“Why Men Hate Going to Church” by author David Murrow stayed on my desk, unread for a long time, because it looked like an overstatement. But then I started reading and was intrigued by his suggestion that, of the world’s major religions, only Christianity seems to have a problem getting men. His assessment is that […]
Spent time over the weekend with two books that looked at the spirit of masculinity and femininity in the church from two different perspectives. One of these books, written by Denise George, is titled What Women Wish Pastors knew and is subtitled “Understanding the Hopes, Hurts, Needs, and Dreams of Women in the Church. The […]
When this Northern Goshawk showed up in a Hawthorn Tree, something predictable happened. Suddenly there wasn’t another bird in sight. The Cardinals, Blue Jays, House Finches, and Downy Woodpeckers, that had been hanging around our bird feeders were suddenly nowhere to be seen. Only when the big boy left did they slowly return. Interesting isn’t […]
Long ago, many of our ancestors saw changes in the weather as an occasion to offer sacrifice to the weather gods. Today we understand the winds of changing conditions as a result of differences in barometric pressure. The isobars on a weather map not only connect points of equal atmospheric pressure but, by their distance […]
Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus are known for their wisdom. All three reflect the characteristics of wise teachers. They use short stories and memorable one-liners to help others think for themselves. They help their followers see below surface issues to matters of the heart. They teach their followers to live with priority and perspective. All three, […]
I’ve been sitting here for the last hour or so, sipping on a strong cup of coffee, reading… and thinking about the thoughts and stories posted here over the last couple of days–by friends. Most of us have never met each other face to face. Yet here, in thoughts typed thousands of miles apart, we […]
We’ve talked some over the last week about the mixed emotions, memories, and expectations of the Christmas season. Some of our personal feelings reflect the star that came to rest over Bethlehem. Some of our memories blend into the darkness of the night… in which that star could be seen. In some ways, our story […]
In my last post I referred to the fact that even though the Apostle Paul regarded himself as “the chief (worst) of sinners,” (1Tim 1:15) he said he received mercy because he had blasphemed God and done violent things to followers of Christ while in a state of ignorance and unbelief (1Tim 1:13). In that […]
Sleigh bells jingle. But what jangles? The question surfaced as I bumped into the word in a King James version of the Bible. When I checked another version, I saw that “jangling” was a 17th century way of describing the sound of empty talk. According to the Apostle Paul, it can happen when someone tries […]
Yesterday, Steve, of WVa reminded us of an any-time-of-year musical Christmas card that we passed around a couple of years ago. Thanks, Steve. I’m going to post it again here in a link to another YouTube version of “Mary Did You Know” by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd. It remains something I can listen to […]
