bierkergaard

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds.  My wife is a big fan of the USA television series Burn Notice. The lead character Michael Westen (above) is a former spy who was burned (booted from his position in espionage for unknown reasons). So, now he is a sub-contractor of sorts doing jobs that cross legal  lines in order to punish the bad dudes. He is also trying to find out who "burned" him so that they can chat... Mr. Westen has a disturbing pattern of smiling when facing unpleasant events. Like when someone has a gun up in his face. I told Lina it looks like that smile that Napoleon Dynamite had...a disconnect from reality. In  the spy game, I suppose it is wise to not let the enemy know that he is getting to you with the repeated kicks to the groin, so perhaps smiling is occupational necessity like being tall is for basketball. James seems to be advocating the same approach to trials.Smile in the face of suffe

This morning I was reviewing the local newspaper web ledger of "Top Stories" to see if the accident that we saw yesterday--where an SUV of a Florida family wiping out on an icy road up in the mountains--was detailed. Everyone was fine physically but the the husband was getting a tongue-lashing by the wife who apparently was saying "I am through with you" or something to that effect while we were trying to assist getting the car unstuck. All the while, the kids are looking on like kids do when they are caught in a mortifying familial mess not of their doing. Humiliated, wanting to hide under the car seats. I was going to blog about how we often truly don't know about dangers until we experience them. Florida drivers on icy roads...we can talk until we are blue in the face about the risk and it probably won't be grasped until your car is in a ditch and your wife is ragging at you. We Pennsylvanians are wiser, having wiped out many times before. Here in

Yesterday, we walked through downtown Asheville. There is a Himalayan shop of products from that part of the world...rugs, music, statues (idols really, because of the association with Hinduism and Buddhism) on a side street. I leafed through a book about the gods...so many gods, so little time. It would really stress me out to try and appease them all...  Asheville being in the mountains, elevates my thoughts to a higher plane. Geography can be spiritual to a degree and the mountains for me convey peace, majesty, and a retreat from the day-to-day life in the horizontal world.  There was a panoramic poster for sale of the Mt. Everest region topography that I had seen the previous night in a Nepalese restaurant that intrigued and captivated me.  We speak of mountain top experiences and I was reflecting several days ago about activities that make me feel most alive. Here is what came up in that range: - Reading Great Books, the Bible inclusive. I am drawn to transcendenc

I bought Lina the Blu-Ray set box for the Harry Potter series. We have been watching the movies each night while on vacation. Actually, I have been pretty much dozing through large segments while Lina and the other couple have watched the films into the wee hours. I am an early riser and just can't create a sleeping schedule that varies. I wish my sleeping could be like the iPhone alarm clock where I could set a differing sleep agenda daily. The first rationale for the gift was that I needed to find something for Lina. Pure necessity. She is a movie person. Her last preoccupation with Lord of the Rings was running thin after about a decade of infatuation, topped off by her visit to New Zealand last Fall. Pixar's offering of Cars 2 just wasn't worthy. Thus, Harry Potter became the obvious choice. I have staved off gift-giving legions for another year. Over a decade ago, my students at school began to talk about Harry Potter. Since then, I have been pretty much on the

At the truly stellar loft where we are presently residing in Asheville, North Carolina, this morning was looking like an Easter Egg Hunt of used glasses. The glasses, many of them fine glassware, needed to be hand-washed. I counted at least 20 after tracking them down and cleansing them. This is on top of the glasses already presently clean in the run dishwasher. For four people, that is an impressive amount of glasses used for less than 36 hours since our arrival, with 24 hours of this time being Christmas Day. The other couple gave me this Unibroue gift glass for Christmas. All four of us enjoy beer, wine, and additional spirits (And H2O, lest one think that is all). And, it is quite accurate to state that these spirits are not Bud Light or some other weakened brethren in bottles. It is quality drink, deserving of enhanced glassware. All of these glasses made me reflect on the cup of suffering Christ came to drink to the full. From the day he was born onward, His whole life

