the forty-second formica friday

It's that time again, another Formica Friday, a treasure trove of hodgepodge, random tidbits, and a bit of this and that. In particular, it is the place where I can celebrate the best posts I read this past week and want to share with you.

A quote:

[Speaking to an icon of Christ.] "And," I say after a minute, "it is enough. It actually is. If this is all I ever have, this glimmer of knowledge that you were born in a manger, that really will sustain me. But," I add, "I really hope it doesn't have to sustain me." I really don't want it to be just me and the icons for all these Christmases forever.

-- Lauren F. Winner, Girl Meets God

A list, in which I describe what I am thankful for:

my loud, wonderful close friends, like brother and sister, who picked me up off the floor and told me to walk
the unexpected arrival of friends far away
the gift of words, in which I learned to fall into once more
a best friend like a brother and all that follows from that
being able to do laundry, over which I nearly cried with relief
~~the safe return of Paige Haas to her family~~
~~as of the present, Paige had been seen but still has not been reunited with her family, who continue to seek her and we pray for her safety~~
we understand that Paige is now safe with her family
a thesis director who believed in me, who had enough faith to say, "try"

Posts, websites, trinkets, and the Internet week in review revue: (after the jump)

Rachel Held Evans discusses views of Scripture and queries the fascinating thought, Did the New Testament authors know they were writing scripture?

Sarah Bessey is, I have said, an exceptional writer. What's more is that she is an exceptional and thoughtful writer regardless of topic. Put a pin in that: In which I wonder about Pinterest

The places we have been are written into our very bones, have become part of our being, and Anna Blanch gives us a few thoughts as to how and what that means. Written In My Bones

Are war movies the secular response to the passion play? Mason provides a fascinating introduction into thinking critically about modern engagement with the violent. of Passion Plays and War Movies.

and because I rejoice that she's writing and understand what she means about painting, Amy with Emerging

And, as always, an old post from me:

we are all but wounded children

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Have a post from the week you'd like to share? What was your best post this week? Or did you read someone else you just have to let us know about? Leave me a note in the comments below!

Meet Preston

Preston is a twenty-something once-upon-a-time conservative Southern Baptist from Texas who learned to read saints, cross himself, and move across the world to China, England, and Scotland. Since, he's been theologically conservative, oft politically liberal, but radically pro-life, a believer in sacraments and sacramentality, a sort-of Christian feminist, an idealist pacifist who also understands the need for civil defense ... and a handful of everything else in-between. He thinks of himself now as a haphazard and patchwork Bapto-Anglican, though he is becoming confirmed in the Anglican tradition. This blog is his repository of working this whole faith thing out day by day, bird by bird. His first book, Tables in the Wilderness, a memoir of God found, lost, and found again, is due out autumn 2014 with Zondervan.