Did you ever watch The Simpsons? I’ve got most of the first seven seasons memorized, seared into my brain from repetitive viewing on VHS tapes. Along with the Star Wars trilogy, The Simpsons are part of my personal canon. My favorite character is, by far, Mr. Burns. Montgomery Burns is so absurdly callous and evil; he’s hilarious …
I haven’t been getting a lot of down time lately. In the last few weeks I’ve started a new full-time job, and we’ve welcomed our son George into the world. It’s a lot. This is probably the most intense and full my life has ever been. My days are full of wonderful work out in …
Observant readers of this blog might have noticed that I didn’t release a post on Monday. Sorry about that. My wife and I were busy welcoming our baby boy into the world. We just brought little George home today, and I have a few minutes to type this out while Mama and Grandma are spending some quality time …
Church would be a lot more interesting if there were more intercourse going on. OK, I know this sounds crazy. Just hear me out. We’ve resisted it for centuries, but I think it’s finally time for us to give into temptation. After all, God created sexual reproduction as the primary way that life happens; why …
Can you imagine what Easter would look like if Hollywood got to write the story? It’d be like the end of every action movie ever. The disciples would arrive cheering, carrying the resurrected Jesus on their shoulders right up to the Temple. The chief priests would be humiliated. Pontius Pilate would beg for forgiveness. You were right all along, …
Don’t know how to tell if God is talking to you? It’s a common problem. When I was a kid, folks at church taught me that God speaks to each one of us. I learned about Moses talking with the Burning Bush, and Paul’s blinding encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. These stories were inspiring, but …
Are you a fundamentalist? For a long time, I thought that fundamentalism was a right-wing phenomenon. But I’ve realized that just about anybody can get trapped in a fundamentalist mindset. Whether it’s gay rights, the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, abortion, climate change, or racial justice – all of our most cherished beliefs are susceptible to the …