Last night in New York City, as Lina walked our usual 2,000 steps (traversing Manhattan is somewhat more interesting than Lancaster), we passed this J.W. house of worship. It was in lock-down. It looked like a bunker.  Since it wasn't Saturday, I suppose it made sense that it was shuttered. But, what does it say about a house of worship that isn't open in a world class city that never sleeps? Theologically, such non-accessibility communicates a reality that we serve an inaccessible part-time God. J.W. have some serious errant teaching. So, the locks and gates convey a God who may be involved or disengaged.   Yet, plenty of Christian churches are practically deserted during the week also. I just don't get why we invest so much money in a property that lays dormant for 95% of the calendar. It really seems like an unwise fiduciary principal. Sort of like having a pick-up truck so that one can haul something once a month. Otherwise, it is impractical. Rent! Don't eve

This quote is attributed to Mother Theresa. A host of burning candles seems to be a powerful image for forgiveness. Candles are very vulnerable to wind, rain, a lack of oxygen, and its own finite resources. Yet, when lit, candles emanate a powerful luminosity that exceeds their limitations. Properly nurtured, a candle is mighty in light and in dispelling the darkness. Forgiveness also appears weak. Returning darkness for darkness seems to be the just way. Yet, how does more darkness see us through? Forgiveness is costly, it burns. We move on. Advent in the Christian tradition is typically celebrated with the lighting of candles. It symbolizes the coming of Jesus into the dark world. I would imagine that their were candles or lamps in the Manger on the night when Jesus was born. The Light of the World....a small flame, yet drawing on the infinite power of the Almighty. Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even

I was in a difficult and protracted situation recently about something I supposedly did over five years ago. The operating presumption of several people was that I indeed was the individual responsible. It wasn't a super serious situation but serious enough that it had to be addressed. I could have accepted the guilt and probably been no worse for wear, brushed myself off, and moved on. But, something did not sit right. So, I would not let the issue fade away. I was insistent, in a civil manner, that we get to the bottom of it. It could turn out that I was indeed the responsible party. The certainty of guilt could be increased or lessened by my willingness to engage the issue until resolution. I was willing to step up and make amends if I was guilty or be absolved. Either way the truth would come out and I had to be certain that I would be OK with either option. Further investigation would must certainly reveal my guilt. Others did not seem inclined to pursue the process of fa

For those of my readers who don't know, my wife Lina is first-generation American. Her parents are from Taiwan. As such, she is maestro with the chopsticks. She does a pulling apart move of food with the chopsticks that one must be of Asian ancestry to pull off. I knew that I was getting the hang of using chopsticks when I was out in California at her parents place and I picked up a peanut. With her dad looking on, I felt like the Karate Kid, getting accepted into the Asian food martial arts academy. I don't think I will ever get to the black belt of pulling food apart with the chopsticks. But as for picking up the food and stuffing my mouth, I do OK. If I had to use chopsticks as a matter of life or death, I could feed myself sufficiently to survive. It is rather second nature by now. I impress my Caucasoid friends at Chinese restaurants with my prowess. There was some initiation I passed when I learned to use the sticks, some acceptance into the Yang clan where I would stil

I have a true love/hate relationship with lifting weights. On the love side, it is good exercise, will probably increase or maintain my mobility and strength as I age, and it allows me--along with running--to more fully enjoy food and drink. I am one of those people who works out so that he can drink and eat more. I am never going to be one of those bodybuilders that eats tuna or chicken breast every day. I don't want to be a Spartan on 'roids. On the hate side, boy do I dislike trudging down to the basement when the couch and books are beckoning, to heave weight around for 40 minutes three days a week. I am never happy to do it, only joyful when I have finished. When our tenant broke the lease, I spent 5 weeks painting and rehabbing the place so it would look presentable to new prospective tenants. I was putting in 10-12 hours or more each successive Saturdays and rationalized that I needed both time to recover and time to prepare for these Saturdays so I jettisoned the

Acts 17   Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. "The one positive statement that Socrates seems to have made is a definition of virtue (areté): "virtue is knowledge." If one knows the good, one will always do the good. It follows, then, that anyone who does anything wrong doesn't really know what the good is." (Richard Hooker) If there is a philosophical idol today that parallels the philosophical idol of ancient Athens, it is this: With the acquisition of knowledge, humanity can be good. That is, our evil is a result of ignorance. What a contrast to Paul's statement in Romans 7 that although he knows the good, he does not do it. Like all philosophical musings, there are pragmatic consequences to what we believe. What starts out in the Ivory Tower doesn't stay there...the Ivory Tower--the human mind--is an idol factory...John Calvin wrote, “the human mind is, so to s

