Friendship United Methodist Church and Marble Hill United Methodist Church, May 21, 2023 — Luke 24:44–53 (CEB) Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures…

Or, Tennessee Carney and the Quest for the Liquid Dulcolax — I lost my mother to cancer in 2010, and my involvement over several years, in her memory, with the American Cancer Society Relay For Life raised my awareness of the importance of colonoscopies. When I got my first colonoscopy, in 2012, the procedure was recommended starting at age 50 unless…

The review system for online shopping is broken. — This year, two of my siblings gave me Amazon credit for my birthday. After deliberating for several days, I decided to spend the credit — plus a little of my own money — on a new tablet. I’d been getting frustrated by my existing Amazon Fire tablet and had wanted…

My own recent family struggles kept me from being there for a man who was my co-worker and friend for decades. — A little more than a month ago, in my job as Bedford County’s media/PR person, I attended the donation of a home to a deserving young veteran and his family. It was a moving event, made possible by a partnership between a bank and a not-for-profit agency. Several of our…

First United Methodist Church, Shelbyville, Tennessee, April 23, 2023 — Luke 24:13–35 (CEB) On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about everything that had happened. While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey. They were prevented…

Mobile fast-food apps can be a time-saver, but there are always going to be glitches — The first fast food mobile app that I used regularly was the Subway app. I hate going through the line at Subway. You always either feel like you are holding the person behind you up, or the person ahead of you is holding you up. …

Bad app design and my own negligence conspired against me. — I had been wanting to buy a replacement Christmas gift for the family member whose name I had in the drawing this year. The item I wanted was on sale a few days ago at the Walmart website, and I thought that was the perfect opportunity. …

Fermented blueberries? We’ll just see about that…. — I had posted a week or two ago about The Noma Guide to Fermentation, a book by the culinary minds at Noma, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen. …

Annoying, but perhaps necessary: It’s a storytelling convention of science fiction movies and TV shows that every planet except Earth is a monoculture. — Earth is made up of a variety of climates, from arctic to tropical. Humanity is made up of a variety of different races, cultures, and languages. And yet, it’s a convention of science fiction movies and TV shows that if we encounter an alien planet, or race, it’s got one…