God, Aliens, and Other Stuff

I am not a nutrition expert, so I do not guarantee the accuracy of what is written below. For the past several years I have been trying to deal with the weight I’ ve gained since the mid-90’s when I was an aging seminary student. As a result, I’ ve read bits and pieces here and there about the science of eating, weight gain, and dieting. It’s a grim pursuit. There is nothing but bad news to report, with the exception that early in the morning there are lots of slender elderly ladies exercise-walking at the local mall. Of course, it’s the light weight ones with white hair who are still walking in their seventies and eighties. The heavy ones are using walkers. So, what do I think I have learned? Well, people who carry their weight lower down need a low-fat diet and people with all that dangerous toxic fat around the middle need a low- carb diet. So sez Dr. Oz. The expert lady on the car radio said that when you lose a lot of weight, your metabolism slows down. We all knew tha...

My husband and I have been watching a series on Netflix called "Into the West." I highly recommend it, but it can be pretty depressing. It covers the expansion of white people from the east to the west throughout the nineteenth century. It focuses on the conflict between the whites and Native Americans as the inexorable tsunami of wagons crossed the plains. Indian wars, broken treaties, the near extinction of the buffalo, stolen lands . . . For the whites, the 1800's were a time of prosperity and gain. Inventions made life easier, the railroad brought the coasts together, while gold mines, industry, banking made some people millionaires. Huge cattle ranches and drives were the stuff of legend. Literature, politics, education, entertainment, journalism . . . There was nothing withheld from the irrepressible, enterprising whites of eighteenth century America. For the Indians, it was a time, with a few exceptions, of humiliation and loss. They fought bravely for what they ...

Ted and I went to see the movie, The King's Speech. The entire movie laid a foundation so that the viewer could understand the historical importance of George VI ascending to the throne of England and making an all important speech on the eve of WW II. The problem was that the man stuttered so badly that he could not even read a simple speech written by another. Thus, His Majesty (Bertie) had to rely on the skill of a "Dr." who had no training or credentials. He was also a stage reject, in spite of the fact that he had all of Shakespeare's plays memorized. In the meantime, Hitler was mesmerizing Germany with long, enchanting rants. One of the most important lines in the movie was when George's daughter asked what Hitler was saying in one of his speeches. George answered, "I don't know, but he seems to be saying it rather well." If Hitler's spies had informed him that the new King of England couldn't even read a speech, he would have laughed a...

Psalm 1 says, "Happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers (NRSV). A poetic metaphor, of course. But what does it really mean? That nothing bad will ever happen to a God-centered person? Of course not. We all know that such people can have car accidents, develop cancer, lose their homes, lose a child, wind up divorced, or become depressed and angry. Goodness knows Israel and every major hero and heroine in the Hebrew Bible had crosses to bear and trials to overcome. So what point was the author of the psalm making with such confidence? The water represents God's presence in our lives... an otherworldly energy that brings them through all tests and trial...

I've been sleeping pretty well lately, but I am aware when I wake up to roll over that I've had lots of goofy dreams. In one, I was with some people, don't know who, and we got on our stomachs and crept over a grassy hill in some kind of flat vehicle to see what was over the rise. I saw 4 dogs. One was old and really looking bad. Couldn't run anymore. Another was separate, but not far away. Two others were just beyond that. Suddenly two deer appeared. When they saw the dogs they took off running. The two dogs that were together took off after them. It was one of those doggie chases that they all love. The third dog jumped up. The chase didn't mean quite so much to this dog, but it was still a dog and was about to run after the other dogs. Then it saw the old dog. The old dog got up, having heard the commotion, and wanted to chase, but just couldn't. I was quite surprised to see the healthy dog forget the chase to come over and sniff the old dog. The healthy one ...

When we modern day Christians read about the rebellion and lack of faith of the Hebrews in the Wilderness of Sinai, we often shake our heads in judgment. Yahweh changed Jacob's name to Israel, meaning "Prince of God." He made promises of inheritance to their forefathers. He sent Moses who turned his own staff into a serpent and who opened the waters of the sea as a way of escape. Pharaoh's horses and chariots drowned before their eyes. At their complaint, water came gushing from a rock, and pigeons flew in by the millions and landed in the desert, too exhausted to escape the hungry mob. How then could they be so adversarial with the deity?  There are several reasons that we could call forth to explain their ingratitude and unbelief.  One: they are making a huge paradigmatic leap from polytheism to monotheism, a stretch so challenging that they struggled for hundreds of years with the concept.  Two: day by day the whole community stood at risk of dying from hunger or t...