Sunday, July 19, 2026
Sunday Reflection: The Law of Hospitality
Yesterday, I saw the latest film version of "The Odyssey," which I very much recommend. I read the book a very long time ago, but was surprised by how much I remembered.
This version, like Homer's has an underlying moral tenet that ties together much of the action: what is referred to there as "Zeus's Law of Hospitality," and is sometimes described as an ethic of "guest friendship." This law requires the following in the interactions between hosts and travelers (more or less):
-- Guests must be properly welcomed,
-- Food and clothing should be offered,
-- Guests may be asked about themselves and should honestly answer,
-- The guest should be given a place to sleep, and
-- The guest does not overstay or abuse the host.
In the Odyssey, this moral law is broken by several people (Polyphemus the Cyclops, the suitors of Penelope, and Odysseus himself) with disastrous results. Cyclops eats his guests, the suitors overstay their welcome, and Odysseus tricks the Trojans with a peace offering that is actually a tool of war (once the Trojan horse is accepted, they become guests of Troy). Even keeping the law creates problems-- it is because Penelope respects that law that the suitors get a foothold in her home.
Jesus lived in a Greek cultural world (even as it was a Roman political world); it mattered, for example, that Paul (and probably Jesus) spoke Greek, and it is not by accident that the Gospels were written in Greek. The Greek law of hospitality seeps into the Gospels, too. For example, consider the instructions Jesus gives the 70 when they are sent out to evangelize: they are to count on the welcome of strangers. Jesus, too, teaches to "give to all who ask," which is a core part of hospitality to strangers.
For us today, this is very hard to live out. We are wary of strangers, and welcome into our homes only those we know (and, frankly, not even most of them). We protect our own safety and property, not the welfare of others.
Are we better off for that? What is lost?
Saturday, July 18, 2026
It's almost here!
Friday, July 17, 2026
Haiku Friday: Chocolate
Sometimes, at around 9 in the evening, I just need a little bit of chocolate. I'm not a person who consumes a LOT of chocolate. I don't even like chocolate ice cream. But there is this one part of the day when it is just the right thing- a square of dark chocolate. So let's haiku about chocolate this week-- what kind you like, memories, weird experiences, whatever. Here, I will go first:
Lund's and Byerley's
Makes these little chocolates
Holiday goodness.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable formula, and have some fun!
Thursday, July 16, 2026
PMT: The Sky
In much of the East and Midwest, the sky is not the right color. Wildfires in Canada and the northern US are flooding the skies and turning them orange. Here in Minnesota, which is suffering from serious fires in the far north, the air looks like soup.
The threat is very real to me, because the fires have come close to our cabin up in the Boundary Waters.
The fires were largely started by lightning when a "dry storm" (lightning but little rain) came through last week. High temperatures have fueled them, combined with a dry spell.
This in itself is no more proof of climate change than a big snowfall is disproof of it. But the fact is that these fires overall have gone from once-in-a-while to pretty much every summer. Their frequency IS a product of climate change.
And... we have given up on halting that global warming. Government policy is pretty much pro-polluter at this point and discouraging of green energy. (In my own little realm, the last batch of federal clemencies went to polluters, which is one way this change has been signaled).
Elections matter.
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
War, again
Not so long ago, we were all promised no inflation, a quick fix to the war in Ukraine, an end to politicized prosecutions and no more "forever wars." And yet, here we are.
It would seem that the negotiating skills Donald Trump developed in real estate were honed in deals with people who had the same interests that he does (profit and, maybe, fame). The capacity to tolerate pain is pretty low among that crowd.
Iran simply doesn't work that way. They are religious zealots-- not that that's good, but that's what they are. They have a high capacity for pain without changing trajectory (like other zealots). They have identified the "cards" they hold pretty well, and won't give them up.
The Vietnamese were the same way in the 1960's and 70's. We got nothing out of that war, in the end. This is beginning to look the same way, quite predicably.
But... I hope that I am wrong.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
I don't know if you eat what you've been given, or push it around your plate
I was walking down 57th Street listening to music and weaving through crowds at the golden hour yesterday when this song came on and made me cry.
