Refractions and Reflections

---1--- First, I read a couple of REALLY great blog posts this week elsewhere, and I wanted to share them. Both participate in 7QT, so some of you may have already read them. The first, in fact, is the post in which the host of 7QT, Jennifer, shared the video of the forum she participated in this week on Exploring God. If you didn't watch the video, I highly encourage you to watch it. It's just really good. The second was a post on sin by Leah Libresco over at Unequally Yoked. I wrote on sin, too, the day before she posted it, so it caught my attention. She sets up an analogy wherein she compares general "sin" to "punching someone in the face." She goes further, in reference to the line in Amazing Grace, "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear," and says: Punching people in the face is pretty bad, but what’s  worse  is punching them and not  noticing  and losing the opportunity to repent or make amends.  Then the relationship betwe...

Here's the thing about my never-ending search for truth. The center I usually start from is Jesus. Things tend to work out better when I do so, anyway. The last year or so I've been exploring the ways in which conservative Christianity - meaning fundamentalism - has been wrong. It seems my understanding of God and His mission in the world has changed so much...there have been moments when I have thought everything I grew up believing was wrong. For one thing, I grew up in a tradition in which (like most others, I think) there was a long list of things not to do - sins . Yeah, I know the theology of "sin" vs. "sins," and I know the views of Old Testament vs. New Testament and even the ultimate Law of Love (and liberalism). Honestly, for the last year or so, I have leaned heavily toward the latter option, pretty much to the exclusion of all else. But the last few days I've been thinking something different. In the Genesis account of the fall of huma...

---1--- Last Saturday (September 7) I went with a friend to the Greater Ozarks Bluesfest . It was a hot day, but not too hot, and for most of it we happily sat in our lawnchairs in the shade. Late in the afternoon, though, we were in the sun, but it cooled off quickly. So, all in all - great weather, great day.   Right from the start (about 2 p.m.) there were a few tipsy spectators who decided to dance. Do I think they were tipsy because they were dancing? No. Just see for yourself:   But then I recorded a little bit of a harmonica feature and got a nice surprise with dancers who were not tipsy! It was quite fun!     At one point one of the artists said, "I know this is a Bluesfest, but can I get away with playing a little soul?" I leaned over to my friend and said, "We all white here - we don't know the difference!"   Here's a shot from when the saxophonist from the Selwyn Birchwood Band (my favorite band of the da...

---1--- I FINISHED MY THESIS WEDNESDAY!!! The subject was "Pastoral Care (in a Christian Context) for Family Members of Individuals Who Complete Suicide." I cannot believe I'm done. I have now completed all the requirements for my M.Div. Isn't she lovely? All 49 pages of her!  ---2--- Finally, after applying at countless places over the summer, I have found a second job! The final interview is tomorrow (Friday) morning at 10:30. The way the lady talked, she expects it to be a quick turnaround (I would assume it will require a background check first, though). The position will be a substitute paraprofessional at Springfield Public Schools. I'm so excited! This will give me the classroom experience they require for substitute teachers...so I count this as an official beginning for my teaching resume for that beautiful day in the future when I finally become a professor. :) ---3--- Below is a link to the e-book that my paper on "A New Testament ...

---1--- The crow's feet that will all too soon        characterize my features        shall find their place in no small measure        due to the delight that swells my heart        when even briefly your voice finds my ear. I would eagerly surrender my body        to be irrevocably ravaged        if it would but ensure        your lasting peace and safety. At the promise of your benefit,        I would rush to face my deepest fears,        my fiercest demons.        I would unhesitatingly throttle and        cast them aside. The most sinister night of my life,        with its angriest, most malevolent storms, ...

Ever since I heard of a bucket list (when the Jack Nicholson movie came out a few years ago), I have been interested in them, and even drawn up a couple at various times. Earlier this year I was inspired to make a 2013 Life List when I saw another blogger do it, and accomplishing the items on the list has been exciting! So this evening I was updating my list and adding a few items to next year's list, and I happened upon bucketlist.org . As I read down several of the lists of things people have included on their bucket lists, not only was I struck by many of the same things I would love to experience, but I realized I have experienced many of the things on other people's wish lists. I've toasted marshmallows over a campfire (and was surprised to learn that there are people who have not!). I've swum in the Atlantic Ocean (or at least in the Gulf of Mexico!). I've made a charcoal drawing, and this year I even experimented with oil pastels. I've been to anoth...

---1--- This week I went and visited my friend Jason's tattoo shop he opened in a nearby town a couple of months ago. I had been meaning to go see it since it opened but hadn't been able to until now. It's called Sundown Tattoo , in Aurora, Missouri.   This is the lobby area just inside the door and to the right. My friend Jamie, Rick the tattoo artist, and Jason the proprietor. Me and Jason, in the room where all the magic happens. ---2--- Jason, Jamie, and I walked down the block to a local restaurant called Bootleggers for lunch. It is housed in a building that used to be a bank, and all its bankish features have been maintained, such as the teller cage up front and the vault, wherein they now have a microbrewery and make their own beer. Jason tells me they put the beer in a brown jug for you, complete with cork and sealing wax. (No, I didn't sample it.) I had no idea Aurora had a local beermaker! It is a town of about 7500 people. I found t...