spiritualangle.bsky.social
Family man. ACNA Priest. Columnist. Writer.
Find me at:
Mockingbird - https://mbird.com
The Latrobe Bulletin - https://thelatrobebulletin.com
Syndication & Contact Info - https://thespiritualangle.com/
167 posts
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This was such a good reflection Olga... the hardships of parenthood are easier to imagine than the counter balancing joys. Anyone can know what it's like to feel exhaustion, but there's simply no parallel equivalent feelings to tap for to the joys of having your own kid to love.
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This is a heartbreaking, beautiful, and challenging film. Did you see the new Bonhoeffer movie from last fall? (I didn't, reviewers said it was too culture war for my tastes). It seems like the two films are foils.
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I'm really hoping that the next trend isn't that critically acclaimed media gets paywalled outside of streaming platforms while Netflix, Hulu, Prime, et al. become the new Red Box DVD vending machines full of b-level, algorithmic junk instead of genuine attempts at good movie making.
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Similarly: Goonies is not available for streaming. The same with Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy - Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End.
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This post comes to you in the context of sermon procrastination.
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I later received feedback that I said the word "abide" too much in this sermon.
This has been over 10 years now. I cannot shake from my head the desire to grab some unknown stranger (who lives in my head rent free) by the lapel and demanding how I preach that sermon differently. /fin
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My main point - "abide" is an odd verb because, in essence, it is a verb that commands inaction. Like commanding a dog to "stay," it is an injunction to do nothing instead of doing something. It's a great metaphor for the Christian faith, which demands a "not-work" in faith.
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I don't know about you, but when I'm sick, cough drops are like my sick man's dip tobacco. Stick it in the cheek and let it go. No spitoon needed. Which is to say, I'm greatful for off-brand cough drops right now. The perfect mix of effective and affordable.
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Still, from a sheer cost perspective, I'm paying $3 for 25 throat soothing drops from Halls. By contrast, it's $5.75 for 200 cough drops. It's $0.12 per unit for the name brand, and roughly $0.03 per unit for the off brand.
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The name brands are like candy - it's like I'm eating a Lifesaver candy AND I have temporary relief from my cough. But that taste is much more expensive. Off-brand drops try to do the candy thing, but rarely succeed.
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First off, it's undisputed that Halls and Ricola taste better than the off-brand store variety. Look on the back of the package, and you get more ingredients per lasange.
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Finally, a thoughtful application of Kurt Gödel, and how the solutions to our ethical and social problems cannot be self-referential. They must come externally, which is why Christianity remains such a powerful force for ethical and interpersonal good.
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@commonweal.bsky.social had a great interview with Scorsese. "We can’t hide what we’re capable of. We have to understand that violence is part of our nature. And I didn’t know how else to do it in my movies, except to show violence as it really is, directly, in all its ugliness."
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@samueldjames.bsky.social posted an excerpt from Cameron Fathauer that links justification by works with the existential crisis that AI is causing. As long as humanity is not judged by their productivity, but by their belovedness by God, AI isn't quite the boogeyman people think.
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Freya India is not on the Butterfly, but @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social is, and I discovered India through him. She's become one of my favorite writers about tech, relationships, and mental health, especially when her tips are framed in the context of "relief" instead of "rules."
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Kudos to @theatlantic.com for unlocking the archives and sharing essays about parenting from 1902 and 1933. It threw me for a loop as someone who thought "modern parenting" was a "modern phenomenon." Screens or no screens, someone is always there to make $$ off of anxious parents.
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Still - these three new trailers plus the Superman movie coming out this summer all add to the malaise I (and I think a lot of others) have regarding pop culture. No new stories, worlds, characters, or ideas to explore. Just the same thing repackaged every few years from now on.
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3) At least Fantastic Four looks promising, despite being another Marvel property and a 3rd shot at rebooting the comic series. The retrofuturism vibe is on point. It's Marvel, which basically guarantees that the movie will have some charm. It doesn't look like an origin story either.
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2) It's just so hard to get excited about Jurassic World: Rebirth. More dinosaurs and genetically modified dinosaurs. More kids in peril. Put in some sex appeal with ScarJo and call it a day.
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1) The new smurfs movie looks awful and tragic. One imagines the suits sitting around a table saying "you know what's hot right now? The multiverse and superheroes. Take the Smurfs, add in some multiverse, some superheroes, make it a vehicle for Rihanna's music, throw in some adult jokes..."
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It was also a pleasure to highlight insights from @oshan.bsky.social, @shaylalove.bsky.social, and @milesklee.bsky.social this week. The link above has the full rundown and link list.
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I'm new to the writing of @samueldjames.bsky.social, but his observation about the missional power of forgiveness and grace to cut through modern social malaise is excellent and worth deep consideration.
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(I got to feature @cwarzel.bsky.social back in 2022 on the site with his observation that traditional social media is decaying like a dying suburban strip mall filled with vape shops, dollar stores, and payday lenders. Those two piecies of his, I think, pair well together).
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Also, @cwarzel.bsky.social writes about the futility of getting LA wildfire updates through social media apps, and how disconcerting it is to see the tragedy in our ad-filled distractifyer timelines. His experience is a far cry from my frantic search for friends during the 2007 VT shootings.
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For example, Olga Khazan writes about integrating chore cards into her marriage to help balance the distribuition of labor. It's best paired with a side of Jim Gaffigan's new stand up bit on 1 Corinthians.
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To wit, school is out tomorrow for a snowstorm.