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The 12 Editor

Essay

With Taxes Now Behind Us

If you live in the United States, chances are that taxes, income taxes specifically, have been on your mind and part of your life in these last few days. Now that taxes are behind you—for a little while at least,…
April 18, 2018
Essay

Perpetual Motion

People seem to have given up on the idea of a perpetual motion machine. But The Twelve is about as close as you’ll come. Day after day, a blog appears. Some you read. Some you skip. Some annoy you. Some…
February 20, 2018
Essay

Mixed Motives

Reformed folk don't need to be embarrassed by mixed motives. What other kind of motives are there? As 2017 draws to a close, we hope you are motivated to express your gratitude to The Twelve and Perspectives with a financial gift.…
December 28, 2017
Essay

Boxing Day

Boxing Day--in the United States, we’re never quite sure what to make of it. The tradition, we believe, is that today is the day you make a gift to your favorite blog, The Twelve, and journal, Perspectives! Perhaps you found…
December 26, 2017
Essay

500? What About Six?

You’ve probably heard plenty about the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. Nearly equal in significance, did you know that today is also the sixth anniversary of the…
October 31, 2017
Essay

Even at the Risk of Scaring Some People Off

Comparing yourself to American Motors is probably never a good idea, especially when many of your readers reside in Michigan. For those who don’t know, American Motors was an automaker that disappeared from the face of the earth in 1987.…
August 29, 2017
Essay

Underdog

Most people say they pull for the underdog. Here at The Twelve, we see ourselves as underdogs in today’s world. Left versus right, each dug deep in their trenches, strident and shrill. Corporate sponsors pumping in big money to make…
August 7, 2017
Essay

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

On the first day of school, I remember being handed a sheet of paper. Today we would say it was “landscape” format, wider than high. The paper was coarse, low quality. I think it had flecks of bark in it.…
August 1, 2017
Essay

These Are the Days, a psalm for summer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lyve_egY8o# These are the days of the endless summer These are the days, the time is now There is no past, there’s only future There’s only here, there’s only now Oh your smiling face, your gracious presence The fires of…
June 20, 2017
Essay

Congratulations, Theresa!

Longtime blogger here on The Twelve, Theresa Latini, was named the first president of United Lutheran Seminary, with campuses in Philadelphia and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, earlier this week. Dr. Latini has been serving as professor of practical theology and pastoral care…
April 22, 2017