6 days agoMember-onlyBean a long timeI am scandalized that some of my Facebook friends aren’t familiar with a fantastic wintertime meal. — A few days ago, my friend Amy posted a photo on Facebook of an assortment of various types of beans, soaked and ready to go into the pot to make 15-bean soup. That got me to thinking, and today I picked up a package of Hurst’s HamBeens 15-Bean Soup mix…Food4 min readFood4 min read
Jan 15Member-onlyBe an AndrewFirst United Methodist Church, Shelbyville, Tenn., January 15, 2023 — John 1:29–42 (CEB) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before…Sermons11 min readSermons11 min read
Jan 13Member-onlyThe Miracle of “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek”How did this movie get released in 1944? Just be glad it did. — When I wrote my recent classic-era movie guide, I thought about including “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek,” but at that point I already had two other movies directed by Preston Sturges (“The Lady Eve” and “Sullivan’s Travels”), and thought I probably didn’t need to try to shoehorn in a third…Movies4 min readMovies4 min read
Jan 1Member-onlyTurn, Turn, TurnEagleville United Methodist Church, January 1, 2023 — Ecclesiastes 3:1–13 (CEB) There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens: a time for giving birth and a time for dying, a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted, a time for killing and a time for healing, a time for tearing…Sermons12 min readSermons12 min read
Dec 27, 2022Member-onlySauerkraut the fermented wayI’ve been lactofermenting for several years, but I’m just now getting around to trying the other iconic pickled veggie. — I put up my annual batch of hot sauce the other day, to be sold to benefit the women’s group at church. The process I (and a lot of other hot sauce hobbyists and professionals) use is called lactofermentation. I’ve explained it before; it has nothing to do with the…Food6 min readFood6 min read
Dec 12, 2022Member-onlyWeird little Christmas moviesNot everything is “It’s A Wonderful Life,” or has to be — When I was campus film chairman in college in the early 1980s, long before “Mystery Science Theater 3000” began making fun of bad movies, we had a “World’s Worst Film Festival.” I believe — although I’m not 100 percent certain — that one of the films we screened was “Santa…Movies4 min readMovies4 min read
Dec 6, 2022Member-onlyThe spice tea of lifeEnjoying a family tradition made of Tang, tea and love — It is no new discovery to say that food and drink play a part in many cherished childhood memories. The climactic scene of Pixar’s “Ratatouille” has the heart of the antagonist, pompous restaurant critic Anton Ego, melted when the title dish reminds him of what his mother served him as…Food4 min readFood4 min read
Nov 27, 2022Member-onlyWatching for JesusZion’s Hill United Methodist Church November 27, 2022 — Matthew 24:36–44 (CEB) “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows. As it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Human One. In those days before the flood…Advent12 min readAdvent12 min read
Nov 14, 2022Member-onlyThe end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)Concord United Methodist Church, November 13, 2022 — Luke 21:5–19 (CEB) Some people were talking about the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and ornaments dedicated to God. Jesus said, “As for the things you are admiring, the time is coming when not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished.” They…Sermons11 min readSermons11 min read
Nov 9, 2022Member-onlyMy Totally-Subjective Classic Movie Guide, Part 3Still more of my attempt to introduce you to some Golden Age movies — Part 1 Part 2 This post continues a list of Golden Age movies that I’d recommend to someone unfamiliar with old movies. It’s based on movies I personally love, but I’ve also made an effort to include several different genres and some recognized all-time classics (which I also happen to…Film19 min readFilm19 min read
