RaMbLeS
Welcome to RaMbLeS, a collection of weekly musings on life and Scripture. It all began in 2005 on Google’s blogspot as the aBeLOG (a name now recycled), a semi-autobiographical devotional that attempted to keep well-wishers abreast of my activities as I relocated to Scotland for a few years. Since my return, I’ve continued my RaMbLeS, and here’s its most recent incarnation on Homiletix, as random reflections usually based on current news articles and travel experiences and whatever else takes my fancy!
Missing!
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-on-Avon.
At least, most of him is.
In the 1800s there was a rumor that his skull had been stolen from his grave. That was dismissed as a myth for more than century.
But now, four hundred years after the bard died, archaeologists believe that claim is true. Using ground-penetrating radar to scan the grave, it appears that there is no skull with the rest of the skeleton. And there are signs that
Destination?
Dutch teenager, Milan Schipper, planned to backpack Down Under before heading out to college this fall. Enjoy its coastal landscapes, beautiful cities, fabulous beaches, etc., starting in Sydney (pop. 5,000,000).
But, unfortunately for Mr. Schipper, things didn’t pan out that way. He ended up 10,000 miles away from aforementioned capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Oceania. In a snow-covered, frozen land. Pop. 32,000. Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada!
Confessed
Together!
I learnt something about the Portuguese man o’war the other day (called so, because of their resemblance to a Portuguese war vessel of the 18th century). These things are found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Their tentacles bear a venom that can be quite painful and cause a severe dermatitis; sometimes, though, the stings can be fatal, causing beaches to be shut down if these bad ‘uns are located in the vicinity.
What I discovered (thankfully not by contacting
Listening?
A few weeks ago, here in my hometown of Dallas, Texas, a tragedy occurred. Bridget Alex had gone to funeral and was at her sister’s home afterwards. That evening, she got a panicked call from her friend, her six-month-old son’s babysitter and godmother, that Brandon had fallen off a day bed and wasn’t breathing. The babysitter called 911 at 5:55 pm and was on hold for 51 seconds. She hung up and performed CPR. She called again at 5:57 pm and was on hold, this time,
Veneration!
When I was in Greece last year, I stepped into an Orthodox church in Thessaloniki, in Northern Greece. It was pretty deserted, so I made my around the precincts, taking pictures, enjoying the solitude. That’s when a young guy came in, looked around in the foyer, and made his way to the open Bible on display right inside the main entrance.
And he proceeded to kiss it!
Kissing an icon in an Orthodox Church is quite a common practice, especially of Jesus. Folks will usually
Lonely!
We check Facebook—what are our friends up to? We scroll through Instagram—what did they eat for breakfast? And so on, and so forth.
Social media.
Well, it may not be so social after all. Or so claims “Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S.” published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, by authors from Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, at the University of Pittsburgh. They studied 1,787
Showing!
A few months ago, Pope, Francis ordained about a couple dozen new priests in St. Peter’s Basilica, in Rome. His exhortation to them caught my attention, as he urged these novice shepherds to serve the flock rather than manage it.
Feed the people of God with heartfelt homilies rather than boring sermons. Let this be the nourishment of the People of God that your sermons are not boring, that your homilies reach people’s hearts because they come from your heart, because
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.