Blog Dark, Year-End Hymns What is it about the end of the year that makes us turn to stout and solemn hymns? While the…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellDecember 30, 2013
Blog This Will Be a Sign for You Driving by the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Des Moines, the sign* read, Any night a child is born Is a holy…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellDecember 17, 2013
Blog Funner Exhibit One: Once while spending the weekend at my college roommate’s home, we worshipped at his Nazarene Church. Small, sincere,…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellDecember 3, 2013
Blog Go Ask the Kingdom The Kingdom of God There is hardly a more powerful phrase or image in all of scripture. It stirs me,…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellNovember 19, 2013
Blog A Blogger’s Dilemma/Whine It’s about me. It’s all about me. The Twelve is supposed to move and work within that great tradition of…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellOctober 31, 2013
Blog Names, Words, and Power The first football game I attended upon moving to Iowa pitted the Dutch against the Norse. Who knew such strong…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellOctober 22, 2013
Blog The Order of Things Dear Jesus,I know I have done wrong things that have made Your heart sad. Thank you for paying the price…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellOctober 8, 2013
Blog Breda The Surrender of Breda is a gigantic, life-size painting by Diego Velasquez (1599-1660). Mentioning it here on The Twelve,…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellSeptember 23, 2013
Blog Syria, Aquinas, Augustine, and Just War When Christians are asked to evaluate the ethics of war, “just war theory”—that a war is justified— quickly enters the…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellSeptember 9, 2013
Blog Beauregard At the 2009 Washington Correspondents’ Dinner, comedienne Wanda Sykes joked with President Obama, “They even gave you grief about your…Steve Mathonnet-VanderWellAugust 20, 2013