Painfully Hopeful

Oh the Harmony…

A friend of my wife’s recently handed her a series of books, insisting the she and I would love them. As she handed them over to my wife she said, “As I read them I just couldn’t help but think of you and Wes.” This both fascinated and shocked me. It shocked me because, while…

Milk out of my nose funny…

I think perhaps it’s because I’ve met many people who think this way for reai, but this line from Stephen Colbert’s recent speech at Princeton (done in character) made me want to spew milk out of my nose. Alas, I had no milk to spew. Colbert, inspiration for Ben & Jerry’s AmeriCone Dream, continued dousing…

Please, stop forwarding me!

I got another one of “those” forwards this morning. I keep telling people that I neither agree with, nor appreciate, them. What are “those” forwards? They usually take three forms: Fear-mongering racism Idolatrous confusion of the USA with Christianity. All of the above. The one I got this morning was particularly painful to read, and…

A Prayer of Thankfulness

I’ve been taking a break from my sociological reading in order to be nourished by a biography of John Newton. I say “nourished” because the more I read his story, the more I come to love this man of common dress and language – and yet a man whose heart was so transformed by Christ…

Throw rational thought to the wind…

OK, let’s all watch this video and remind ourselves that this is what Churches look like to folks when we start gunning for each other. It’s a classic example that when we’re “right” the “other” is “inadequate” and “wrong” and therefor doesn’t have to be treated with dignity and respect. Watch, and learn how not…

Language colors reality…

Today I was pondering a moment when a well-meaning member of Central proudly said to a group of visitor’s last summer, “I hired him!” The language fascinates me because this is, in fact, the way that a good number of folks look at their pastors – they were “hired” and therefor are “employees.” This particular…