By Paul Koch –
While I much prefer my neighborhood Ace Hardware store to the Lowes across town, there is something that makes the trip to Lowes worthwhile. It’s not so much the personal shopping experience (I’ll take the knowledge of the guys and gals at Ace over Lowes any day, plus they have free popcorn!), rather it’s the spectacle that you can find at Lowes that makes it a joy to go. I’ve begun to notice something delightful in the wide and spacious aisles at Lowes.
By Caleb Keith –
I vividly remember the comments, advice, and criticism of pretty much everybody I encountered when I was preparing to get married. The most common response to this information was, “How old are you?” or “I hope you know what your getting into.” Many others asserted I was throwing my life and my freedom away while only a few responded joyously or with legitimate loving concern. Questions and comments like the examples above were shallow and general concerns about age and autonomy. Two years later I find myself under the same type of scrutiny as I eagerly await the birth of my daughter.
By Cindy Koch –
Dear Dad,
I can’t even begin to describe how upset I am. I have terribly let you down. Buried in secrets, I thought I was just having a little fun. But now exposed in the light, I am sick with myself. I know that it was wrong. Even while I was flirting with him, something in the pit of my stomach held my heart back, just a little. I knew that you were not OK with this. I knew that you expected more from the boy who would try and hold my heart.
By Bob Hiller –
Have you ever watched poetry? If you’ve seen Stephan Curry of the Golden State Warriors, you have. Curry is making a mockery of the NBA this year. It is really hard for him to miss baskets. No one can cover him. You want to hate someone that good. But then you watch him, and it’s like seeing Bizet’s Habanera from Carmen. It is flawless and beautiful. Play the song and watch his twelve (!) three-pointers from last Saturday’s game in Oklahoma City (including a remarkable OT game winner that looked like child’s play to Curry). Pure basketball righteousness. Curry is killing the rest of the NBA. Literally no one can stop him.
So, it was fascinating this past week to listen to the fearful reactions around the league. If Curry is so deadly, what do you do with him? Since they can’t stop him, some are talking about changing the rules and adjusting the game to make it harder for Curry (and other shooters like him…of which there are none) to be so dominant.
By Paul Koch –
I’ve often wondered about my own kneejerk reaction to all things bureaucratic in nature. It seems to have always been a part of my character, but it hasn’t always been beneficial. It has got me in trouble more than once throughout my life and since being ordained as a pastor, it seems to have gotten worse. Because of this tendency, I am usually outside looking in wondering why no one will take my contributions seriously. Or, on the other hand, I’m on the inside constantly being the asshole in the room (this happens more often than I would like to admit). Sometimes I simply chock it up to being a Gen-Xer and living up to my generational stereotype or maybe it’s just an unfortunate personality flaw.
By Daniel van Voorhis –
So I wrote an article that made an impression with some, maybe a first impression. It was read understood, misunderstood, shared, defended, denounced, etc…. Lesson learned. I’m going to go safe and helpful today. This article is about impressions and first impressions, but on a different level (and one on which I am on decidedly firmer ground).
Scoff if you will, but your first impression of someone could be sullied by wrinkled shirts, flaky skin, oily hair, or scuffed shoes. So, using abbreviated and time-saving techniques can make you look sharp, without too much fuss.
Hello again, readers!
After the overwhelming success of Rachel’s article last week, I feel it is appropriate to run one more of her articles this week. Who knows, this may be the start of something big. The Jagged Word, or 1517 the Legacy Project for that matter, are always looking for new writers. Rachel is incredibly talented, and her insights into the world of motherhood are honest, gritty, and centered on the Gospel of Christ. Please enjoy one more article from Mrs. Rachel Francisco.
By Bob Hiller –
I recently had a great conversation with some old friends about why I like sports. Not being fans, they could only see the negative impact of sports on culture, higher education, and the church. Though I vehemently tried to defend the benefit of sports, much of what they said resonated with me. What is wrong with sports? Or, perhaps a better question is, what is wrong with our attitude towards them? Is there something wrong with playing and watching sports?
[Note: Jeff Mallinson has invited his wife Stacie to take the wheel this week, and reflect on what she encountered at the recent Christ Hold Fast conference.]
