As the world commemorates World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, consider this:# More than 15 million children younger than 17 are orphans because of AIDS.# In the two decades since the AIDS pandemic began, more than 30 million have died worldwide, and nearly 38 million are living with HIV/AIDS.From World Vision You speak of signs […]

Here’s another quote from Exclusion and Embrace that stopped me in my tracks. My thesis that the practice of nonviolence requires a belief in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many Christians, especially theologians in the West. To the person inclined to dismiss it, I suggest imagining that you are delivering a lecture in a […]

There’s a certain rhythm to Thanksgiving week. On Wednesday everyone flies into a designated location. We’re thankful for the opportunity to get together with family. “My how the kids of have grown.” “You look great, have you lost weight?” On Thursday we’re thankful for food, football, and a warm fire. “My your kids are spirited.” […]

Today I saw the same cryptic ad in both “Newsweek” and “Entertainment Weekly.” It’s a full page and has the words “Do You Dare?” in the center against a dark background. At the bottom of the page is www.wrathofgod.info. I had to see what this was about. About halfway through the video I started to […]

I’ll be away from the computer for a few days. I’ll be back to blogging in December.

I’m really getting into “Lost.” It is slightly off-center, which is what all shows about people stranded on an island should be. It’s just like Gilligan’s Island, only different.

Last Sunday I spoke about death–its inevitability (You hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability. It is the sound….of your death.) and the way our culture does everything possible to avoid its reality. I used one of my favorite lines from “Fight Club” as a refrain: “On a long enough timeline, the […]

I finished “Lawrence of Arabia” yesterday. Talk about a long movie. It was good though. One challenge with watching older movies is their slower pace. Even when there is a bunch of action, it comes more slowly. Next up: The Graduate

The New York Times talks about U2’s new album. There are some great quotes to be found. My favorite: “There’s cathedrals and the alleyway in our music,” Bono said. “I think the alleyway is usually on the way to the cathedral, where you can hear your own footsteps and you’re slightly nervous and looking over […]

I’m sitting in Panera Bread enjoying their free Wi-Fi connection. I’m pretty sure this will become my office away from the office. I would prefer to make Starbucks my office, but they haven’t ponied up the free stuff yet. I’m making a concerted effort to get out of my church office more and hang out […]