Chaplainmike

Daughters of the Church Today?

Have you read this book? It was a pretty significant piece of scholarship when it was released in 1987. And, as it covers nearly 2000 years of church history, I would call it a pretty significant book still today. From the Amazon summary: Rich in historical events and colorfully written, this fascinating account of womenContinue reading “Daughters of the Church Today?”

Reformation Sunday 2020: Zwingli’s Plague Hymn

Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli contracted the black death (bubonic plague) in Zurich while caring for the sick in 1519. Fearing for his life, he penned this hymn of lament and trust, completing its final four stanzas after his recovery. On Reformation Sunday, we present this as our own prayer for ourselves and each other, fiveContinue reading “Reformation Sunday 2020: Zwingli’s Plague Hymn”

Saturday Brunch, POLITICS-FREE EDITION, October 24, 2020

Hello friends, and welcome to the weekend. Ready for brunch? Okay, I’ve had enough. I don’t want to hear ONE word about politics today, especially in the comments section. NOT today, boys and girls. We are gonna brunch-out on some beautiful pics, some science, news, and some random human weirdness. And if anyone even mentionsContinue reading “Saturday Brunch, POLITICS-FREE EDITION, October 24, 2020”

Reconsider Jesus – The Forgiver of Sins (Mark 2:1-12)

Reconsider Jesus – A fresh look at Jesus from the Gospel of Mark A devotional commentary by Michael Spencer Compiled and Edited by: Michael Bell Table of Contents (Note: I wanted to take a moment to give a bit of an update on this project. Each post in this series usually takes me between threeContinue reading “Reconsider Jesus – The Forgiver of Sins (Mark 2:1-12)”

What is the plan for the Pandemic?

What is the plan for the Pandemic? Are you tired of the Pandemic? Are you through with the Pandemic? Well the Pandemic is not “through” with you. This latest report warns: US Covid-19 cases will begin to rapidly accelerate in a week as the country topped 60,000 new infections Tuesday — triple what the dailyContinue reading “What is the plan for the Pandemic?”

Affective Polarization

“I’m not just running against Biden — Sleepy Joe — I’m running against the corrupt media, the big tech giants, the Washington swamp. And the Democrat Party is a part of all of them — every single one of them. They flood your communities with criminal aliens, drugs and crime, while they live behind beautifulContinue reading “Affective Polarization”

Pro-life and Anti-Trump?

I recently ran across a Facebook argument, in which two people I respect (I will call them Mrs. A and Mr. B) took very different positions on voting. Both are thoughtful, intelligent Christians, yet the issue that primarily divided them was on whether abortion was an absolute deal-breaker when it came to voting for theContinue reading “Pro-life and Anti-Trump?”

Reconsider Jesus – The Healer (Mark 1:29-45)

Reconsider Jesus – A fresh look at Jesus from the Gospel of Mark A devotional commentary by Michael Spencer Compiled and Edited by: Michael Bell Table of Contents (Note: The previous post was renamed to “The Compassionate One”) The Healer 29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew,Continue reading “Reconsider Jesus – The Healer (Mark 1:29-45)”

Sunday with Michael Spencer: Ink Blot Church

Ink Blot Church from 2005 God is like a Rorschach test. You know, the ink blot test, where you look at an image that really presents nothing coherent, and you describe what you see. Kind of like looking at clouds and talking about what you see. The Rorschach test is outdated and was always controversial,Continue reading “Sunday with Michael Spencer: Ink Blot Church”

The IM Saturday Monks Brunch: October 17, 2020

The IM Saturday Monks Brunch: October 17, 2020 • • • Cartoon of the week • Wise word of the week…from Richard Rohr Over centuries, we became very used to equating evil with individual “sins” and we lost a sense of its collective nature. The word “sin” often serves as a label applied to variousContinue reading “The IM Saturday Monks Brunch: October 17, 2020”