I need to start by making a couple of confessions. When I first read today’s assigned Gospel passage, my first thought was, “Score! An easy parable.” And my second thought was, “Yikes! So, what is there to say about it?” And my third thought was rather irreverent: “Wow! New Testament preppers!” Y’all know about preppers, […]
Last month, I marked an anniversary: not my birthday, nor my marriage, but the date that I swore an oath to defend the US Constitution, entered federal employment, and became a public servant, 35 years ago. My entire working adulthood, about three-fifths of my life. Longer than my marriage—even longer than I’ve been a baptized […]
Last Tuesday, we experienced a near-perfect first day of fall: sunshine, a faint breeze, mild temperatures. With our work schedules still disrupted by the pandemic, Wade and I were able to take some time and get outdoors. So we headed down to Mason Neck State Park. About halfway around the Bay View Trail, Wade suddenly […]
Are you a covidiot? Or are you a coward, “living in fear of a little virus?” Is your motto “Stay home and stay safe?” Or do you chant “Give us our liberty?” Do you have a collection of colorful fabric masks, or do you sneer at those who wear them? Do you give more weight […]
“Ahead of them went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him […]
Wars and insurrections. Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom. Great earthquakes. Famines. Plagues. Dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. The law that’s helping fuel Delhi’s deadly air pollution. [1] Vast brush fires rip across Australia. [2] The battle against one of the worst Ebola epidemics ever is in trouble. [3] Civilians rush to escape […]
This past week, I was offered a chance to take my 15-year-old goddaughter niece to see the musical “Hamilton.” It seems her father made a mistake on the date when buying a pair of tickets, so he couldn’t take her as planned. And she REALLY wanted to see this show. It wasn’t entirely convenient for […]