Lisa Cole Smith

When I was little I hated getting in trouble. I really hated it. It wasn’t so much the possibility of punishment as it was the feeling of tension, knowing I was at odds with my parents or someone else. In…

There is graffiti painted on the side of an underpass near my neighborhood. In large black and red colors it reads, “Art is Order.” Despite the irony of the tagger’s lack of respect for the order of law, I see…

Church planter and consultant Doug Murren spoke at the NorthStar Church Network annual meeting last week. Doug’s the type of guy who tells it like it is in a warm, funny and extremely down to earth kind of way. You…

While the trailer may lead you to believe you’ve seen this movie before, trust me — you haven’t. In fact, the director works very hard to weave a tale of time travel, crime and guns only to use that framework…

On the way to work one morning this week I was praying to God to let me hear his voice. I frequently get so distracted by all the other things in my life that I get fuzzy headed and feel…

The recent YouTube clip denigrating Muhammed can’t really be called art or legitimate film in my opinion, but the questions surrounding it about responsibility are particularly interesting to me. What is the responsibility of the artist? I do not believe…

When you work in a church you never know what a person’s visit might bring, but you always have to be ready for that stranger through whom God has something to say. A few days ago a little man with…

A friend told me about a phenomenon called “Hidden Gems,” an online community for people who regularly watch “Dancing with the Stars.” Every week as people tune in to watch the show they are entertained not only by the dancing…

Science fiction is great for getting my mind churning. Sitting in the theater with an audience cheering the action and being impressed (or underwhelmed) by special effects is a great summer afternoon activity. But that’s not the whole reason it’s…