There is a great scene in Star Wars Return of the Jedi, when Princess Leia, who has been taken captive by the maniacal criminal Jabba the Hutt uses the very chain by which she is held captive to strangle the life out of Jabba. Contemplating this scene, it occurred to me that all of us … Continue reading Without Fear…
It seems with every Christmas season there are questions about what and how Christians should celebrate the Holidays. I think about these kinds of questions often in relation to how we generally respond to culture. Perhaps these are some thoughts that you may find helpful. It is important I think, not to become overly concerned … Continue reading What about all these pagan influences?
Wisdom comes to us by way of an unknown author who muses, “What a teacher writes on the blackboard of a life can never be erased.” This is certainly true for my life as I recall the continuing impact of many teachers, among them my Junior High P.E. Coach Jerry Austin. Remembering his influence has … Continue reading Remembering Coach Austin and every teacher who tries…
In 1949 the legendary singer and songwriter Hank Williams recorded these infamous words as a way of dealing with the torment of love and loss; Hear that lonesome whippoorwillHe sounds too blue to flyThe midnight train is whining lowI'm so lonesome I could cryI've never seen a night so longWhen time goes crawling byThe moon … Continue reading The longing of a lonely lament.
Author Eliza Tabor once said, “Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.” For many the Holiday season is a time of intense disappointment, from the trivial, such as not receiving the gift you had asked for on Christmas morning, to the more … Continue reading When you’re disappointed at Christmas…
Brandon Bernard's last words were "I wish I could take it all back, but I can’t." "I’m sorry,” he said, looking at the witness room windows. “That’s the only words that I can say that completely capture how I feel now and how I felt that day.” By all accounts Bernard was a reformed man … Continue reading Is this the death of the American Dream?
I'm old enough to remember the origin of the pejorative axiom "Jumping the shark." It happened on the third part of the fifth season premiere of Happy Days on September 20,1977. Fonzi, a leather jacket clad biker rebel, shed his jeans (but not his jacket) and donned a pair of water skis to actually jump … Continue reading When the Church “Jumps the Shark.”
On this first day of Advent a cold wind blusters our parcel in Oklahoma, and like many in America today, we awakened to the chill of grief this mistral brings. In addition to the approximately 90,000 Americans who spent the Thanksgiving holiday in the hospital, and the nearly 2000 Americans who died today from the … Continue reading A joy still to come…
Who cooks and who cleans reveals a great deal about who we are as Americans and how we approach traditions and evolving mores in our society. Thanksgiving, as a holiday is an opportunity to examine these long held ways of taking care of household responsibilities. And in the interest of full disclosure, I readily admit … Continue reading Turkeys, sexuality, and culture. A thanksgiving reflection.
Twenty five years ago this week, one of the most influential records in my life was released. dc Talk's Jesus Freak is still cited as one of Contemporary Christian Music's most influential albums and is still the subject of praise and criticism. I thought I would revisit a review of the book Jesus Freak to … Continue reading 25 years later and still a “Jesus Freak”
