The first-ever Tennessee-Western Kentucky UMC Annual Conference begins — Well, the first day of Annual Conference was a success, I think. I got to Brentwood United Methodist Church early, and helped welcome people to a Stones River breakout session. The district breakout sessions, and the large group session that immediately followed them, were on the topic of transitions. Until…

Chex mix, or “nuts and bolts” as we always called it, can be a big holiday project — but it can also be an anytime, year-round treat — Each year on Thanksgiving, my parents’ house was packed with various family members, and as some of us sat in the living room watching parades or football, we passed the time cracking nuts. After the holiday, Mom would have to take the vacuum hose to the sofa and chairs to…

In this transition period, as cable gives way to streaming, there’s a hiccup that can be really annoying to the individual viewer. — The recent upfront presentations to advertisers included a lot of mention of streaming services. When Netflix first changed the way the world watches television, its ad-free presentation was one of its selling points. But as streaming services have proliferated, it’s become the case that you can’t afford to subscribe to…

Forget Disney’s princesses; the Disney heroine you want to see is a queen — of the chess board. — In the fall of 2020, with many Americans cooped up during the global pandemic, the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” got a lot of attention, and brought a renewed attention to the game of chess. But at the time, there was a quite different chess-themed entertainment that I kept meaning…

There are both in-story and behind-the-scenes explanations for the character starring in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” — Back in the 1960s, the original “Star Trek” was kind of a hard sell. When it was first proposed, the board of Desilu Productions thought it would be too expensive, that even if a network picked it up it would lose money for the studio— and in the short term…

A story of how my favorite TV show prompted a culinary addition — One of my favorite, perhaps my all-time favorite, episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is based on the tedious, near-plotless Air Force drama “The Starfighters.” The movie stars future Congressman Bob Dornan as he learns to fly a specific model of fighter jet, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, while romancing a…

I baked sourdough bread before the craze, and now I’m baking it after the craze. I just missed doing it during the craze. — In the early days of the pandemic, when lots of folks were locked down, hobbies like jigsaw puzzles and baking were big news. Sourdough bread became a fad, with people creating their own starters from scratch. King Arthur Baking (formerly King Arthur Flour) saw its sales skyrocket during the pandemic…

Sunrise Service, Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church, April 17, 2022 — John 20:1–18 (CEB) Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus…

Dunaway’s Chapel UMC, April 3, 2022 — John 12:1–8 (CEB) Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost…