Christianity
The Sin of Patriotism?
It’s the 4th of July, Independence Day for the United States of America. Here in Korea (where I currently live), you wouldn’t know it from any other day (unless, of course, you’re on a U.S. military installation). But with the benefit of the Internet, there’s no escaping it…though personally I wouldn’t want to. I celebrate […]
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From Wilderness to Happiness
For the Christian Church, the Gospel reading for this past Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, was Mark 1:9-15. In it, we see Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan River inaugurating Jesus’ public ministry. I find a few things which are fascinating about this story. First, as Jesus was coming out of the […]
Make Space for God During Lent
This article was written by a chaplain-friend of mine here at Fort Leonard Wood for publication in the post newspaper. In it, he offers a great explanation of the Christian season of Lent and encouragement for us to take advantage of this opportunity to improve on our relationship to God. A Special “thank you!” to Chaplain Gonzalez for […]
A Boys Little Nickel
Just as I was thinking the service at chapel this morning didn’t offer much beyond the normal fare (no commentary on the preacher!), I was walking down the hallway to make my way outside to my car when I noticed a young boy, no older than 7 or 8, slowly and suspiciously slithering down the […]
The Islamic States of America?
In a speech on Wednesday (18 February 2015) to those gathered for “The Summit on Countering Violent Extremism,” President Obama worked hard to separate Islamic Extremists from “true” Islam. He refuses to refer to terrorist carrying out their violent acts in the name of Islam or Allah as “Islamic” (as they refer to themselves) but, as […]
Spiritual Disciplines & John Wesley
I’m not an expert on Spiritual Disciplines and have to admit that I don’t practice many of them for very long, though I have periods in my life when I go to some of them for spiritual growth, renewal or to get through difficult seasons of life. However, this is the second post in as many […]
A Quick Look at “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster
I haven’t thought much about Celebration of Discipline for a number of years, though my library contains 4 copies of it. Mine were published in 1978 (1st edition), 1988 (Revised and Expanded), 1998 (20th Anniversary Edition), and 2002 (Deluxe Edition). I also have Richard J. Foster’s Study Guide for Celebration of Discipline. While I’ve never used the Study Guide for group study, the […]
Message of Hope for Christmas
Every Christmas season, we are reminded of that famous newspaper article of years past assuring little Virginia that there is a Santa Claus. That was long ago, when Christmas brought with it many long-held traditions and getting through the season was simpler and not so hectic. Now, every year, it seems that the Christmas decorations […]
The Chaplains’ Calling
I’ve recently been engaged in several online discussions about American patriotism, allegiances, pacifism, Just War and military service. Those discussions have revealed that there are many deeply-held views on the use of violence in the pursuit of peace and justice. There are those from all along the theological spectrum who fervently argue either for the […]
All You Need is Love
The Beatles had a hit song in the 60s titled “All You Need is Love” (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney). The essential message of the song is that you cannot accomplish the impossible, described with phrases like “there’s nothing you can do that can’t be done” and “there’s nothing you can see that […]
What do “I” have to do with “them”?: Iraq, ISIS & Me (and you)
You can’t hardly turn on the news or pick up a newspaper without hearing or seeing some new atrocity perpetrated by the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” (ISIS), sometimes called the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL)1. Like most Americans (and probably most people in the West) I look with horror at the reports […]
