Sunday, March 22, 2026
Sunday Reflection: In Judgment
Jesus clearly teaches us not to judge others. "Judge not, lest you be judged," is pretty straightforward.
In my adult life, though, I've had two jobs over the past thirty years: Prosecutor and professor. Both of those jobs have as an essential part of their functions the judgment of others. As a prosecutor, I was tasked with choosing who to accuse of a crime, and proving that they did it. Pretty judgy! And as a professor, a big part of my job is assessing the performance of my students and judging them.
I've always been aware of the tension between my faith and these roles. As a prosecutor, I often had the vision in front of me of Jesus saving the adultress in John 8; in that vision, I was a person holding a rock.
I do try to perform these roles with fairness and humanity, but that does not absolve me. I don't have a clear answer for why this is ok, and I have never been totally comfortable with it.
"Someone is going to have to do these tasks," I tell myself sometimes, "so it better be someone who can imbue it all with kindness, like me." Which is too generous to myself.
There probably are few jobs that don't carry similar contradictions-- but this one is mine, and sometimes it feels quite heavy.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Take what you want from this....
Friday, March 20, 2026
Haiku Friday: Napping
I never stopped being a toddler in one important way: I have always enjoyed a good nap. So let's haiku about that this week! It can be about you, your dog, that relative who falls asleep in front of the TV, whatever. Here, I will go first:
The best napping couch
Gets some direct Sunday sun
Blessed day of rest.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun!
Now it is your
Thursday, March 19, 2026
PMT: Treasure, but not blood
For a century, people have been predicting that war would soon be fought by flying killer robots. It seems-- with the advent of AI guidance and the proliferation of combat drones-- that we are nearly there.
Once soldiers are effectively removed from the risk of combat, I fear that civilians will suffer much more; we are seeing that already. In the current conflict (well, war) with Iran, military deaths are low and civilian deaths are high as the war has been fought by flying unmanned killing machines targeting (on both sides) civilian or civilian-adjacent buildings and objects.
We are now into a phase of the Iran War where increasingly oil facilities are going to be targeted by both sides, threatening an ecological disaster and well as an economic one. Things are likely to get worse before they get better.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Those who give us hope: The 12 seeds
The NCAA basketball tournaments are coming just as we are most in need of some distraction!
One of the oddities of these tournaments, at least on the men's side, is the unusual number of times that an underdog 12 seed beats a 5 seed in the first round. In 33 of the last 39 men's tournaments, at least one 12 seed has beaten a 5 seed.
They are the kind of underdogs that give us hope!
Here are the 5 v. 12 matchups coming up this week in the men's tournament:
5 Texas Tech vs. 12 Akron
5 Wisconsin vs. 12 High Point
5 Vanderbilt vs. 12 McNeese State
5 St. Johns vs. 12 Univ. of Northern Iowa
I'm hoping Akron can take down Texas Tech, but we will all watch and see....
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
It's funny because it is kind of true-ish
Yes, this is from the Onion, but the underlying premise is something that fascinates me: That Donald Trump does not seem to have people his own age (or within 40 years of his age) that he seems genuinely close to. It appears that his wife is mostly somewhere else, his kids are off on their own, Elon Musk took off, and he doesn't appear to have a close buddy around. Susie Wiles certainly has a lot of contact with him, of course, but it is rare to see them together.
In his first term, he had Steve Bannon close and Melania seemed more engaged-- and he also had his daughter and son-in-law right there, and it is no secret that Ivanka is a favorite of his. At the start of this term, Elon Musk seemed to be close to him. But now?
Maybe I'm very wrong (I don't have a great point of observation), but his life seems lonely. And that might not be good for him, or for any of us.
Monday, March 16, 2026
Regarding Spring Break
There were some thoughts out there on this week's topic. IPLawGuy offered a poem, but it's rooted in exaggeration (he isn't so slow and I'm not so patient!):
Mark shows great patience
My ski skills pale; I am slow
Add comic relief.
My ski skills pale; I am slow
Add comic relief.
And I liked this anonymous entry, which seemed to be commentary on our ski trip:
They conquer the snow
Retreat to Shenanigans
Then conquer some beers.
Retreat to Shenanigans
Then conquer some beers.
And this one:
I wait for the bloom
Of a righteous Spring in Land
Will it not come NOW?!
Of a righteous Spring in Land
Will it not come NOW?!
And I'm not sure who this is, but it sounds like a great Spring Break!:
Sitting on canal
In Amsterdam, sun on face,
Drink red beer—My friend.
In Amsterdam, sun on face,
Drink red beer—My friend.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Sunday Reflection: In the Blizzard
My normal church service today was canceled due to an epic blizzard here in Minnesota. And for a blizzard to be epic in Minnesota, it has to really be something!
