Remembering the “Eternal” Legacy of September 11th
After viewing some of the 9/11 memorial coverage, I grabbed Bruce Springsteen’s album The Rising and listened to it onmy drive. One of the songs titled “Into the Fire”waswritten (at least I assume) in the perspective of a loved onewho lostone of the firefightersthat day: The sky was falling and streaked with blood I heard you calling me, and then you disappeared Into dust Up the stairs, into the fire Up the stairs, into the fire In the midst of all the horrific...
Saving My Burned Out Christmas Lights
I have heard hundreds of sermons over the course of my life and attended a handful of Advent services. As I consider all of these messages, from the magical to the mundane, I can honestly say that few have left me with the practical day-to-dayadvice one pastor imparted when he pulled a “plastic gun” from his pocket and introduced the congregation to the wonders of the Light-Keeper-Pro (which makes the bold claim that it is the complete tool for fixing light sets and...
What is Your “Jerry Maguire” Moment?
I’m going to admit it. I am a sucker for Cameron Crowe films. I know what you’re thinking… Cameron Crowe movies are not real cool. I just love the way he tells a story. My favorite is the 90′s classic Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger and Cuba Gooding, Jr….but, it’s not because of the lame “you complete me” Hollywood-romance part of the movie, I promise. I love Jerry Maguire because of the vision… the one that keeps him...
How Well Can You Take a Punch?
My wife and I are casual boxing fans. We enjoy watching some of the bigger fights, especially with personalities like Manny Pacquiao and the British boxer Ricky Hatton (when he was in his prime). The famous fighter, Joe Frazier, passed away yesterday at the age of 67, and I was caught up watching highlights of him on ESPN. Frazier was ahead of my timeand I have onlyseen replays of his battles with Ali. But yesterday, as they showed footage of the fighter in his youth, I was struck...
When the Good News Makes for Good News
In a media culture that incessantly pushes the latest market dive or the impending death of some evil dictator to the forefront of their headlines, it is refreshing to read something hopeful and uplifting. There just isn’t enough reported about people of faith actually living the Good News. More often than not, the “religious” garner headlines for hateful and disparaging acts that are far from the true incarnation of our faith practice — like burning books...
