Ad vent.

...and it burns, burns, burns...

George T. Stagg 141 proof bourbon. 2008 release.

Fire water and much more.

Out of the mouths of retired bishops

"The church that doesn't evangelize will be evangelized by the culture in which it finds itself."

-- William Frey

What I'm thinking at the moment.

That'll fix it.

An opthamologist's nightmare.

Post-modern relativism is inoperative... but cool.

"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions."

-- G. K. Chesterton

Winnie the pooh.

"The Old Testament is responsible for more atheism, agnosticism, disbelief — call it what you will — than any book ever written; it has emptied more churches than all the counterattractions of cinema, motor bicycle and golf course."

-- A. A. Milne

As they search for a possible motive in Killeen...

Dear God, protect me from your followers.

How to clean old vinyl.

Hi, Al. Miss you, and thanks.

AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S
Jefferson Airplane

Sundazed

The Following Message...

"Lead, follow, or get out of the way." -- Thomas Paine

In various endeavors in my life, I've invoked this mantra as I've found myself engaged in pointless squabbles and indecisive actions from my compatriots. Lead, and I'll follow. Follow, and I'll lead. Or just get out of the way.

Wrongly, I've invoked this point in my church dealings.

God's command to us, to the Old Covenant Israelites as well as to New Testament Christians, has always been simply, "Follow." But the Israelites wanted a king, and the Christians wanted a priest... someone else to follow, letting that person be concerned with following God. We wanted someone we could see and touch (and stone, too).

We have one command, follow. We have only one option.

Woofer.

Bursting skins.

This morning's Gospel lesson (revised common lectionary) came from the ninth chapter of Matthew. I highlight what was highlighted for me, verses 16 and 17.

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Then I found this in my inbox.

They sound harmless enough...

Happy Birthday!

Wellness.

What is the church?

What is the church? It's a question I often ask.

This is the Church.

A well-tempered turntable.

Great moments in grandparenting.

For my grandson's first Christmas, I gave him a G.I. Joe doll that I had repackaged as "My First War Toy from Bechtel!". It got a mixed reception.

Now, almost five years later, and after countless hours of his playing with Star Wars figurines and spaceships, I've given him his first toy gun. It's a replica bolt-action Enfield .308.

He immediately struck this pose.

What say you? Nature or nurture?