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Gutless Grieving: Taking Lamentations Seriously

Today, I have been fatherless for one month. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine my father dying of heart attack (no family history of them), suddenly leaving us without any opportunity to say “goodbye,” speak final words of love or simply say “thank you” for being a great father, a wonderful granddadContinue reading “Gutless Grieving: Taking Lamentations Seriously”

A Prayer of Lament & Forgiveness

How Lonely sits the city where silence now resides The doorways are clean and empty, the water basins full Yet, there are no ripples in the water No footprints in the walkways The corridors are silent- only filled with the tears of lament The joy of my heart has ceased, our dancing has been turnedContinue reading “A Prayer of Lament & Forgiveness “

NO! You haven’t been here: The Singularity of Grieving Loss

“Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent” – Ludwig Wittgenstein Experiencing the death of a loved one is not fact to be stated, a proposition that is an absolute truth. That a loved one has died IS a fact; that one has experienced the grief of the death is not a fact; itContinue reading “NO! You haven’t been here: The Singularity of Grieving Loss”

My Fathers Sermon on Peace

Two weeks ago, Feb 26th, was my father’s last Sunday alive. In usual fashion, he found himself at church around 9:30am preparing to teach Sunday School. I did not attend his Sunday School class that morning. I missed his last lesson. In retrospect, I wish I had not worked so much on the weekends,Continue reading “My Fathers Sermon on Peace”

We Are What We Do

There is an adage oft repeated by professors of history, theology and bible: form and content, form and content…are two sides of the same coin. To a fledgling student of these disciplines this statement sounds strange, even awkward. As people in cultures, we have preconceived ideas of the meaning of history, what we believe aboutContinue reading “We Are What We Do”

My Confession: God Made Me Do It! Or why I am in a DMin Program

It takes very little for many of us to become enamored with intellectualism and knowledge. This shouldn’t surprise us. Knowledge is power and when suddenly one acquires knowledge that seems to give you leverage over others…well, not only do you acquire said knowledge but one begins to sense the power associated therewith. It feels goodContinue reading “My Confession: God Made Me Do It! Or why I am in a DMin Program”

Thoughts From World 3

A fool can offer words, a creator can offer worlds An academic can show you a world, a dreamer invites you into it Consumers of knowledge are everywhere, generators of knowledge are the rarity Anyone can summarize the great thoughts of others, yet not simply anyone can have great thoughts An English teacher can beatContinue reading “Thoughts From World 3”

A Thanksgiving Re-Membering

It was probably 22 years ago when I made the comment that would follow me the rest of my days. I was a 13 year old kid riding in the back seat of my parents car on the way to West Virginia for Thanksgiving. My mother, always the astute observant one, said, “well today isContinue reading “A Thanksgiving Re-Membering”

Don’t Blame Your Vote on the Bible

A curious thing has happened this election cycle, the likes of which I have never witnessed in my 35 years of life: Christians are voting for a man that is completely morally bankrupt. It’s an unusual place for people of faith to find themselves in. Usually, at least where I grew up, the sinner isContinue reading “Don’t Blame Your Vote on the Bible”

Back to the Future and Syria…some lessons we must unlearn

I’ll never forget one of the opening scenes in the movie Back to the Future. Doc and Marty have gathered in a mall parking lot to experiment with Doc’s new time machine. This is the setting for the first test run of a machine that will travel through time and space. Einstein will be vindicated.Continue reading “Back to the Future and Syria…some lessons we must unlearn”