Essays and notes on reading — Compassionate Reading.https://www.mikebevel.com/https://www.mikebevel.com/herodotus/2026-08-22-herodotus-read-along-logistics/https://www.mikebevel.com/herodotus/2026-08-22-herodotus-read-along-logistics/Proposals for the schedule, session structure, ground rules, and translation notes for the Herodotus reading group — first post in the series.Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/herodotus/2026-08-19-herodotus-in-chronological-context/https://www.mikebevel.com/herodotus/2026-08-19-herodotus-in-chronological-context/This timeline puts Herodotus in the middle of the last years of the fifth century BCE — from the founding of the first cities to the fall of Rome.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2021-06-02-this-far-but-no-farther-pauls-radical-ecumenism-in-galatians-328/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2021-06-02-this-far-but-no-farther-pauls-radical-ecumenism-in-galatians-328/There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)Wed, 02 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2021-05-28-the-bad-seed/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2021-05-28-the-bad-seed/"verily thou hast done unwisely...vex me not"Fri, 28 May 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2021-05-18-we-medicate-the-mysterious-and-in-relieving-suffering-take-its-meaning-away/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2021-05-18-we-medicate-the-mysterious-and-in-relieving-suffering-take-its-meaning-away/In a collection of reviews by Hilary Mantel (the best writer in the history of all languages, spoken, unspoken, yet to be spoken, never to be spoken), this passage is really worth…Tue, 18 May 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-12-29-the-brown-scapular-of-our-lady-of-mount-carmel/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-12-29-the-brown-scapular-of-our-lady-of-mount-carmel/Our story starts in the 13th century, with a man named Simon Stock. He will eventually become a saint (though he may never have existed, which is a trick some saints do; and then…Tue, 29 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-12-23-a-n-wilson-is-not-good/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-12-23-a-n-wilson-is-not-good/A friend is reading A. N. Wilson, The Mystery of Charles Dickens. He is finding it "delicious," but knows nothing about the subject. Have you read it? Any thoughts? Wilson is often…Wed, 23 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-07-30-what-happens-when-the-wire-snaps/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-07-30-what-happens-when-the-wire-snaps/What kept nagging at me -- after the rush of religion and feeling like I had found a church and a faith I could work into my own belief system -- was the ultimate question of the…Thu, 30 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-06-07-some-unorganized-thoughts-about-riots-and-race/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-06-07-some-unorganized-thoughts-about-riots-and-race/The Wikipedia page for the Boston Tea Party has an entire section solely about the destruction of the tea. White men, some disguised as Native Americans (not out of respect for the…Sun, 07 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-03-12-interlude-monologue-for-a-gay-man/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-03-12-interlude-monologue-for-a-gay-man/[Spotlight on an empty stage. A gay man in his late 40s walks up to the microphone.]Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-03-11-what-happens-when-jesus-is-racist-the-syrophoenician-woman/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-03-11-what-happens-when-jesus-is-racist-the-syrophoenician-woman/We are spoiled for choice when it comes to reckoning with Jesus of Nazareth. For atheists, he was just another Jewish apocalyptic preacher. (I think there was a time when "Did…Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-28-are-jesus-and-christ-the-same-person/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-28-are-jesus-and-christ-the-same-person/Maybe! But also maybe not! Let's dig into the differences. (They definitely are two distinct things.)Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-24-how-necessary-was-the-crucifixion-or-how-i-am-maybe-not-a-christian/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-24-how-necessary-was-the-crucifixion-or-how-i-am-maybe-not-a-christian/Last night I mentioned to Zach that I'm sort of "meh" about the crucifixion.Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-24-the-skull-of-mary-magdalene-who-wasnt-a-prostitute-blame-gregory-he-got-it-wrong/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-24-the-skull-of-mary-magdalene-who-wasnt-a-prostitute-blame-gregory-he-got-it-wrong/If you're visiting the South of France, you'll of course want to stop by Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. They have the skull of Mary Magdalene.Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-20-on-the-origin-of-navels-and-other-things/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-20-on-the-origin-of-navels-and-other-things/Did Adam and Eve have navels is a silly question. They didn't, for several reasons:Thu, 20 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-19-abraham-isaac/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-19-abraham-isaac/Once upon a time, in the Bible, God and Abraham were having a conversation. God was explaining how he needed to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham was explaining how he…Wed, 19 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-18-souls-purgatory-and-ghosts-with-an-explanation-of-plumber-porn-as-a-chaser/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-18-souls-purgatory-and-ghosts-with-an-explanation-of-plumber-porn-as-a-chaser/We have to start with what a soul is, which should be easy, it's only four letters, but the thing is, it's not easy, even if it were three letters. We don't have a unilateral…Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-14-in-which-i-dont-write-very-coherently-about-fig-trees-but-at-least-try-my-best/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-14-in-which-i-dont-write-very-coherently-about-fig-trees-but-at-least-try-my-best/A sentence you'll read when you Google "figs and wasps" is in a caption to a photo of a wasp and a fig: "A female fig wasp descends through the ostiole into the center of the fig…Fri, 14 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-13-your-god-shall-be-my-god-the-book-of-ruth/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-13-your-god-shall-be-my-god-the-book-of-ruth/In many ways, The Book of Ruth is a gentle echo of The Book of Job. In Job, we witness a righteous man destroyed for a wager who remains unwavering in his faith right up until he…Thu, 13 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-12-lot-his-daughters-or-hospitality-gone-terribly-wrong/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-12-lot-his-daughters-or-hospitality-gone-terribly-wrong/There are Bible stories that aren't in the Bible, and it occurs to me right now that I could spend a lot of time not writing at all about Lot and his daughters and just talk about…Wed, 12 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-11-an-infinity-of-silence-the-book-of-job/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-11-an-infinity-of-silence-the-book-of-job/One of my favorite passages in the entire Bible is Job 42:3: "Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-11-see-what-large-letters-i-make-the-humanness-of-paul/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-11-see-what-large-letters-i-make-the-humanness-of-paul/There's Paul, the alleged homophobe, yes, and his writing is often weaponized against gay people, I get it, but Paul also describes himself as an expectant mother and queerness is…Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-10-evil/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-10-evil/Roxanne asked about evil. I'll tell you now, at the beginning, to save you time if you thought I was going to be able to answer this question: I don't know how to answer this…Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-07-donkeys-dongs-ezekiel-2320-21-in-context/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-07-donkeys-dongs-ezekiel-2320-21-in-context/I asked my friends on Facebook if they had any questions regarding the Bible that a very inexperienced Christian might do his best to answer. (To be clear, I am the Very…Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-07-satan-scripture/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-07-satan-scripture/This momentary president's son said a dumb thing on Twitter: "Likelihood of Nancy Pelosi praying for Trump is about the same as the likelihood of Satan running around quoting the…Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-07-servants-deacons/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2020-02-07-servants-deacons/(much much MUCH credit to my pastor and friend, Jill McCrory)Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-30-the-good-parts-1-thessalonians/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-30-the-good-parts-1-thessalonians/But we were gentle among you. 1 Thess 2:7Tue, 30 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-17-martha/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-17-martha/Luke tells us the story of Mary and Martha. This is when Jesus drops in for an impromptu visit and Martha says, "I sure could use some help in the kitchen" and Jesus says, "No you…Wed, 17 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-11-gods-love-as-my-love-for-my-cat/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-11-gods-love-as-my-love-for-my-cat/One way I wrap my head around the idea of God's infinite and unconditional love (as I think of it -- you may have an entire different relationship with God that is so personal you…Thu, 11 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-02-christs-holy-foreskin-v-2/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-02-christs-holy-foreskin-v-2/When Christ our Savior was eight days old, as is traditional with Jewish boys, he was circumcised, like we all were in the ‘70s, except sometimes I’m not sure, looking at myself…Tue, 02 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-02-saints-crispin-v-2/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-07-02-saints-crispin-v-2/In one version of the story these Saints Crispin preached the gospel to the Gauls, made shoes at night, gave money to the poor, and were martyred — almost drowned, then beheaded…Tue, 02 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-02-12-six-impossible-things-before-breakfast/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2019-02-12-six-impossible-things-before-breakfast/I'm going to start with the easy stuff before it all falls apart.Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-12-13-interlude-whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-12-13-interlude-whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/A dear friend wrote to me. Is there anything better than a perfect email, with questions tailored specifically tailored to you, so that you can be your Fullest Self? There is not.Thu, 13 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-11-09-genesis-11-2-something-out-of-something/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-11-09-genesis-11-2-something-out-of-something/At the beginning of God’s creating of the heavens and the earth, when the earth was wild and waste, darkness over the face of Ocean -- Everett Fox, The Five Books of MosesFri, 09 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-11-09-genesis-16-8-what-does-it-mean-to-be-good/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-11-09-genesis-16-8-what-does-it-mean-to-be-good/God said: Let there be a dome amid the waters, And let it separate waters from waters! God made the dome And separated the waters that were below the dome from the waters that were…Fri, 09 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-10-the-vineyard-workers-2-september-2018/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-10-the-vineyard-workers-2-september-2018/The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He…Mon, 10 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-07-when-your-cat-may-also-be-god/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-07-when-your-cat-may-also-be-god/you say "more?" and he says "yes" and then you say "even more?" and he says "yes" and you say "i have no more left" and he says "yes" and you say "but i cannot stop?" and he saysFri, 07 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-06-universal-salvation-universal-love/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-06-universal-salvation-universal-love/I asked my pastor last night, an amazing woman named Jill McCrory of Twinbrook Baptist, what her most radical belief was w/r/t God and the Bible. She said, "Universal Salvation…Thu, 06 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-05-the-book-im-not-reading/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-05-the-book-im-not-reading/I own a not insignificant number of copies of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, the best novel ever written in the English language. As a Christian who is saved in Christ (I think?)…Wed, 05 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-04-some-things-what-i-believe/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-04-some-things-what-i-believe/When I tell you that I am a Gnostic Baptist, it's not a lasting label. I haven't been anything long enough to safely (and sagely) say, "THIS I BELIEVE," with any sort of lasting…Tue, 04 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-03-a-church-in-four-months/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-03-a-church-in-four-months/My church is dying. By the end of this year, it will close forever.Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-03-mustard-seeds-26-august-2018/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-09-03-mustard-seeds-26-august-2018/Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth…Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-30-suffering-part-2-good-suffering/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-30-suffering-part-2-good-suffering/This is what happens when someone tries to lead me through a guided meditation. They'll want to start in a field -- not physically, though; I'm not an Outdoorsy Kinda Guy -- and…Thu, 30 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-29-suffering-part-1-margaret/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-29-suffering-part-1-margaret/Who were the homestead wives? Who were the gold rush brides? Does anybody know? Do their works survive their yellow fever lives in the pages they wrote? The land was free, yet it…Wed, 29 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-28-advice-by-ruth-stone/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-28-advice-by-ruth-stone/My hazard wouldn’t be yours, not ever; But every doom, like a hazelnut, comes down To its own worm. So I am rocking here Like any granny with her apron over her head Saying, lordy…Tue, 28 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-26-mystery/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-26-mystery/"I was here and this house was here, you and I and this evening were here, and they had always been here." -- John Fowles, The MagusSun, 26 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-16-i-battled-the-holy-ghost-once-on-the-laundry-porch/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-16-i-battled-the-holy-ghost-once-on-the-laundry-porch/Truth is a Gentlemen’s Agreement between two people, neither of whom are gentlemen, neither interested in honesty. Instead, these people are simply polite fictions dressed up in…Thu, 16 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-15-i-guess-ill-read-my-bible-elsewhere/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-15-i-guess-ill-read-my-bible-elsewhere/A few weeks ago, at the Meeting House, Zach was breathing too loudly while he was sitting in quiet contemplation for the still small voice of God. A woman in front of us, panicked…Wed, 15 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-01-your-belief-undoes-your-disbelief-2/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-08-01-your-belief-undoes-your-disbelief-2/After years of no real belief at all, one late fall I felt called to be a Catholic.Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-07-30-the-journey-begins/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-07-30-the-journey-begins/Mon, 30 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-05-29-from-what-i-heard-and-kind-of-put-together-casting-jonbenet/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-05-29-from-what-i-heard-and-kind-of-put-together-casting-jonbenet/This is best read by those who have already seen the documentary, but it’s your one wild and precious life, so gey gezunt. It’s just, so much of the power of this movie comes from…Tue, 29 May 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-05-07-your-belief-undoes-your-disbelief/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-05-07-your-belief-undoes-your-disbelief/As we talked about several months ago, my shrink suddenly explained that he actually wasn't taking my insurance at the moment and I found myself sort of cast adrift…Mon, 07 May 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-05-03-the-worst-of-anyone-can-be-finally-an-accident-of-hope/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-05-03-the-worst-of-anyone-can-be-finally-an-accident-of-hope/Bob Perez was a police lieutenant in Wenatchee, Washington, when he was made head of the sex crimes unit in 1994.Thu, 03 May 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-03-09-a-vine-grew-from-her-privy-parts/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2018-03-09-a-vine-grew-from-her-privy-parts/First, her father, Astyages, dreamt that she "[made] water so greatly that she filled all his city," drowning everyone, and eventually drowning all of Asia. ("Is she still pissing…Fri, 09 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-06-martyr-of-the-day-saint-barbara/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-06-martyr-of-the-day-saint-barbara/[Barbara was actually the Martyr of the Day on 4 December, but the site I go to each morning to discover, like a weird advent, what saint I'll devote to today, seems to have my…Wed, 06 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-06-saint-of-the-day-saint-nicholas/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-06-saint-of-the-day-saint-nicholas/One thing that gets left out of the St Nick story is how pirates raided his tomb, stole his bones, but not all of them, just the big ones, leaving the smaller ones behind, like…Wed, 06 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-05-martyr-of-the-day-saint-crispina/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-05-martyr-of-the-day-saint-crispina/The "Roman Martyrology" tells us that Saint Crispina "preferred heaven to earth, and God to the world, and, despising the tears of her children, rejoiced to see herself taken and…Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-04-martyr-of-the-day-saint-jason/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-04-martyr-of-the-day-saint-jason/I missed yesterday, but one of the martyrs was Saint Jason and that took a lot out of me, emotionally. We're peak goyische here, Saint Jason.Mon, 04 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-02-martyr-of-the-day-saint-bibiana/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-02-martyr-of-the-day-saint-bibiana/It can be tough to keep up with Bibiana's mother's head.Sat, 02 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-01-martyr-of-the-day-saints-ansanus-and-maxima/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-01-martyr-of-the-day-saints-ansanus-and-maxima/Sometimes there are always baths, always baptisms.Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-01-saint-andrew-an-excerpt/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-12-01-saint-andrew-an-excerpt/Pieces of Andrew are spread all over, like morsels of bread that guide us somewhere. Some of his bones -- a pinkie, the top of his cranium -- are in Greece, along with bits of the…Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-11-19-christs-holy-foreskin/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-11-19-christs-holy-foreskin/When Christ Our Savior was eight days old and already we’re in a conundrum, aren’t we, beloveds, because we’re still pestered by the word “when.” When was Christ ever eight days…Sun, 19 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-11-19-saint-helena-goes-to-market/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-11-19-saint-helena-goes-to-market/It is good to think of Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, a woman who spent her days finding religious relics the way my mom spent weekends finding yard sales.Sun, 19 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-11-19-saints-crispin/https://www.mikebevel.com/blog/2017-11-19-saints-crispin/In one version of the story, they, these Saints Crispin, preached the gospel to the Gauls, made shoes at night, gave money to the poor, and were martyred -- almost drowned, then…Sun, 19 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT