I try to stay away from politics in my humble ramblings. I learned my lesson about trying to make a spiritual point with a political example in my first book. Nothing causes people to take the grace card off the table quicker than being on the wrong side of their political views. So I proceed with great humility in this post. I know the White House has a lot on their plate. I know that there is a lot to track every day. But doesn’t someone have a TV Guide at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Of all the the shows they could have preempted why did they have to preempt A Charlie Brown Christmas? I would be happy to give them a list of shows that would benefit the culture by preempting them. But no one asked. A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my annual delights. The message of Christmas and the meaning of Christmas is powerfully portrayed in this classic show.
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I am still a fan of the daily comics in my local newspaper. I might skip the editorial page but I rarely miss my daily dose of  the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Since my brain was not wired according to factory specs I am fascinated by others that have odd wiring. Stephen Pastis is the genius behind this strip and he has created some great characters. At first glance the strip inhabitants don’t seem all that creative. There is a rat named Rat, a pig named Pig and a goat named Goat. Not a lot of anguish went into the naming phase. But the traits of the characters make for an entertaining and even insightful look into our own blemishes. Pig is the naive and innocent character. Goat is the thoughtful moral compass and Rat is the self-centered rodent that his species implies. A recent strip brought back memories of an early marital crisis.    Copyright Comics.com I strive to be transparent and
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I have been doing this church thing for a lot of years. I have sung hundreds of songs over the four decades or so that I have been darkening the church door. Some songs have great meaning to me. Some lyrics moved me to deep worship of God. Some times I really meant what I was singing. Other times I was singing through the motions while thinking about lunch and when the kick-off was going to happen. Gotta think that Satan loves the ADD brain. One song that has always made me uncomfortable came up on the iPod today. The song was put to music by the legendary George Beverly Shea in 1932. The words were a poem written by Mrs.Rhea Miller in 1922. Shea recalled the moment. At the age of twenty-three, I was living at home with my parents, continuing to work at Mutual Life Insurance and studying voice. Going to the piano one Sunday morning, I found a poem
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Today I was sitting at my nephew’s house in Southern Ohio when I heard a THUMP! Then another THUMP! Going to investigate I found that a beautiful Cardinal was sitting on a branch near the dining room window. I guess he saw his reflection because he would look at the window, take off and fly smack into it. THUMP! He did this over and over. (Actual shot of “Thumper the Concussed Redbird”) I remembered that I had a similar experience with a bird back in Texas so I was relieved that this is not just a Red State phenomenon. I thought I would revisit my comments on Avian behavior and how that relates to my personal journey. No, I have not yet seen my reflection in a mirror and attacked it. I would more likely move quickly away. I like to think I am smarter than that bird so I laugh and make fun of him for mindlessly hitting the same window time after time. Obviously he
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I have learned to reserve my use of the word hate. I don’t say that I hate those who oppose my faith. I don’t hate those who have opposite political views. I don’t even hate the Michigan Wolverines even though that will get my Buckeye passport revoked. I do, however, have a few things for which I will use the word hate. I hate legalism in Christianity. Legalism is answering to the wrong source of authority. Legalists default to religious traditions rather than the Word of God. My faith journey began in a legalistic church. I will probably always walk with a bit of a spiritual limp. Legalism has reared it’s ugly and sinful head in the lives of some very dear friends. They are being hurt by church-goers who are living in legalism.  Legalism takes the sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ and mixes in some “churchified” version of the law. Church by-laws occupy equal footing with God’s Word. Righteousness is no longer about Christ but about right behavior
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On too many occasions recently I have been visiting with someone who has cancer or who has a friend or family member with the disease. I sometimes refer them to the website to read some of our experiences during Joni’s breast cancer journey. I decided to make it easy for anyone who wants to share what God has taught us with others that are currently going through this trial. Here are some of the “cancer chronicles” that Joni and I have written over the past year. A word of encouragement to those beginning the journey. Cancer is scary. The treatments seem overwhelming. But here is what Joni and I have learned. God gives you the grace and strength to take this journey one step and one day at a time. You will look back at the end and wonder, “how did I do that?” Be encouraged that you can. Stay steadfast in your faith. Keep your sense of humor as much as possible. Determine that the
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A coalition of musicians including Pearl Jam and R. E. M. backed a formal demand yesterday to be told if their songs had been used to torture detainees in Guantánamo Bay and Iraq. There have been many allegations by former prisoners that they were blasted with excruciatingly loud music for months on end — a tactic that is banned under the UN Convention Against Torture but not yet from the US Army Field Manual. (London Times Online) I am not advocating torture (see, I’m not such a bad Christian) but I have to admit that it is pretty funny that one of the songs they allegedly used was a Barney the Purple Dinosaur song. “I Love, you love me, we’re a great big family…” Aghhhhhhhh! Stop. I’ll talk! If I were ever captured a  more effective way to get me to break would be to cue up a couple of TV preachers on a continuous loop. I wouldn’t last a
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