(Message given 9/22/13 at Newberg Friends Church) Today we’re beginning a series I’m calling, “Who Are We?” Not because I’m worried we’re a bunch of amnesiacs. No, I think our identity…how we see ourselves, what we choose to evaluate ourselves by…I think our identity is …
Read MoreFinding Papa (1)
They build roads straight in the midwest. Very straight. So the towns don’t sneak up on you at all. Rolling across the vast flatness, you can see them coming for miles, these little collections of humanity habitat. First you see the heartland skyscrapers: the skyline …
Read MoreI need your suggestions!
Friday will be my last day in the office before I begin the wondrous gift of a sabbatical. The purpose of this time away is rest, renewal, and reflection. I will have time…something I haven’t had for awhile. Yesterday I had an idea: I would …
Read MoreCommunity and Diversity at the Origin
While Tolkien adopts and adapts the good Creator of Genesis, one way he diverges is to invent an intermediary “angelic” class of creatures that help out with creation. All begins with Ilúvatar, but creation does not happen alone. It happens in community, with the Ainur, …
Read MoreWhat questions does an origin story try to answer?
How did all this stuff come to be? What is my place in what is? How does the world we inhabit contain such exquisitely creative beauty right alongside such horrific savagery and brokenness? These questions and more drive us to understand our beginnings in ways …
Read MoreFiction can be true
Why spend time blogging about a fictional origin story? Shouldn’t a pastor use the bible? 🙂 While it wasn’t at all the reason I fell in love with Tolkien’s work, his writings are steeped in his Roman Catholic theological framework. So many (rightly) appreciate his …
Read MoreOrigin stories
Whether it’s literature or holy texts, one way humans try to make sense of the world we live in is to tell the story of how the world began. These stories bleed with meaning, and affect so much of how we process what happens to …
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