The Ashes of my Triumphalism

The ashes that mark your forehead on Ash Wednesday came from burning the palm fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday celebration. That’s deep. Think about it. On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus riding into Jerusalem as king. A defeated and oppressed people go wild with hope at the installation of this Righteous Ruler, waving their…

Suffocating in the American Cocoon

When I’m feeling especially peeved about my country, it’s important to call to mind some of the things I love about it – Freedom of press, trial by a jury of one’s peers, and squirrels. However, there are times when the privilege of leaving the borders of America for a period of time serve as…

Take Your Hands Off My Stuff

Once when we had a Middle Eastern student living with us, he took off on Janine’s bicycle. This was a bit disconcerting given that he did not ask permission. Whisk! There goes Yahya on Janine’s bike. Where is he going? How long will he be gone? Perhaps he is running away. Maybe he intends to…

Helpful Tidbits for the Sports Imbecile

Dear Sports Imbecile: As a fellow halfwit when it comes to sports, I felt it important to share some lessons I’ve learned about living with this rare social handicap. A football is neither. The game called football has hardly any foot work and the so-called “ball” is really a prolate spheriod. WARNING: Saying, “hey guys,…

A Better Tribalism

There’s been a lot said about tribalism lately, mostly bad. I’m not a sports guy, but when I listen to sports fans, I see our tribalistic tendencies at work (by the way, you know the word “fan” is short for “fanatic: a person exhibiting excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion toward some controversial matter.”) But…