Weird Al through the album covers. In the mid-70s, an accordionist by the name of Alfred Matthew Yankovic took a staple of FM radio, the humorous song parody, and turned it into a cottage industry that’s transformed him into a cultural icon known as Weird Al. Starting with song parodies for which he accompanied himself … Continue reading Weird Al Yankovic
Category: Essays
Real Bible Studies: Matthew 9-10
Tax Collectors and Sinners Yeshua returns to Capernaum, where the crowd brings out a paralyzed man. Yeshua is quick to forgive his sins, which raises charges of blasphemy from the scribes. To counter this, Yeshua tells the man to rise, take up his bed and walk, which the individual does, astounding the crowd. Afterward, we’re … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Matthew 9-10
Status Quo
8 April 2017: The Forum, Norcross, Georgia. The only thing politicians love more than the status quo is an electorate that never questions or violates it. They relish voters who go to the polls from election to election and mindlessly rubber stamp incumbents regardless of the job they’re doing. It means they get to do … Continue reading Status Quo
Real Bible Studies: Matthew, Healings & Miracles
Matthew 8 Following the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew provides a chapter detailing several healing miracles performed by Yeshua. These mostly take place around Capernaum, which is Yeshua’s main base of operations for this part of the Gospel. Matthew’s concentration on the teachings and healings of Yeshua lend weight to the notion that Yeshua is … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Matthew, Healings & Miracles
Keep Going
30 April 2019: Warner Robins, Georgia There’s an expression I hear frequently that one’s “reach exceeds the grasp”. I’m certainly no stranger to that idea, given my creative mind, which often causes me to dream up far more elaborate stories than I could possibly write. Sometimes, though, it’s necessary to push oneself beyond the perceived … Continue reading Keep Going
Changes
1991 was an important turning point for me because that was the first year I ever voluntarily watched the World Series. I recall, some weeks earlier, I jokingly asked someone at school how far behind the Braves were that season, only to learn that the team was number one and heavily favored for post-season play. … Continue reading Changes
Real Bible Studies: Matthew, Baptism and Temptation
After the drama of Yeshua’s birth and his family’s escape to Egypt, Matthew skips ahead to the baptism by John, when Yeshua was an adult. Here, we get another prophecy, foretelling John’s ministry. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Matthew, Baptism and Temptation
Over Thinking
14 November 2019: Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia. One of my biggest stumbling blocks in writing is believing a story needs to be more complicated than it does. This almost always relates to the backstory of the characters. I usually know quite a bit about events in the characters’ histories and often feel I need … Continue reading Over Thinking
Talking to Myself
I talk to myself. I always have. Sometimes, I hold extensive conversations with myself. Frequently, I’ll rehearse things I plan to say when I arrive at a location where I’ll be expected to speak; sometimes I repeat things I wish I had said when I misspoke at any point in my life. If I followed … Continue reading Talking to Myself
Real Bible Studies: Matthew, Part 1
The Infancy Narrative Though scholars largely agree that the first written Gospel was Mark, the Christian New Testament starts with Matthew. This is most likely due to Matthew’s inclusion of an infancy narrative and a genealogy. Otherwise, Matthew’s Gospel starts with Jesus beginning his ministry as an adult just as Mark’s does. This leaves a … Continue reading Real Bible Studies: Matthew, Part 1