There are certain persons in our world who have recently been trying to denigrate the importance of words in our world. “Words are fine,” they say, “but what really matters is action.” In the rhetoric against the power of words, this this code that we use to communicate with one another becomes “just words,” as […]
Category: Community
Thoughts on life together
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Equal Time for John McCain
This is a hoot!
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Yes, we can…
I don’t care about who you are voting for, but this video reflects a call to all of us. Take a few minutes to get inspired. Yes, we can…
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The Non-Endorsement Endorsement
As we all know, religious leaders find themselves in difficult positions when it comes to endorsing specific candidates for public office. Officially, the non-profit tax status of the communities that they serve can be put at risk when the leader fails to distinguish between a personal opinion and an official teaching of the church. […]
NAPLES, Fla. – Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.ADVERTISEMENT “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” […]
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An Ode To the Beautiful Fool
Martin Luther who did you think that you were?Appointed by some higher upMerely mortal, your plans were unaffordableNo one wants to pay for love Oh you beautiful foolSwimmin up stream, kickin’ up wavesDreams weren’t meant to come trueThat’s why they call ’em dreamsOh you beautiful fool Walter Cronkite pre-empted Disney one nightAnd all us kids […]
Metro Schools Director Pedro Garcia will get a year’s pay — $216,000 — and money for unclaimed sick and vacation days to walk away from his job after 6½ years. The school board unanimously voted Saturday to release Garcia from his contract, which doesn’t expire until 2010. Chris Henson, the district’s chief financial officer, was […]
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The time to speak out…
Editor’s note: This post intentionally uses language that is offensive and characteristic of hate. I choose to use this language to help broaden the conversation on issues of race in our culture. One day, over ten years ago, I was talking with a man in the town where we lived. It was a rural, Southern […]
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Let’s get really crazy
David Brooks has another good commentary in this mornings New York Times on the similarities and differences between Obama and McCain: But they are very different men. Their policies obviously conflict, but their skills, world views and moral philosophies set them apart, too. One man celebrates communitarian virtues like unity, the other classical virtues like […]
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The Postmodern Politician
“I’m betting on you,” Obama told a rapturous audience in Derry on Sunday afternoon. “I don’t believe change comes from the top down. It comes from the bottom up.” Change will come “if you believe,” Obama declares. “When you’ve got a working majority behind you,” he says at another point, “you can’t be stopped.” Transformation […]
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From the mouths of babes…
A conversation that brings me joy and gives me hope: Dad, I wish they would stop talking so much about those Iowa caucus things. After all, it’s not like it’s the final election or anything. But they are important honey. It’s the first sign of who might be nominated as the candidates that we will […]
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The Two Earthquakes
I have rarely been accused of being a conservative, but I find that I sometimes resonate with the writings of David Brooks, the “conservative” columnist for the New York Times. His latest column reflecting on the outcome of the Iowa caucuses reflects some of my own thoughts, and I commend it to you this morning. […]
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The possibility…
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author and are in no way reflective of any official or unofficial positions of the Antioch United Methodist Church were the author serves as pastor, nor represent the official teaching of the United Methodist Church. Not long ago I was talking with someone […]
The real reason for Mr. Huckabee’s ascendance may be that his message is simply more uplifting — and, in the ethical rather than theological sense, more Christian — than that of rivals whose main calling cards of fear, torture and nativism have become more strident with every debate. The fresh-faced politics of joy may be […]
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McKendree nursing home could close
A Hermitage nursing home is in danger of closing by the end of the year, leaving residents wondering where they’ll go if kicked out. The state health department suspended new admissions to the 300-bed Health Care Center at McKendree Village on Thursday, and the nursing home is being fined $8,500 per day by the […]
Nashville’s obesity crisis is worsening: At 28.8%, the percentage of residents who are obese increased roughly two points last year, while the number of overweight residents rose to 39%, up from 35.5%. In Pictures: America’s Most Obese Cities – Forbes.com. No one should be surpised at learning that Nashville is the 7th most obese city […]
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments. To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases. Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing […]
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Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda – New York Times
We simply cannot go on being as dumb as we wanna be. If you hate the war in Iraq, then you want a gasoline tax so you can argue that we can pull out of there without remaining dependent on an even more unstable region. If you want to see us negotiate with Iran, not […]
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Remembering the ’70’s Again
Back before there was Jay the fat preacher (the force behind the empire that is Only Wonder Understands) and even before there was Jay the Methodist technogeek of General Conference fame, there was Jay the fat geeky sound guy. That goes a long way back . . . to the late 1970’s (yes I AM […]
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A Prayer for the Violence In Nashville
Metro police are searching for two men who killed a manager and a teenage employee during an armed robbery Friday night at Bellacino’s Pizza & Grinders on White Bridge Road. Restaurant manager Chris Caris, 33, of Hermitage and employee Joshua Cole, 18, of Nashville died from gunshot wounds, said Don Aaron, Metro police spokesman. 2 […]
only wonder understands 