When old Isaac Newton settled under that apple tree to discover gravity in the late 1600’s, he had no earthly idea of the consequences of such a magic moment on the writing and reading of these words on this page right now. As my life continues to ripen, I have developed a few theories of my own about the core values of more than just an ordinary apple and less than the rocket science it might take to get my sorry older self in orbit around the moon if not to the celestial city when it […]
The Persimmon Tree
If you know what you’re looking for, the persimmon trees will be bearing their fruit throughout the southeast in the coming weeks. In season October through February, persimmons are the golden delicious fruits that hang off the trees after the leaves drop in autumn. Often referred to as “the fruit of the Gods” but you have to wonder what on earth must have possessed the Creator to include the persimmon tree in the flora and fauna of creation? Of what use is it? What would have happened, for instance, if it had been the tree in the Garden of Eden […]
Messing with the System
When this particular Sunday morning started coming down, you might have noticed you were off an hour, or at least your clocks were. And sooner or later, somebody’s got to pay the piper for what’s affectionately known as Daylight Saving Time by falling back. Mickey’s big hand gets to go back one full circle, and you just got a one hour bonus for this all-day extravaganza! In case you haven’t noticed, we live in a fairly dependable natural order thanks to that lucky old sun that rolls around heaven all day. But this solar system just didn’t […]
God Is Not Mad at Us
[part two of Original Sin] Should you have had the misfortune of attending worship in Northampton, Massachusetts in the summer of 1741, the sermon by Rev. Jonathan Edwards would have hit you like a ton of bricks. The title alone would have scared the holy hell out of any hearer: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. You might be dismissive of such a far fetched idea, thinking it from so far back in olden times that it lacks gravitas today. But if you look and listen, that same God seems to be alive and well and easily angered […]
Original Sin
It’s a subject that’s always been dear to my heart and confounding to my mind. Lawrence Raab, the New England poet about my age says it so well I’d like to dive into this ubiquitous subject with his words: That was one idea my motheralways disliked. She preferred her godto be reasonable, like Emerson or Thoreauwithout their stranger moments.Even the Old Testament God’ssudden angers and twisted waysof getting what he wanted she’d acceptas metaphors. But original sinwas different. Plus no one agreedabout whether it was personal, meaningall Adam’s fault, or else some kindof temporary absence of […]
Assisted Living
Wikipedia defines it as “extra-care housing or retirement living which allows residents over 55 or 60 to live independently…with staff on hand 24 hours a day to provide personal care. Assisted living exemplifies the shift from ‘care as service’ to ‘care as business’ in the broader health care arena predicted more than three decades ago.” Right after my birth, I entered the assisted living home operated by my parents. They fed me and changed my diapers. They healed my illnesses and provided clean sheets and towels. Lots of free advice. When I was three, Mama’s father came to live with us […]
For Pity’s Sake
It’s a very fragile word in the English language and can fall from the fence of meaning in two directions. There is a trite and trivial use of the word “pity”, or there is the extremely noble quality of human compassion. Like its Latin root, pietas, or piety, it can cut both ways. We can mean by piety that a person is syrupy sweet, or we can understand that a person’s authenticity is deeply rooted in a faith that illuminates the darkness with a greater source of meaning. I recently heard a group of people describing a little get-together as […]
The World’s Worst
Someone should have started a book long ago entitled “The World’s Worst”. Like Guinness describing the most and best, this tome would list the things at the other end of the spectrum. Surely, there’s a list somewhere. Perhaps Dickens cataloged them in an undiscovered appendix to his novel idea: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Ever since I was knee high to a grasshopper, I heard that term used about all kind of folk for all kinds of situations. “Why, she’s the world’s worst when it comes to keeping her […]
Cowboys and Angels
Ken Burns’ PBS series on Country Music raised our awareness of a particularly American genre of music. I’ve always loved the stuff for it’s downright affable and laughable way of portraying despair and desperation. Just take a couple of tell-all titles: “How Can I Miss You, If You Won’t Leave?” or “If the Phone Don’t Ring, It’s Me!” Justin and Ryan Harris grew up right here in West End and are currently making quite a name for themselves on the Nashville music scene. They call themselves “McKenzies Mill”, taken from their name of the road where they lived as young […]
Bible Verses
Before the world was coming to its end in the year 2000, remember when it was quite commonplace to see someone holding a big sign in the football stadium forthrightly proclaiming “JOHN 3:16”? Most folk could easily fill in the blank beginning with…for God so loved the world…etc. The real implication was that if you did not know Jesus, it’s adios! The whole idea of the bible is derived from the Greek word for books, and it is full of many “books”. Books are divided into chapters, and chapters into verses. Regard for this book of books varies from the […]