Bryan McKaigApr 20, 2021Turning a Metaphor into a PoemI don’t consider myself a poet. Occasionally a songwriter, but barely that. The occasion of this poem was the commissioning of a new church.
Debbie MoodyJan 25, 2021AwakeningAs the earth falls into a deep slumber, we sit in anticipation and stillness.
Foundling HouseNov 23, 2020Hope: We Do Not Say DeserveThis coming Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, the yearly remembrance and celebration of the coming of Jesus, the Son of God. It's...
Tony SobotaMay 20, 2020Surviving the Pandemic as an Artist2020 started off so promising. Our son had a meltdown-free 1st birthday party, the Titans kept Tom Brady and the Patriots from another ...
Foundling HouseNov 19, 2019Empathy and the DevilIt’s apropos that I’ve been rereading C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters with a friend now. Weekly, we pore over a couple of chapters...
Foundling HouseOct 30, 2019Word + Song preview: Drew MillerTonight is the night! WORD + SONG is here! In celebration, we’re giving you another little preview of what’s going down this evening in...
Chris WheelerOct 21, 2019bleeding in, bleeding outOrchid – Josie Koznarek All the time I knew you carried weight upon your back in every tremor when you spoke, in each “I could never…”...
Foundling HouseOct 15, 2019Word + Song preview: Matthew ClarkIt’s a great time to give you a preview of things to come! Matthew Clark, one of the three featured artists headlining Foundling House’s...
Kevin StillJun 17, 2019Lamentations for TodayThis is a collection of laments I wrote for a worship service I led with a friend in my church. Modern worship is a bit too positive...
Foundling HouseMay 30, 2019A Castle On a Hill: an Interview with Jacob StockFor several years now, Jacob and Melissa Stock have been running a delightful, slightly otherworldly retreat center in Strawberry Plains,...
Foundling HouseMay 22, 2019The Other EndgameFirst things first: spoiler alert. This is going to get messy, because I got messy. I got the last good seat at the 9:30 showing of...
Foundling HouseFeb 5, 2019Abby Wheeler, Creator of HeartworksHeartworks is a brand new, up-and-coming organization dedicated to serving the refugee and resettled population in Knoxville through art...
Carolyn GivensDec 24, 2018Pieces Go MissingScreenshot from the video for “Snow” by Sleeping at Last The day before December began, my grandma slipped into eternity. She’d spent 100...
Jen YokelDec 17, 2018Holy SecretThe old man is snoring again. It’s the only sound that escapes his lips these days. So she lies awake listening, wishing she could...
Matthew CyrSep 4, 2018All Creatures Here BelowOriginal Photo by Adam Whipple The road to the lake is so twisted that one stretch is named “The Dragon’s Tail.” Our truck, bristling...
Foundling HouseAug 9, 2018Charging the CongregationI sat in the passenger seat of my friends’ car as Indiana beamed under a rare mild July day outside. Cornfields sped by and washed into...
Foundling HouseJul 17, 2018The WordPlayers Present: Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë’s masterwork Jane Eyre is something most of us read in grade school. We remember the gilded Victorian prose laid over...
Kate HinsonJun 18, 2018When Your Words Disappear“Vulnerable” by Kate Hinson I write. Or I should say, I used to write, and I loved figuring out what I thought and felt through the...
Foundling HouseJun 4, 2018Burwell GardensOn the west corner of Burwell Avenue and McMillan Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, sat a vacant lot. To the north, Sharp’s Ridge rose in a...
palmer204Jan 3, 2018Every Morning Coffee: a review of Every Moment HolyThe holiday season passed with a flurry of shredded wrapping paper, sugar comas, and age-old family traditions. A shiny new year with...
Foundling HouseNov 27, 2017Thank You, Thank You!We’re excited to give you another episode in our film series. This time, we’ve partnered with Robert Allen at The War Room to bring you a...
Foundling HouseAug 21, 2017When the Light DisappearsToday, multitudes of Americans converged on a long swath of land stretching from the Oregon coast to Charleston. After a great deal of...
Nancy-Elizabeth WentzelAug 8, 2017A Surprising Land of Splendor – Part 2Interlude Here’s what I’m asking you to forget: I want you to put away from your mind the pain of Mrs. Roger’s classroom, the slick palms...
Nancy-Elizabeth WentzelJul 30, 2017A Surprising Land of Splendor – Part 1Forward Consider me an ambassador: an emissary from a foreign land, a place whose name I dare not mention for risk of causing you to turn...
Foundling HouseJul 11, 2017The WordPlayers Present: Little WomenFor the fourth year in a row, The WordPlayers are bringing a musical production to the historic Bijou Theatre in downtown Knoxville....
