A short reflection on Psalm 145:1-9
Video:
Skipping the Debates: Cowardice, Wisdom, or Just Trump Being Trump?
We do not and will not make a lot of posts about partisan politics. We see very little value in talking about personality-driven statecraft stagecraft. One of the nice things about this space is that we get to say what we really think: the two-party system in the United States is rotten, almost to the core.
That said, and in case you couldn’t tell, we’re not Trump supporters here. Even so, we think something is being intentionally missed in the conversation about him refusing to participate in the Republican debates.
First of all, why should he? Second of all, why would he?
This the situation in practical terms:
His premise is “I’m up by 65 points, why should I?” He’s not afraid to debate; to him, debating is just saying whatever and calling names. That’s his wheelhouse.
The incredible thing is that he’s listening to legal consul saying “If you debate, you’re going to have to watch what you say about all of these indictments, investigations, etc.” He knows he can’t trust himself. Honestly, it’s the smart move. The incredible thing is that he’s showing discipline. He might be afraid of going to prison (why wouldn’t he be?) but, all things being equal, he’s not afraid to debate. He probably also thinks that doing the debates only platforms the other candidates, all of whom are running pitifully behind.
That’s the situation. For once, he’s heeding conventional wisdom. That might be the scariest thing of all.
Words of God: Prompts and Triggers, Idols and Clichés
Prompts and Triggers
Today’s prompt is a little triggering. Triggering might be one of those words.
Having spent too much time on Twitter, I have to go with “gutted.” Everyone on Twitter/X is absolutely gutted over everything. The popular meaning (bitterly disappointed or upset) supposedly originated in 80’s British prison slang, which makes sense because Americans on Twitter also love saying “cheers.”
“Cliché” is another one. I’d like to run an ad during the Super Bowl reminding everyone that nothing is cliché. Something can be a cliché, but the adjective they’re looking for is clichéd.”
In terms of what we talk about on this podcast? The word biblical gets thrown around a lot, usually by people who are misreading, misquoting, or misusing the Bible. Except in the UK, and if you’re Liam Gallagher, because then it just means awesome.
Word of God suffers in the same way. Did you know the Bible does not really call itself the Word of God? It can’t. It does, however, call Jesus the Word of God. And so does Karl Barth.
I was thinking today about the difference between how we think of God as God (the God of all creation, of the entire cosmos, the author of all reality) versus how we think about God in terms of our daily lives. On some level, I believe these are the same, but I also know that I navigate my personal needs (prayers for my family, for example) in a very set way. We all have ways of containing (more generously, interacting) with the Mystery. In a way, these practices, routines, and rituals are something like household gods. They can, of course, become idols. But the ancient phenomenon of household gods took root for a reason. We need imminent and immanent ways to interact with the transcendent and ineffable. So we make little statues or we draw lines of division. We create labels, all of which are overused.
In the Christian story, God comes to us (to space and time, literally) and to oppression, poverty, anxiety (the human condition generally) in Jesus. It’s as if God says “there’s no proof of life in your idols; follow me instead.” And, of course, we kill him. Idols can’t respond. They can’t tell us our prejudices and hatreds and selfishness are wrong. Jesus can and does. So we kill him. Then we replace him with a book. We forget that Jesus is the Word (the creative agency, the mind, the full revelation) of God and we settle for the Bible. We put our perspective of it in a place of honor with the rest of our household gods and then we say that shelf of lifeless artifact tells us all we need to know about Everything.
If the word biblical is overused, the word idolatrous sure isn’t.
Dying Metaphors
“A dying metaphor is a derogatory term coined by George Orwell in his essay Politics and the English Language. Orwell defines a dying metaphor as a metaphor that isn’t dead (dead metaphors are different, as they are treated like ordinary words), but has been worn out and is used because it saves people the trouble of inventing an original phrase for themselves. In short, a cliché. Example: Achilles’ heel. Orwell suggests that writers scan their work for such dying forms that they have ‘seen regularly before in print’ and replace them with alternative language patterns.” (Wikipedia)
Tom Spanbauer calls clichéd words and imagery received text. I learned that from this essay by Chuck Palahniuk.
What Brings You Peace?
I thought I’d dip my toe into WordPress’s daily writing prompt today. The question posed is “what brings you peace?”
It’s hard to not think about this in relation to mental health. Timothy writes that God did not give us a spirit of fear but rather of power and love and self-control (or a sound mind, or a balanced mind) or, as Denzel Washington says in The Great Debaters, “a righteous mind.”
I don’t think of a righteous mind as an excessively pious one. I think of righteousness in this sense as health, wholeness, and healing. Our minds our miracles. They are powerful. Often, they need restoration. When Washington, in the role of Melvin B. Tolson, says “I and every professor on this campus are here to help you to find, take back, and keep your righteous mind… because obviously you have lost it,” I think of Jesus.
Other things that bring me peace: nature, exercise, music, having basic needs understood and having ways to meet them. And (certain) people.
How about you?
About that Fake Sun Bear
Maybe it’s real. Maybe it’s not. Who knows. One thing that’s certainly fake: the enclosure. Zoos aren’t real. Who cares if the bear is?
It’s a struggle out there.
Have you outgrown your current enclosure? What would it mean to put down whatever masks you wear? Are you looking for that next step to wholeness, health, and healing? These are better questions.
From a hilarity standpoint, I want the bear to be fake. But she’s probably real. We have a hard time telling the difference because we think our worth is based on our accomplishments. How good we look. How convincing we are. How real we seem.
Get back in touch with who you really are. A cosmic marvel. A child of God.
Worst Church Ever 