*Revised from Post Published May 2014 A United States soldier processed the flag of the United States of America in to our sanctuary as we stood at attention singing “God Bless America.” The veterans in our midst were honored as we sang the “Star Spangled Banner.” The “Battle Hymn of the Republic” proceeded the pastor’s fiery sermon on the coming destruction of our beloved nation if we “…did not turn from our wicked ways.” Somehow gays, abortion... Read more
The quarantine shocked us all. Nobody expected the world to be shutdown. Of all things, people raced to acquire toilet paper. One evening I saw a local pastor, filling her cart with as much toilet paper as she could carry. Later, I saw her post on social media that she would be completely unavailable. In that moment, I realized that wiping her ass was much more important to her than loving her neighbor. Unfortunately, she was not alone. In... Read more
I haven’t blogged recently. I haven’t felt much reason too. The times have weighed on my soul. The stories of COVID-19 have revealed many questions and supplied few answers. Strangers in a strange land they traveled. Despite the difficult circumstances, they pressed forward. They knew that the baby was coming faster than they anticipated. Finally, they reached their destination. There was no room for them upon their arrival. They were forced to sleep out in the cold. Though the... Read more
Loving the Least in a Time of Pandemic : On Religious Liberty & the Social Services of Churches *As always, the word “church” includes all religious institutions for me. Though I find the political views of both Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton to most often be detestable, I have worked very hard and am very thankful for their recent order and interpretation declaring churches to be an essential service/business. Though they probably didn’t consider it... Read more
“Go different routes.” “Don’t tell anybody.” “Be as discreet as possible.” “Don’t wear bright clothes.” “Just tell them that you’re going to see a friend.” “Don’t ask for directions.” “Knock five times on the door.” Stay quiet.” “Close the curtains.” “Don’t turn the lights on.” “Light the candle.” “Only one person speaks at a time.” “Our lives are at stake.” “Don’t leave together.” “We will leave one at a time every thirty minutes.” ” Don’t turn around.” The entire... Read more
Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood [email protected] In recent days, our governments have repeatedly issued orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These are scary times. Restrictions are necessary. The problem arises when preventative actions begin to flippantly infringe upon basic rights. From the foundation of our nation, religious practice has been something to be protected at all costs. Make no mistake, these latest restrictions are very dangerous…and I believe unconstitutional (they are not the least restrictive... Read more
Dr. Li Weinlang: Martyr of the Faith Strange things seemed to only get stranger. Stories kept on leaking out about a new respiratory illness that was similar yet more deadly than the SARS virus of years past. Wuhan just seemed to be ignoring it. Afraid for the health of his colleagues in medicine, Dr. Li Weinlang started to investigate what was going on. Fairly quickly, it became apparent that this was a nightmare situation. On a Chinese... Read more
March 17, 2020 “Ethics matter.” / “CoronaEthics Matter” The world is not ending…unless we destroy it. Down on her luck, all the woman had was WIC tonight. Eventually, she made it to the milk. The kids were screaming. Looking at the shelves, all of the WIC-approved milk had already been bought (the program controls what you can buy). Trying to control her emotions, she pushed on to the rice. The woman... Read more
Did you create Coronavirus? / Just Take Me Back to Genesis In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day,... Read more
Multiple officers descended on a murder suspect. Before giving him an opportunity to surrender, the officers opened fire. Bullet after bullet pierced his young body. Falling to the pavement, the young man managed, “Why?” Though the officers rendered aid, it was of no use…he was dead before he hit the ground. Officers on the scene tried to absolve their actions. They kept saying that they thought he had a gun. It worked for a time. However, lies can’t live forever. When... Read more
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