Foundling HouseMay 22, 2017Hiking, or The Reason to Abuse a Left KneeA few years ago, my wife decided to give me a birthday present in the form of abandonment in the wilderness. To be clear, this was what I...
Foundling HouseMay 2, 2017Fund The Mosleys’ New Record!Once in a while, you run across people doing good work, and you ask yourself: Why isn’t everybody excited about this? Much of that good...
Bill WolfApr 10, 2017The Rumor of Good NewsThe Potato Eaters – 1885, Vincent van Gogh What is it about Vincent Van Gogh that continues to inspire artists? Painters mimic techniques...
Foundling HouseFeb 28, 2017Looking You in the EyeWe’re still excited at the success of Echo Hill, our latest venture, and we thought we’d take the time to look into what we’re doing here...
Foundling HouseJan 31, 2017A Big Day of Small ThingsLast Friday night, we held our first Foundling House brick-and-mortar event—a dinner and concert called Echo Hill, featuring the talents...
Tony SobotaJan 9, 2017God in the ProcessSt. Augustine once wrote that he carried a “question” with him at all times: “My question was the attention I gave to the world, and its...
Foundling HouseDec 26, 2016The Night of First ChristmasChad Sparks, Teaching Pastor of Providence Church in Knoxville, TN, takes a poetic look at the night before Christmas, but from God’s...
Janna BarberDec 13, 2016River and Rail Theatre Co. Debuts New MusicalFrom the opening number, “I’m Just a Jew,” to the closing song, “Walk Through the Sea,” I was transported into a story over two thousand...
Foundling HouseNov 14, 2016On Valuing AbsencesI sat in my friend Jacob’s living room, listening through Emmylou Harris’s “Greener Pastures,” from Roses in the Snow. Ricky Skaggs and...
dougfloydNov 7, 2016Seeking RefugeIn an age of oversimplified political and social narratives, we may find refuge in stories that reflect the disturbing, conflicting...
palmer204Oct 2, 2016The Secret Beauty of My HeartI’m going to put all my cards on the table. I’m a journalist – with an agenda. There it is in black-and-white. I want whoever reads my...
Eric PetersSep 19, 2016Irons in the FireI didn’t necessarily grow up in an arts-centric home. My brother, a hard rock drummer, was the musician in the family, and when he and my...
matthewclarknetSep 7, 2016Material LimitationsHe centers the clay with a Thwack! Now the gritty hum of a potter’s wheel Sends a sheen of slick mud orbiting. My brother has spent...
dougfloydJul 11, 2016People in MotionMolecules, atoms and electrons are in constant motion. As they move, they collide and transfer energy. I think of these collisions when I...
Foundling HouseJul 4, 2016Encouraging ExplosionsFor my birthday a couple years ago, my wife sent me on a hike through the Smokies. I borrowed a backpack and filled it with a little gas...
Foundling HouseJun 13, 2016The Sea and Beyond: Eric Peters talks about his latest record releaseYour new album is called Far Side of the Sea, does the sea itself represent to something special to you? If so, can you flesh out that...
palmer204Apr 3, 2016Over Mountain Weavers Guild“This,” said Marita Swartz, waving her hand over the intricately woven pattern of threads taking shape from her loom, “gives me life.”...
Foundling HouseMar 28, 2016An Interview with Hannah HolderFH: How did you first know that visual art was what you wanted to do? Bleak House; Hannah Holder ©2002 HH: I liked to draw and color as...
dougfloydMar 7, 2016Films for LentWatching movies is one way I practice the Lenten journey. It might seem contradictory to combine entertainment with penitence. While we...
dougfloydJan 18, 20162015: A Selected Film ReviewThere are moments in beholding the world around us that overawe and sometimes overwhelm and diminish us. When confronting the American...
Foundling HouseJan 4, 2016Star Wars, Da Vinci, and Playing in the DirtOne of the overarching differences between the new Star Wars episode and its most recent trilogy of predecessors is the use of physical...
dougfloydNov 30, 2015The Martian and Survival StoriesA lost in space story—like a lost at sea tale—strips characters of reliable protection and provision, forcing them to innovate and...
palmer204Nov 2, 2015Simply LivingEditor’s note: We’re excited to introduce Palmer Gregg, Director of Storytellers (a title we all want) at CrossRoads Missions,...
Foundling HouseOct 12, 2015Tim Coons on Becoming, Recording, and FamilyWe’re so excited about Becoming, the new release from Giants & Pilgrims, that we wanted to give you the full gamut of Tim Coons’ account...