Everyone wants to be remembered. We realize the immanent approach of death- as much as we seek to deny or avoid it- and in this realization is birthed a longing for permanence, for a part of oneself to somehow live on beyond this vale of tears. This individual existence is brought to a crescendo in…
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Sometimes our world can seem a pretty ugly place. Sure, wars, brutality and other such devastations are immediately obvious, but even things like spiders and storms can make terrifying this place we have no choice but to call home. At times God can appear so near, and those moments often conveniently align with the events…
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As I am heavily involved in church marketing, I come across many of the different promotions, series and campaigns of various churches around the country. These can range from more traditional approaches to those that would be self-described as ‘edgier,’ whatever exactly that means. One interesting feature of church marketing is that the range of…
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Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:9) From time to time we are all vexed by the raging of…
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“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.” Making sense of love is hard to do, and our race has spent itself in poetry and song,…
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As is no doubt evident from many of my other writings, I am a great admirer of St. Thomas Aquinas. I even ended up making a section in my library devoted to books by him, about him and those related to various extensions of Thomistic thought. The Dumb Ox, as he was nicknamed by his…
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The Harry Potter film series was pretty well done. Even though purists might balk at this, I found that every departure from the books in the film versions was an intelligent move and wonderfully improved upon the at-times convoluted plots. I was shocked, therefore, to come to the end of the The Deathly Hallows only…
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In Edgar Allen Poe’s classic work The Purloined Letter, detective Dupin is enlisted by the Prefect of Police to retrieve a stolen letter which is known to be in a hotel room, yet has remained undiscovered despite the police force’s best efforts. The Prefect returns to Dupin a month later, flabbergasted at his force’s inability…
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Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18 NIV) During the Holy Week interim between Good Friday and Easter Sunday it can feel…
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The decline of the church in Western culture is a much frequented topic in both religious and non-religious commentary. Whether parsed out in terms of diminishing influence or contrasted with the concurrent rise of the cohort affectionately labeled the Nones, there is an undeniable shift in the religious landscape which, although proceeding apace for the…
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Life is full of trouble and heartache, and the long march of the years can make our souls heavy-laden with grief. We thus liken such adversity to storms, knowing full well that sometimes they are soft spring showers, and other times tornadoes that uproot all we might hold dear. We might see the clouds gathering…
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In my previous post concerning the story about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah I stated that Lot is also the one who tries to play the system in Sodom, offering his daughters to the crowd instead of the strangers. Knowing what he is attempting to do, the crowd rebuffs this rather pathetic attempt at…
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I happened to catch a little bit of the premiere of the History Channel’s mini-series The Bible. The glimpses I stole were in between eating lasagna, savoring some tasty pie, playing Taboo and watching Megan open presents, so I cannot pretend my observations are completely valid. That will not, however, stop me from opining. As…
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The film Becket is one of my favorite. Although some of the historical revisions to render it fit for the silver screen are somewhat chuckle-worthy, the splendid acting, narrative and pathos exuded in the performance more than make up for such quibbling. It is also a repository of some rather memorable one-liners: Becket is the…
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Thinking about the Trinity is never an easy task; after all, trying to hold onto the unity of substance while simultaneously grasping the plurality of existence is enough to make one’s head spin. For when we consider an act such as creation, for example, the unity of substance requires us to maintain that such activity…
read moreReading is important. But reading comprehension is even more important. Otherwise one can take missing the point to a new level. While most of us were unwrapping presents, polishing off the last of the egg-nog or returning unwanted items, a mini-furor erupted on the internets concerning Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in address to the Roman…
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From time immemorial humans have attempted to make sense of the seemingly mindless events of our world and our lives. Whether in the acts of nature which leave nothing but destruction in their wake or in the senseless wars that have a more sinister intent, this spinning rock appears forever teetered upon a precipice,…
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As months wear their way across the years, our faithful ethereal friend keeps time. The shroud of night which lays heavily on us all is pierced through by its borrowed rays, a lunar helpmeet to its brighter cousin. The moon has always been a fascinating yet enigmatic feature of the cosmos, holding humanity in rapt…
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Deliver the Deliverer Over the past few months I have been immensely enjoying the musical stylings of The Last Bison. (formerly known just as Bison) I discovered them on NoiseTrade and was hooked immediately on their tantalizing blend of mountain-top chamber music. One song in particular found its place on repeat for about two hours:…
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Protestations