Always Reforming

The time has come To say Goodbye To a part of life, To a part of me, The time has come To close the door, To burn the bridge, To start anew. But the hardest part Of moving on Is letting go. Sometimes I wonder Where I'd be If I'd had the courage To cut the cord, Sometimes I wish I could go back But who would I be Without these tears. But the hardest part Of moving on Is letting go. We'll never know What could've been In another world, In another life. Yes, the hardest part Of moving on Is letting go.

Despite what Uncle Sam, Facebook, and CNN would like you to believe, life does not always present you with binary choices.  You do not have to be a Democrat or a Republican.  Defunding the police is not the only alternative to blindly supporting their every act.  Every American does not have to choose between being a White Supremacist or a proponent of CRT.  Whenever the talking heads present us with a binary choice, a classic coercive strategy, we must remember that there is a third way. This is, perhaps, nowhere more apparent today than in how we view the medical community.  Support the medical establishment, we are told, or reject modern medicine wholesale.  Mask up and get the jab, they say, or you're a science-denier.  Those are the options with which we are presented, but mindless self-reliance and mindless reliance upon the experts are not the only two choices we have.  There is a third way, namely, one that does not include being mindless....

Our family recently enjoyed a vacation to Myrtle Beach.  We've been to the beach before, but the atmosphere is definitely unique in Myrtle.  As busy and hectic as it was, we had a fun and relaxing time. As I suspect is the case for most people, I always find the beach to inspire reflection and introspection, so h ere are a few observations from our trip to Myrtle Beach. 1) There's nothing so humbling as the ocean. 2) Human beings, especially Americans, are vain, and cell phones facilitate that vanity.  Never in my life have I seen so many people in one place who think they are models. 3) Few, if any, phenomena on this planet have the ability to unite such disparate people groups--rich and poor, black and white, young and old--as the beach. 4) There are so many Baptist churches in the South.  I know it's stereotypical, but, holy Moses, there are so many Baptist churches in the South! 5) Nothing clears your sinuses quite like salt water. 6) The ocean is the absolute wo...

Many Christians, particularly those within liturgical traditions, raise their voices in concert every Sunday, affirming the Christian Faith by reciting the Nicene Creed.  The product of doctrinal development from the Kerygma through the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed embodies in dogmatic form the positive statements of truth that comprise the objective criteria for identifying the Christian religion.   One of these foundational affirmations is, "We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church." Many people mumble this affirmation without much thought.  If any part of that sentence draws a rise, it's normally the oft-misunderstood word catholic , but what about that word  apostolic ?  What are we to make of it?  What does it mean that the Church is apostolic ? For our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brethren, affirming the apostolicity of the Church is relatively simple.  They understand what they mean by it and they really mean it....

I'm considering growing out my hair.  Like, really growing it out.   I've never had the endurance to grow it out, properly speaking, though I've always been curious to see what I would look like with hair past my shoulders.  A little piece of me has dreamt of having long locks since I first saw Tommy on Power Rangers.   I can still vividly recall how completely my six-year-old self was enthralled by his luscious mane.  I made the mistake of mentioning how cool Tommy's hair was, which led to my father forbidding us from watching Power Rangers.  He said it was because the show was too violent (laughable, I know), but I knew it was because of Tommy's hair.   My dad always hated long hair on men, and he defined long hair as anything over the ears.  He particularly hated it when his own son grew his hair out to any significant degree. "Isn't it about time for a haircut?" he'd prod, much less subtly than he imagined. Being the non-confro...

Oh, my soul, Quit chasing waves, Stand not at the shore, Watching them fade. Oh, my mind, Quit watching clocks, Waste not time consumed By ticks and tocks. Oh, my heart, Quit mourning leaves, Miss not the forest For long lost trees.

I fail, I fail, Daily, I fail. How  I am humbled By my pride! How I am abandoned By self-restraint! I find I am like my father, But with a sailor's mouth. Father , How  Incredible a role! How  Miserably I fail! How I mourn My weaknesses! How  I long for A gentle spirit! I fail, I fail, Daily, I fail.