Day One
On March 24th, Becky and I prayed in our living room with our boarder Ivan “Vanya” Strelchenko.
We were moved to tears as he pleaded with God, in the Ukrainian language, for his parents, sisters, relatives and church.
A few hours later, we would set out on our trek to Laity Lodge in Texas, a remarkably serene retreat, tucked far away from Putin’s onslaught in Ukraine.
All along our route, taking in a variety of lovely vistas and visits, we toggled between All Things Considered, MSNBC (via Youtube TV), and the occasional update from Vanya.
“What day are we on?” The news had the answer.
Our Row House Road Show became the odd bedfellow of a war.
Day 23
As I write on the day after St. Patrick’s Day, the world community awaits to see how the democratic and strong Ukrainians will fare against their aggressor.
President Zelenskyy says we’re already in World War 3. He wants as much of the West’s help as he can get…like now.
Our president, NATO, and the European Union are weighing in earnestly. But is it enough? 1
Where COVID 19 should’ve brought Americans together but didn’t, this brazen invasion seems to be working.
Day ____?
Though I’m eager to share the many “faces, places, and amazments” from our latest leg of The Row House Road Show, first I offer some of my laments.
Lament for Ukrainians who for the last thirty years have striven to create a free society under the constant threat of Russian aggression.
Lament for the 3.5 million scattered refugees, fallen innocents, and traumatized victims of war.
Lament for Russians who are punished for lifting their voices of dissent.
Lament for a nation that has now become the pariah of all the world except for a few, small, oppressive countries.2
Lament for the young soldiers who were told they were liberators, only to find themselves cooked within their tanks.
Lament for my children who have lived through the 9/11 attacks, a worldwide pandemic, and now this conflict that will not end well, pretty, or soon.
Lament for Vanya who daily carries the burden of re-settling his younger sisters in America and wondering each hour how his parents are faring.
Lament for the many peace keepers, visible and invisble, who have labored through diplomacy, trade, and cultural renewal who now spend their energies avoiding despair and settling for a clean-up mission.
Resources For The War Weary
We need guidling lights in this time of darkness. A few have passed over my desk, and I commend them to you:
A Book For Our Times
Out of the blue, before the invasion, a former Marine in Washington DC contacted me to share how much he appreciated my book, Good Posture, especially for my call to Christian hospitality.
His vision is to operate a brick-and-mortar house near Capital Hill where Congress members can do one thing: Enjoy a home-cooked meal with other human beings who serve in our nation’s capital.
A rarity these days, I’m told.
He also sent me a copy of the book, A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, And A Great War by Joseph Loconte whose tag line is
How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis rediscovered faith, friendship, and heroism in the cataclysm of 1914-1918.
Though affected by their experiences in trench warfare, these two authors did not turn to paralysis or nihilism as many of their contemporaries did.3
Their stories, tempered by war, align with the story of how God overcame evil to transform our world and to bring healing through his Son.
I recommend this hopeful book in all it’s harrowing and mournful historical details.
A Newsletter From Our Times
Secondly, Andy Patton and Phillip Johnston are heroes at finding well-postured Christian thought on a wide range of topics.
I found their latest issue of Three Things very clarifying and encouraging for navigating the war in Ukraine.
You can read their latest Substack here.
Thanks for reading, drop a comment, and stay tuned for another dispatch soon.
Ben Sasse, Senator from Kansas, thinks the West ought to get ahead of Putin rather than worry about his opinion of the war. I was heartened to hear him base his call on increased resistance on the conviction that humans beings are made “in the image of God” and that the brutalities of Putin’s armies must not go unanswered.
China is on the fence, likely having green-lighted Putin’s invasion.
See my former dispatch on the impact of the war on one architect of “brutalism.”