Sam Chamelin

One of the special little moments of rural and small town ministry:

Yesterday, I got to tell my kindergarten teacher, who taught me the alphabet, that I'm going to be a published author.

Last night, I taught a 4-H class for starting African violets. I had the best time with some kids who learned to enjoy lovely things and the value of pruning. There’s a nice violet on my windowsill today, a reminder of the good in the world, especially in a room full of kids and flowers and soil🙂

This is exegesis.

If Easter is a celebration (a civic event and a meal), than Lent is mere abstention.

If Easter is resurrection, then Lent must be denial, crucifixion.

Absolutely

Hey #books and #theology folks - I'm looking for good Scandinavian authors, both novelists and theologians. Any good recommendations?

Snow tomorrow? I’m not sure, but all six of my cardinals are at the feeder this morning.

Because it’s just a short distance from incarnation…

Lucas Raymond monster game incoming…

I talked to a member of my church who seemed so, so beaten down. And he told me we haven’t seen the worst of it yet, from what he’s hearing (he’s well-placed enough to know some things).

The thing about a library peppered with books you've never read:

There's a really good chance something is there that will change your life. It's just waiting for you to find it. A treasure chest, if you but open the lid.

I’m not fond of Piper. But every once in a while…

I think of this often when people say, “If your preacher didn’t talk about so and so, find another church.” I’m not a private chaplain, nor am I a chaplain to culture. I have a community to care for.

Yup! I’m struck by the impossibility of the task, “so that they do not understand.” And yet, the call for the prophet is the same.

This wasn’t the message for my congregation on Sunday, but I believe it is a message for our moment.

“For anything to be good, truly good, there must be love in it…there must be love for the gift itself, love for the subject being depicted or the story being told, and love for the audience…Nothing is what it’s supposed to be if love is not at the core.”

from “Theo of Golden”

Sometimes, when I hear the word read, I hear the Spirit speak an entirely different message than the one I prepared. The reading from Isaiah 6 had me thinking about our current moment, and the call of the prophet.

“Wrong will be right,
when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar,
sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth,
winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane,
we shall have spring again.”

This gave me a little comfort this morning.

Daily centering myself in faith is hard sometimes. But I generally find myself most successful when my day starts with morning prayer and feeding the birds.

Though, I’m losing patience with the starlings!!!

So far, it’s excellent!! Higginbotham is a really talented writer

Christmas is usually a big book time for me. Not so this year. Only received one book, but it’s sooooo good.

One of the legacies of a Trump presidency will be that we’ll question the notion of an “obvious morality” that doesn’t require some deeper foundational principles. Is morality REALLY that simple?

Kings of Leon in Philly, 2004, when they opened for Ben Kweller. My buddy and I were the only guys in the crowd who knew any of their songs. I guess their early southern rock style doesn’t play well in Philly.

People sometimes make fun of science that sounds stupid and random.

Meanwhile, a study of lizard saliva turned into a peptide medication, which was turned into a diabetes medication, which was turned into a GLP1 weight loss drug, that just became the first therapy every approved for … sleep apnea

How our Christmas Pageant practice going?

😏😁

Is there anything to the observation that Xmas cards have moved from pieces of art with holiday wishes to analog Instagram posts?

It’s not released, correct? Who wants to send me a copy?😎

Life goals.

Johannes Weiland, “Reading bearded with lamplight in interior”

Yeah, that wave is coming…