It’s Wednesday, which gives you the opportunity to raft though a bit of my mind. Welcome to the dangerous rapids that are random thoughts.

1. I have appointments again. But because I don’t remember that my calendar has things on it, I keep trying to double-book myself.
2. I saw some more faces return to the sanctuary for worship last Sunday, that was really nice.
3. I picked up Basic Fantasy over my last week “off ¹.” It’s well designed, has some nice artwork, and is free to download. Check it out ²!
4. I started watching Critical Role from the beginning. It’s a bunch of voice actors sitting around playing D&D and is really entertaining. Massive language alert, though, if that’s a trigger for you.
5. It’s beginning to feel as though time is moving again.
6. I have seen reports of people skipping their second dose of the CoVid-19 vaccine because they are afraid of the side effects. This boggles my mind.
7. Religious Conservatives, and a lot of Republicans in general ³, are refusing to get vaccinated. I am so weary of these people. Really.
8. Virus mitigation is not fear, it’s wisdom. Being worried that people will think you are weak because you are practicing mitigation, or that a public health emergency is really just an excuse for a government takeover, is fear.
9. If you are putting together a church stream but have no theology of technology other than “reaching people for Jesus,” may I suggest you need to do some more chewing first? Tools change both our perception and experience of reality.
10. The purpose of Christian worship isn’t to be subjected to a sermon or have our preferences affirmed. It’s about setting aside time to be drawn into the mystical reality of the world being made new–and being changed as a result so we can walk in the way of Jesus. Sometimes this encounter can leave us somber. Sometimes it can provoke us to joy. Sometimes we may feel great sadness. And sometimes a sense of relief. All of our takeaways from worship, however, should lead us to love both God and Neighbor in the way of Christ.