Rant of the Exiles

I have much to be grateful for in the past year (job, family, and health), and yet I frequently counsel people not to minimize their disappointment by comparing themselves with others so I'm going to follow my own advice. I want to share a specific disappointment regarding planting Quicksilver Church this past year.  It is the death of small talk. Small talk is what happens when you're standing in line at the grocery store or when you walk into a Starbucks and don't have to shout multiple times for your order to be understood through a mask. With COVID, small talk has been mostly choked out. I miss the time and space to discuss trivial topics such as clothing, sports, and weather. I miss observing elements of a shared environment - to gaze out on a majestic landscape, to take in the aroma of barbeque, and to pause together while a plane passes overhead (which seems to happen less and less frequently.  In my twenties, I would poo-poo small talk and take pride in my ability t...

When God speaks Light When God speaks Life begins When God speaks Day and Night are named When God speaks The name contains the end When God speaks Evening then morning When God speaks Sky separated and gathered waters Seas When God speaks Hills and valleys; deserts and plains When God speaks Trees, bushes, berries, and bananas When God speaks Sun, moon, and stars When God speaks Whales, eagles, and minnows When God speaks Elephants, rats, and donkeys When God speaks He projects His likeness  When God speaks He uses words When God is silent No evening or morning When God stops  Holiness and blessing When God rests The seventh day celebrates May you hear His voice In the morning, when the sun bursts forth May you hear his voice At twilight, when the moon and stars emerge May you hear his voice On the wind whispering through the leaves  May you hear his voice In the squeak of the dolphin and hoo of the owl May you hear his voice From the mouth of your brother and mother...

Mark 1:40-41 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, If you will, you can make me clean. 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, I will; be clean. I sat in a McDonald’s hours before the governor of California announced a shelter-in-place directive for Santa Clara County residents. Social distancing was already in full effect - every other table had a sign “DO NOT SIT”. The McDonald’s near my home has two rooms - a main dining room where the counters and drink station are, and a side dining area where the restrooms are located. An older Asian woman sat fifteen feet away from me at a table. I heard her begin to cough. Once she started coughing, a person sitting in the room immediately got up and left. Another customer walked in and abruptly turned around.  If the devil wanted to devise a scheme to further create division and alienation, he would concoct a novel illness that would not kill the healthy but...

Rule by all animals, for all animals:  No, it's not a post-modern interpretation of C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles. Lynn White, in his famous speech about the contributions of Christianity towards our current ecological crisis, implies that we follow Saint Francis of Assisi's example and depose man's monarchy over nature. In it's place, we  should install a democracy where all creatures rule together as equals. I don't know how that works.  He explains that Western civilization is anti-environmental because of Christianity. Since he's a historian, he traces the thought patterns of Christian leaders throughout the ages. He makes excellent points that we as Christians should learn from. But his understanding of the bible is off. The bible is not anti-environment. Far from it. And what the bible says is important especially where the environment is concerned.  One common verse used to justify Western Christianity's abuse of the environment ...

I attended a funeral yesterday and like all funerals, it got me thinking about my own mortality. A couple  thoughts: 1) Don't wear black to my funeral: I get why people wear black to funerals. I get the whole mourning and sadness thing. And I think I understand the particular tragedy of an unexpected death. Wearing black is a cultural expression of grief. But I don't get why we as Christians have to do what everyone else does. After all, we have a different view of death. If we truly believe there is life after death and that death is not the end, then why would we mourn when someone dies? It is a good-bye celebration. The rest of the culture mourns but as believers, we celebrate. If someone is going to remember my life, I want it to be a real celebration. If Jesus is the resurrection and I'm in a better place, then we should party. I want to look down from heaven and see people wearing lime green, fuschia, bright orange, and yellow. I would love to hear some good jo...

Some of you may have forgotten this fairy tale. King Stefan and Queen Leah (the queen's name is never mentioned - I found it on Wikipedia) wrestle with years of infertility and finally, through in vitro fertilization, they give birth to a beautiful daughter, Aurora. At her christening, three fairies give her a blessing. But before the third fairy, Merriweather, can bless her, Malificent the evil fairy crashes the party. She is royally pissed off that she was not invited and therefore, curses Aurora that on her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. Merriweather, the last fairy to give her blessing, does not have the power to reverse Malificent's spell. But she does modify the curse - if Aurora's finger is pricked, it will not end in death but a deep slumber that can be awakened by true love's kiss. In one version of the Disney book, the narrator writes that Merriweather gave King Stefan the gift of hope. In Jo...