The flame has been extinguished. The medals have all been awarded, for the most part (apparently gymnastics is getting a bit gymnasty about the bronze medal). The games of the XXXIII Olympiad have concluded. We may all return to our regularly scheduled routines. We no longer need to sneak a peek at our phones to see how our favorite American athletes are faring. Or, perhaps you wanted to watch...
Going for Gold: Olympic Offending
If being offended were an Olympic event, there would be some stiff competition for the gold. I’ll be honest; I was personally a little offended by the opening ceremony. I wasn’t offended because of any specific scene I witnessed, though the organizers definitely crossed lines of propriety from my perspective. I was offended because it was boring and confusing, and especially because they...
People or Problems: What do we see?
One of my favorite past times is people watching. It’s like reality television, but without the manufactured story lines that come with finely tuned editing and various levels of scripting. Out in the wild, people are just living life. And that, in and of itself, provides plenty to see for those who are paying attention. Last week, I spent a day on a Florida beach. While I try to focus my...
Baby, It’s Cold Outside: From Concerns to Contributions
Some of the songs we call Christmas songs would more rightly be called winter songs. Songs like Let It Snow, Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, and Walking In A Winter Wonderland are really focused on enjoying the winter weather. Baby, It’s Cold Outside also fits into this category of songs. Rather than celebrating the wintry conditions, however, a concerned boyfriend attempts to dissuade his lady love...
Out of the Armchair and Into the Action
Athletics have become an important feature of the American social experience. Gyms, stadiums, and ball fields have become crucial connecting points where people gather with friends and family, rally around shared interests and affinities, and loudly explain to those on the playing surface how they are doing it wrong and how it could be done better. We call this practice “Armchair...
When Words Fail (The Power of Presence)
In my years of pastoral ministry, I’ve officiated more funerals than I can count. Each of them, in various ways and to differing degrees, weighed heavily on my heart and mind. Even at times when the service was a celebration of a long life shared with a legion of well-loved family and friends in faithful service to the Savior, my heart hurts for and with the family and my mind strains to find the...
God’s Forgotten Children (Or, Have God’s Children Forgotten?)
My good friend and associate pastor, Nathan Parker, and I have the great privilege of periodically leading communion services for residents at a local nursing home here in Seymour. Pastor Nathan leads a few hymns, which the attending residents sing with gusto, I present a short devotional message from the Bible, and we celebrate communion together. Following the service, we normally hang around...
Working for the Win
We have a regular ritual in the Myers household every Monday morning. Once we have all gotten ourselves dressed and ready for the day we all converge in the kitchen. As I work on preparing a fresh pot of one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind, I pose the same question I ask every week: “What should I write about for my blog/column this week?” The responses provided to this very basic, yet...
Good Samaritans: Lessons from the Side of I-65
It’s a fairly common scene that all of us have observed while traveling. There, on the side of a busy highway, is a parked vehicle with hazard lights flashing. At least one passenger is on the phone, desperately trying to find help. Perhaps one or two are crouched over by a flat tire, leaning over looking into a smoking engine bay, or quickly walking around the vehicle trying to figure out what...
Held in Contempt (Called to Compassion)
Several years ago, I received a summons to jury duty. I know there are mixed feelings about receiving such a summons, but I was fairly ambivalent about it all. Like most people, I had other responsibilities and commitments calling for my time, but I also was extremely curious about how the whole process worked and was more than willing to fulfill my duties as a citizen of this great nation of...
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