NOTE: there are NO spoilers in this comment on the movie MarDee and I just saw the movie “Oblivion“ directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman. I loved it! It’s not Oscar material, nor the most amazing acting. Reviews have not been stellar, with some noting the script is thin. That’s all keep reading
One of the ideals that strikes me in the Bible concerns the importance of intergenerational relationships. Sons are to learn from their fathers. Grandfathers are to hand down the precepts and wisdom they have learned to their children and grandchildren. In fact, God’s people are very much a story-telling and story-living community, faithfully handing down keep reading
On Friday, December 14, 2012, horror struck in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty 6 and 7 year olds were shot and killed, as well as 6 adults. Each new tragedy seems to surpass the previous one in awfulness. Vibrant college students, unsuspecting movie goers… terrible deaths! But small children, in greater numbers still than the devastating Oklahoma keep reading
“Nativity”, by Brian Kershisnik. Brigham Young Museum of Art. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. As this season of Advent comes to its joyful conclusion, a keep reading
Light triumphs over darkness, life over death, love over hate… again. In this amazing, surprising, exciting, never ending cycle that is both biological AND spiritual and that we know as life, once again hope has sprung anew! September 11th, for most of us, has meant loss, terror, conflict, death, meaninglessness. It’s a deeply unsettling day keep reading
A wise man once said, “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive.” That idea has been on my mind lately, for several reasons. FIRST, a few Olympic athletes have gotten themselves into some hot water for comments they’ve made on Twitter or other social media. On the one hand, keep reading
Based on the varied responses I got from the last post, I thought I’d compose a follow-up, in the form of a case study. I’ll introduce you to a homeless woman I met 2 months ago and have been counseling since, every 2-3 weeks, when she shows up, at Presbyterian Medical Care Mission of Abilene keep reading
Queen Marie Antoinette was rumored to have uttered, when told that the people were starving and had no bread to eat, the infamous words “if they have no bread, then let them eat cake”. While the words are really from Jean Jacques Rousseau’s recollection about some princess who predated Marie Antoinette, the statement has become keep reading
I take the doctrine of the incarnation seriously. I think the early evangelists did as well. In fact, they include details in their narratives that emphasize Jesus’ humanity, simple acts that tell a profound story. Let me share four snapshots from the Gospels: 1. Tears In John 11:35, we read, simply, that “Jesus wept” when he keep reading
As a Christian who does his best to be self-aware and as a practicing psychologist who has devoted his life to dealing with the psychological and emotional aspects of human behavior, I find one particular idea in Scripture rather challenging. It has to do with the relative (un)importance of motives. The following biblical passages get keep reading