The Definitive Answer
Peyton and I may be uncertain, but USA Today sure is.
Now I know where to go to find the definitive answers for those really tough theological questions.
Peyton and I may be uncertain, but USA Today sure is.
Now I know where to go to find the definitive answers for those really tough theological questions.
Thanks to Jenny V for sending me this video of the crowd at Rhodes Memorial Field House singing the Star Spangled Banner (A Cappella, of course) prior to the Harding v. Henderson State game this past Saturday.
If anyone knows of another athletic venue in the country where the entire crowd sings the U.S. National Anthem in four-part harmony, please let me know.
O say, can you sing? If you’re a member of the Church of Christ, you bet your Bible Belt bottom you can.
*This post is dedicated to those very special Harding alumni who break into hives and apoplectic fits at the site of the Stars and Stripes and/or the singing of the National Anthem and recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance anywhere on, or near, the grounds of the Harding Campus.… Read the rest
When Indy’s Joseph Addai scored the winning touchdown with one minute left in last night’s NFC title game, Colt’s quarterback Peyton Manning fretted that too much time was left on the clock for New England’s Tom Brady to once again work his magic.
Manning then returned to the bench, bowed his head, and prayed.
With 16 seconds left and the Patriots threatening, Indy cornerback Marlin Jackson intercepted a Brady pass at the Colts’ 35 yard line. Game over. Prayer answered.
Or was it?
After the game, Manning opined on the intersection of sport and faith:
… Read the rest“I don’t know if you’re supposed to pray for things like that.”
Someone reached my blog yesterday via the $32 Million Dollar Question:
I’m pretty sure MM didn’t give NS a religious litmus test.
On second thought, maybe he did.
In addition to the ones I wrote about last year, here are a few more:
Any worthy contributions to this list will be rewarded with a life sentence subscription to my blog plus a signed copy of my world-infamous Christmas family newsletter.… Read the rest
Tis the season for the Sojourner Class at our church to watch some Christmas movies and try to unpack a few spiritual lessons. Last year, we spent a few weeks watching It’s a Wonderful Life, and so far this year we’ve viewed and discussed clips from Miracle on 34th Street and The Bishop’s Wife.
This Sunday we’ll be watching A Christmas Story. As you might recall, that’s the one where little Ralphie Parker (played by Peter Billingsley) sets his heart on the mother of all Christmas presents: “an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and ‘this thing’, which tells time.”… Read the rest
Our search for a good Yuletide fix led us yesterday to the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church in downtown Huntsville for their annual performance of The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival. Being both a medieval aficionado and a lover of pomp and circumstance, this is one that I simply don’t miss. I mean where else can an old Latin geek like me belt out lyrics like these at the top of his lungs?
Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino!
That phrase is from “The Boar’s Head Carol” and translates roughly to “Lo, behold the head I bring, giving praise to God we sing!”… Read the rest
There’s nothing like soaring choral music to get one’s Advent Season off to a good start.
Yesterday, I put Alabama’s coaching woes far behind me and dove headlong into Advent by attending a concert of the University of Alabama at Huntsville Chorus and the Huntsville Youth Chorus at the historic Episcopal Church of the Nativity in downtown (kudos to RocketCityPoet for the stunning view of Nativity above).
Small in numbers but large in both volume and spirit, both choruses hit several high notes, including such classics as Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium and Vilvadi’s Magnificat in G Minor. Throw in some rousing audience participation on favorites like O Come, All Ye Faithful and Hark!… Read the rest
To all you Bama and Texas Longhorn fans who stopped by yesterday (and who are still showing up today) scouring for scuttlebutt on Mike Shula’s replacement–thank you very much.
Not since the Nancy Grace/Church of Christ fiasco last March has my sitemeter sang such soaring soprano; 348 unique visitors, 597 page loads–an all-time Ocular Fusion record.
It seems that my post on Shula’s firing was hooked, so to speak, to a Texas message board mainly due to my passing on the rumor about Paul Bryant Jr.’s jet sighting in Austin and speculation over whether or not some university representative was there to pitch the Alabama job to Texas HC Mack Brown.… Read the rest
Time magazine recently hosted a debate on God and science. The participants were scientist and committed atheist and philosophical materialist Dr. Richard Dawkins, author of the recently released book The God Delusion, and Dr. Francis Collins, committed Christian and Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute.
It’s worth reading all of this if you have the time since it’s very uncommon to see two such articulate spokespersons on opposite sides of a contentious debate actually talk to each other rather than past each other. I think you’ll agree that this article represents a rare sighting of civility in the American public square.… Read the rest