Lazy Sunday CXXX: Chapel Lessons, Part I

Sometimes I fill in for our chaplain at school, which I always treat as a humbling opportunity to share some bit of biblical wisdom with our students.  I can only pray these seeds fall onto fertile soil and bear fruit:

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

Chapel Lesson: Being Thankful in the Storm

Right before Thanksgiving Break I prepared a chapel devotional for school.  It went undelivered, as our regular chaplain returned after weeks in the hospital.

It turns out that he had a large tumor along a major artery, and nearly bled out and died on at least two occasions.  He has been diagnosed with stage four cancer, and has already begun the usual regimen of chemotherapy and radiation.  Please lift up Father Jason Hamshaw in your prayers.

While I did not deliver this message, it seemed apropos to Father Hamshaw’s diagnosis, and something we all need to remember from time to time.  Here is my message on “Being Thankful in the Storm”:

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TBT^65,536: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!

It’s kind of humorous to consider that the very first “It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle” post from 2017 reflected upon my dangerous fall from a ladder, resulting in a broken wrist, as I am not celebrating Thanksgiving with a broken ankle (so far, the ankle has been going a bit better than the wrist).  I’ve been incredibly blessed throughout the entire process, as I’ve noted multiple times across other posts.

I haven’t always been grateful.  I’ve been upset with some of the lackluster response to my creative output, and have perhaps been overly vocal about it on this blog.  Part of me thinks that after five years of slogging away, I’d have something to show for this blog.  If a million words or so isn’t read, do they truly exist?

But I shouldn’t complain too much.  I did well in October with Bandcamp Friday, even if it was below my expectations.  It was actually my second best day on Bandcamp.

My personal life is in a much better place now than it was a year ago at this time, too.  I’ve lost some weight and am dating a very sweet flight attendant, which is kind of the equivalent of the nerdy liar who would claim he was dating a Canadian supermodel (but mine is real, I promise!).  We don’t get to see each other as much as either of us would like, but we’re both fairly independent people, so it works out nicely.

Murphy is doing well, too, although she’s been chewing her paws a bit lately.  Something to get checked out as soon as we can get to the vet.

All in all, I’m extremely blessed:  a good house, a good family, a good dog, a good job—all thanks to a good God.

With that, here’s “TBT^256: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!“:

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Chapel Lesson: Exploring God’s Creation

My school’s chaplain—a truly amazing man of God—is struggling in the hospital as I write these words.  Please lift Father Jason Hamshaw up in your prayers, dear readers.  I do not know the nature of his affliction, but the last I heard, he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which never bodes well.  He is a relatively young man, and a loving husband and father.  One of his sons is a student here at my school.  Pray, and pray hard.

Because he is in the hospital, I was asked to deliver the chapel lesson/devotional/homily the morning of Thursday, 26 October 2023.  Here is the devotional I wrote, with a huge debt of gratitude to The Daily Encouraging Word, which I substantially adapted and modified for this lesson:

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Myersvision: Audre’s Exorcism

Last Thursday Audre Myers e-mailed me a comment for my post “TBT^4: Things That Go Bump in the Night” (she’s having some issues logging into WordPress to comment—d’oh!).  I asked if I could post it on the blog as its own post, and she agreed.

The title I’ve given her comment-post is a bit of artistic license; I’m sure Audre would not call it an “exorcism,” but she definitely cast something out in the Name of Jesus Christ.

It’s become a trope in horror films, especially of the demonic possession variety, that messing around with fortune telling, Ouija boards, etc., opens one up to demonic influence.  I suspect that our habitual sins open us up far more frequently, but I also strongly believe we shouldn’t mess around with the occult, even in a supposedly playful manner.  I know Ouija boards are mass-produced by Milton Bradley, which somehow takes away some of the demonic mysticism of them; still, I imagine Satan loves the Industrial Revolution and mass production.

We have victory in Jesus.  Praise the Lord!

With there, here is Audre’s fascinating tale of victory in Christ:

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Myersvision: Alexander Scourby

Growing up, I remember pastors championing the King James Version of the Bible as the only reliable translation.  It is, indeed, exceptional—and, even for a hyperintelligent Übermensch like yours portly, exceptionally difficult to read.  I now primarily use the New King James Version, which retains the KJV’s accuracy, while updating the syntax and language for modern readers.

That said, the NKJV still loses some of the poetry of the KJV.  Christianity is a reading religion, but it’s also a spoken one, and like all poetry, the Bible is meant to be read aloud.  Not many of us do it well.  When it’s done right, however, it pierces our souls.

Audre Myers graciously wrote this beautiful piece about the recorded King James Version, available on YouTube.  Actor Alexander Scourby reads the entire Bible, and from the videos I’ve listened to so far, it’s gorgeous.

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TBT: Chapel Lesson: Listening

School’s back, and that means Chapel on Thursdays!  Today is one of the first chapels of the school year.  I always enjoy hearing the short little devotionals from our chaplain, and they’re quite beneficial for those students who choose to take them to heart.

There was a small chance that I might be asked to serve as chaplain this year—quite a responsibility!—but the school obtained someone more qualified for the job (in other words, someone with an actual degree in theology and practical experience in ministry).  I imagine I will still be called upon, at times, to provide a short homily or lesson when the new guy is absent.

Regardless, it seemed like an excellent time to look back at this little message I delivered to our students last year.  Listening is hard, and it’s even harder when we’re constantly engulfed in noise.  That makes it particularly hard to listen to God’s Still, Small Voice, much less the much louder voices of people around us.

With that, here is 30 August 2022’s “Chapel Lesson: Listening“:

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