What happened at the Capitol on January 6th is one of the biggest black-eyes in our nation’s history, and those who are defending it by pointing to the protests from last summer clearly don’t have a clue about what was really going on in either case.
People — American citizens — unhappy with the election results, who were constantly told that the election was stolen from them, even though there is a glaring lack of proof through 60 court cases, decided to take it in their own hands to disrupt what was supposed to be a fairly simple, procedural process…
I have a lot to process about the events of the last week or so. At some point in the near future, I’m going to write this down as part of my own processing, and maybe it will help you along the way as well. But, for today, I want to share some thoughts about burnout.
Stressful Year
You don’t need me to tell you that the last few months have been some of the most stressful months in recent years — maybe some of the most stressful ever for some people.
We’ve faced so many unprecedented things that we’ve grown to…
Not to act rashly or to cling obstinately to one’s opinion, not to believe everything people say or to spread abroad the gossip one has heard, is great wisdom.
Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Chapter 4
Friends, let’s do better on social media this year.
Be willing to listen to opposing views. Try to understand where people are coming from. I’m not saying we need to give every point of view equal validity. Let’s face it, some views are just wrong. So, yeah, that white supremacist dude from high school that spends most of his time “doing his…
2020: The Year of Stupid Protests (and I’m Not Talking About the Ones You’re Thinking Of)
On April 30, 2020, a group of armed protestors entered the capital building in Michigan to protest the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This group was expressing the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and were protesting the fact that they couldn’t get their hair done… or something like that.
There are so many things wrong with what happened that day that it’s hard to really nail down a single point. Perhaps we could talk about the hypocrisy of these people who undoubtedly lose their minds when NFL players decide to kneel during the national…
How crawling in a hole can help you regain perspective.
The (Brief) Story of Elijah the Prophet
The prophet Elijah is one of the foremost figures in the Hebrew Bible (or, what Christians call the Old Testament). He is introduced in 1 Kings 17, and we get absolutely no backstory on him… other than being called “the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead” (1 Kings 17:1).
He bursts onto the scene to tell King Ahab that there’s going to be a massive drought in the land. He relays the message, and heads out east of the Jordan where there is a brook and God says that the ravens…
I may have ripped that headline from a novel/movie, but the truth is, I know nothing about that novel/movie… just as I know nothing about leading a church in a time of a worldwide pandemic.
I have a confession to make: I have no idea what I’m doing.
To be fair, neither do most of my colleagues, even if we pretend that we do. …
Where the Church has been; where the Church is going next
If you were to take a broad strokes look at the history of Christianity and major movements that have shaped and changed it, you would notice that about every 500 years or so, there is a seismic shift that takes place. If this trend were to continue… well… we’re due.
Jesus, the Original Reformer
It all started with Jesus.
The fact of the matter is that no Christians would exist today if it weren’t for Jesus. …
What if you could do whatever you wanted and get away with it? What would you do?
The Ring of Gyges
In Plato’s Republic there is a story referred to by Glaucon, the brother of Plato. It’s a myth about a man who finds a golden ring (called the ring of Gyges), which gave him the ability to become invisible. In the myth, the character uses the ring to seduce the queen, kill the king and name himself king.
The question that Glaucon raises is whether or not a person could have enough virtue to resist the temptation to commit immoral actions if there…
Have you ever really reflected on the story of the Good Samaritan? It’s one of Jesus’ more well-known parables and can be found in Luke 10:25–37. We’re familiar with the concept. There are hospitals named after the story. There are even “Good Samaritan” laws that are intended to protect those who help others in times of need.
When we reflect on this parable, there are a lot of directions we could go.
Different Directions
We could talk about the question “who is my neighbor?” That’s a key question in the passage from Luke 10:25–37. …
As I woke up this morning and scanned through my Twitter feed, one of the first things I saw was a tweet from Senator Todd Young from Indiana. As one who lives in Indiana, he is supposed to represent the people of this state, which has been a Republican stronghold for some time.
If you were to look at the voting history of Indiana, you would see that only twice has Indiana been a blue state since the days of FDR — once for Johnson in 1964 (a landslide victory across the U.S.) and once Obama in 2008 (and to…
Matt Swisher
Just some guy who is looking to make my pocket of the world a better place. Life is a journey; let’s walk together and help each other along the way.
