I regularly read from the (mostly) Catholic journal First Things. Although I am not Catholic, I find that the Catholic thinkers have done some wonderful work. In this article, Michael Gemignani wrote about hospice care in an an American setting (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/01/the-role-of-hospice-in-assisting-a-good-death): In a previous article, I offered as a possible slogan for hospice, “A good life…
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Dallas Willard
There are some in the Christian intellectual community that speak more vividly and deeply than others. One was Dallas Willard who died yesterday after a battle with cancer. I loved this quote from Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. on Willard (from http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/): The first thing to do is to trust our Christian friends who have died with…
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Just a thorn
Crooner Rich Mullins penned, “We are not as strong as we think we are,” a lengthy song title, no doubt. In it he talks about the frailty of human relationships, and humanity’s inherit weakness. His song is quite a contrast to the claim of neo-scientists that soon technology advances will usher in an age of…
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Edith
I had the privilege of knowing Edith Schaeffer, best-selling author, co-founder of L’Abri, and wife of Dr. Francis Schaeffer, the great theologian of the 20th century. She died age 98 Easter Sunday this year. It was during my third year of college that through a friendship I flew to Rochester, MN to spend New Year’s…
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Take me home
Thomas Dorsey penned one of the classic gospel hymns of the 20th century, “Precious Lord.” In the second verse he speaks of a believer’s approach to physical death: When my way grows drear Precious Lord linger near When my life is almost gone Hear my cry, hear my call Hold my hand lest I fall…
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Lamenting a friend’s passing
Are you watching the Bible movie just out? I haven’t seen any of it yet, and I’ve heard varied reports. Good text and incredible stories, but so challenging to present in film. Paul Johnson wrote “A History of Christianity” almost 50 years ago and I’m just giving it a second reading. A much better way…
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It’s a big deal
According to Hilaire Belloc, the non-Jewish world in the B.C. era held a lower view of the value of human life than what we currently understand. He backed up his assertion by describing the ease and broadness of killing in these kingdoms. They applied their understanding of human value when they tortured insubordinate slaves, and…
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Hanging on
In The Forgotten 500, Gregory Freeman recounts the stories of the many WWII airmen shot down over Yugoslavia. It is one of the not-well-known POW stories, but no less dramatic than any I have heard. One of these guys, a turret gunner tucked in a plexiglass ball under a B-24, had to furiously hand-crank his…
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Air hunger
This year a young man gunned down 15 or so human beings in a Colorado movie theater. A few months ago a teenage boy shot his mother and sister and then called the police to coldly tell them what he had done. After Newtown, Connecticut, I think the entire nation is wondering just what is going…
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What binds us together
Many folks wrestle through cancer decisions, weighing the hope for cure against the rigors of side effects. None are easy and although the right decision is sometimes available, most of the time there is no right or wrong. A good friend and patient in my medical practice received a diagnosis of lung cancer 10 months…
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