Hello and gobble gobble!

“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” doesn’t loom as large as some of the other Peanuts holiday specials. But Edward Goode and I found a lot to say about authenticity, tradition, and expectation, and the dangers of triangulation. Plus: Franklin’s amazing ‘fit.

A few items we mentioned during the episode:

‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ marks its 50th anniversary — how has it held up? (NPR)

Gratitude, Grace, and Relationship (Center for Action and Contemplation)

And don’t miss Ed’s excellent post from this morning, that connects with some of what we talked about:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello to our little Soda Pops! Substack Live was being a huge pain, so I recorded this from my iPad, hence the strange framing of my Very Large Head.

Today we talked KPop Demon Hunters! We cover shame, original sin and original blessing. The healing that comes through authentic relationship. Workaholics and “hustling for worthiness.” Why the song “Takedown” didn’t stop the demons, but “Golden” didn’t either. What’s in a name? And more!

Here’s a link to a discussion about the Korean concept of “han,” which significantly, was the name of the healer the hunters go and see.

We loved all the folks chiming in on chat! Please join us next Wednesday, November 26 at 10:00 EST for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Link here.

Happy Halloween week! I promise Ed did not wear his costume for the whole hour… (Vader is looking quite comfy in that crew neck)

We use this 1966 children’s classic to talk about faith, imagination, and the push and pull of sincerity v. cringe. Also, what *are* we to make of Lucy as a character?

As you listen, relish these beautiful images from the wordless interlude of the episode in which the World War I Flying Ace must creep through enemy lines. Stunning.

See you next time!

What fun! Music is a powerful creator of community, which we discuss in our kickoff to the conversation, followed by answers to four prompts:

* If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life

* Song that unlocks tears/emotion

* Song that saved your life

* Last song you shared with someone else

Troy Bronsink is a wonderful musician in his own right, and a deep and good human. And it’s always great to chat with my wingman Edward Goode. If you haven’t subscribed to their Substacks, do yourself a favor.

And here are our picks (plus some others we discussed) in playlist form: Spotify and Apple Music.

On the next PCPH! In honor of spooky season, Ed and I will riff on It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Next Wednesday, October 29 at noon EDT. Link.

Steady on.

Hi folks, here’s last Sunday’s sermon, a riff on one of my favorite Old Testament passages, in which Jeremiah makes an audacious real-estate purchase. I’ve preached on this text before, but always love revisiting it.

Steady on.

Thank you Nathan Webb, Emily Dunevant, Elizabeth Nordquist, Capitol Jill, Charlotte, and many others for tuning into our latest Pop Culture Pastors Hour with Edward Goode and our wonderful guest, Frances Wattman Rosenau! I encourage you to follow/subscribe to these great writers and thinkers.

This was a great conversation—very excited by these recommendations from my fellow pastors. I’ve got some reading to do…

We used this book of banned books via Pen America. And here’s the episode of the Moth podcast Ed mentioned on the topic.

Thank you to everyone who tuned into today’s live video!

Spoilers for Battlestar Galactica (miniseries, plus a little bit of the show as a whole), in which we talk AI, the true meaning of apocalypse, the role of religion, and the power and frailty of ordinary people. And will we ever get over 9/11?

Bonus nightmare: Roko’s Basilisk, a philosophical concept about AI that gives some people anxiety attacks when they hear it. Fun with game theory!

Thanks Ed for recommending this great show, can’t wait to watch the rest.

Coming up on Pop Culture Pastors Hour, we’ll be discussing Arrival starring Amy Adams and directed by Denis Villeneuve.

Today’s podcast offering is my sermon from yesterday, part of our congregation’s worship series, Brave: Faithful Living in Turbulent Times.

Focus, faithfulness, and weak foolish kings. And a man in his early 30s, with a wife and young children, who lost his life to political violence… but probably not the one you think.

The entire scripture text is here—this recording only includes the second part, but as you’ll hear, the first part is at least as important.

At the end of the audio you’ll hear me describe an activity in which people wrote down the answer to a question. The question is yours to ponder as well.

If you prefer to watch, here’s the video of the service, queued up to the sermon (but the whole service was lovely. Great music!).

Steady on.