Those of you with the memory will recall the writings of the late Dr. John Boswell of Yale University. A scholar, theologian, historian, and openly gay man Dr. Boswell made a huge splash when he unearthed obscure documents of Christian antiquity he claimed were proof the Church had once celebrated gay marriage. The media went wild. Here was a story that allowed them to mask their anti-religious and particularly anti-Christian attitudes with scholarship and strike a blow for that sacrament of the hippie culture, unlimited sexual expression. The problem came when other scholars started examining the claims, especially the claim of a long lost rite for same sex marriage, and soon discovered that Dr. Boswell had played fast and loose with some of the evidence and liberally inserted his own wishes into his interpretations of the text. Only hard core activists now consider this part of his work to be serious scholarship.

Some years later Dan Brown made headlines over the world with a novel he claimed was truthful, well researched proving Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and a secret order of people through the ages, including Leonardo DaVinci, had protected the dynasty founded with Jesus and Mary’s child. Again the media went wild and many Christians felt the blast of his claims. In the weeks that followed the fervor scholars examined the book and found numerous flaws, inaccuracies, and distortions. DNA evidence taken from the royal line claimed by the author to be the family of Christ turned out to have no evidence at all of semitic origin. No one now, except for conspiracy theorists, sees the DaVinci Code as a serious historic work.

And now the same carefully scripted media machine is at work with the unvieling of the supposed tomb of Christ and his family in a documentary by “Titanic” director James Cameron. Timed for a holy period in the Christian calendar, Lent, the director takes information that has been in circulation for decades and repackages it via film as “proof” that he has the bones of Christ. Two months from now, of course, when scholars have basically torn apart his “proof” and exposed his profiteering and shoddy scholarship the media frenzy will have passed and the story, if there is one, will be buried on the bottom of page 20 in the local paper.

So what do we need to do when the next one comes down the line?

First, don’t panic. The Christian faith has been challenged from the very days Christ walked the Earth and we’ve survived and always will. In fact most of the current crop of people taking shots at the historic Faith are actually just repackaging stuff the Church has faced centuries ago. The Faith has remained constant and so have the heresies and we’ll get through whatever comes next just fine.

Second don’t be impressed with credentials, star power, or media savvy. They have no direct relationship or claim to truth. People with important titles, advanced degrees, or media competence can be wrong or choose to lie for their own ends. Even educated people can sometimes say or write very dumb things, or have their vision clouded by an agenda, and just because its in print or on TV doesn’t mean its valid. Christians need to develop a healthy skepticism as consumers of popular culture and always look beyond what it presents.

Third, learn your Faith. I am consistently amazed at how little even people who would claim to be devout Christians know about what they believe. Knowledge is power and when you know your Faith you will not be easily panicked or impressed when someone comes out with a well written book, a powerfully staged documentary, or impressively footnoted lecture. Opponents of Christianity are counting on you being uninformed and will, given that chance, attempt to fill that void with their own skewed vision. Its tough, though, to crack a Christian who has taken the time to know their Faith.

Finally, consider being attacked a kind of honor. If Christ and the Faith didn’t matter no one would bother but the truth is they do, and those who attack for whatever reason they choose give, in their own way, a kind of respect to our Lord and to those who struggle to follow Him. It makes one wonder what they are afraid of and points, in its own way, to the power, often unrealized by even those who claim Christ, of who we follow and what we believe. And when the claims, as they always have been, are proved bogus it is our Faith and not the critics who will be stronger for it all.

At roughly 11 AM, Saturday, we passed through Cannon Falls heading south towards Rochester and the big left turn to take us, via Interstate 90, to LaCrosse. As the miles passed the sleet, which had been an annoyance in the Twin Cities was now heavy and the road was covered with ice the consistency of mud and slippery enough to turn one small twitch of the steering wheel into uncontrolled trajectory.

Looking out over the fields, now white, and the road now gray with ice my thoughts were first about the long journey ahead as the weather turned worse and the mph went down. Four hours to LaCrosse? Five? Then they turned to vertical LaCrosse with its winding driveways to homes tucked into valleys and the brunt of the storm sweeping by at that moment. My wife and I talked about it a bit, then there was silence, and when the opportunity presented itself we turned back north and went home.

