Octoberfest and the Art and Science of Beer Sep30

Octoberfest and the Art and Science of Beer

Today is September 30. Which means that tomorrow is October 1. Which means – in case by now you’re wondering – that Octoberfest — which oddly enough starts in late September — is well underway. Yes, yes, I realize that many may wonder what beer has to do with the Christian faith, but did you know that beer contains xanthohumol – an incredible cancer-fighting antioxident? (Of course, you’d have to drink about 118 gallons of beer a day to get any significant benefit.) Okay, only slightly more seriously, beer and the religion have been intertwined for centuries. The Sumerians, who are credited with first fermenting beer,...

Luke 9:57-62

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let...

Sidewalk Poetry 2 Sep28

Sidewalk Poetry 2

While out for a walk this past week in the Highland neighborhood of St. Paul, I came across some more sidewalk poetry. Last summer, after I posted a few of the sidewalk poems in my neighborhood of St. Anthony Park, Holly shared some background about this poetry that I thought I’d share: I...

Luke 9:51-56

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. When his disciples...

Is Faith a Choice: Prometheus Sep27

Is Faith a Choice: Prometheus

I love movies. I love the way I get swept up into their grand stories and often – especially after a particularly good move – think a little differently because of them. And so I’ve decided to try to write once a month about one movie and what it suggests to me about our life of faith in the world. And, if I can remember to do it, I’ll try to post these reflections on the fourth Friday of the month. Why? No particular reason except that then I can call it the Fourth Friday Film Forum. (Corny, I know, but the preacher in me loves alliterations when I can find them. 🙂 ) So the film I want to talk about is Prometheus, released in the...