This past weekend, while attending the Christ Hold Fast conference, I found myself sitting in a small, no-frills side room of a church. I never thought that would be the beginning of one of the most transformative moments of my life.
By Paul Koch –
“A thing is about to happen which has not happened since the Elder Days: the Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong.”
The above quote from Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers provides us with a workable metaphor for the pastoral ministry in our day. If you think about it, pastors have a lot in common with Ents.
By Cindy Koch –
There is something about this simple word that makes my skin crawl. Even today, when I hear myself say it, I shake off a little shiver of disgust. The syllables bludgeon the ears and even the tongue from which it speaks. Most of us edited this word out of polite conversation long ago. But it still sweeps across my lips, leaving that bitter flavor behind.
By Caleb Keith –
The Matrix is one of the most recognizable movie franchises of all time. Not only is the series filled to the brim with action, but it also tackles moral dilemmas, and most importantly the philosophical idea of existence. The basic gist of the series rests on the unseen enslavement and harvesting of humanity by cybernetic beings. This race of machines relies on the electrochemical energy produced by the human mind. In an effort to harness this energy the machines imprison human minds in a virtual reality called the Matrix.
By Graham Glover –
I recently returned from a 2-week field exercise with my Soldiers. Apart from being away from my family, sleeping in a 1-man pup tent, not showering, and eating more MREs than my digestive tract prefers – it was a phenomenal time of training with my new Battalion.
There are many things an Army chaplain can do to earn the trust and respect of his Soldiers, to include, above all, being a faithful man of God. But living with them in their training environment – enduring the “suck” that everyone experiences while in the field, is one of the best ways for a Soldier to realize that where they go, their chaplain goes – when they suffer, their chaplain does so as well.
By Cindy Koch –
I know, I know. Ladies, don’t be too hard on him. The Man has posed an honest question about our society and our faith. He observed that men can look like sexist jerks by believing the word of God; so where is the honor for women today? He tried to stand up and defend our freedom, but we know how very short that answer falls. It’s easy to wonder on the outside, rather than to be the woman who must mold her life in the midst of the muck.
By Ross Engel –
It took a while, but I have finally thawed out from the trip to Ft. Wayne and the Concordia Theological Seminary’s Symposia. It is always such a blessing to spend a week in the frigid cold, in fellowship with brother pastors and friends, to take the opportunity to meet professors, reconnect with old classmates, and meet the future pastors of our Synod.
By Caleb Keith –
This year upperclassmen at high schools around the country will partake in a new round of SAT testing. The major difference from previous iterations is an emphasis on reading comprehension. Students will be facing a more thorough integration of moderately advanced language including words like anthropology, Madagascar, and femur. Use of proper language is the binding feature of the high school disciplines.
By Scott Keith –
Our youngest child is our daughter Autumn who is sixteen years of age. She has always been a very competent child. She learned how to do things very early; walking, talking, tying her shoes all came quickly and seemingly natural to her. When we would teach her to do something, as soon as she had even the slightest idea of how to do it, she would push our hands away and
By Jaime Nava –
Tomorrow is moving day. Cool. Leading up to moving day has been a ton of work. Wife and I just bought our first home and we had the bright idea to renovate it. Take out a wall here. Put up some drywall there. Seems easy. It wasn’t. If not for the help of people around us, our family, friends, and congregation, I don’t know how anything would have gotten done. Along with my regular duties as pastor, the studying, the people to visit, the reading, the bible studies, and along with my wife being over 8 weeks along, and with this move, I am so stinking tired. I feel too tired to think.
By Jeff Mallinson –
Is he the one? Is she the one? These are age old questions that some college students still ask today. This thinking is wrongheaded. Not just ill-advised, but fundamentally disastrous to a healthy relationship.
By Caleb Keith –
We live in what many call the information age. This label is in significant in part due to the large number of communication platforms upon which information can travel. While modern forms of communication are seemingly infinite, the skill with which we communicate seems to be falling apart. Text messages, status updates, and even blogs focus on distributing raw information rather than making the information compelling or powerful.