When I see this it makes me want to go immediately to Ireland. I have only been there twice, but it was a place my father loved. My favorite story about him took place in an Irish pub like this one, where my parents had been until closing time. At the end of the evening, one of their new friends from the town asked my dad if he was Irish on both sides, or just one.
"Actually, I'm the first Irishman in my family," he explained.
And it was true. What you can see in this clip is part of it; it's a place of quiet beauty and brilliant small moments. How lucky he was to see that, to enjoy it, to walk out into the night full of beer and music and love.
Monday, July 13, 2026
Fair (to good) Haiku
Actually, they were better than that! Des's seemed a little autobiographic, maybe (or perhaps refers to a book I haven't read):
Working to get the
bubbles out of his honey.
Blue ribbon for him!
On the Ferris wheel
she inches closer to him,
sad her fam’s moving.
bubbles out of his honey.
Blue ribbon for him!
On the Ferris wheel
she inches closer to him,
sad her fam’s moving.
I liked this informative one:
From Rockaway Beach
Made famous by the Ramones!
Pronto Pups Rock!
Made famous by the Ramones!
Pronto Pups Rock!
Christine has the fair aura down:
Gimmicky food booths,
Chocolate covered bacon,
Long lines for milk shakes
A crowded midway,
Kids showing sheep; and prized
Blue ribbon produce.
Chocolate covered bacon,
Long lines for milk shakes
A crowded midway,
Kids showing sheep; and prized
Blue ribbon produce.
And this anonymous one refers to what be one hot and humd fair:
Oklahoma Fair
Smell of corn dogs and the heat
Lots of cute critters!
Smell of corn dogs and the heat
Lots of cute critters!
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Sunday Reflection: The Yield and the Bounty
This is the heart of the season for farms, with crops in the ground and rainfall closely watched. Jesus lived in an agricultural society, and many of his parables involve farms. Here is one from Matthew 13:
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!” 18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
This is a rare parable in that Jesus is described as explaining what it meant-- many times, we don't get that.
There is something important embedded in this parable, though. Note that if we are the seeds, what we get if we are favored is the chance to give more, not get more. That is, we offer fruit or grain to be harvested and enjoyed by others. We give it away. The focus is not on "the tree grows large" or "the stalk is admired by all"-- it is what our yield is to others. It is a sneaky retort to the prosperity gospel, this one.
Here is thing about me: I actually worked on farms, harvesting peas, when I was a teenager. It had a huge impact on me, including on my spiritual life-- there was a connection to the land, the seasons, the earth, the weather, that made me better. And, when I read this parable I think of the dark rich soil we worked on....
Saturday, July 11, 2026
The Best Goals....
Scoring can be pretty rare in soccer. But here is a compilation of just scoring and only scoring!
Friday, July 10, 2026
Haiku Friday: Fair season!
Perhaps, like almost all Americans, you were not able to attend the National State Fair in DC last week. Still, there are thousands of other county and state fairs coming up in the next few months. So let's mine our memories and hopes to describe the food, fun and adventures have had or might have. Here, I will go first:
I do love the Fair
Never had Pronto Pup
So, this is the year!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, July 09, 2026
Political Mayhem Thursday: InfoWars is Back!
Wednesday, July 08, 2026
On the bright side...
So, yes, yesterday's post was pretty crabby. Sorry about that. I do have limited patience with celebrities.
What I have unlimited patience for is sunny days, and I'm looking forward to that in the coming weeks. We often use "sunny days" as a metaphor, but I mean it literally.
Those long days bring back great memories of twilight on the side porch, which neighbors sometimes referred to as the "talking porch" since they could hear us in there (and sometimes stopped in-- Christine was one of those neighbors). There was a peace to those moments that I really loved. It's good to have places where that is true-- and they are worth looking for.
Tuesday, July 07, 2026
Taylor Swift got married. So what?
For a long time I was a Taylor Swift fan. She seemed to be an inventive songwriter and a decent person.
