In my little town, where the local theater is called the Monoplex because it only shows one movie (“The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T“), I’ve become good friends with the rabbi at Congregation Shomer Negiah, whose synagogue is off the expressway behind a grove of trees. Continue reading “The rabbi of Congregation Shomer Negiah”
Month: August 2005
O world, o treacherous sea
It was long enough, world, that I floated about in you, oh treacherous sea. You deceived me long enough. You detained me. While I was a slave to sin, and wronged God, you loved and honoured me. But now you hate me.
— Christoph Bauman, Switzerland, Ausbund 76
Salvation is a secular concept
Our culture is poorer for having segregated some useful ideas into a religious ghetto, isolated from society’s mainstream. One such concept is salvation. For most Westerners, the word “salvation” conjures up images of sweating American preachers in tent revivals. But “salvation” is simply the noun form of the verb “to save.” Continue reading “Salvation is a secular concept”
Getting to know yourself
It is difficult for the one who loves to talk to get to know himself. If he would think of who he is, he would not have so much to say. Look at yourself! Leave the rest.
— Othmar Roth, Sankt Gallen in Switzerland, 1532, Ausbund 58
The Stanislavsky Method of Biblical Interpretation
The originator of “Method acting,” Russian theatrical director Constantin Stanislavsky (1863–1938), taught his actors not to ask, “How should I position my eyebrows, hands, and mouth to express this line?” but rather, “If I had a domineering father, an ambitious wife, and coarse underwear, how would I express this line?” Continue reading “The Stanislavsky Method of Biblical Interpretation”
On a more personal note…
Tuesday night I asked my best friend to marry me, and she said yes. She’s from southeast Illinois and works in international student ministry. My grandmother loves her too.
Just thought I should mention this. You don’t need to be as excited about it as I am.