A ministerial friend of mine recently asked their congregation to “take on the character of Jesus” while imploring them to “do more good things” in the community. “Volunteer, get involved in neighborhood improvement projects, feed the poor and the hungry, visit the elderly – that sort of thing . . .” None of which, of…
Goodbye Sweet Bee
OK, So I’m breaking the rules here and going to 347 words so that I can post this short piece for in honor of our 16 year old fmaily member who passed away this morning. I have to think Abe would agree . . . Today we said good-bye to our beloved Bee-Dog. Bee was…
COVID-19 in VA: Statistically Speaking You’re Very Unlikely to Be “A Statistic”
After TWO MONTHS of government imposed economic shutdown the VA Dept of Health and the John’s Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center confirm that as of today there are: – 170 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Roanoke Valley. – Zero deaths. (Source: VDH. Although recent news reports indicate that 10 individuals may have died due to…
STUART REVERCOMB: Paving The Road To A Different Kind of Hell
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28 On an average day in the U.S. about 8000 people die. Since the first case of Covid-19 was diagnosed in the…
C.S. Lewis on Infections . . .
“Good things as well as bad, you know, are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire: if you want to get wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into,…
O.K. America Enough Is Enough
“FIRE!! The building is on fire – run for your lives!!!” Only it’s not. In fact, the only thing actually burning is that part of the brain that monitors logic, wisdom and the ability to remain rational. – You are one of 330 MILLION Americans. – As of Sunday March 15th there are 3045 TOTAL…
Sensationalistic Media?
No – of course not – they are doing everything they can to help the people they serve understand the true nature of what is happening relative to the coronovirus outbreak. They are saying things like, “As of today (Weds March 11th) we have just over 4,000 deaths worldwide while the average seasonal flu kills…
As Long As We’re Looking At Dog Pictures . . .
Shortly after publishing last week’s missive I came across this picture of the small Hound mix that wandered in out of the wilderness to die on our back doorstep in WV. 12 week old “Pearl,” as she came to be known, was dropped off last March with 3 other siblings near our small community along…
FREDERICK BUECHNER: Definition of A Christian
SOME THINK A CHRISTIAN is one who necessarily believes certain things. That Jesus was the son of God, say. Or that Mary was a virgin. Or that the pope is infallible. Or that all other religions are all wrong. Some think a Christian is one who necessarily does certain things. Such as going to church….
Every Dog Has His Day
Sometimes a picture really does speak a thousand words – and then some. Such is the one posted with this column taken by my nephew John Funkhouser who decided to adopt one of daughter Jane’s raucous German Shepherd pups. John, who has that rare innate gift for extraordinary photography – that has more to do…
So – Who Is God Anyway?
That seems like an interesting enough question to answer in 247 words. Some say “God is Love” in the capital “L” sense of the word – but in my view that’s likely cutting Him short of who He ultimately is. Because God, while certainly always loving in intent and action – the very “organic beginning”…
The Super Bowl Halftime Blues
I’ve got the Super Bowl Halftime Blues and apparently, I am not alone. Negative reaction this time around seems to have grown exponentially – just as the level of the pop cultural crotch pumping, boob dangling, self-glorifying sex show has no less amped it up along with the increase of each Roman numeral. This year’s…