A friend who is a bookseller/bookstore owner posted a copy of this article on FB of how Amazon is practicing a form of legal espionage by proxy in having consumers use a smart-phone app to scan prices at retail stores, then the consumer goes to Amazon and buys the product, be it a book or another good, at a lesser price. If the consumer has Amazon Prime, then there is free shipping. Often, there is no sales tax on the purchase. If I understand Bezos correctly, Amazon is not against sales tax per se but wants the federal government to establish some protocols and processes which makes sense because it is essentially is interstate commerce. Amazon is mining such data for its price points. Because the profit margins for Amazon are so low, Amazon makes up the difference by selling a lot of stuff. He, like many retailers, especially bookstore owners, are rightfully concerned about Amazon's leverage and sway over the book-selling business. Simply, there is no way that a hard copy books

I snapped this photo from Hershey's Corporate jet at 40,000 feet on the way back from Chicago. We hitched a ride as the jet was in the Windy City and we were stuck with no certain plan of escape. Didn't know that smaller jets are at the top of the flying altitude path-wise. Commercial flight is lower. Also, no security lines with TSA. My wife and I have different work worlds. I spend my days with mostly blue collar kids, with a tinge of a white border. She is in the rarefied corporate jet stream quite literally. White collar with gold trim. Yellow school bus vs. a Lear Jet. I think we have the earth and sky covered. When looking at a picture such as this I was struck by the pure beauty of the sight. May we never lose our sense of wonder. Every sunset is unique, it is once and done. God starts every day new as an artist with a palette. The scientist can explain how light refracts and reflects creating color and hue. Yet, why we should perceive it aesthetically points to more th

Been considering recently that an aspect of humility is the willingness to admit that we don't have a lot of answers to perplexing and difficult issues. I had a button in my early 20's attached to my jacket that read, "Onward through the fog." I should still be wearing it if I knew where it was... It is a type of intellectual humility to bow down before the unknown and confess that we have many more questions than answers. Three children from one family killed in a car wreck recently in our area. What can be known why a tragedy strikes like this--but spares the rest of us to live another day. We all see through a glass darkly as Paul writes. A man like Paul, who was the recipient of divine revelation, admitting his own ignorance, is refreshing. There are doctrines we must be sure of, yet much certainty in things not able to really be known is foolhardy and even dangerous. I like to have answers but am learning (even at 48 years of age) that I have much to learn and it

Snapped this picture in downtown Chicago on the iPhone last week. Thought it was an interesting irony. The shadow overtaking the Trib building, photo captured by the technology that is eclipsing it. I am not a traditionalist in the sense that I am wedded to paper. I say go digital for newspapers. The news tends to not be something worth rereading. Save the trees. I am sentimental for printed hardcover books but that is what it is....sentimentality. It makes little sense to collect hard cover books. They take up storage space, are hard to move, and decay over time. I recently downloaded 25 classic books to my Kindle Fire. That would be 25 more books that would crowd an already stocked shelves in the house or the approximate 1 ton of books in the basement. At least it felt that heavy in total when I moved them from the townhouse. The Kindle got no bigger and weighs no more. It just is a matter of time that the printed book goes the way of the horse and the buggy. So be it. I am, however,

It could have been a whole lot worse. A flight cancelled out of Chicago last week. A 24 hour layover. I had a Comp Day at work. A trade for a night and day in Chicago...I will take that deal Monte Hall! We took a trot to Intelligentsia Coffee. I approached the counter in trepidation and confessed to the staff, as if they were priests, that I was a complete novice and had never entered these hallowed grounds before. It was a good thing I got that confession out pronto because it spared me the embarrassment of approaching the dude at the cash register rather than the barista. So, 7-11ish I am sure that they thought. Sorry no Slurpees, you yahoo. Several of the baristas at Intelligentsia are world champions. "I am not worthy, have mercy on me, a dude from Central Pa." Starbucks trash... I used to get a thrill going to Starbucks with its Italian terms for coffee sizes (does anyone else freeze sometime trying to recall the sizes???...I just start throwing out Italian like Mam

