vulnerability.   Timestamps: 1:36 – Experiencing *Time of the Child* 48:18 – Tommy on Matthew 1 1:21:37 – Emily on Psalm 8 1:53:00 – Next month’s book   References: The Poet’s Bible, David Rosenberg Isaac Villegas on Advent   Up Next: *LaRose* by Louise Erdrich   Connect with Us: Email: [email protected]  Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/  Instagram: @holywritpodcast Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social TikTok: @holywritpodcast