tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355086750486200439.post5641333265087351094..comments2024-03-24T19:55:32.537-05:00Comments on The View from This Seat: A Resurrection-Shaped LifeLKSeathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08860725174433173015noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355086750486200439.post-21297447803883196902019-04-22T21:22:02.635-05:002019-04-22T21:22:02.635-05:00The shape of Easter gathered some new metaphors th...The shape of Easter gathered some new metaphors this week. Last Monday, as a horrified world watched, Notre-Dame Cathedral burned spectacularly. Ironically, the honeybees survived much better than the roof. On Maundy Thursday, Attorney General Barr released the redacted Mueller report, unleashing legal chaos. Perhaps there is some deep connection between washing hands and redacting. On Easter Sunday, as I was struggling to comprehend the complexities of the pilgrimage of my church's current crop of preschoolers, terrorists in Sri Lanka were blowing up churches full of Easter worshippers.<br /><br />Then today, after I thought Easter week was over, the most amazing thing of all happened. This morning I did some reading in the January/February 2019 double issue of The Smithsonian titled "America at War" I was overwhelmed by "the Priest of Abu Ghraib" by Jennifer Percy. In it she told the extraordinary story of the life and death of Joshua Casteel, who combined faith and service in a way that took him being the best new interrogator in Abu Ghraib after the scandal broke there to being a conscientious objector after a transformational interview with a terrorist suspect. He was given a CO honorable discharge, and went back to study, doing everything from religion to theatre. A few years later he died from aggressive cancer, possibly caused by the pit fires burned near him while in Iraq. Even in this, he found peace. You can read more here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/priest-abu-grahib-180971013/Craig Dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00033176451913108084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355086750486200439.post-23875492147702104682019-04-22T08:59:53.931-05:002019-04-22T08:59:53.931-05:00I am late posting these comments by Thinking Frien...I am late posting these comments by Thinking Friend Jo Beth Fielder, our good friend who lived for many years in Fukuoka, Japan, when June and I did:<br /><br />"Appreciated this, Leroy...the additional thoughts about, and photo of your cousin Carolyn; also thoughts about Owensby's book about living the resurrected life 'in the here and now.' It all fits in well with a scripture I've thought a lot about this Easter season, John 16:22, one of my favorites."LKSeathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08860725174433173015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355086750486200439.post-82222939438286203692019-04-20T10:07:53.739-05:002019-04-20T10:07:53.739-05:00The first response I received to this morning'...The first response I received to this morning's article was from Thinking Friend Dan O'Reagan in Louisiana. Before 6:30 this morning he sent the following comments by email:<br /><br />"Happy Easter. . . . if there ever is a good time to have a funeral, it is Good Friday when Carolyn's body would be laid in the grave on the same day of the week and the same time of the calendar year as Jesus' body was laid in the grave. I can imagine that she was welcomed home by her Savior who, thinking of her years in Ghana, said to her, 'Welcome home, good and faithful servant.' They are celebrating 'her first Easter in heaven.' (The preacher in me tells me that would be a good sermon title for a funeral message this time of year). Only her resurrection will wait until the Risen Savior will return and we shall all be raised. Hallelujah! Then we can all sing, 'Up From The Grave WE Arose.' Then all of us can and will have a Resurrection-Shaped Life."LKSeathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08860725174433173015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355086750486200439.post-10757395980617228782019-04-20T05:38:19.520-05:002019-04-20T05:38:19.520-05:00Here is the link to my short review of Owensby'...Here is the link to my short review of Owensby's fine book:<br /><br />https://theviewfromthisseat.com/2019/04/20/review-of-a-resurrection-shaped-life/LKSeathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08860725174433173015noreply@blogger.com