By Josh Keith –
Just about everyone has heard these phrases in some form: “Rub some dirt on it,” “Man up,” and my dad’s personal favorite, “Hike your skirt up, Nancy.” These phrases all embody the same feeling of knowing that something is hard, while also knowing that it has to be done anyway. This feeling has become lost on the modern world, especially on much of my generation, deeming that if something is “too hard,” they can simply give up or put it aside for later.
By Graham Glover –
Most of you who will read this probably don’t consider yourself a pluralist. Although we’ve never surveyed the readers of the Jagged Word, I’m pretty sure most of you have a pretty rigid way of viewing things, from politics to theology and everything in between.
By Tim Winterstein –
From February 2–9, the Spokane International Film Festival celebrated its twentieth year, holding screenings of documentary and narrative features, as well as shorts blocks from around the world, including a Best of the Northwest program featuring local filmmakers. The festival opened with Benny and Joon, a 1993 film that was set and made in Spokane, which—I’m somewhat ashamed to admit—I had never seen.
By Tim Winterstein –
The shocking thing about watching Christine (available on Netflix) in 2018 is maybe not that Christine Chubbuck committed suicide on live television in 1974. The shocking thing is that we haven’t seen such a thing, or something like it, in the forty years since. She took the logic of “if it bleeds, it leads” to its extreme conclusion. What surprises me is that the idiocracy hasn’t descended further and faster than it has. I wonder whether Christine (an excellently monotone Rebecca Hall) does what she does because her mind was clouded or because she was more clear-eyed than everyone else. Is she irrational and, therefore, “crazy”? Or is she mentally ill in a Nietszchean way, seeing what everyone else refuses to see?
By Joel A. Hess –
This past week, I watched my alma mater’s sports program completely implode. Unless you are Stephen Hawking, exclusively spending your time contemplating the universe, you probably have heard about the USA and MSU gymnastics doctor who molested over a hundred girls over the course of his career. Everyone agrees to the immorality of the doctor. That’s easy even for our society. However, journalists looked into the failure of the MSU administration in dealing with initial complaints regarding the doctor. This revealed what is now the popular narrative that MSU has not been being up front regarding many cases of sexual assault. Especially revealing was the numerous sexual assault and rape accusations of football and basketball players. Sadly, the university and coaches’ response was simply that all of this had been reported already. So it’s all good, right?
By Paul Koch –
I have written a lot on the topic of friendship over the years. It is a subject that I find fascinating and a universal component of the human experience, and deep down I know that it is personally crucial for my life. Friendship is not just a theoretical discussion or a curious observation of social constructs. No, it is something that I need in my life. I am the furthest thing from the “lone wolf” ideal of the American frontier; I need friends in my life. I don’t need a lot of them, but I need them. I need men amongst whom I know who I am; my worth, my strengths and weaknesses, my values and goals are best sorted out in the company of a friend.
By Tim Winterstein –
I’m not going to lie; there’s a little bit of hipster in me. It’s much harder for me to get enthusiastic about movies or music that other people recommend to me, except for a couple of people. I like to be the one who recommends things. I know that’s a fault, but there it is. This is especially true of those things that win at major award shows, such as the Academy Awards. I still haven’t seen Spotlight, though it’s on my list, and I kept putting off seeing Moonlight until last night.
By Paul Koch –
To say that I am not a fan of soccer would be a gross understatement. I am often befuddled by its popularity and cannot understand why parents continue to encourage their children, especially their sons, to participate in this strange sport. I am regularly reminded by passionate sports fans that this is the most popular sport in the world, and therefore, it carries a certain promise of common ground for conversation and experience in our global economy. It is commonly referred to as the beautiful game, and I must admit that when I watch a skilled athlete, there is a majestic beauty that is found in their ability to control a ball with such precision and agility with seemingly no effort.
By Graham Glover –
At any given time, there are less than 0.5% of Americans serving in any capacity in the Armed Forces of the United States. Let that sink in for a moment. Less than ½ of 1% of our population is currently serving in any branch – in any component (Active or Reserve) of our military. That is a staggering statistic! That 0.5% preserves the possibility for our democratic republic to survive for the remaining 99.5% is simply mind boggling.