One of the dangers of blogging is writing about same topic twice with nothing new to offer. Let it be noted that my previous post about the ""Dude Abides" was about the word "Dude." Not that you would recall anyway. I barely did. This fittingly is about the abide part. The Big Lebowski is a great film and one that my wife and watch every New Years Day. An odd tradition but one that works for us. If I have to explain more about how this all connects, get with it man. On Tuesday, I was in Chicago. This t-shirt was on sale outside a store on Michigan Ave. That street is the capitalist crust for goods made in China in Chicagoland. Political patronage seems to still be thriving there too. Such a nice place and people with terribly nefarious politicians. I have no beef with Chicago...it is a great city. As far as I know, Deep Dish is still indigenous to Chicago. Sometimes it seems like all that is going to be left in the U.S. as products are Pizza. Delivery time f

Walking to Starbucks in Laguna Niguel, this empty canister caught my eye. It looked important. As I got closer and picked it up, I saw the label said "Medical Cannabis." Hmmm....not exactly an empty aspirin bottle. I quickly chucked it into a trash can. Apparently the pot user is also a litterer, a minor crime that suggests a piggish and self-indulgent soul. With California, a state that seemingly has so much wealth is completely broke, baffles me. It makes me wonder if opening the floodgates on the distribution of marijuana is a good idea for a state that already is not living in reality. Medicine is something that should heal, not reinforce poor patterns of coping. As Pot is prescribed for psychosomatic issues (i.e. addictions), it will surely be the case that the cure shall be worse than the illness. The medical justification for marijuana is highly suspect in almost all instances. It just seems to be the back door to legalization under the auspices of prescription legiti

Strolling through the sun-soaked town of San Gabriel we came face-to-face with this skull and crossbones. The building was the mission for the Catholic Church , harks from the 1700's in construction, and is the oldest structure in So. Cal. The verses inscribed retell the refrain of the biblical character Job. A man who endured a series of subtractions of all that makes life worth living. The Adversity Gospel. How anyone can posit Health and Wealth have to go elsewhere than the Bible for proof texts. In the end, all Job could say was, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." It is all he had. And, know this, it was more than enough.

I was talking recently with someone who lived as a child through the Depression. He made a comment that he was allocated four sheets of toilet paper per sitting. Times were tough. Money was tight. Four sheets for you. He seemed to relish the freedom of having a whole roll at his disposal. Then, he waxed eloquent how easy we have it in comparison these days. We expect more because we have more, not realizing that a century ago, even the poorest among us would be considered kings. That is not to say that the adversity index is not on the upswing and everyone is on easy street. Yet, it is important to count our blessings, one sheet at a time.

Tonight my Pop brought two strombolis to my house for dinner. His homemade and Berwyn Pizzas. Left (BP) to right (Pop's). Or, as I like to call his shop...Georgios. His name is George. Berwyn Pizza is my brother Steve's fave...he ate a plenitude of BP strom in his youth. Every time Steve bites into a BP emanation, I am sure his spirit travels back to those time of yore when youth reigned. Pop's strom, was actually--in my estimation--better than BP's. He had delicately constructed a flavorful panoply of meat and cheese and veggies, all encased in a flaky dough. Here is the delivery of message in all of this. Often, members of a church expect the religious professionals to do all of the cooking. We in the pews sit there and wait for the oven to open. Maybe the better plan is for us in the laity to learn how to cook those things that appear beyond our expertise. Study the technique, get the right ingredients, and get to work. It is not magic. Like most things it is not go

Yesterday morning I went for a run. It was quite chilly. Around freezing. I had on three layers of shirts and as long as I kept moving, I was quite warm. The wool gloves and hat helped keep me toasty. I contemplated how family and community are layers against the cold life. For some, family life is in rags. For others, it is well-knit. For most, it is in-between. The Church is ultimately God's protective layer. A mutual confession should create warmth but it is important that the church be on the move and not just sitting frozen in the pews. Action creates warmth. Inaction, despite good doctrine, does little to stay the chill. Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

I was driving home from work feeling, well, somewhat forsaken. No details needed. On back roads I passed a sign that I see daily. It has been up for at least a couple of years. It is that verse from Hebrews "I will never leave you nor forsake you." It reminded me that often I take God's promises for granted until I life bruises me up a bit. The thousand times I have passed that sign I said "That's nice." Today, I was like, "That's necessary." Really necessary. The world fetches and forsakes in the same motion. One moment, it is "Come hither." Soon, it is like "Get lost." I am thankful that a brother or sister put up this sign in their front yard. It was a sign from God.