A few miles from where we turned we stopped at a local gas station and made the calls. Everyone was fine with staying home. There was already a foot of snow on the ground, then rain and sleet, and another foot was expected. The hotel we were supposed to stay at still hadn’t gotten their parking lot cleared. LaCrosse was locked down and would be for some time. Perhaps we could have made it down but we would not have gotten back, at least not on Sunday.

The truth is that I wasn’t happy with having to turn around and 20 years ago who knows what I would have done. Caution triumphed over duty and part of me is glad because the news this morning indicated that around 30 inches of snow had fallen in Winona, Minnesota, just north of LaCrosse. I made the right decision.

Does this mean I’m getting mature or just old?

The winds are already starting to blow up from the southwest, which in this part of the world and this time of year means snow is on the way. On the TV the talking heads are trying to make their best guess and they mostly say some freezing rain today and 6 – 12 inches of snow over the weekend. Most of it will be in southeastern Minnesota which is exactly where I’ll be traveling. Oh well.

The truth is we need the moisture, we’re way behind on the snow and in this watery state we count on it to help keep us from drying up and blowing away in the summer. What can be a nuisance for us is a major source of replenishment for fields now resting in the cold for spring planting and lakes covered in ice but still needing fresh water to sustain thier ecosystems when the sun finally triumphs and the melting begins.

The stores are already full of people getting stocked up with food and supplies for the hunkering down to come. Its part of the drill in this neck of the woods and most people just stay off the roads, watch TV, and wait for everything to blow over. The big winners will be the folks driving snowplows who stand in line for a windfall of work and overtime and the pizza delivery people with four wheel drive who’ll have barely enough down time for a cup of coffee.

My Saturn Vue shines in this kind of weather. Tall and kind of ungainly in the intricacies of urban commuting it becomes masterful when the weather turns bad. The extra foot of clearance makes for good road vision, the transmission is geared for traction, and there’s space aplenty to store items needed to make the long run endurable and even, God forbid, survivable if need be. There’s something to be said about a car that actually can sleep two people comfortably. It’s gassed, the windshield wiper fluid is full, and ready to go.

So we’ll keep an eye on the skies in the hours to come. First for the weather because these storms can take so many turns and we may not know the extent of things until its actually upon us. Second, and more important, for the blessing of God. It’s always wise to do both, prepare as best you can and trust God for the unexpected. Then which ever way the wind blows it will still be okay.

I’ll get back to you on Monday.

From time to time I will take a break from jottings about my travels and views on things to give you links to various articles of interest.

Why? It’s basically the “pastor” part of me kicking in.

I started this blog in part to provide a place that hopefully isn’t as nasty as much of the blogosphere, shares some of my life, and provides access not just to complaints about the nature of things but to solutions as well, most especially the good news of Jesus Christ.

I’ve noticed over time that many Christian feel overwhelmed by the waves of popular culture and the sometimes very anti-traditional ideology of our times. They don’t know there are well written, thoughtful, cogent, and reasoned arguments for the historic faith of the Church and often don’t know where to find them. Bombarded by junk, especially from theologians and clergy who have abandoned themselves to the tides, they may begin to wonder “Are they right after all?”

As I wander about the www I find articles of interest and blogs of worth to share with you. I hope they will strengthen your faith, encourage you to carry on, and above all rediscover the great depth of wisdom found in historic Christianity. Above all you need to know you’re not alone, not some kind of freak, and, regardless of what the TV tells you, actually on the right side of history as you (and I) seek as best as sinners can to know Christ and follow in His footsteps.

Enjoy the articles. Know your faith. Live with confidence.

A powerful and well written article on sexuality and the Scriptures. Worth the read.

A powerful article on cremation and the Christian.

Read the article.

Not all the women who read this may understand, but most of the guys will. A man often has a personal kind of relationship with his electric razor. I’ll explain.

When a guy first starts shaving he usually borrows his dad’s electric razor or buys one for his immediate needs at the local discount store. There’s usually not much to shave so any razor will do. But time changes all of that.

As the facial hair comes in thicker and shaving stops being a novelty and starts becoming a necessity a sojourn also starts. Not all facial hair is the same and its consistency and growth patterns can sometimes be as unique as a fingerprint. For example the hair on my face is fairly straight but as you proceed down the neck there are several areas where it slightly swirls. Because of this not just any razor will do, you must find the one that matches your face and so the journey begins.

