partsofspeaking

 One time a friend and colleague (different from the previous post) said she had finished reading all the Left Behind books. Being a total smart fanny, I said, "Did Jesus win?" Some activist groups have taken up the slogan, Love Wins, which has shades of meaning depending on who is using it and who is listening.  And of course, our last president love to use the word "win." What Jesus will do in the future is not "win." That's a really anemic word for setting the world right again in a way that is better than the first version. It doesn't compare to redemption and restoration. Win implies a game; this is a conflict, a war.  Neither will Ukraine "win" this war. Russia will withdraw, but Ukraine will have lost an awful lot in keeping its identity and freedom.

  A friend and former colleague posted this on Facebook.    It’s beautiful and sentimental; theological but has become a cliché. Don’t get me wrong. I draw great comfort and truth from it. I just think we see the “no more tears” and miss the depth there.   First, this is not the heaven we are in when we pass from this life. It is the new heaven and the new earth, after a time of judgment and tribulation (and millennial rule, but there are differences of opinion on all that). Second, this is a metaphor for something as well as literal. And third, I wonder if we sometimes see this as comforting but a little boring.   Heaven is a place of not as well as is. It’s a place where a lot of things we endure, expect, deal with, and take for granted ARE NOT and WILL NOT. Are we ready for the “not” of Heaven? And are we ready for the “past” and “passed” of Heaven?   Yet, how can we argue with the image of God wiping away someone’s tears—God touching our fac...

I just finished this (massive) novel in two days, an extremely rare occurence for me. I don't make recommendations, but this one may very well change my life.  It is a mystery, a psychological examination, and a spiritual journey. Some reviewers call it melodramatic, but that is only in some of the emotion, not the plot, which did not resolve itself, really. The main character makes a decision that may or may not work out for him, but he seems to believe it is the right one.  To be brief, a *clergyman in the Church of England in the 1930s is "asked" (really no choice in the matter) by the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform some espionage on a bishop who, first, is controversial in his views on divorce (it's right after the abdication of Edward) and who seems to be living in an odd household situation with his wife's companion. The clergyman (main character) becomes a guest in the "palace," falls in love with the companion, and starts a journey deep into...

This one less random.  I wrote a short story for my writers group and to ultimately send to a contest. Two people returned it. One hated the ending. The other loved it. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I understand why the one, a woman, hated the ending. The man, who loved it, likes dark fiction.   I confess my short stories are dark. My colleague reminded me, the *originator of the short story was pretty dark. I think short stories by their very nature tend toward the dark; if they end happy, they are more comic or anecdotal but not literary. I think that a novel gives you the opportunity to tell a complete story, and it can end with hope after struggle. The short story is about the struggle. It can’t tell the whole story. A short story is, quite literally (and literarily) a slice of life. A novel is the whole pie. I do write short stories, and they are very much the “epiphany” type. But I feel I can’t really explore a character fully. The crucifixion is a short s...

 A late night talk show dude saying he is willing to pay $15.00 for a gallon of gas is such a hypocrite. Out of touch. Why do people watch these fools on TV?

 I applied for a Fulbright; if I were to "win" it, I would go to Norway this summer for four weeks or something like that.  I kind of doubt this trip is going to happen, for me or anyone. I am waiting for the email that says "you didn't get picked" or "we have cancelled the trip."