Pursuing Veritas

Reflections by Jacob J. Prahlow

Blog: https://pursuingveritas.com/
Profile: https://pursuingveritas.com/author/prahlowjacob/
Homepage: http://pursuingveritas.com

Great Stories

In some strange ways, early 2026 has felt like a season of endings. Really, over the past year or so, I’ve had several stories that have reached their conclusions. Shows that ran for years. Franchises that shaped us. Cultural touchstones that once omnipresent finished. And endings are hard. Not just because we hate to say…
Why Gathering Matters More Than You Think

Every week, something sacred happens when the church gathers. It may not look dramatic from the outside. At our church, people walk in with coffee cups. Kids wiggle. Someone is running late. Someone else is wondering if they even belong. But beneath the ordinary surface, God is at work. Faith is strengthened. Hope is rekindled.…
Why Read?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the simple act of reading. Not studying. Not skimming headlines. Not scrolling. But sitting down with a book—pages in hand—and choosing to pay attention. In a world shaped by images and algorithms, reading is almost a countercultural act. It asks something of us. It requires time, patience, and…
The Centrality of Family Discipleship

Most of us who care about faith spend a lot of energy thinking about church—sermons, ministries, small groups, youth programs, worship services. And all of those things matter. They really do. But the most important place where faith is formed isn’t the sanctuary. It’s the living room. The minivan. The dinner table. The bedtime routine.…
Learning the Language of the Psalms

One of the first surprises in the Psalms is just how emotional they are. These prayers shout, weep, question, remember, rejoice, and sometimes accuse. They sound less like polished church language and more like real people trying to hold onto faith. That’s the gift of the Psalms—they teach us how to be honest with God…
How to Read the Psalms Without Getting Lost

The book of Psalms is one of the most beloved—and most confusing—parts of the Bible. One moment you’re soaring with praise: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The next moment you’re reading a prayer that asks God to break the teeth of enemies. What do we do with a book that moves…
The Kind of Guidance You Can’t Google

The word mentor actually has an old and beautiful story behind it. In Homer’s Odyssey, Mentor was the trusted friend of Odysseus, the one charged with guiding his son while Odysseus was away at war. He wasn’t just a babysitter—he was a steady voice, a wise presence, someone who helped shape a young man into…
Who (or What) Were the Nephilim?

Few biblical footnotes have generated as much fascination (or as much confident speculation) as the Nephilim. They appear briefly, cryptically, and at strategically unsettling moments in the biblical story. And then they vanish. No clarity. No genealogy. No real explanation. Just enough detail to raise questions and not nearly enough to settle them. Which, of…
What I Read in 2025

Every year, I commit to reading as much and as widely as possible. And as a means of attempting to remember everything I’ve read and holding myself accountable to my reading goals, I track the books I’ve read each year. (Click here to see what I read in 2024.) A couple of notes on this…
Christmas Letter 2025

This Christmas our house is louder, it’s true,Because September arrived… with baby Ivy too!She smiles at her siblings, coos sweet little tunes,And just decided that nights are for snoozing (thank you!). Bree turned nine—quite the year it’s been,A dragon-loving reader with a book in her den.Third grade adventures, homeschool in full gear,Latin’s her favorite—Veni, vidi……