By Graham Glover –
Change.
For many, it’s the most dreadful “four-letter” word in their vocabulary.
Even though change happens every day, many people aren’t comfortable with it. They don’t like it and certainly don’t accept it.
By Tim Winterstein –
I search out movies the way I search out music: not according to genre, but according to what strikes a human chord. I like music that says something, not music that fits a commercial niche. I don’t want to be sold something; I want to be told something.
By Paul Koch –
This Sunday is Father’s Day. Unfortunately, it’s not so much a day to honor our fathers and highlight their unique qualities. No, this sad little day hiding in the shadow of Mother’s Day has been engulfed by cheap gifts, tacky ties, and “Word’s Best Dad” mugs. So, do I show my dad how thankful I am for a lifetime of sacrifice and hard work by getting him some new golf balls? Or perhaps a new wallet would better demonstrate my appreciation for all he has done. Fortunately, just as there are gift buying guides for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, so also there are guides for Father’s Day. So, I can rest assured that I will pick the perfect thing that has the most cleverly devised marketing strategy for my demographic to finally be able to say to my dad, “I love you.”
By Tim Winterstein –
I want documentaries to document. I want tension between viewpoints, in the progression of the story, and between the filmmakers and subjects. Propaganda may be interesting for any number of reasons, but not because of its tension. It has a single-minded purpose and a tunnel-vision perspective. It consciously excludes anything that argues against the obvious purpose. But human beings and the events they observe are complicated. So, if there’s no tension, I’m not interested. And I appreciate it when documentaries can document that tension without turning into propaganda.
By Bob Hiller –
I’ve been thinking a lot about writing blogs lately. Having to produce weekly content on The Jagged Word is a strange experience. As Doc Scott pointed out some time back, doing this on a consistent basis is a bit of a roller coaster. I wonder what sort of good my words are doing, if any. Or I grow too proud of what I write, and then I feel foolish over the pride but shoot to make myself proud again next week. I’m a very self-involved person, after all. Does this simply become white noise, or are we doing some good ruffling some feathers in the blackhole that is Lutheran social media? Is there any value, or even virtue, in writing a weekly blog?
By Ross Engel –
It’s early. The sun won’t be up for another two and half hours. My alarm was set to go off at 4:45am, but it’s 4:26am, I’m already up, and my obnoxiously large cup of coffee is about to be consumed. In the words of Jocko Willink, it’s time to “Get After It.”
Jocko. I feel like I know the guy. Thanks to Twitter, his weekly podcast, and his book, it’s like I’ve got my own “cornerman” yelling instructions to me as I grapple along in life.
By Scott Keith –
This is a question that I ask myself all the time. I’m truly interested in knowing what kind of man I am and how others might answer that question. Perhaps it’s narcissistic of me to wonder such a thing. Maybe I ask myself such a question because I more frequently ask it of others. Often, I find answers in the most unexpected places.
“Success” is a loaded word. It is such a subjective word that it can be challenging to nail down what a person means when they start talking about “success” and “failure.”
Consider the various vocations and duties that you have. If I consider the various stations of life that God has given me, I can say that I am a husband, father, son, pastor, boss, brother, friend, neighbor, and probably a handful of other things to a variety of people. But how do I determine whether or not I am a success in any of these stations of life? I ask this, because lately I haven’t been feeling terribly “successful” at life.
By Ross Engel –
“You know Pastor, not every pastor would do what you did today. Thank you.”
I had just spent the day driving through the inner-city with two older ladies. My role was to make sure we didn’t get lost or accosted while we were in the rough part of town. Our mission for the day was to complete all the necessary steps to get one of the ladies on a path that would get her back on her feet for good. We accomplished our tasks and even managed to have a few laughs in the process! It was an enjoyable time, despite the circumstances.
By Bob Hiller –
DISCLAIMER: This is not a blog about who you should or should not vote for. It does not seek to endorse either candidate. This is a blog about sin and manhood. It does happen that the foil for my blog today is running for the president of the United States. His comments about women and how they reflect current cultural stereotypes are the focus of this blog. Please do not use the comment section as a place for political fighting. Save that for Graham’s blog.
By Caleb Keith – In the Western world, particularly the United States, the idea of a separation between […]
