Painfully Hopeful

Understanding

This is an edited manuscript for my sermon on Hebrews 4:15-5:10 In the first chapter of Hebrews The Son is described as being way higher than the angels, and seated at the right hand of God. In the second chapter of Hebrews, this exalted Son is revealed as Jesus, who came and lived as one…

Palmyra Day – Celebrating Community

Today was “Palmyra Day,” a day-long festival down broad-street. It’s a lot of fun. There’s various rock bands, lots of climbers for the kids, a dunk-tank, and all sorts of civic organizations are out to represent their aspect of the town. I typically don’t stay long. First, I’d spend too much money and over-eat. Second,…

I love my bank

I love my bank. By that I don’t mean, “I love the huge corporate entity to which my bank is affixed.” I could not care less about about the huge corporate entity. What I mean is I love the branch at which we bank. I love that I can walk to it so I can…

Age of Ultron, A Non-Spoiler Review

Yesterday, for a lark, I checked to see showtimes for Avengers: Age of Ultron. To my great surprise I discovered that there were showings of the movie on April 30, beginning at 7PM. This was seemed odd to me, as the movie is not “officially released” until May 1, so I drove over to the theatre to…

Reaction culture

As I’ve written four drafts on this post and could make none of them work, I’ll just issues some short thoughts for today. A reaction is a direct result from some external stimuli which tends to heighten self-importance, establish our own rightness in our psyche, and seeks out enemies which much be “dealt with.” A response…

Desperately Seeking Catharsis

As I watch the great struggle in Baltimore unfold 1 I find myself saddened once again. “The System” is not just, people feel lost and hopeless and angry. There are emotions deep within people which have been stoked by experience, and reinforced over and over and over, for which our culture has no constructive avenue…