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
posted by DJL
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
posted by DJL
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
posted by DJL
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
posted by DJL
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...
Luke 9:49-50
posted by DJL
John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” It strikes me as curious that John’s statement seems to be a...
Does The Universe Have A Purpose
posted by DJL
For the better part of the last year, I’ve been working on a book with a young man who grew up in a Lutheran home but now identifies as an atheist. The book is intended to be a dialogue, to explore what we each believe, why, how we came to those beliefs, and how we bridge our differences in an increasingly pluralistic world. It’s been an incredibly fun project, as Ryan and I have a fair amount in common, both love candid and challenging conversations, and because, frankly, he’s a really great person to work with. But it’s also been quite challenging, as he raises questions for me that I haven’t, quite honestly, had to think about...
Luke 9:46-48
posted by DJL
An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the...
Introducing TED-Ed
posted by DJL
From nearly the beginning of this blog, I’ve been featuring TED Talks most Wednesdays. I discovered TED Talks the way most others have: someone told me about them. 🙂 And I remember having such a hard time believing that all these incredible talks were being made available for free and...
Luke 9:43b-45
posted by DJL
While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it....
Recent Comments