Tomorrow marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a time of preparation for Christmas and Jesus' coming. Several years ago I wrote an Advent devotional based on various celebrations happening over the course of the next month which have come to be associated with Christmas. I have decided to present that devotional here during... Continue Reading →
I have little kids, which means this time of year I watch Christmas programs with them and being the relatively strange person I am I cannot help thinking about what these shows are teaching my kids. To many analyzing the philosophy behind kids shows is a laughable, but there are times, and Christmas is often... Continue Reading →
A new study finds that 40% of Americans believe there is a "war on Christmas", specifically that secular, pluralistic, woke, and/or other liberal forces are stealing Christmas from us (news story here). But this line of thinking is simply another avenue of Christian Nationalism that has seeped into the collective conscious of political conservatives. Christmas... Continue Reading →
I recently saw an article which I did not have time in the moment to read and have not found since, but the head line was to the effect "Columbus is a Part of Our Heritage". I have since been thinking about Christopher Columbus and our celebration of the "discovery of America". I do think... Continue Reading →
There are just times in life where I resonate with Charlie Brown, I ask, “Advent is a time of expectation and anticipation, but what am I expecting?” And I hear in response, “Well Christmas …Duh.” I look around and I ask, “Is that what everyone else is expecting?” “Well, yes.” “So, these people burning themselves... Continue Reading →
This morning I woke up around 6:30 am it was completely dark in my house, sometime around 7:00 the first rays of sun broke over the hilltops and by 7:30 sun was up. There was an obvious progression from dark to light, a progression which could be predicted and timed. We are all used to... Continue Reading →
What does it mean to pity someone and who should we pity? As a rule, I hate resorting to the dictionary definition of a word, but, I do like the way the Oxford English Dictionary frames its definition: “The feeling of sorrow and compassion at the sufferings and misfortunes of others.” Sometimes suffering is easy... Continue Reading →
I really wish I knew who to credit for this quote because it is spot on. Only in America can we show our gratitude for the things we have on Thursday; then spend Friday in a mad dash to get more. It is unbelievable that this whole week we will have buildup, not to Thanksgiving,... Continue Reading →
Sunday evening, I happened to catch something on TV that struck me, I was not paying attention to the show and have little context for what I saw. A man was talking about how much he loved Christmas, and began to list the reasons why. Nowhere, however, did he list Jesus. Then, Monday I opened... Continue Reading →
Saints & Idiots 