Yesterday I had an opportunity to preach in church about my favorite movie, and the new reboot of said movie. As is my tradition, here is the transcript of the message: I had been waiting for them to make Ghostbusters 3 since 1989, ever since I walked out of the theater with my father having […]
Category Archives: God
I Am Not My Body
It was as I was thinking about taking my car in for its periodic oil change and tune-up that it occurred to me. I am not my body. I inhabit my body, to be sure, but I have no more control over it than I do over my car. It isn’t me; it is something […]
Who Should You Blame When Your DNA is Faulty?
It is not an easy thing, getting genetic testing done on your DNA. For one thing it is very expensive, and insurance companies don’t always like to pay for it. And by “very expensive” I mean “more than I have made in the past decade.” So you don’t want to just have it done without […]
George Bailey and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad, Wonderful Life
When Mark, Rachel, and I first sat down to discuss the possibility of doing another movie sermon series, this time based on the idea of a “call,” there were dozens of film suggestions thrown out into the ring. When “It’s a Wonderful Life” was mentioned I quickly stiffened and said “That is one of my […]
Peeps and Mountain Dew
Well, it is officially Lent. In the past, I have tried to give up something for Lent, although this year all of my plans have been thwarted. I had originally thought that I would give up staying up past midnight, but then I had to pick my mother up at the airport at midnight last […]
Deep Theological Discussions with Elementary School Children
The scene: a gathering of Sunday School children. The place: a church chapel. The time: yesterday morning. The joy: LEADER: “Okay everyone, as you might remember, this month we’re talking about the greatest commandment…” CHILD 1: “DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT!” (runs off) LEADER: “Now, can anyone tell me what the greatest […]
If Women Are Not Objects, Why Are Objects Women?
For some reason, going to church makes me think a lot about gender issues. Perhaps it is the seemingly constant struggle and debate over the gender of God that does it to me. Does God even have a gender? Yeah, I know, ancient texts refer to God as “he,” but back then every authority figure […]
A “Christmas and Easter” Football Fan
Perhaps you have heard the term “Christmas and Easter Christians” before, or perhaps you haven’t. It is a term that we, the “regular” churchgoing members use to describe those people that we only see twice a year. They might be members of the church, or they might not, but they do not attend weekly services, […]
Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
Throughout history and across time, a few questions echo in our collective human subconsciousness with greater intensity than any others. Why are we here? What happens after death? Why do bad things happen to good people? Many religions attempt to answer these questions, some in more definitive ways than others, but after surviving a hurricane […]