As I watched the final episode of The Bachelor I was left feeling deeply confused, but also reassured. Confused that Brad chose Emily, but reassured to find that getting engaged in six weeks through a process of elimination was as stupid as it sounds.

In 1993 Aladdin was just another Disney story of a prince and a princess. Sure it was set in the Theocractic Iran, the main characters were part of a Muslim aristocracy, and justice was measured out with the sword. But that didn’t seem to matter back then. Post 9-11 Disney would likely think twice before releasing a blockbuster with all Muslim characters. 

Julia was the quintessential Christian in high school; her peers even nicknamed her Julia Christ Superstar. But what happens to someone like this when complexities of the world and ambiguities of faith led her to bigger questions, to a place where “just believe” doesn’t cut it anymore?

When living in community you’re forced to deal with the full spectrum of the human condition. Whether intentional or circumstantial, community plays an important part in our stories. And for the most part there’s not much drama, just dishes.

It’s rare to attend a concert where the opening act is so compelling that you wish it were the main event. As James Vincent McMorrow — the opening act — walked off the concert stage, those of us in attendance watched jaws hit the floor in a state of reverent awe. His latest album leaves us just as spellbound.

Attending a mostly white evangelical College as an African American male with roots in the historic Black church resulted in a paradoxical shift in my Christian faith. It was a time that I matured spiritually while simultaneously growing increasingly disillusioned with evangelicalism.

There are very few certainties in life. Sometimes you’ve just got to jump in with wanton disregard for certainty, and instead, just take a risk. It’s often through this kind of struggle and risk-taking that we discover the most rewarding relationships.

At first hearing, it’s difficult to pinpoint what The Avett Brothers are referring to in their hit song, Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise, when they sing, “There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light.” Their incredibly creative and stunningly beautiful music video may offer some clues.

Sufjan Steven’s Age of Adz presents a schizophrenic vision of life and love. For the past decade his fans have witnessed intimate portraits of his life in the idyllic Midwest; the Age of Adz catapults them from temporal to the cosmic plane on an existential rocket ship.

Studies show that the first kiss is more powerful than the first sexual encounter. According to a post at ABC NEWS.com today: Psychologists report that most people can remember up to 90 percent of the details of their first romantic kiss, a memory that is even more powerful than their first sexual encounter.