Sometimes a guy is lucky and the first razor he gets is the perfect one. Usually it may take an attempt or two to find the real deal, the razor whose design and cutting features do the best job with the greatest amount of comfort. Now I may be letting some of you in on the secret world of guys as it were but most manufacturers of electric razors actually tell you it may be a while after you make your purchase before your skin and the razor match. They have to get used to each other. Really, I’m not kidding. If they don’t you can be literally rubbed raw.

That’s why men, when they’ve found that perfect shaver, may keep it for many years, often longer than a car or even a house. Well meaning wives often say “Why don’t you get rid of that old thing?” without realizing it took some hard searching (they don’t have demo models for shavers) and more than a few unpleasant experiences to finally find the right razor and most guys would rather not have to do that over again. In this world where everything seems disposable there are still small shops hidden here and there where men can take their decades old friend of a razor for cleaning and repair. An older man is usually sitting behind a cubby hole desk in a room smeeling of three-in-one oil with shavers and parts about the place and a silence that pervades everything, a silence of work, of expectation, and of a unique dread that comes when the man behind the desk holds your razor with the grim look of a doctor diagnosing terminal illness. There are men out there with fewer shavers than wives.

Now my facial “soul mate” if you will is a Braun 5414 that I purchased almost ten years ago. It wasn’t the most expensive shaver out there but the cutter is straight, the head swivels, and it cleanly mows through those pesky swirls on my neck with the elegance of a well handled rapier. And then a year or so it disappeared, lost somehow in my travels. I searched the house and every suitcase I owned but to no avail.

For a while I muddled on with plain old straight razors. They can shave smooth but a slight slip of the hand and you can turn a piece of face into a fillet. Then, for some reason still unknown to me, I chose a Norelco with the three pivoting heads etc., etc.. Perhaps I thought I needed the change, but the truth is that I’ve been paying the price ever since. Well beyond the usual two week “break in” period the Norelco has continued to be the “little engine that couldn’t” and every morning leaves red marks on my neck. It has nothing to do with the Norelco, it’s just not a good match for my face and yet even when I finally found my Braun I consigned it to a drawer and still used the Norelco. We guys can be hard to figure out sometimes.

But enough is enough and today I found the old Braun, cleaned it up, and installed a new cutter head and screen. Now in the old days you could get easily get parts for a very old shaver but things have changed.
There is evil in the world and the capitalist swine who own the shaver companies have sacrificed loyalty for crass profit by implementing one simple policy. If they stop making replacement cutters and shaving heads, or make them the search for them daunting enough, eventually even the most die hard man will have to part with his old friend and buy a new one. Never mind that the mechanics of the razor may be just fine, just stop making parts for models over ten years old and eventually the sheer pain of using a dull razor will compel a purchase. If there was ever evidence for the devil…

Thankfully, my local store still had the parts, which together could easily be stored in a 2 inch square box, for about $25 US and even now my old friend is getting some new life through the charger while awaiting tomorrow morning and that all important first shave with a fresh cutter and screen. I wonder what my neck will look like without the red marks? I hope my old friend won’t hold a grudge for being left in a drawer for about six months.

Maybe I’ll just say the Norelco was a fling and it really didn’t mean that much to me. After all, we were made for each other.

Driving back from St. Elias on Sunday I had the chance to pay a final visit to a Dairy Queen * in Lake City, Minnesota. Lo and behold they had a favorite of mine, “twist” cones with chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other. For some odd reason many Dairy Queens have taken out the special dispensing nozzle required to combine the two flavors in one cone and even more have simply eliminated chocolate soft serve all together. So finding a place that still serves the “twist” cone was an unexpected treat.

And now I know where I’ll stop on the way home after Agape Vespers!


*For those who read this blog from outside the US or Canada, Dairy Queen is a chain restaurant that serves, among other things, a kind of ice cream called “soft serve” which in consistency is somewhere between actual ice cream and whipped cream and can be mechanically pumped into a cone.

Why is there a part of me that secretly wishes DNA tests would prove that none of the men clamoring to be named the “father” of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby is the real one?

What a cross that small child will have to bear some day!