Hello and welcome to my blog, Squinch.
So first thing off, why the name? It is actually a word in the English language (more on that later), but I’ve named it squinch as a made-up, mashing together of “square” and “inch.” One of my spiritual forefathers, Abraham Kuyper, once famously said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!'”
He was talking about the breadth and depth dimensions of the Christian faith; it’s not merely religious piety, a one-day-a-week faith or an insurance package for eternity. It’s a hugely expansive understanding of the world and way of life that touches each dimension of existence.
But there’s more to the title too. Life is so full and rich that sometimes a square inch (or its metric equivalent) is all I can actually fully take in. I love the icon that writer Anne Lamott keeps on her desk to remind her of the writing task – a one-inch frame. Why? She writes: “It reminds me that all I have to do is to write down as much as I can see through a one-inch picture frame. This is all I have to bite off for the time being.” I sometimes need to discipline myself and limit my gaze to one square inch, to be present to what’s right in front of me.
And finally, what about that English word squinch. Like I said, it is part of the English vocabulary. It is a structure that provides an architectural transition from one shape to another; for example, from a square to a polygon, say an octagon, or to a circular form like a dome. I think we’re in the midst of all sorts of cultural transitions and we’ll need cultural squinches to help us make the necessary shifts. Some of what I hope to do here is thinking and writing on spiritual and cultural squinches.
Anyways, enough on the name. Thanks for checking in and I look forward to hearing from you.
Squinch 