It has been a disappointing week for many of us.  Unless you are one of my regular readers in Altadena, California, you may be disappointed that your Powerball ticket wasn’t the $2 billion winner.  Better luck next time.  If you are enamored of partisan politics, you may be disappointed that we are in for another two years of split-down-the-middle governance. “We lost by less than expected” or “we won but not by much” don’t offer much solace.

So, a disappointing week. I think I will write about Sunday School curriculum.

For algorithmic reasons I will let Mark Zuckerberg explain, my Facebook feed has featured an ad from a group known as Christianity Cove.  They are selling an Advent Sunday School curriculum they call “Nativity Escape Room.”  Everybody loves to crack a code – our new Escape Room activity gives players the chance to hone their problem-solving skills while discovering more about the birth of Christ.  Continue reading →

Because it’s the right thing to do

I am going to vote on Tuesday because it is the right thing to do.  I am not saving democracy, I’m just voting.  In fact, I am not sure my vote is going to make much difference.  We live in one of those too many parts of the country where things are so red or so blue it just doesn’t seem to matter.  The fivethirtyeight.com projection has our incumbent U.S. senator at 98% likely to win reelection and our representative in congress at 99%.  Many of our down-ballot races are uncontested until you get to the school board.  With the possible exception of the school board race, my vote hardly counts.  But I am going to vote because it is the right thing to do.

Vote because it is the right thing to do. If that is not enough motive, consider that this will be your last chance to vote on a second Tuesday in November for 22 years (well, in federal elections, anyway).  You may remember from some high school civics class that election day, while normally the first Tuesday in November, is, by law, “the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.”  This year we vote on the Tuesday next after the first Monday and that happens to be a second Tuesday.

Blame big tech. Continue reading →

It’s almost over, so probably a good time to say something about it. October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Like many pastors, I have had a love-hate relationship with Pastor Appreciation Month. Mostly hate.

What? You didn’t know it was Pastor Appreciation Month, and now you find out with only a few days and one Sunday until it expires? Apparently, you are not alone. Just a couple of weeks ago I said something about this festive month to a younger colleague, and he knew nothing about it. He didn’t know that he was supposed to be appreciated and wasn’t slightly embarrassed by the way his congregation was (or was not) observing this most important of all designated months.

Unfortunately, we pastors have to share our special month with squirrels and pit bulls. I don’t know if there is a connection.

In 1994 Focus on the Family, which at the time had a huge daily Christian radio audience, launched Pastor Appreciation Month. Since churches love nothing more than a tradition, it soon became a tradition. Focus on the Family still offers a manual on how to show appreciation to your pastor. Both Hallmark Cards and American Greetings have designated Pastor Appreciation pages on their website and American Greetings even has a helpful “what to write on your card” section for those who bought a card but don’t know what to say. I did not check to see if they have a “what to write” section on their squirrel and bit pull pages.  (“Thanks for scurrying out of the way after I swerved to avoid hitting you,” “Thanks for your bark being worse than your bite.”) Continue reading →

Our four-year old grandson is going through a superheroes phase.  He knows more about the Marvel Avengers and the DC Universe than I will ever know and is patient with us when we miscategorize or misname one of the Avengers or one of the residents of the DC Universe.

He has asked his parents about the likelihood of being bitten by a radioactive spider and becoming a Spiderman-like superhero.  They have told him it is not likely.

For Halloween he has decided to dress up as Robin, Batman’s friend, the Boy Wonder. His mom has found the tights and shirt for the Robin costume, but Becky has designed and created the pièce de resistance, the perfect Robin vest.  There will be at least one very proud trick-or-treater in Germantown, Tennessee, this Halloween.

A smart four-year old knows that the world of superheroes is a make-believe world, but still wonders, “what if?” What if that radioactive spider bites him? Continue reading →

Last week president Biden traveled to Florida to view some of the damage done by Hurricane Ian.  During the course of the trip, Mr. Biden met several survivors of the devastation and talked with local officials about what might be done to assist in recovery and rebuilding efforts.  Among the officials with whom he talked was the mayor of Fort Meyers Beach. A hot mic from one of the news crews covering the event caught part of the exchange between the president and the mayor.

As they talked, the president tossed one of his famous f-bombs with an oddly mafia-esque tone to it.  The mayor laughed and agreed with Mr. Biden by taking the Lord’s name in vain.

While the White House declined to comment on the exchange, the mayor, basking in his 15 minutes of fame, was more than happy to say more.  “We’re both Irish Catholics,” he told reporters. “We’re both devout Catholics. But every once [in] a while a little salty language comes out.” Continue reading →