I’m not a very deep thinker. When I was growing up in Dallas, there was a D.J. on WRR named Jim Low. One of his tag lines was “even nonconformists conform to nonconformity.” It made sense, but wrapping my young and simple mind around it gave me a headache. I feel the same way about some articles I’ve read recently about the existence of God. (more…)
From abcnews.go.com
It takes humility to serve others, but sometimes it takes even more humility to allow others to serve you. Pope Francis created quite a stir during Holy Week when he celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a prison and washed the feet of a dozen inmates. Most of the media coverage focused on the break from the tradition of washing the feet of the cardinals and on the propriety (or impropriety) of including women in the ritual. Michael Sean Winters, however, wrote about the symbolism of the act in his article titled “Pope Francis & the Washing of Feet” in the April 1 issue of National Catholic Reporter. (more…)
1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body.2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. (more…)
Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message. John 20:18 (more…)
22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief. Matthew 17:22-23 (more…)
Yesterday I cited an article from an AgingCare.com newsletter about Daylight Savings Time. The newsletter had another article by the same author, Anne-Marie Botek, titled “Why a Nurse Refused to Give a Dying Woman CPR.” It was about the controversy surrounding the death of an 87-year-old woman who was a resident of Glenwood Gardens, an “independent living facility” in Bakersfield, California. When the woman collapsed, a staff member called 911. The staff member was a nurse, and the 911 operator pleaded with her to administer CPR until the paramedics arrived, but the nurse refused, citing facility policy against doing so. The ambulance arrived within minutes and transported the patient to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Shocking, right? When I first heard the story on the O’Reilly Factor last week, I thought so, but after reading this article and thinking about Mom and Dad’s situations, I’m not so sure. (more…)
Doing something nice for someone with no expectation of reward is nothing new, but every so often the idea is pulled out and given a new coat of paint. When I was a kid, these actions were called “good deeds,” and every Boy Scout was expected to do one every day. A few years ago, after a media makeover, good deeds became “random acts of kindness.” Now, thanks to the latest episode of NCIS, they may become known as “hit-and-runs.”
Episode 13 focused on Abby Schiuto, everybody’s favorite zany genius
Actress Pauley Perrette, aka Abby Sciuto from “NCIS”, signs autographs for fans in Las Vegas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
who runs the NCIS lab. Her current case caused her to flash back on her “first” case, a time in her childhood when she tried to solve a mystery. Just like the adult Abby, she became emotionally involved with the people she met and took their problems as her own. Her inability to solve their problems, and her inability to resolve her current case in a happily-ever-after manner, led her to question her value as a person. As always, Gibbs came to the rescue: (more…)
When you’re visiting family around the holidays, it’s sometimes hard to find time to blog regularly. But the good thing about having been a blogger for over a year is that you can recycle. Here’s a post I wrote last year, and as I re-read it, and in spite of my earlier decision not to make any resolutions this year, I may renew this one. Happy New Year!
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The Christmas Eve service was beautiful last night. Lights were twinkling, carols were playing, candles were burning, people were singing and smiling and laughing and hugging and wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Excited children crowded to the front when the pastor told the children’s story. The service ended with Communion and the traditional singing of “Silent Night” as candlelight passed from person to person until the whole sanctuary was alight with it. But something was missing. (more…)
christmas paint (Photo credit: cassie_bedfordgolf)
It’s not technically twelve days, but it’s twelve of the many things that have made this Christmas season special:
Jim Robinson
A couple of months ago my brother, the Reverend Doctor Jim Robinson, posted a blog titled “Hard Work vs. Government Assistance.” It was well-written and thought-provoking, but I thought it was incomplete.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that my brother and I love each other, but we fall on opposite sides of the political fence. He is as liberal as I am conservative; however, we’re both reasonable adults, and we’ve learned to discuss our differences in a civilized manner. In fact, he has a passion for civility, and his blog is “dedicated to hearing ‘both side’ of any issue.” But in this particular post, I think he failed to take into consideration that some issues have more than two sides. I think this is particularly relevant in issues involving caring for those I call “the least of these.” (more…)