Today, I bid farewell to a pair of pants (why do we call it a pair? It is only one). They were getting frayed along the bottom which is apparently all the rage with blue jeans these days. Not so good when they are work Dockers. I was hoping to keep wearing them for the rest of the year as they are part of the four pant rotation with one pair pulling double-duty per week. But, it became harder and harder to see them deteriorate and not act. We spend a lot of time throwing things away. Toothpaste tubes, cartons of empty milk jugs, coffee grinds, newspapers, etc. This is a daily reminder that everything physical is passing away and we should not bind our hearts too much to such transitory material. Our hearts should not wind up in a trashcan or a recycling bin. Matthew 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

I made a comment a couple of weeks ago to a friend that one way to break down the wall between the churched and non-churched is literally to have no walls. Walls essentially serve two functions. To keep someone or something out OR in. The Communists tried to assert, for example, that the Berlin Wall was to keep the out the West. Instead, it was to imprison its own people. I am very concerned that we in the Church has all resigned ourselves to Jefferson's dictum of the "Wall of Separation between Church and State." We make offensive forays into politics or take up defensive postures in the pews. Yet, we are losing the ability to interact with non-Christians in a back and forth fashion. It is either tending to attack or retreat, while jettisoning the whole middle ground of relationship, communication, and even simply getting to know one another. And not just long enough to spring the Gospel on them like some evangelizing Jack-in-the-Box. When the New Testament writes o

On Wednesday, a teacher and I took students to Philadelphia to visit colleges. It was a great day. When it came to dinner, I suggested a trip down to Chinatown. I loathed the idea of eating at a chain and consuming burgers and fries. I wanted my kids culinary and cultural horizons to be expanded a bit. My wife and I always go to Chinatown when in Philly to stock up on good Chinese food like roasted duck and Szechuan. Lancaster County just doesn't cut it, although there is a place--Hong Kong Garden--that is an interim which is better than most until we can get back down to Philly again. Or, my wife goes to China like she did last week. When the van parked on Arch Street I feverishly searched Yelp for an inexpensive Chinese place that was authentic but not overly so, like where the restaurant serves the heads to the bird and fish. When in Chinatown, eat where Asian people eat. If you see a joint stocked full of white people, don't enter. That is a bad sign. I located an eatery t

I have a difficult time handing tasks to others because I think to do so is a de facto admission that I can't do it all. Being that I am pretty much a moron with many things, you'd think by now I'd grasp that it pays dividends to let others who have stronger giftings where I am weak to take over. No, I am cheap. That is why I tend to try to keep it in house. Ask my wife about the grass. For several years I fought a fruitless battle against the forces of barrenness in the yard until I calculated that hiring a lawn care company pretty much costed the same as doing it myself. The lawn care company price for the fertilizer was a whole lot cheaper than my expense. Adding the company's labor, it wound up being the same cost as me buying the fertilizer at retail prices. All of that pain and anguish for naught. Do it yourself punishment. We have decided to hire a Property Manager to work with our new tenants. This time it seems we have found a credible company, not a Property

I spent the day at Penn State University York Campus for the Annual Counselors Day. It was obviously a day of somber reflection for the staff doing the presentations. The day highlighted the extraordinary university without diminishing the truly heinous abuse. PSU has helped thousands of young people make their dreams come true. And is now responsible for its share of nightmares too. In light of the current scandal of epic and catastrophic proportions, Paterno's demise is starting to read like a Greek tragedy. Why he would not actively see to it that Sandusky would be held accountable and punished for his actions, is beyond me. It is not just inattentiveness, it was incompetence in the things that matter most. And, I am not talking football games, wins and losses, and the scoreboard. How Joe, how? Anyone who doesn't think that the football program is directly guilty of creating the aura that blinded those in positions of authority to the deviant actions of Sandusky and his so

The sun was shining right in my eyes almost to the point of pain. It was Sunday in downtown Lancaster and the "church" I have been attending was holding a Bible Study for Occupy Lancaster. This service came at the request of the leaders of Occupy Lancaster. I put church in parentheses because this is faith community that seeks to break down the walls of Christian and Non-Christian by routinely getting out from behind our walls. Sometimes we forget how hard it is to go into a church building if we have not been there in a long time. We make Prodigals clean and shower up and be reverent like Boy Scouts before they can enter in. I put up a post on Facebook about how I was touched by the sincerity of those who we met at Occupy Lancaster. Almost everyone was employed and not a rabble-rousing free-loader mooching for a free meal. Leave it to Lancaster to have a respectful and kind group of protesters. Someone living in California replied pretty quickly about the nefarious and noxio

