By Joel Hess - "One mornin' Tim was feelin' full, His head was heavy which made him shake; He fell from the ladder and broke his skull, And they carried him home his corpse to wake. They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet, And laid him out upon the bed, A gallon of … Continue reading Bring Back the Wake!
By Joel Hess - Since it was first unveiled in 1987, the work by Andres Serrano entitled “Piss Christ”, has been met with plenty of criticism by Christian leaders. If you are not in the know, Piss Christ is what the title proclaims, a picture of a plastic crucifix in a jar of the artist’s … Continue reading Piss Christ: Simul Iustus et Peccator
By Joel A. Hess - Since seminary, I have been told by seasoned pastors and “expert” first timers that pastoring is a tough, thankless job. They encouraged me to set boundaries so I don’t get lost in the work and forget about myself and my family. They scared me stiff, perhaps hoping I would not be … Continue reading Dear Pastors and Pastor’s Wives: Stop Whining
By Joel Hess - Numbers are shrinking or so we are told. I just trust the experts who count these numbers. Of course, they rely on a lot of pastors who aren’t good with numbers. So, I don’t know. Even though I have never seen it at the churches I have served, I suppose I … Continue reading Why Is The Church Shrinking? Happiness!
By Joel A. Hess - Herod the Great might be considered the most evil character in the Holy Scriptures. Evil maybe, but stupid no! Perhaps one of the brilliant talents of Herod the Great was his uncanny ability to play both sides of a game. In order to keep his kingship of Palestine, he needed … Continue reading Herod and me: Triangulating God
By Joel A. Hess - A couple of weeks ago, my wife underwent an interview for a job at our local autism center. She came back a little flustered about a particular question. It was the classic question of a job interview. Do you have any weaknesses? She actually gave an honest answer! God bless … Continue reading I have a lot of weaknesses! Thank God
By Joel Hess - Mad Men did many things well, but its brilliant dialogue lifted it from T.V. drama to a Shakespearean masterpiece. I don’t know of a show with so many great quotes, outside of Seinfeld. Yet most importantly the scripts magnified the underlying cancer that produces the rotten sores and symptoms we see … Continue reading Welcome to the Church of Don Draper
