Loneliness and despair

I confess: sometimes I feel like punching Joel Osteen right in the face. It’s not personal. I kind of like the dude despite myself, sincere theological differences and personal style aside. But my angst has to do with those theological differences and that incessant smiling. Osteen’s is a Christian theology of prosperity (more or less) […]

Living loved?

I had an “Aha!” moment the other day while listening to my bishop’s sermon. It was one of those times when something you’ve heard several times before suddenly hits you in a different light. The realization was that there actually are moments and experiences in life we can’t force into being (who’da thunk it?). I’m […]

Mine!

Humanity often depresses me. I include myself in that broad generalization. It’s hard to see the big picture of God’s belief in our eternal value when constantly confronted with the ramifications of our temporal brokenness. I work for the U.S. federal government, and I will subtly suggest many of the stereotypes about bureaucratic inefficiency, redundancy, and endless […]

Bah, humbug!

Our society has turned the holiday season into Consumertopia. It’s impossible to think of Thanksgiving without thinking “Black Friday.” Starting in October we see stores decked out with wreaths, Santa, and elves. Come November our commercials have jingling bells and yuletide carols. The blatant over-saturation of 1950s holiday Americana (which in turn was a commercial […]

What is a Christian?

What are the qualifications for being a Christian? Is there criteria to be met? What does it mean to be considered a Christian? No surprise, the answer will depend on what kind of Christian you ask. I would like to attempt to provide the answer I think Jesus and the Apostles would have given (understanding – I […]

The real walking dead

The truth is we’re all zombies. The question is: what are we feeding on? Happy All Hallows’ Eve / Hallowe’en / Halloween! (the “eve” in this instance is the night before All Saints’ Day [All Hallows’ Day], a Christian feast day in honor of every saint) I present a ghoulishly-themed post in honor of the tradition […]

What’s in your head?

What goes in forms what comes out. There’s a ton of scientific research that documents the drastic impact the things we witness, watch, and listen to have in altering our brain chemistry. And like rivers eroding earth over time, when brain chemistry is altered, it can and does change the landscape of the brain itself, either […]