In the equipping of the my soon to be Kindle Fire, I bought some higher-end earbuds. Could be a highly premature purchase if the Kindle Fire doesn't materialize for awhile. I am on a wait list. At least Amazon did not send the leather case for the ebook (and then some) reader before I actually have it in my possession. That would be like having a mug with no beer. To break in the earbuds I was instructed to go to manufacturer website and connect to a page that essentially was a cacophony all-over-the-aural spectrum sounds. It sounded like a Mt. Dewed R2D2 was broadcasting through the earbuds. 40 hours was the prescribed time to marinate the earbuds--seasoning them sufficiently through sound stretching, up and down and all-around. Like Yoga. It supposedly provides a richer sound post-hence if I employed the protocol. I gave up the intravenous sound infusion after 24 hours...last night I had some really weird dreams with the sounds as the score and wanted to get back to listening to

One of the most significant dangers of social media is the desire to monetize all interactions. Everything is now in the cage of cash. Dollars and market domination are often what the transaction is about on the structural side (providers of social media tools/programs). Not human betterment, a more just society, a purer world. In a system like this, people and purchasing are one and the same. Choices are commodified and the exchange defines worth as capital gain. People have intrinsic worth because they are made in the Image of God, not a dollar sign. Christ died for humanity. That tells us something truly wonderful about us. The cross was the great exchange that transcended all human systems of value. We have been redeemed at a price...not to be mere purchasers of things that are passing away. Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

OK, I have finally hit the wall in terms of social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Blogging, are really feeling like a second job. I can't keep up. So, I am taking a major break from all three for a spell. I have to get off the gerbil wheel. I don't know how long it will last. It could be a day or a month or longer. Particularly with the blog. Although I enjoy writing bierkergaard, I need to finish my book now. My blog is just for fun. And if stops being fun, I need to stop, cease, desist.... Maybe I will just go back to email...ah simpler times.....

Lina and I were married five years ago. It was a beautiful October Fall day. Crisp, sunny, cooler but not cold. April may be the cruelest month: I. THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD A PRIL is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering 5 Earth in forgetful snow, feeding T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland But October is the most melancholic month. Halloween can be quite a spiritual observance about the cycles of life and death, growth and decay, and ultimately about letting go. We are not all in charge of the universe and the sooner we gain humility and gratefulness to God for every miraculous breath, our souls will worship more just than the stuff on the horizontal plane. When Lina were visiting location for our marriage ceremony and reception, we ran the gamut. From the low-budget firehouse to the mid-priced city building to the wondrous and pr

My dear wife Lina bought me an Alessi Espresso maker for my birthday. This model is included in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City....it is considered such a classic. I do believe that I will be having an Exhibition at the house Saturday morning before beginning the final leg of my painting trilogy. Should help with the pace, espresso rifling through my veins. Last week I wrote of "Absorbing Evil" and I utilized the image of a sponge. I had a couple of thoughtful replies that essentially commented that as Christians we do not have to just take it all the time without dishing out the Truth with a capital T. I also wrote a blog, with little spiritual application, about poured coffee. So, I like coffee, that much is true. Serving up anger in cool little cups. I concur...when I first became a Christian, I was quite shocked that Jesus was not exactly Mr. Rogers in his conflicts with his enemies. Calling an opponent a "Twice a Son of Hell" surely are fighting wor

OK, I admit it publicly...I am an Eagles fan. Being from the Philly area, I vote a straight ticket on my pro sports teams. All Philly. Cheesesteaks, Rocky, hoagies, burnt pretzels in shopping carts, the whole shebang. After a 2-4 start, the Eagles have certainly dug a pit for themselves to claw out of this year. They aren't that bad as the record would suggest, but they ain't that good either. At least not yet. The tide may turn. In fact, I am counting on it for today I bought an Eagles hat at K-Mart. I have been searching for a new hat with a Philly spin. The new Temple I hat I bought, the one size fits all, didn't fit my head. I think the Eagles may have been lulled into complacency by reading all of the preseason predictions of how great they were supposed to be. Fumbles, interceptions, missed tackles, blown field goals--at very inopportune times--suggests a team that believed themselves to be anointed. Now it is more dis-anointed. Complacency is a dangerous condition.