Painfully Hopeful

A Death in the Family

Yesterday Leonard Nimoy passed away and large portion of geekdom mourned, including me. He was part of a phenomenon which helped me accept being the oddball in the room, and his passing impacted me more than I thought it would. My condolences to his family, and may he rest in peace. My grief at his…

The Memory Problem

This month I have the privilege of speaking at “Founder’s Day” at Riverview Estates. This is a bit unusual for me, as I have a bit of an cynical streak when it comes to celebrating institutional anniversaries. Churches especially, I have found, transform these parties into something toxic. Anniversaries should mark how our Savior brought…

Turn, Revolutionary Drama

I’m fascinated by the Revolutionary War period of American history. The events which lead up to the war, and the dissolution of a society, are both tragic and inspiring 1. Tragic because ending of the society came at an incredible human cost. Inspiring because it is remarkable how ordinary people forged a new identity in…

Frosty

Yesterday I went out to my car and saw this frost forming on the windows on my garage door. After I took my wife to work I went out and took some pictures. The fractal pattern of the frost is absolutely magnificent, and the backdrop of the darkened garage help make it stand out. It was…

Fiction Tuesday – Welcome to the Valleys

This isn’t short fiction as much as it is the first chapter of a story which takes place in a world I’m literally building. I love playing Minecraft on my iPad, and have often wondered what the story is behind all the places I build. While the setting is based on one particular world I’ve…

Into the Wilderness

This would have been the sermon preached in worship on February 22, 2015 (had we not had to cancel). It’s based on 1 Peter 3:18-22. Jesus entered the “wilderness.” I begin this meditation with that idea, even though the word itself appears nowhere in the passage on which it’s based. Why would I do that? Well, in…