Category: Culture

What’s going on, who we are, and what the big deal is.

  • Hostile Christmas Signs

    After posting about the hostility shown to retailers on the 26th, I came across this link to “7 unseasonably hostile notes written to neighbors during the holidays.”  Please note that hostility should also imply vulgarity…

  • It’s Still Christmas, Jerk!

    Last week was a particularly hard week for us.  My wife is in retail management, so that means we all have to follow the life patterns of the craziest time of the year.  Sales were very strong for our Barnes & Noble and the few times I foolishly ventured near the shopping center, I almost…

  • It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

    My friend Penny brings new light to Christmas through a discovery of a missing verse from the classic hymn: “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”. I’ve always loved this evocative hymn, with its angels and their unfurled wings coming to us through a mysterious door from heaven to bring God’s news to us in splendid…

  • Posteriors, Hypocrisy, and Sexist Politics

    There’s something about serial hypocrisy that just doesn’t taste right.  This is particularly the case when what is being said is 1) mean spirited and 2) not something you’d say about your own Mama.  Personally, I come from the school that says you probably should steer clear of calling someone’s Mama something you wouldn’t want…

  • A Second Wedding

    Last night I presided over a reaffirmation of marriage for an amazing couple.  Bill and Amy have been married for 20 years, and as they described to me, almost all of it has been wonderful.  But some of it was incredibly rough.  So this was  a really big deal. I was moved by their devotion to one…

  • A New Theme

    I’m testing out a new theme for my blog.  Come take a look and let me know what you think.

  • Telling Secrets: “…Another World Is Possible.”

    Elizabeth Kaeton preached the quintessential Advent 4 sermon–about Occupy Wall Street.  Amazing! This has me moved to see a simple idea.  Head on over, read it, and then reflect over that picture of Bishop Packard for a moment.  When you are done, come back and ask yourself the following question: What if, in the midst…

  • The End of War

    With the Iraq Conflict coming to its formal conclusion, it seems a worthy moment to reflect on war. Specifically, how our understanding of what war is has changed. The dictionary will have multiple definitions of war, but I think there are two essential understandings: A situation in which two or more entities publicly, intentionally, and…