I had an interesting dinner the other night. My guest was a ruling elder at one of the largest (if not the largest) Presbyterian churches in our fair city. Over our second scotch and after a lengthy discussion of the original series Star Trek movies, he suddenly shifted the topic. He brought up everything weContinue reading “Edified by Wasted Time”
Category Archives: Impromptus
Goodbye to Hazel
Today I attended the funeral of a christian titan. Thousands of people were ministered to her and very few probably remember this force of the gospel in such a diminutive form. Her name was Hazel and she passed away at age 91. Her adult life was evangelism to children, most of the time in Spanish.Continue reading “Goodbye to Hazel”
Just Shy of an Android Priest
It’s usually the smells and bells that lure people away into Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. Though they deny it, claiming that it is the beauty and depth of the service, when you boil it down it is the pageantry of it all. But really there is only a centuries difference that separates the smells andContinue reading “Just Shy of an Android Priest”
The Shame and the Mask
Yesterday while beavering away on this blog, I was seated at my watering hole Hammer and Ale, and a woman was seated a table or so away. She wore a mask between sips that boldly declared, “I’m vaccinated.” There is something about this new bump from delta that has people heaving a huge sigh ofContinue reading “The Shame and the Mask”
The Stories He Tells Part 2
And the truth comes out! The fifth episode of Mike Cosper’s podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill* didn’t even bother to hide it’s goals in attacking complementarianism by attaching it to Mark Driscoll. Early on Cosper even admits that the subject matter of the episode seems to have nothing to do with theContinue reading “The Stories He Tells Part 2”
The Stories He Tells Himself (Or Mike Cosper’s Ax to Grind)
Lets just jump in and admit that there was already very little chance that I was going to be a fan of Christianity Today’s new podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. Four episodes in and I think I can put my finger on the major problems. It is customary to, on the frontContinue reading “The Stories He Tells Himself (Or Mike Cosper’s Ax to Grind)”
The Failed Pastor’s Kid
“And that was our last Sunday at Wildwood Baptist.” My father tossed that line off as if it were no big concern. I was shocked, there had been no clue this had been coming. That morning in the service there had been no mention of our leaving, no tears, everything had seemed completely and entirelyContinue reading “The Failed Pastor’s Kid”
Positive Pleasures
It might be said that there is an over use of the Screwtape Letters on this blog. However, I find Lewis’ demonic alter ego to be not only pity, and insightful, but a real delight to read. As such I will use him to accentuate the ongoing thinking on pleasures as a gift from God,Continue reading “Positive Pleasures”
The Marx Brothers Leading Worship
“Pause now for a strange interlude…” – Groucho Marx This is what runs through my head every time a song leader in a contemporary church lets off with a wail, an “OOOOOoooooo”, a “YEAAAAAAhhhhh”, or whatever else melodic filler shows up in a song. Likewise whenever there is a section of rapid improvised declarations overContinue reading “The Marx Brothers Leading Worship”
Idols of Hatred
When considering the inexorable law of becoming like what you worship, an interesting scenic route would be to ponder the worship of a thing that is hated by person who worships it. At first there seems to be a contradiction, but that is no difficulty to overcome by modern man. “Your man has been accustomed,Continue reading “Idols of Hatred”
