By Paul Koch – Consider these two conversations: the first was one I had around a year ago […]
Vocation
By Graham Glover –
I spend a lot of time on Capitol Hill these days. Sometimes I interact with Members of Congress, other times their Staffers. A lot of time I just watch. But no matter who I’m talking to or what I’m observing, the one thing that is blatantly obvious, even to the political outsider, is how divided the people are who make up this place. While our institutions aren’t broken, our people clearly are, and it’s not getting any better.
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 Cindy Koch –
Today I am sick with anger. Every moment that my own beautiful little children inch toward that front door, out into the bleak and dangerous world, I become frantic. There are murderers and swindlers out there, just outside a parent’s protection. They lay in wait, hunting our children, just beyond our doorstep. I am furious that these evil attackers can destroy such precious lives—moments, years, smiles, hopes, and dreams—for no reason at all. I am devastated that over and over a mother screams for her baby that will never come home, a father is defeated by an enemy that never looked him in the eyes.
By Bob Hiller –
We all know the old sports truism: It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how you play the game. I tell my boys that I don’t care if they win so long as they play hard and fair. The truth is, we all play to win, and we all want to win. But in every game, there must be a loser. So, though the goal is to win, the aim in each game is to play hard so that one can lose with dignity.
By Paul Koch –
“In short: enthusiasm clings to Adam and his children from the beginning to the end of the world – fed and spread among them as poison by the old dragon. It is the source, power, and might of all the heresies, even that of the papacy and Mohammed. Therefore, we should and must insist that God does not want to deal with us human beings, except by means of his external Word and sacrament. Everything that boast of being from the Spirit apart from such a Word and sacrament is of the devil.” (Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles, III, 8)
By Graham Glover –
“I…do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”
These words are part of the oath that every person takes upon entering or being promoted in the United States military. These are serious words that speak to the importance of the profession and the purpose for which it was created. Although the military does many things, its primary purpose is and will remain the protection and preservation of the United States of America. Or is it the protection and preservation of the United States Constitution?
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 Paul Koch –
The raising of a son is a noble and daunting task. In these days of safe spaces on college campuses and SJWs arguing over proper pronoun use, it is easy to get overwhelmed as to what is the best course of action. The time-honored traditions handed down from a father to a son are now often portrayed as being out of touch with modern sentiments and no longer needed in a modern society. The traditional understanding of what makes a man a good man and what makes him good at being a man are viewed with a certain disdain and uneasiness.
By Paul Koch –
In his letter the to the church in Corinth, St. Paul speaks in sobering terms about his role in the mission and work of our Lord’s church. He seems to understand the magnitude of what he is doing and the crucial nature of just what it is that the church is called to do while awaiting the return of Christ. What he pictures is not some weak and inconsequential gathering that drifts along unnoticed in the massive workings of the world. Nor does he imagine some brutal or tyrannical operation where fear and oppression guide the daily activities.
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 Graham Glover –
Worthless.
Broken.
Corrupt.
These are just a few of the words I’ve heard over the last few days to describe the city where I live. Not that it’s entirely different at other times, but people don’t feel too great about the recent shenanigans going on in Washington, D.C.
By Josh Keith –
“Wilderness is a necessity… there must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls…” John Muir.
I feel that no truer words have ever been spoken. My forge is my wilderness, where I work on metal and wood to create useful tools that I hope are used and appreciated by my customers. I can’t think of a place where my soul is more satisfied than my forge, with my hammer in one hand and a white-hot piece of metal in the other just begging to be hammered. The heat of the forge, the weight of my hammer, the ring of my anvil, the sweat on my brow, and the blisters and callouses that make up what used to be my hands—these things are my wilderness, my soul, and so my soul goes into all that I make.
By Cindy Koch –
What a question. It has been pondered throughout the ages, and the arguments go back and forth. God gives his man and woman companionship at the beginning of creation, but soon after, as a result of sin, both man and woman feel the pain of this union. In Scripture, St. Paul responds to the Corinthians about sexual immorality questions, personally judging that it is better to not be anxious about pleasing a wife.
By Tim Winterstein –
There are more prominent hucksters in American religion, but perhaps none as honest as Marjoe Gortner. “Charlatan” is a word custom made for him. I’m not sure why I hadn’t come across the 1972 Academy Award-winning documentary Marjoe before I found it on Sundance Now (you can also see the full film on YouTube here). After watching it, I was all the more surprised I hadn’t seen it—until I found this fascinating interview with the director, Sarah Kernochan, who says it was all but lost until 2002, when she came across an original negative of the film. (Another essay by her is here [although her misspelling of “Pentecostal” and her facile connections make me grimace].) Even so, maybe because he was before my time, I’d never even heard of Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner.
By Joel A. Hess –
Let’s not kid ourselves. We love to give to the “poor.” Throw an anonymous picture of someone suffering on a poster or TV screen and dollars and coin quickly fill up the collection bucket. There is nothing wrong with that, of course.
By Paul Koch –
When people talk about sheep, when they ascribe the title of being a sheep to a different group of people, it usually isn’t all that flattering. To be a sheep is to just go along with the flow, to not think critically about where you are headed or how you will get there. To be a sheep usually means you are dependent on someone else for your survival. The sheep need a shepherd. People usually don’t want to consider themselves sheep. They want to be the shepherd or perhaps even the sheepdog, but not the sheep. Being sheep has gotten bad rap. We consider them to be stupid and blundering beasts that are good for mutton and wool but that is all. In other words, they are only useful to be consumed.
By Joel A. Hess –
In the sixteenth century, the time of the Reformation, the Church held celibacy as of greater value than marriage in terms of holiness before God. They required their priests to take vows of celibacy. Men and women were considered holy as they left the domestic life and pursued all church all the time. That was the religious life. On paper, I suppose it makes sense. Who wouldn’t admire someone if all they did was churchy stuff? Also, Paul encourages people not to get married if they are blessed with the ability not to want sex or the desire to cuddle while watching Downton Abbey (1 Corinthians 7).
By Cindy Koch –
Just like any other Sunday, the ushers marched down the center aisle halfway through the church service. Their leather dress shoes kept even time with the piano music during the offering. As they passed our pew, I noticed neither one of the gentlemen were looking at their destination. Their heads were tipped to the right and they both wore a proud, goofy smile. I scanned the rest of the congregation for a clue to their delight. In a wave of curiosity, every man woman and child also turned to focus on the grand piano on the side of the church.
By Paul Koch –
We have all heard at some time in our life, usually on the lips of a well-meaning grandmother, that famous saying, “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” This is a great saying and there is truth found in it. In fact, if you think about it, this saying focuses us on a central problem of mankind. The thing is, our hands don’t stay idle. To be idle is to be unproductive, to do nothing, but we are busy creatures always working in some way. So, this a cautionary saying that if our hands are not being employed toward something good, something faithful, or something beautiful then they will be employed towards something wicked – for they will not stay idle.