• Duck Dynasty: Not 700 Club for Rednecks (RNS)
• Jonathan Merritt interviews the Rev. Lillian Daniel, author of “When ‘Spiritual But Not Religious’ Is Not Enough” (RNS)
• Vampire Weekend and the evangelical comedown by Chris Leonard (Patrol)
• The Virgin Mary Church, A Coptic Monument to Survival Dating to Fifth Century, Destroyed (Wall Street Journal)
• Roller derby evolves into serious sport (Hawaii 24/7)
• The gospel according to Breaking Bad by Cathleen Falsani (OC Register)
• The frightening – but biblical – moral logic of ‘Breaking Bad’ by David Zahl (Christianity Today)
• Why we need Breaking Bad (Christianity Today)
• Surfing Oregon’s north coast (Wall Street Journal)
• Jonny Lang fans can catch his new video (Guitar World)
• A tribute to Ken Stabler, baddest man on the planet by Peter Hartlaub (SF Chronicle)

Ruby Washington/New York Times. Sinead O’Connor experimented with gospel, dipping into the repertory of the Soul Stirrers, Blind Willie Johnson, Mahalia Jackson and Nina Simone over the weekend at Alice Tully Hall.

• Old time religion in modern guise: Sinead O’Connor in gospel sessions at Lincoln Center (New York Times)
• Return of the Jesus Wars by Ross Douthat (New York Times)
• Why is it hard for liberals to talk about family values? (The Atlantic)
• Pope’s gay tolerance no shock by Kirsten Powers (USA Today)
• Can a horror film lead people to God? (RNS)
• How to keep Millennials in church? Let’s keep church uncool by Brett McKracken (Washington Post)
• Something happened on the way to Bountiful: Everyone sang along (New York Times)

* Bono – Husband, Father, Advocate (Focus on the Family)
* Bono: David sang the blues and Jesus did some punk rock (RNS)
* The Meaning of Life with Bono (interview with Irish journalist Gay Byrne)
* Atheist Prayer: Religious activity not uncommon amongst non-believers (Huffington Post)
* C. S. Lewis, Evangelical Rock Star by T. M. Luhrmann (NY Times)
* Willie Nelson: Holy man of the honky tonks (Rolling Stone, 1978)
* Lillian Daniel amongst the Unitarian Universalists (Patheos)
* Church without god by design (CNN)
* Saying Grace: Paula Deen, Progressives, and Race by Maria Dixon (Patheos)
* More than a platitude, praying for others promotes hope, optimism by David Briggs (Huffington Post)

“Love is the foolishness of men, and the wisdom of God,” wrote Victor Hugo, French poet and author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1802-1885). Below are two of my fave quotes on love from his elegant pen.

“When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unity, the secret of life has been discovered so far as they are concerned; they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny; they are no longer anything but the two wings of the same spirit. Love, soar.”

–Les Misérables

“Love is like a tree: it grows by itself, roots itself deeply in our being and continues to flourish over a heart in ruin. The inexplicable fact is that the blinder it is, the more tenacious it is. It is never stronger than when it is completely unreasonable.”
– The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

“I would say to young people a number of things. Let them remember that there is a meaning beyond absurdity. Let them be sure that every little deed counts, that every word has power, and that we can do — every one — our share to redeem the world despite of all absurdities and all the frustration and all disappointments. And above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live life as it if were a work of art. You’re not a machine. When you are young, start working on this great work of art called your own existence.”
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972)

By Steve Beard

I’m addicted to “Chopped,” the Food Network cooking competition where chefs battle with culinary wits and creativity. Contestants are given a scandalously brief amount of time to concoct a three course gourmet meal with mystery ingredients such as Swiss chard, red snapper, bubble gum, and Provolone cheese. Somehow, incongruity has to end up being tasty. After each course, dishes are evaluated by celebrity chefs and one contestant is chopped.

Aside from the $10,000 prize, contestants want to become Chopped Champion for the bragging rights or simply to garner the approval of their parents. The competition is fierce and cutthroat. Trash talking is encouraged and bloated egos are on display.

My favorite episode ended up being a cook-off between Lance Nitahara, the chef at Camp of the Woods Resort in the Adirondacks, and Yoanne Magris, a lovely French woman who wanted to win in order to visit her dying grandmother in France.

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