Apparently I am a Christmas nerd. I stopped for coffee at my favorite spot (Beans ‘n Cream in Sun Prairie) and some of the regulars were engaged in a spirited discussion about the Christmas holiday season. Eavesdropping without looking obvious, I found it fascinating that almost no one (there were […]
It has been interesting entering the conversation about the future of our denomination and our interest, inclination and ability to stay at the table to work things out. While I feel strongly that we are better together than apart, I acknowledge that others feel strongly that enough is enough, it […]
On occasion, I catch the late-night ads for “Miracle Ear” — a hearing enhancement device that sounds (no pun intended) too good to be true. I finally met someone who actually purchased and uses a Miracle Ear, and he is delighted with it. His testimonial is simple, “I am no […]
What is it about we human animals and our tendency to climb the ladder of inference and leap blindly into a steaming pile of assumptions? Each and every day we create chaos, confusion and pain for ourselves by ascribing intention, assuming motives, projecting values and jumping to conclusions. Compounding this […]
I simply cannot get through the Advent and Christmas season without being transported in mind and spirit back to the days of my childhood Sunday school. My teacher from the time I was four year’s old until I turned seven was a spinster-lady by the name of Hattie Hack. Henrietta […]
I won’t share the convoluted audit trail that leads to this post, but a series of unrelated incidents all point me back to this particular story. When I was in Nashville, I related to a young, well-meaning Christian who went from ultra-committed and ultra-pious to uber-atheist in the blink of […]
Even if Jesus believed — knew — he was coming back; what did coming back actually feel like? Defeating death is no small feat. To the extent that there was any question, any doubt, Easter morn was the complete and total validation. In a time and place where empirical evidence […]
All is darkness. Was Jesus sentient at all on the Sabbath? It is a disquieting association –Sabbath rest with death, yet on this seventh day, Jesus rested. At what point did resurrection occur? We know when the followers experienced it, but when did it begin? When did the pneuma — […]
Life contains a series of liminal points, thresholds we cross that can never be uncrossed, actions taken that can never be untaken, transformative occurrences that change everything for all time. The inevitability of the cross increased in certainty from the moment Jesus was arrested in the Garden — everything in the ensuing […]
Can we truly imagine a death sentence, even of our own choosing? What goes through one’s heart and mind when the narrow path forward leads to pain, anguish, violence, humiliation and destruction? What sources provide the internal fortitude to face such an overwhelming crisis? When such a terrible fate awaits […]
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