Yesterday, I had lunch with a PhD student who had just successfully defended their dissertation proposal the day before. As we talked about why we do what we do in grad school, it prompted me to think through my own reasons for pursuing another graduate degree, this time in theology. There were things discussed inContinue reading “What I didn’t know”
Category Archives: faith
Sundays are in danger
Sundays are in danger of wholeheartedly turning into the I-am-dreading-Monday day of the week. I wake up and immediately start to worry about what I need to accomplish before having to go back to work the next day, which includes not just regular work, but also what I have to do in terms of completingContinue reading “Sundays are in danger”
Old movies and theology
Sometimes I like to go back to an old movie and watch it over again. In my family growing up, we were not allowed to have TV but we frequently watched movies. (Don’t ask me to parse the difference in terms of right and wrong. This also did not mean that we didn’t watch TVContinue reading “Old movies and theology”
Strange(r) things
Strange(r) things have been happening lately. For example, did you know that such a thing as Green Bean Casserole Pizza exists? And that it is actually tasty? And that it comes from Aldi? Weird, but true. Another example: a coworker asked me how I know for sure what I believe (referring to my faith). ThisContinue reading “Strange(r) things”
Sudden death
A dear friend of more than thirty years, who was my age, died suddenly last week. If you are a praying person, I ask that you hold up her husband and their children to God in prayer. One thing I’ve learned is that grief and loss are terribly difficult but even more so in thisContinue reading “Sudden death”
A light in dark places
May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. J.R.R. Tolkien. The Fellowship of the Ring I love this Tolkien quote. It seems quite appropriate for the dark times in which we live. There is a lot of Christian allegory in Tolkien’s LOTR, I think, and this quoteContinue reading “A light in dark places”
One of the lucky ones
My last post was rather down in the dumps. Some might even call it an exercise in self pity, and maybe it is. I do realize, though, that I am one of the lucky ones. I have a job. Many people don’t, including many people in my profession. I think of this quite often givenContinue reading “One of the lucky ones”
The day after
‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Oops, wrong holiday. However, the same sentiment applies. Yesterday was a quiet, peaceful day capped with a great meal that almost everyone had a hand in making. For example, I made dessert, something I haven’t doneContinue reading “The day after”
Flowers growing in hard places
A favorite devotional for me is L. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert. Today’s entry referenced flowers growing in hard places, and I thought it was an apt phrase for my experiences this past year. The soil of life has been spare and minimal, squeezed in between rocky, hard places. But even so, looking back, IContinue reading “Flowers growing in hard places”
Disunited states
This long, horrible, no good election season is not over yet. Almost, but not yet. I am mildly optimistic that the current regime will be turned out of office, after all. Once again, polls are stupid. Once again, many people underestimated the depth and extent of the problem that is the people who somehow keepContinue reading “Disunited states”
The OW Factor 