Other than a wind coming up now and then, there really isn't much weather discussed in the Gospels. (It does come up in other parts of the Bible, such as in Acts). The lack of a reported impact of weather on events is odd, because people in that time were profoundly affected by weather-- there was no heating or air conditioning, and most people worked in agriculture. So one would expect a heat wave or rainstorm to come up now and then and alter events.
Of course, it could be that as important as those things are to people, they may not have been important to the story being told in the Gospels.
I've never been to the Holy Land; it is something I should do (though maybe not right now). I would imagine it is hot and dry, so maybe variations in the weather just aren't as significant.
Still, I have always somehow inserted weather into the Gospel stories on my own. When the 70 are sent out to evangelize, I have always imagined them trudging through the rain, for example. Why do I do that? Perhaps, I suppose, it is a way of making it relatable to my own experience... and it doesn't take away from the story, after all.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Friday in St. Paul
Last night I went to see Patti Smith here at St. Catherine's in St. Paul-- one of a number of performers who have chosen to come here after the ICE invasion this winter. She was fascinating, as usual, and gave us a version of this song, which she wrote with her late husband Fred "Sonic" Smith back when they lived in suburban Detroit. In fact, if you go to about 3:10 of the video she visit the American Coney Island downtown and then shows off some of the Diego Rivera murals at the DIA-- treasures, all.
Friday, March 13, 2026
Haiku Friday: Spring Break
IPLawGuy and I had a great time skiing in Colorado- our 20th year of enjoying Spring Break on the snow. (As an IP Lawyer, he doesn't officially get Spring Break, but he makes it work, which I appreciate). So let's haiku about Spring Break past or present, real or imagined, official or just kinda seized. Here, I will go first:
Ah, the snow and sun!
Some moments to float and fly
Then look at the map.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern, and have some fun.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
PMT: A nation at war
IPLawGuy and I have been off in Colorado for our annual ski trip, which was a great adventure (and no one got hurt!). We had blue skies and just enough snow to make it worthwhile.
But, unless I hunted down a news site, there was no way to know we are a nation at war, relentlessly bombing military and civilian targets and killing hundreds of people while the world economy is destabilized by a new oil crisis. No one (except us) seemed to be talking about it, and if you saw a television it was always playing sports.
Of course, there is a reality beneath all of this avoidance: the war doesn't affect most of us at all, except through higher gas prices. Most people don't have a kid in the military, or family in that region where the war (prinicipally in Iran and Lebanon) is destroying homes and schools, or any direct financial or emotional stake in the conflict.
And that seems to be a recipe for tragedy, that one nation can so casually wreak havoc in a whole region with little cost to itself (at least in this moment). It makes war seem easy, which must be alluring to those who have the ability to start them.
Or do we care this time?
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
People who give us hope: Bill Kurtis
Bill Kurtis, the announcer and scorekeeper for "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" is retiring, according to a report in the NY Times. He is 85, and succeeded Carl Kassell 12 years ago. His last show will be on May 23. Everyone loves Kurtis's voice, whether on the radio or in many other roles he has held, including as a CBS news anchor and as the narrator for the epic film "Anchorman."
When the news is terrible, it's good to laugh at it, and that is what Kurtis gave us over several administrations. And we need it now more than ever!
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Oh, that pesky Constitution
A Republican member of Congress, Rep. Andy Ogle, posted on social media that "Muslims don't belong in American society."
Sigh. I don't even know what to say anymore.
This nation was founded on the premise of freedom of religion, as enshrined in the First Amendment. That really matters-- and it means that Muslims do belong in American society, end of story.
How do people like this get elected? I mean that as a sincere question, because I am stumped, and too many of the answers that one might consider just paint too dark a picture of the state of our nation.
Monday, March 09, 2026
On Magazines
Wow! So many haiku about magazines. Like this one from Des (I did not know there was a "Dog World"):
What’s a Saluki?
An Azawakh? The answer
was found in Dog World!
An Azawakh? The answer
was found in Dog World!
And Sleepy Walleye, I get it!:
Willing to pay for
The New Yorker subscription
Just to get Roz Chast
The New Yorker subscription
Just to get Roz Chast
I loved this anonymous entry:
Harper’s Bazaar
On my grandmother’s table
Such glamorous clothes!
On my grandmother’s table
Such glamorous clothes!
IPLawGuy had this:
Before I could read
Would study Life Magazine
To understand "life."
Would study Life Magazine
To understand "life."
And this:
Next, Time Magazine
summaries of the week's news
Insightful columns.
summaries of the week's news
Insightful columns.
