It’s probably bad form for a pastor to post her “first thoughts” about Sunday’s scripture passages on Thursday night. I know I should be well past the “first thoughts” stage by now . . . but it’s been one of those weeks. Here’s part of what we read this Sunday from Isaiah: “He will strike…
Awhile back I heard a piece on NPR about the Harry Potter Alliance. It’s a group of fans who come together around various philanthropic and social justice issues. They sent five cargo planes full of supplies to Haiti after the earthquake. They’ve campaigned on behalf of marriage equality and genocide prevention. They’ve stocked libraries in…
(with apologies–make that “thanks”–to Robert Fulghum) 1. Car trips go much faster if you take a nap. 2. Genetics has little to do with family; if you’re at the table, you’re in. 3. Even if someone’s politics and theology are completely screwed up, you still have to say “please” when you ask them to pass…
I was a creative writing major in college. I chose my major by going through the course catalog and circling all of the classes I wanted to take. (Emory & Henry is a small school.) Then I figured out which major I would end up with if I took them. And it wasn’t just about…
The New International Version is the Bible translation of choice for English-speaking evangelicals. So you might be surprised to learn that the 2002 “update” of the translation chose to use gender-neutral language for humanity. And you might not be surprised to learn that this proved to be a marketing disaster. The translation committee will not…
My Facebook (and real life) friend Joel Mathis recently alerted me to a troublesome article by Bryan Fischer in the online publication The Moral Liberal. (The views expressed in this publication are neither moral, nor liberal. Discuss.) This article is entitled “The Feminization of the Medal of Honor.” Fischer has noticed that we aren’t giving…
I hate war. But I do not hate soldiers. I believe engaging in armed combat goes against the teachings of Jesus. But I respect the fact that war veterans have made incredible sacrifices for causes they believed to be noble. I am generally in favor of cutting military spending. But I think we should increase…
Particularly if you love Madeline L’Engle’s fantasy novels, you should treat yourself to When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead. It has time travel, mystery, even a little teen romance. The main character, Miranda, loves L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, and references to the classic book are sprinkled throughout the novel. I fell in love…
Do you want to hear something funny? On Wednesday morning I made a list of things that I needed to do. You know, things I had been meaning to do for weeks, or even months, and just hadn’t gotten around to. Like putting away all of the clothes that are draped over the chest next…
On All Saints Day yesterday, I was particularly thinking of my father-in-law, Dennis Ellett. He died at the terribly young age of 61 on April 28, 2007. His heart just stopped. He never finished building the partially-constructed airplane in his garage. He never carried out his plans to smuggle Bibles into China. He never met…
Spacious Faith 