What’s the Contrarian Review?
Recent Posts
Welcome, y’all.
These posts represent unsolicited reviews of various faith-based, sports and secular content floating around the cyber ether. The theme of the reviews is simple: they’re a celebration of where content creators are hitting the bullseye, rather than microscopic analysis of where they’re missing it. These reviews are seen through and reflective of the fact that I’ve chosen to do life with God (no, I’m not a Nun). I deeply appreciate those who have made the same choice, and I appreciate their willingness to share the good, bad, challenging and cringe things that come with a full commitment to making that choice.
As well, this blog will include what I call Life Reviews: my first-hand, zoomed-out insights on lived experiences that are, at once, individual and universal. Life Reviews are purges intended to cleanse myself and constructively contribute to you. Let me know how I fare there.
I invite you to engage, disagree and debate. Or, to agree. In the words of one of my favorite teachers, “You have the right to be wrong, but I’m not gonna agree with you or we’d both be wrong.” I, of course, quote him in jest, but those closest to me know I’m #kiddingnotkidding.
My most fervent desire, however, is that you challenge yourselves to turn - and leave - critical thought switched to the 'On’ position while looking through a Biblical lens.
I challenge myself to the same thing.
Life Review: An apology to my aborted child… and her dad
This one isn’t easy. It’s also not an indictment on any woman who has had an abortion; it’s quite the opposite, actually.
This post is not something I particularly want to write, but when the blog’s title landed in my heart, I couldn’t let it sit until I talked myself out of it.
I had an abortion when I was 22 years old.
The truth is, at age 19, I was nursing some pretty devastating heartbreak after a split with the person I’d then believed I would marry the second I graduated from college. In the throes of that emotional shootout, I vowed that if I wasn’t having his children, I wasn’t having anyone’s children.
Life Review: Crawl up in Daddy’s lap
A couple months ago, I was sitting in church intently listening to my pastor preaching and teaching his guts out when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a toddler sitting on her father’s lap. Although I am an unofficial baby whisperer, I don’t usually pay any attention to kids sitting on their parents' laps. It’s just not something on my reticular activator.
Come on, vocabulary.
My church’s services are Holy Spirit-led so, while they are conducted decently and in order, they’re not known for brevity. I love that about my church. In any case, this child was busy during that Holy Ghost-led marathon message. Babygirl had a lot going on.
Norris Johnson, II: The era of deception
Let me save everyone some time.
If you call yourself a Christian and you’re legit concerned about the fact that, in many churches, what is being accepted as Christianity is nothing more than homogenized, glorified TedTalks with an, at best, dotted line to Scripture, Johnson’s content is for you. If you’ve had it with church leaders who assign blame to God because they are ill equipped to provide answers to life’s toughest challenges (am I the only one annoyed about that?), follow Johnson on all available platforms (here, here and here). Just do it. You can thank me later.