And this (It's true-- IPLG's mom was a trailblazing editor at US News):
Then Mom got a job
U.S. News and World Report
Serious, sober.
U.S. News and World Report
Serious, sober.
And this:
Teen to young adult,
I read National Lampoon!
Yearbook! Newspaper!
I read National Lampoon!
Yearbook! Newspaper!
And this:
R. Emmet Tyrrell
American Spectator
was once relevant.
American Spectator
was once relevant.
Fred Barnes, Bill Kristol
Weekly Standard, serious
and great book reviews.
Weekly Standard, serious
and great book reviews.
While anonymous remembered this:
Black/white photographs
Glamour girls,presidents,sports—
Life in America.
Glamour girls,presidents,sports—
Life in America.
Sunday, March 08, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Not on the mountain, or in Jerusalem...
In John 4, Jesus has the longest conversation in the Gospels: his discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well. There is a lot going on there, but I want to talk about this part of the discussion:
The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
This exchange sometimes gets forgotten in larger discussions of this passage, but it has always meant a lot to me. When I was young, people told me that we encounter God in church, but that never seemed right to me. Rather, it seemed that what happened in church was that we encountered each other while seeking God, which is profoundly different. My Holy Spirit moments, those glimpses of the divine, are (at least for me) rarely during a church service.
I believe that we are meant to worship communally, and I have always been a church-goer. But I have never given the speakers at church--Priests and Ministers-- a status of anything beyond fellow traveler. Certainly, there is a lot to learn from fellow travelers! But... God is in church and out of church and in the most unlikely places.
What Jesus said marked a breaking point from traditional Judaism, too, where many of the Mosaic laws involved actions at the Temple, and for whom there was the very real belief of God's actual and constant presence there. How transgressive, then, was what Jesus said!
And transgressive Jesus, who opens up the world to us, is the at the heart of my faith.
Saturday, March 07, 2026
Pretty good compilation!
This made me want to see all of these movies. Except "Beaches." That looks terrible.
Friday, March 06, 2026
Haiku Friday: Magazines we loved
For many of us, at some point in our lives there was a magazine we waited for with eager anticipation-- then read from cover to cover once it had arrived. Let's haiku about those this week! Here, I will go first:
Brilliant, smart and bold
Oh how I miss the writing:
The Wittenberg Door.
Now it is your turn! Just use the 5/7/5 syllable pattern and have some fun....
Thursday, March 05, 2026
PMT: What Happens Next?
After days of bombing raids and some scattershot responses by Iran, it appears that the war in the Middle East is going to go on for a while. So... how does it end? Here are some possibilities:
-- It could just peter out. After a while, the US and Israel could declare that they achieved their objectives (an easy thing to do since they haven't done a very good job of describing those objectives) and stop bombing Iran. That would leave some version of the current regime in place, most likely.
-- It could also be that Iran gets carved up. Already, it appears that Kurdish forces armed by the CIA will try to claim land in the Northwest of the country. Other minority groups or regions may claim territory as well. In this scenario, the current regime would remain, but with a smaller footprint.
-- There could be a military effort that actually does cause regime change. This would most likely involve ground troops, and could be a protracted war, even after a new government is installed by the invaders. This brings real dangers of destabilization.
-- Perhaps most scary is that something bad and unexpected happens at a big scale: Say, Russia gets involved on the side of Iran, or Iran uses some of its nuclear material to make and use a "dirty bomb."
Of course, if there is one thing history has proven, it is that we are terrible at predicting what will happen in that part of the world....
Wednesday, March 04, 2026
People who give us hope: Voters
I love voting. It feels like a spiritual experience, to stand in line with my neighbors to pick our leaders. That is the moment that I feel most American.
People in our country make great sacrifices to vote: they stand out in the rain, they tough it out when the lines are long, they sort through pages of choices. And, of course, it matters.
The primaries yesterday were fascinating-- more on that tomorrow-- but for today let's just appreciate the great privilege we have when we go to the polls. In the end, once again, it is how we will save ourselves.
Tuesday, March 03, 2026
The Obvious Question: Where is this headed?
From 1978 to 1992, the Soviet Union waged war in Afghanistan, trying to create a stable and friendly nation on its border. They failed, and what emerged was the Taliban.
In 2003, the US invaded Iraq. We were there until 2011. What emerged was ISIS, which controlled much of the nation by 2015.
I haven't heard about a plan for who will govern Iraq if the current government is removed, and the dangers are real-- we may create a lingering instability that leads to forces even more dangerous to our interests.
I'm not saying that will happen-- but I do worry that we have not heard about a plan for something better.
