A loaded question if ever there was one. I’m still working out a concise yet accurate way of answering it. I know that whether I say “yes" or “no", they’re going to concoct an almost-certainly inaccurate picture of my beliefs. Growing up and living in and around Grand Rapids practically…

Aren’t you supposed to be ‘born again’? — One of the most curious points of opposition I run into during cosmological conversations with Christians is disbelief in reincarnation. It’s an ancient concept, whose precise origins remain somewhat mysterious. …

I Am Freaking the Fuck Out — Yep, this long-haired, sailor-tongued goofball is going to be a dad; I’m in at least as much disbelief as you, dear reader. My girlfriend has taken three positive pregnancy tests and we have ultrasound pictures, we’re quite certain this is happening. Yes, it’s exciting. Truthfully though, above all else, I’m…

Giants of Entertainment That Go Together As Naturally As PB&J — At face value, one might not initially suppose the Venn diagram of the worlds of comedy and hip-hop would have much overlap. Hip-hop carries a reputation of machismo and braggadocio, whereas comedians are more often thought of as being self-deprecating. Rap takes itself seriously, comedy (supposedly) doesn’t. …

Answers That Broke My Fucking Heart — The popular narrative right now is that “nobody wants to work”. Previous generations have had joke staples for decades about the shittiness of their work lives and how much they despised their jobs, but all of a sudden, “nobody wants to work” is widely regarded as the ultimate sign of…

Part confession, part encouragement — Writing is one of the most important things in my life. Using it as a creative outlet has kept me alive through some of my darkest moments. Now, in my adulthood, groceries need to be bought and bills need to be paid. Between a full-time job which keeps me fed…

Difficult to Talk About, Harder To Explain — A lot of times, “suicidality” doesn’t mean planning out how you’d do it. It doesn’t mean having a note written, or gathering supplies, or dispersing valuables amongst your loved ones. It can be as quick as a fleeting thought while waiting for the light to turn green. …

But I’ll Be Okay — I know I’m not alone in this. 2020 was a preposterously bad year for almost everyone who wasn’t already a billionaire. Obviously, an unprecedented global pandemic soured the year pretty early on, but beyond that, it felt like something was cosmically incorrect with this year. I fell off hard with…

Spreading the Spectrum of Morality Like a Pair of Beautiful Legs — There are plenty of articles out there about the dangers of pornography, the exploitation of women that takes place, all the seediness and ugly aspects of the sex industry, and I’m not trying to deny any of those. …