Losing My Religion

It’s funny, what images certain gospel passages conjure up. The story of “doubting Thomas” (as he is often called) is one of many in the Bible that seem to be easily visualized. There is artwork depicting this scene that dates back to the sixth century. The Italian baroque painting, “The Incredulity of Saint Thomas,” by Caravaggio is probably the most famous. For me, though, Gen-Xer that I am, whenever I hear today’s passage from John, I think of the song “Losing My Religion” by R....

April 16, 2023 · 1255 words

Learning to See God

This is a reflection given at a men’s breakfast at Christ Church in Little Rock. Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever....

March 1, 2023 · 1213 words

Worthiness and Marsmallows

Picture, if you will, a room furnished with a small desk and a chair. On the desk sits two marshmallows and a bell, and in the chair sits a four year old child. This is the setting for a now famous experiment conducted in the 60’s and 70’s by a Stanford psychologist. The experiment went something like this. The child was told by the researcher that they would be left alone in the room, and they were not to eat the marshmallows until the researcher returned....

February 26, 2023 · 1002 words

The Foolishness of Hope

I was rummaging through my pile of National Geographic magazines the other day (if you’ve ever been a subscriber, chances are you have a pile too) and an issue jumped out at me. Its was a 2016 issue commemorating the centennial year of the National Park Service. Each issue published that year featured articles and photography focused on the preservation of America’s “treasured wild places.” The iconic image that comes to mind for me, and for most, I would imagine, when you think of one of these wild places, is Yosemite Valley in California....

January 29, 2023 · 1178 words

Grizzlies, Wolves, and Aliens 🐻🐺👽

I hope you were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather earlier this week. I found myself with an open couple of days after the busyness of Christmas and the new year, and decided to put together an impromptu camping trip. Winter camping in Arkansas is just about the best kind there is. The cool temperature during the day makes for nice hiking, and the near-freezing nights can make for ideal sleeping conditions (if your sleeping bag is up to snuff, of course)....

January 8, 2023 · 1177 words