A. Stupid people B. Insane people C. Frightened people All of the above is scary, but I opt for “C”. I believe that the majority of chuckleheads who burn books are frightened people, and people who are scared act in very, very, very stupid and crazy ways. But what I […]
I have been down for awhile, battling COVID. I am double-vaccinated, boosted, am really good about masking and err as often as possible to the side of caution, but I got it anyway and it sucks. I have been a strong proponent of vaccinations and masking, have been really impatient […]
People’s United Methodist Church has a year-long theme for 2022 – Mercy and Justice for All. At one level, this is self-explanatory; at another it involves some complex unpacking. It is hard to imagine that any Christian believer would find fault with such a sentiment and theme, yet we see […]
What makes a Christian a Christian? Does going to church make one a Christian? Does simply calling oneself a Christian make it so? Is it merely a matter of believing that Jesus is the Son of God? Or is there anything more? Does being a Christian demand any kind of […]
Holy and wonderful is this season of Advent waiting, because we know how it all turns out. A healthy and beautiful baby is born against incredible odds to incarnate God into our daily lived reality. We don’t treat this child to well as an adult, and end up wrongly putting […]
As Christmas comes rocketing toward us one more time, it is wonderful to reflect on this “most wonderful time of the year,” but it always raises a few questions for me: why is it so hard to maintain “Christmas cheer” and “goodwill” the rest of the year? Why does hatred […]
One of the clearest signs of maturity is the ability to take responsibility for one’s own thoughts, words, and actions. In our current cultural climate, it has become painfully obvious that maturity is NOT one of our defining qualities and taking responsibility is not one of our guiding values. And […]
Have you noticed all the “zero sugar” sodas out now? Not “diet,” but “zero sugar.” All the flavor, none of the calories? I am seeing some unpleasant parallels with today’s church… All the pretense, none of the commitment All the judgment, none of the compassion All of the benefits, none […]
I was talking with a woman in our community about church. She told me, “I used to love coming to Christmas Eve services, but I just got fed up with all the religious baggage.” I asked her to explain what she meant, so she went on, “I love the music, […]
I was watching a report on the economic impacts of the pandemic on people in the United States, especially on employment as we are finding ourselves in a place of contradictions and paradoxes. We are seeing high unemployment numbers at the same time we are seeing a steep increase in […]
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