Something shifted, though, after I saw Bruce Sprinsteen's concert a few months ago here in Minneapolis. Springsteen was sharp, electric, and most of all, relevant. Suddenly, Swift's songs about ex-boyfriends and her total avoidance of what is going on in our nation seemed silly. She's not relevant. And that matters with art.
I wish the married couple well. But I don't think either one will be very important in our national imagination going forward-- and that is a loss, given her talents.
Monday, July 06, 2026
On the World Cup
It has been a fascinating tournament and we got some great haiku! I loved this one from CraigA:
Love how the Scots drank
Boston dry, played bagpipes,
and cleaned their trash!
Boston dry, played bagpipes,
and cleaned their trash!
Des is into it, too:
It’s like March Madness
with no hands! Cheering upsets —
fun for this newbie.
with no hands! Cheering upsets —
fun for this newbie.
And this anonymous entry was right on:
I love the drama
When a player gets tripped up
Facial expressions!
When a player gets tripped up
Facial expressions!
Sunday, July 05, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Faith and Fireworks
The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was a letdown for many people. Our nation is at a time of real division, and "patriotism" is becoming a synonym for fealty to the government and president. For many of us, it was a subdued time.
I love this country, but it is not as important as my faith-- and my faith leads me to worry about my country right now, as it seems to be veering towards cruelty, division, needless war, and a further demonization rather than love of those who have the least. If we say it is our faith that guides our actions and beliefs, that necessarily will pull against love of nation at some points in time-- and for many of us, this is that point in time.
It will get better. But we have to make it better, working with people of good faith and of all faiths (and those without a traditional faith). The root of much of our trouble is the failure of a value at the center of the Christian faith and many others: humility. That is strikingly clear at a time that patriotism seems to bear no hint of it. We must do better.
Saturday, July 04, 2026
58 years ago...
Friday, July 03, 2026
Haiku Friday: The World Cup
We're well into the World Cup now, and the US, Canada and Mexico are all through to the Round of 16. Many of us have been watching. Let's haiku about that this week! Here, I will go first:
Explaining offsides
I'm finding it difficult
But boy it matters!
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Thursday, July 02, 2026
PMT: The 250th
The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is turning out to be a little hard to place. Multiple committees working on the national scale have produced events that... well, it's not clear they are rolling out the way people hoped.
In the end, though, it is a great time for all of us to reflect on the country and our own roles here. There is no doubt that this is a divisive time. For each of us the question is this: What will we work towards next? It has to be something beyond following some national figure or throwing slogans around. We are at an inflection point, and what happens will in the end come down to what we, all of us, do.
Wednesday, July 01, 2026
World Cup Update
It's been a pretty exciting tournament so far here in North America. Co-hosts Canada and Mexico are already through to the round of 16, while the U.S. plays Bosnia-Herzegovina tonight.
There have some great upsets so far. On Monday, Paraguay beat Germany and Morocco beat the Netherlands, for example.
If you haven't been watching, you might want to tune in this evening for the U.S. game...
[Ok, so an update to my update... I mistakenly set this to post at 11:40 tonight instead of midnight last night. Sorry! But that does mean I can report that the U.S. won its game today 2-0 over Bosnia-Herzegovina. It's the first time the U.S. has ever won three games in a World Cup, and sends them into the round of 16 against Belgium. However, the Americans' star striker, Falorin Balogun (who scored the first goal in the game) received a red card for stepping on an opponent's leg. That means he will miss the game against Belgium.]
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Tom Kean Jr.'s big reveal
Tom Kean, Jr. is a US Congressman from New Jersey. Well, kind of. For the last 100+ days he has been missing from work and unseen, reporting only that he is dealing with a "personal medical issue." This comes not only as he missed every vote during that period, but while he was running for re-election. There has been a lot of speculation about where he has been and what he has been doing, but the waiting is finally going to end.
Reportedly, Kean is going to explain everything today. I am looking forward to this mystery finally ending. More to follow!
Of course, I am all for people taking time off to deal with medical issues, so I'm not judging or speculating. However, I am wondering.
