Misc things that sprout in my mind (default cat)
We spent the four days before Christmas this year in Chicago. The picture above was taken from our hotel room window. As you can see we stayed in the heart of the city. More pictures from this trip coming soon. Continue reading Chicago Christmas
After the flurry of posts around my leaving my church of eight years this two week respite has been refreshing. I will probably start up again soon. Via this post I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. May we all spend a few extra minutes in the next days contemplating some of the red letters. After all that is what this day is really all about. Continue reading Merry Christmas…
I don’t believe that the collection of documents put together in the fourth century by Emperor Constantine’s council which is known today as the Bible was one hundred percent dictated by God. Because I believe there is a human element to it some say that I surely must therefore deem it all worthless. No! No! No! I really tire of saying this but I must repeatedly explain to them that that is absolutely not the case! I am unlike most of the inquisitors on this topic in that I am not an all-or-nothing person. I am instead like the most … Continue reading What about the Bible???
I know some of you might be confused by the title of this post. Let me assure you up front that it is not about how you make your body pure by eating worms :) . This topic is much too heavy to settle well in your stomach even if it were steak. The theme of the next three posts is really about is that we have done a great disservice to the Body of Christ by believing that we are the only ones who totally understand what being a Christian is really about. The belief is that since we … Continue reading Institutional Purity & the Diet of Worms
Here is a picture of the Michigan State Capital building taken in September when we were on our way to Mackinac Island Continue reading State Capital
Here is one not too many people have probably seen. It is a small lighthouse in Neenah Wisconsin. The picture was taken in 1986 but it still looks the same today. Continue reading Lake Winnebago Light House
Jesus warned us not to pledge our allegiance to worldly things but instead to give that honor to God alone. His most often example of idolatry was money. But today there is literally a myriad of things that we have chosen to put up as idols in God’s place. One of these in my mind is the greed around the concept of universal healthcare. Jesus clearly told us to be our brother’s keeper. I can’t think of a more poignant area where where are not following his command to be our brother’s keeper than denying healthcare to those of meager … Continue reading Is the Greed around Universal Healthcare a form of idolatry???
In questioning this claim, my wish is not to diminish the life of Jesus, but to honor it as fully as I can by asking whether his elevation to divinity is something he would have wanted. One telling clue to Jesus’s self-awareness can be found in the tenth chapter of the gospel of Mark when Jesus was approached by a man who called him “Good Teacher” (v. 17). Jesus’s response was immediate and startling, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (v. 18). I have heard some say Jesus was, in a clever way, … Continue reading Did Jesus Ask Us to Worship Him??
I have been doing some studying on the concept of universal salvation or reconciliation. Here is what Wikipedia says about it: Origen was a 3rd century proponent of Universal Reconciliation. The belief in the eventual salvation of all humankind has been a topic of debate throughout the history of the Christian faith. In the early Church, universalism was a flourishing theological doctrine. Reconciliation is the main belief that distinguishes Christian Universalism from other forms of Christianity. Various theologians, including Clement of Alexandria and Origen in the 3rd century, St. Gregory of Nyssa in the 4th century, and St. Isaac the … Continue reading Universal Salvation..
Here is a quote by Philip Gulley who is a Quaker minister and author. I couldn’t have said it any better At the end of the day, it is important to remember that while the institutional church is important to us, Jesus appeared to give it little thought. Though the church eventually became the means by which the story and witness of Jesus spread, neither its genesis nor continuance seemed a priority to him. Time after time, meeting human needs took center stage in his life and ministry. Indeed, when Jesus did speak of institutional religion, he was often scathing, … Continue reading The Institutional Church
I believe that affirming our potential is more important than condemning our brokenness. Many churches I have attended put a very strong I would even say an overwhelming emphasis on our brokenness. Their creeds which are chanted every Sunday point out that we are nothing but poor miserable sinners and are capable of absolutely nothing good. Besides causing inferiority complexes in those to buy into that thought it is also does very little to attract those not familiar with the true words of Jesus and the positive things he wants us to accomplish while on this earth. Most of the … Continue reading Affirming our Potential
I know that I am not the only person in the U.S. who is deaf. In reality there are more than three million of us around. About two million of those are like me who went deaf as an adult. That means for Indiana where I live there are about forty thousand of us around. But since I am not active in any deaf clubs or organizations I seldom come across another deaf person in my daily life. When I do I am most often too surprised to try to effectively communicate with them. So, to me being deaf almost … Continue reading Being alone in the world…
Let’s do a couple of other posts with my pictures of Mexico. This time we will concentrate on Tequila :) We were very privileged to have a private tour of the tequila plant by one of the owners! These pictures were taken in 1995. Continue reading South of the Border (con’t)….
We visited Louisville in April 2010. No, we didn’t go to Churchill Downs but did visit the Louisville Slugger store. Louisville has some unique statues throughout the downtown area. Continue reading Louisville, KY…
Let’s do one more series on the Eastern seaboard. These were taken during a 1998 long weekend on the island of Nantucket. My wife being a basket collector insisted we had to go there so she could get a Nantucket basket. President Clinton and family were there that same weekend. We didn’t run across them but the local newspaper was full of pictures of their visit. Continue reading Nantucket …
My wife and I have always had pets around our homes. I can’t imagine life without them. So, I have put together this collage of some of our furry, and not so furry, friends. No, we don’t actually have any pet cows but I think if Yvonne could have figured out how to get one in our trunk we would have! :) Continue reading The Pets of my Life…
The Des Moines Botanical Center is not one of the largest we have visited but it probably one of the best maintained (both inside and out). Date Visited June 2010 Continue reading Des Moines Botanical Center – Des Moines, IA
These pictures of the Iowa Historical Museum, that is in front of the Capital Building, were also taken during our June 2010 trip. Besides the Iowa political primaries section of the museum one of my favorite things was the skyscraper made from Leggo blocks that was in the lobby. Continue reading Iowa Historical Museum – Des Moines, IA
Here are some pictures from inside the Des Moines Capital building. I particularly like the library with the spiral staircase. As usual click on any photo below to see a larger image. Continue reading Inside the Capital Building – Des Moines, IA
Let’s stay in Des Moines for a few more posts. Here are some pictures of the outside of the Capital building. It is one of the most beautiful capitals we have visited in the U.S. But, we did get there at the peak flower time. Whenever we visit a State we always try to manage a visit to the Capital. Continue reading Capital Building – Des Moines, IA
We visited here in June of this year. They have, in addition to the town in the pictures, several different farms set representing different Iowa farming eras. as usual click on a thumb nail below to see a full size version Continue reading Living History Farms – Des Moines IA
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 