The Poseidon Adventure - October issue of Conversations with the Culture

Joe the Plumber and the Character of the American People

Of Bail Outs, Student Loans, and the Paradox of Thrift

Conversations with the Culture: Galaxy Quest
  What, You Do Not Know What the Omega 13 Does? How can The Commander NOT KNOW Something about His Ship? Because I’m Not The Commander, I’m an Actor! I Just Play “The Commander” On TV. By the Way, How Does my Hair Look? Digging Deeper In the movie, Galaxy Quest, Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) is an actor who played Commander Peter Quincy Taggert, commanding officer of the PROTECTOR, on the Star Trek-like TV show Galaxy Quest.

Being the Church: Are We A Dynamic Bridge to the World?
In the adult Sunday School Class I teach, we are doing a study on the book of Joshua.  I’ve called it:  Joshua: Leading Into the Promised Land.  Because my church is seeking to be dismissed from our denomination, I have seen this study through the lens of this process of seeking dismissal.  In a previous blog post, I talked about how the crossing of the Jordan River was a missional statement to the entire world.  In Joshua Chapter 4, verses 23-24, we read:  For the Lord your God dried up the waters of

Chapter 18 Continued: The implications of the Vision
         No matter how many times Naaman returned to Babylon, its beauty never ceased to amaze him.  Now within the inner wall, the city gates loomed large and magnificent against a deep blue sky.  But for all its beauty and the anticipation of his return to her ramparts, Naaman could not put the worries that crowded his thoughts out of his head.           Last night at camp, Daniel had told him all that had transpired – of Timnah’s coming to warn him of Hamon’s treachery, of how she had urged him to use the excuse of going into the mountains to pray for Nebuchadnezzar as a ruse to get him out of the city.  And Daniel had told him of the

Chapter 18 Cont.: Vision of Fire
Daniel loosened his traveling cloak as the midmorning sun warmed his body.  Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a mist still clinging to the mountains from which they had just descended.  In a few hours he and his escort would reach the trade route that, in a day’s ride, would bring them to Babylon.  Two of the ten soldiers escorting him had ridden on ahead to intercept a large caravan they had seen headed their way to learn who they were.  This close to Babylon, it was unlikely they would pose a threat, but his protectors wished to take no chances.   Daniel rode in silence, paying little attention to those around him, even Ezekiel, who had joined him at t

Chapter 18: Surviving the Blazing Furnace
The fire of the furnace leapt nearly fifteen feet into the air.  To the right of the furnace stood the idol of the god Marduk.  In the courtyard before the Isthar Gate, the people danced and sang as the musicians played their instruments.  Looking down on the crowd from atop a raised platform built for the occasion, Nebuchadnezzar sat with his new bride on their couches.  To the king’s right, Hamon had taken his place.  It was his show to preside over, and while he did not have Daniel in his clutches, the Chief Priest took satisfaction in knowing Daniel’s top three advisors would soon depart this world.           At the king’s command, the furnace