Geekklesia

Friends, I haven't forgotten you all here during my recent transition back to a pastoral ministry. Things have been a little hectic here, and I'm still not in a place where I can do lengthy, thoughtful posts. So, in the meantime, let me just point you to some Max Headroom-related items of interest. First off, I've been checking out some podcast episodes that discuss our favorite "computer generated" AI talking head. At the top of my playlist (in reverse order of download) is the Retroist Podcast, episode 046 . Great discussion of the series and some personal anecdotes that tie in the ABC TV series from 1987 to the pop culture phenomenon that Max was. Next is Autopilot, season 2 episode 11 . This is a podcast about old TV shows in general and their pilot episodes in general. Great discussion about the similarities and  differences between the BBC Telefilm "20 Minutes Into The Future" and the American TV series pilot episode "Blipverts." Thi...

I realize that I have been a little slack in my posting schedule recently. A lot of that has been due to my off screen life responsibilities. I have been doing a lot more travelling these past few months than I care to do for a while, and that has disrupted my writing. Having said that, I am at the keyboard, alerting my loyal readers (all six of you), that there will be some further changes in my off screen life, which will most likely affect my writing as well, at least for a while. The Princess Bride and I are being transferred to Harrisonburg VA, where we will assume the roles of front-line pastoral ministry.  For the past six years, we have worked for our denomination at an administrative level, but the powers that be have seen fit to return us to regular pastoral duties. We are currently in the process of packing up home and offices, and will depart our current assignment on June 15. I do covet your prayers, as this will be an interesting transition. I hope we remember...

This winter, we were trapped in the " polar vortex " that had crippled much of the country in the coldest temperatures in recent memory.  I was reminded that winter is often associated with death, but I have been thinking recently about the fact that death is never really the end of the story, and I am certain that life will appear once again. We tend to believe that death is the final word, the in the Bible we often see death as being in one sense "cut off" or "separated." in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve "died" when they were cut off from fellowship with God and each other due to their disobedience. The nation of Israel "died" when they were separated from their homeland during the Babylonian captivity. I think you can understand what I'm trying to say here. God is never satisfied with death, and is always trying to bridge the gap and restore life just as He always tries to restore relationships Some time ago I ran across this artic...

This week, I was asked to give a devotional at my place of work.  I had planned on posting the text, and since one friend asked nicely, I will do so today. Just before Christmas, it seemed as if everyone wanted to talk about the 50th anniversary of the British children’s television series, Dr. Who. Now I am not a fan of the show, only because it has never ‘hooked’ me the way it has for others, but I can appreciate the excitement many fans have for the series. Imagine that! One TV series – fifty years –with eleven different actors playing the title role. In the series, the Doctor, as he is known, is a Time Lord, which means he has the power, via a very special vehicle, to travel back and forth through time. Now, there are other time travel stories. How many can we name? Back to the Future, Quantum Leap, The Time Machine, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and many others. These are neat stories, and I think that in general people are fascinated with the idea of time travel,...

I’ve been reading No Cape Required: 52 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Hero by Kristen Parrish as a weekly devotional. Parrish uses pop culture heroes to illustrate themes and characteristics Christians should embrace in their daily lives and walks with Jesus.  The first, naturally focused on Superman’s quest for Justice. This week’s was on friendships, as exhibited in the relationship between Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in the original series version of Star Trek. As I have been thinking about that theme, I am reminded that humans were created to be relational.  We were created first of all to have a relationship with our God (Genesis 1:26-27). He also created us to have relationships with each other (Genesis 2:18).  God Himself exists in a perpetual relationship with the other Persons of the Trinity (the Son and the Holy Spirit). The Trinity – three Persons existing as One Whole – is an immense mystery, but it testifies to this fact.  If we are, in fact, created in Go...

First off, please understand I am not a fan of A & E network's "reality" series Duck Dynasty . I think it perpetuates a myth that people from the south are loud, coarse, obsessed with hunting, and backward, which then encourages others' belittling attitudes. On the other hand, I do appreciate their strong commitment to their family and their faith. It is this commitment to faith that has ensnared the patriarch of the Robertson family. In an interview with GQ magazine, Phil Robertson was asked about what he considers sins worthy of death, and roughly quoting from 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, he listed "Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers." Out of that list, people zeroed in on the denunciation of homosexuality, which led to Phil's being suspended from the show "indefinitely." Immediately pundits on both sides of the issue blew up social m...

If you have been following this blog for a while, you may recall my experience with comic books goes back to my childhood where I was introduced to many characters. One book in particular was an issue of Daredevil ( vol . 1, #123 ) where I first met Nick Fury. In this issue, Foggy Nelson (Daredevil's friend) was kidnapped by HYDRA and was held in HYDRA's secret base beneath Shea Stadium in New York. Not only did Daredevil attempt to rescue Nelson, SHIELD was sent in, led by Nick Fury (as an aside, I didn't remember that Black Widow was also in this book, and so this was also my first introduction to Natasha Romanov). I love Samuel L. Jackson as Fury, but his is not the Fury I remember from my childhood.  Not too long ago, I was flipping channels and saw this 1998 movie, and realized that David Hasselhoff was cast in the title role. This surprised me, but as I discovered it well into the movie, I didn't stay, as I wanted to watch it all the way from the beginning. ...