Blog - Christianity

The other day, two parallel events happened in my life.

A few months back, which was several years later than it should have been, I stumbled on poetry by Billy Collins.

On this occasion of the 70th Holocaust Remembrance Day, the following is a reworking of some thoughts I’ve offered in presentations over the last several months.

Persistently needy, glommy people, people who must satiate their need for affirmation by demanding to be in the limelight, are children of God.

Tuesday, post Holy Week.

Daughter Else asks magnificent questions.

Wally Taylor teaches New Testament at (the truly outstanding) Trinity Lutheran Seminary, in the fair city of Columbus, Ohio.

(This blog is an adaptation of a recent presentation I gave at the Sawmill Retreat Center in Huron, OH, for a clergy and rostered leaders’ event for two combined ELCA synods.  The theme of our days together was that of discipleship).

“We pray for the Holy Spirit to come, and then, when she does, we want her to go home!”

Within days, our eyes and ears and minds and hearts have drawn in far too much smoke and fire and blood and weeping.

It’s 8:04 on Tuesday morning, and I’m sitting in the waiting room at the hospital after just sending my son off to yet another surgery.

As much as I have recently made a case for Advent, and then for Christmas, you might have expected that I would write something about the season of Epiphany, now over a week past.

Those are Holden Caulfield’s words, not mine, from J.D. Salinger’s book The Catcher in the Rye.

I am decorating for Advent.

Last week, I got this query:
Hello Anna,

A couple of years ago, I was talking in our living room about my affinity for heretics.

So let me be clear about a few things up front:

“It took me a long time to learn that God is not the enemy of my enemies. He is not even the enemy of His enemies.”

Anna- curious of your understanding of Matthew 13:36-43.  Is this really telling of a one time judgement and not an eternal one?  I was thinking of our conversation at Outlaw Ranch this past week.  It sounds pretty eternal to me.

The problem I see every day amongst Christians is the inability to find a more practical explanation to those of us who don’t quite understand the meaning of giving up your only son to save a bunch of sinners. Why would anyone do that? And worse: no matter what kind of crook you’ve been your whole life,  just accept such a travesty and you secured a spot in heaven. And I’m supposed to reason with that?????  Come on!!!