Here is a sample subscription for you. Click here to start your FREE subscription

"Pyretic Ponderings" - 5 new articles

1. Stop the Press!
2. Tuesdays Unwrapped: Sky Jewelry
3. Book Review: The Sacred Meal
4. Evangelism Epic Fail
5. Tuesdays Unwrapped: Remembrance

Stop the Press!

Tuesdays Unwrapped: Sky Jewelry

Leonid Meteor Shower (from CBS News)

When I heard that a meteor shower was expected to be visible around 4 a.m. this morning, I was intrigued...but not motivated. Who wants to get up in the middle of a very cold night to stare at the sky for something that may or may not happen?

I didn't set my alarm, but I woke up at 3:40 a.m. I was wide awake...and I felt beckoned. I brewed a cup of tea, put on 5 layers of clothes, and went out in the yard.

The tea was growing cold, even in an insulated mug. I couldn't feel my toes.

But beyond the discomfort, I felt God's presence with me. I felt worshipful, standing there all alone in the dark, staring up at the immense sky.

And then...

quite suddenly...

it looked as though it had begun to rain stars.

Hundreds...thousands...millions...of tiny lights began to glide across the ebony sky.

The nighttime was adorned with sky jewelry.

Book Review: The Sacred Meal

The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher is one of eight books in The Ancient Practices series which cover spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith. According to the book’s introduction, Gallagher explores communion as an experience of “waiting, receiving, and afterward.”

My personal church experience has not included a strong emphasis on the practice of communion, so I came to this book with the hope of gaining a greater appreciation and understanding of this “ancient practice.” Not only was I disappointed in this regard, but I was unclear as to why communion was important for Gallagher in her faith.

The Sacred Meal includes many stories of and reflections on Gallagher’s life – experiences with friends and family and service within the Church. While these were enjoyable to read, I felt that she never fully resolved how any of these stories were related to the practice of communion, nor did they in any way compel me to more actively participate in communion myself.

Gallagher claims to be Episcopalian but impresses me as being far more Unitarian in her belief system. She discusses the importance of social justice and social action to the point of exhaustion. She compares the practice of communion to the Jewish Seder and the Muslim Ramadan, and describes a nearly mythical experience at a Muslim prayer meeting. Near the end of the book, she recounts a story of encountering the spirit of her recently deceased brother in the “burning of the bulrushes, in the light and in the birds.”

I was disturbed by Gallagher’s theology, and I was disappointed that The Sacred Meal failed in its intended purpose as a manual on the ancient practice of communion.

I do NOT recommend this book.


This book was reviewed for Thomas Nelson in connection with their  Book Review Bloggers program.

Evangelism Epic Fail

Tuesdays Unwrapped: Remembrance

My cousin Amber took the above picture when she and I went on a day-long shopping excursion. We made a short side trip to visit the park where I gave my heart to God one chilly night almost eleven years ago - a stunning awe-filled moment when I truly grasped, for the first time, the depth of my sin and the power of Jesus' redemption.

May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.