Hanukkah

Last updated on: December 12, 2017 at 9:11 am By Jim Meisner Jr.

Kiel, Germany, December, 1931. Rachel Posner, the Rabbi’s wife, took this photo in her living room, across the street from the Nazi headquarters. It was the last night of Hanukkah. Hate, vitriol and racist lies were sweeping across Germany. Rachel wrote upon the back of the photo: “Chanukah, 5692. ‘Judea dies’, thus says the banner. ‘Judea will live forever’, thus respond the lights.” Rabbi Posner recognized the dangers of the Nazis, and encouraged any Jewish people who would listen that... Read more

St. Nicholas might be a Klingon

Last updated on: December 8, 2019 at 9:01 am By Jim Meisner Jr.

As much as we'd like to see Nazis get punched in the face

Last updated on: December 5, 2017 at 2:28 pm By Jim Meisner Jr.

As much as we’d like to see Nazis get punched in the face, https://youtu.be/9rh1dhur4aI It’s wrong to punch people in the face. Even racist, bigoted, Nazis. Even racist bigots who feel emboldened by the support of the President of the United States. We live in interesting and difficult times. Hate crimes are on the rise, emboldened by Nazis, bigots, and racists roaming our city streets and our halls of power. Much as we might like to punch them for being... Read more

Stress

Last updated on: November 28, 2017 at 1:11 pm By Jim Meisner Jr.

Life is stressful. The news is stressful. All forms of social media are stressful. Finances, college funds, finding a new job, car repairs, relationships, family — the list goes on and on. Internal issues like fear and insecurity can create stress faster than a rock in your shoe. This doesn’t even include major life moments like deaths, divorces or marriages. Everything is stressful. Happy times can create stress. A graduation, a birth, a promotion, all are stressful, even when we... Read more

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and a cat

Last updated on: November 26, 2017 at 2:27 pm By Jim Meisner Jr.

During the week before Christmas last year, my Facebook page lit up like a Christmas tree. Every hour the interaction and reach grew, and then grew faster. Increasing by more than 1,000 percent. The page reached 2.3 million people and gained more than a thousand new likes in a week. The post reached a total of more than 2,340,000 from around the world. People really like cats. Not a clever meme or insightful comment. A picture of a cat in... Read more

What masks do you wear to hide your authentic self?

Last updated on: November 25, 2017 at 11:18 pm By Jim Meisner Jr.

What makes us who we are? I’m not talking about the roles we fill — doing work, raising children, being a spouse, a friend, or a member of the choir. What person are we as we perform the roles of our life? Are we the same authentic person as God made us? Or do we wear different masks in different situations? Do you wear a work mask? A friend mask? A parent mask? A child mask? A mask for your... Read more

Who is thankful for you?

Last updated on: November 24, 2017 at 7:14 pm By Jim Meisner Jr.

If that’s how they talk to each other in public, I thought, I can’t imagine how they speak to one another at home. I was at the grocery a few days before Thanksgiving. Another middle age couple passed by, arguing over a seemingly inconsequential subject. Neither spoke kindly to the other. Playing out a well-worn script so viciously, they obviously have said the words before. I couldn’t imagine living in their home. We all can suppress or fail to express... Read more

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Last updated on: November 22, 2017 at 9:04 pm By Jim Meisner Jr.

Celtic Christian Conversations

Last updated on: November 16, 2017 at 9:45 am By Jim Meisner Jr.

American patriarchy

Last updated on: November 12, 2017 at 10:16 pm By Jim Meisner Jr.

Across the American landscape men are losing their jobs amid revelations of sexual misconduct, some of it illegal, all of it immoral examples of a bigger issue. Republican politicians face accusations of sex crimes, and a pathetic portion of Christians rush justifications to the defense of the abusers. (Democrat sex crimes seldom find the supporters Republicans find. Just ask Anthony Weiner.) This is worse than a faulty theology of patriarchy that sees the Creator of all as exclusively male. This... Read more