friendship

Learning to Love the Label Gun

By Paul Koch –

Every now and then, I begin to long for a little anonymity in life. I long to be able to sit in the back, disappear from the conversations, and be a nameless participant whom no one can even remember whether or not showed up. I think it might be nice to keep my head down and keep to myself, not having to worry about what is going on in the Church or how we might best interact with our culture. Isn’t it enough to worry about what I’m doing and how I’m caring for my congregation and not care about what anyone else is doing?

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Law, Gospel and Friendship

By Caleb Keith –

Dear Jagged Mafia,

I let the month of February get the best of me. I was bummed out by some pastoral harassment and overwhelmed by the beginning of a new semester. I let these two things feed into my natural laziness, but it’s time to shake off the slump. With that in mind, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight the last two episodes of the Thinking Fellows podcast. On these two fantastic shows, the fellows and I were joined by none other than the Jagged Word’s very own Pastor Koch. On recording day, we enjoyed fine whiskey and pipe smoke while talking about friendship and preaching the Law and the Gospel. I personally believe that these are some of the best episodes we have ever recorded.

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Friendless Failure

By Paul Koch –

When I am asked to explain just what the hell we are doing on The Jagged Word, I usually begin my explanation with some reference to friendship. “It’s a few of my friends and I that write weekly in areas of theology and culture…” Or “My friends get to write freely and courageously as we sort of think out loud and try to encourage a conversation…” Or something along those lines. Friendship is deeply embedded within the ethos of what this is about, and I believe it is why we continue to grow and produce quality posts.

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“Unfriend”ship

By Cindy Koch –

We sit here today in a silent conversation. I type out the annoying voice in the back of my brain onto a white screen, and soon you will be reading these words in between the pretty pictures. I may be sitting outside of a quiet coffee shop my local strip mall, or I could be hiding from the chaos (called bedtime) in my backyard under the orange summer sunset. You could be reading this on your phone while waiting in the air-conditioned minivan, or you could be contemplating at your comfy familiar desk with a warm cup of coffee in hand. We have a conversation, you and I, but such a strange one.

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Learning from Belichick

By Bob Hiller –

Our country is divided over pretty much everything these days. In such times, it is helpful to remember that nothing unites quite like a common enemy. That is why I am thankful that the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. Our collective disdain for ol’ Grumpy Bill and that disgustingly talented quarterback just might be what this nation needs to bring us together. Just think of the collective joy we would feel watching Matt Ryan march down the field with only seconds left on the clock to score a winning touchdown and rip the hearts out of the New England sideline. It just makes you want to hug your enemy, doesn’t it?

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Losing Friends

By Paul Koch –

At the heart of true rebellion and the core of every revolt is not tyranny, poverty, or the violation of perceived rights but friendship. And it is friendship that seems to be in short supply these days. Connected to millions through our screens, we butcher the title “friend” as we search in vain for some assurance that we will not be scattered across the land. Connected to everyone, we are not really connected to anyone.

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Lessons from a Son

By Paul Koch –

Last week, I travelled to Fort Wayne, Indiana for the 32nd Annual Symposium on Exegetical Theology and the 40th Annual Symposium on the Lutheran Confessions. These two conferences hosted back to back at the seminary are always packed full of great insights and discussion by top-notch scholars. To be sure, leaving the beautiful confines of Ventura, California to travel to Fort Wayne in the middle of January isn’t always to joyful undertaking. Nonetheless, I go every year. I go for the opportunity to learn and so that I might be a better pastor and teacher, but most of all I go because every year I gather together with a handful of very good friends. It is their presence, their laughter, their banter in the bars late into the night that make it all worthwhile.

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Keep Them For Yourself

By Cindy Koch –

This time of year is blooming with photos of our memories and special moments. Christmas, loved ones, beautiful trees and tables—I always enjoyed these frozen moments until just recently. Up until now, I didn’t realize how perverted our pictures have become. Now, I’m not talking about sneaking a peek at dirty pictures of shameful things. Rather, we are all now shaped by a culture that has a deep reverence for a filtered millisecond caught on a phone. Every time my little boy creates something, he proudly says, “Mom, take a picture!” When my daughter thinks something is funny, she asks, “Mom, can take a video?” Of course, it is not just our kids who have this digital obsession. But until recently, I didn’t think about the ramifications of our spectophilia.

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