bierkergaard

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24. In our age, we like to wear crosses on necklaces...we don't want the cross wearing us. In fact, the main goal in life for many seems to be to dodge as many crosses as possible like an obstacle course. I am very concerned that a lot of us, myself included at times (OK, most of the time), define our existence by the pain avoided and the pleasure accrued in this world. An ease index.  The statement above directed to the Disciples in general and Peter specifically, is not hard to understand. Impossible to go, "Hey Jesus, what is your point?"   Jesus is being clear, direct, and forceful. The apostles were well aware of what the cross signified....capital punishment by the Romans. Not just death, but a very public death, meant to humiliate and kill the criminal and send a message to anyone who might entertain such crimes ag

I was praying unto the Lord as to why my back decided to collapse into a gnarled mess of pain recently. You know, when the back ain't happy, nobody happy in the body. Sort of like when "Mama ain't happy, no one is happy in the house." Back pain is so central as to impair all movement. I have been feeling like an old man. Heck, I should be getting senior discounts. I believe word came back from on high. "Tis, the couch." It made sense, I have been spending quite a lot of time on the couch stretched out. Although avoiding TV, I have been reading much. Just plowed through the 550 page "Head and Heart: American Christianities" by Garry Wills. A so-so book, less balanced about the faith, more skeptical than I had hoped. I read long books as the highest expression of fun. A lot of time and a lot of books is my ideal formula for a perfect week. I would read for a living if I could find a way to score such a gig. My Dad has a poster at his condo that s

Like the lead character in Breaking Bad, I am contemplating my mortality. For the last several days, my back has been killing me. I am not planning to start cooking  in a Meth Lab but I am considering visiting a chiropractor. Usually, when my back hurts, I can trace the spasms to some event where I didn't use proper form in lifting something heavy, where my back was not in a proper arc. Number one rule is to always look up when bearing something heavy. Of course, that has a spiritual application. Besides sleeping on some couch cushions on the floor in our hotel out in Chicago to escape my dad's snoring  (I went out to the other room), I can't pinpoint anything behind this current malady. Maybe it is stress-related because I am dealing with a series of unknowns right now. I have also not drank any coffee/caffeine in the last week. I am trying to not be mastered by anything and I thought it a good idea to fast from caffeine for 40 days. So, maybe it is a withdrawal sympt

About eight years ago (well before even a hint of all the sexual abuse of Sandusky became public), I went to a conference at PSU for the Advisors in the Division of Undergraduate studies. School counselors were invited to attend as to learn more about the issues involved with advising college undergraduates in PSU system. Since the high school to college transition was a big part of my doctoral research and Penn State is a "go to" school for many of our students at the high school I work at, I decided to attend. I discovered that I was one of the few high school counselors in attendance. It was overwhelmingly a PSU conference for PSU employees, as well as a smattering of other college advisors and professors from other institutions of higher education. When it came time for the President of the university, Graham Spanier, to speak, I was interested in hearing what he had to say about the state of undergraduate education at PSU. What the speech turned into was a very pu