Category Archives: culture

March for Our Lives – Richmond, Va.

Posted on March 24, 2018 by jim
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The power of positive thinking. Really.

Posted on February 19, 2018 by jim

Positive thinking seldom cures debilitating diseases. All the prayers in the world won’t regrow an amputated limb. But how you respond to situations lays the foundation for future situations. Scripture says the rain falls on the just and the unjust. … Continue reading →

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Cultural Christians ~ when Christianity isn’t Christianity

Posted on February 11, 2018 by jim

A prominent voice in mainstream media is Cultural Christians who care more about the culture than they do about actually following the teachings of Jesus. You know who they are — sycophant, sympathetic apologists for sexist, racist bigots and patriarchal … Continue reading →

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Shamash — the helper

Posted on December 15, 2017 by jim

A seven-branched menorah symbolizes Jewish Temple tradition. The nine-branched Hanukkah menorah is lit during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah. A new branch is lit on each night of Hanukkah. In the ancient story, when the Maccabean revolt led to the … Continue reading →

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Hanukkah

Posted on December 12, 2017 by jim

Kiel, Germany, December, 1931. Rachel Posner, the Rabbi’s wife, took this photo in her living room, across the street from the Nazi headquarters. It was the last night of Hanukkah. Hate, vitriol and racist lies were sweeping across Germany. Rachel … Continue reading →

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As much as we’d like to see Nazis get punched in the face

Posted on December 5, 2017 by jim

As much as we’d like to see Nazis get punched in the face, It’s wrong to punch people in the face. Even racist, bigoted, Nazis. Even racist bigots who feel emboldened by the support of the President of the United … Continue reading →

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Stress

Posted on November 28, 2017 by jim

Life is stressful. The news is stressful. All forms of social media are stressful. Finances, college funds, finding a new job, car repairs, relationships, family — the list goes on and on. Internal issues like fear and insecurity can create … Continue reading →

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Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and a cat

Posted on November 26, 2017 by jim

During the week before Christmas last year, my Facebook page lit up like a Christmas tree. Every hour the interaction and reach grew, and then grew faster. Increasing by more than 1,000 percent. The page reached 2.3 million people and … Continue reading →

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What masks do you wear to hide your authentic self?

Posted on November 25, 2017 by jim

What makes us who we are? I’m not talking about the roles we fill — doing work, raising children, being a spouse, a friend, or a member of the choir. What person are we as we perform the roles of … Continue reading →

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Who is thankful for you?

Posted on November 24, 2017 by jim

If that’s how they talk to each other in public, I thought, I can’t imagine how they speak to one another at home. I was at the grocery a few days before Thanksgiving. Another middle age couple passed by, arguing … Continue reading →

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American patriarchy

Posted on November 12, 2017 by jim

Across the American landscape men are losing their jobs amid revelations of sexual misconduct, some of it illegal, all of it immoral examples of a bigger issue. Republican politicians face accusations of sex crimes, and a pathetic portion of Christians … Continue reading →

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Celtic Christianity

Posted on November 6, 2017 by jim

I had a great conversation recently with John Philip Newell. John Philip is one of the world’s leading experts on Celtic Christianity. All Celtic Christian services I have attended have been similar: quietly contemplative, prayerfully pensive and filled with moving … Continue reading →

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Resolutions

Posted on November 4, 2017 by jim

In recognition of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, and Martin Luther nailing his 95 thesis to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, my church recorded our hopes and wishes for the future of the congregation and … Continue reading →

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The crisis in the U.S. church

Posted on October 24, 2017 by jim

“How can you be a Christian and support abortion?” “How can you be a Christian and support Trump?” Seemingly simple, the distance between the questions is massive, made wider by  Christology, pneumatology, eschatology and Biblical hermeneutic. Simple questions are seldom … Continue reading →

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