Monthly Archives: November 2020

The Cruelty of God

Posted on November 18, 2020 by mitchteemley

My Featured Blogger this week is Heidi Viars of Taking a Closer Look. I’ve been wanting to share Heidi with you for some time, and finally found the right moment to do so. Heidi is a poet, essayist, wife, mother, … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Cheddar Cheese and Rock ‘n’ Roll

Posted on November 17, 2020 by mitchteemley

Full Stomach, Fuller Heart (an occasional series) Marc was my first official immigrant friend. Not that he was all that “immigranty” (he was American-born). But his parents, escapees from German-occupied Poland, were wonderfully immigranty. I listened with awe to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Change

Posted on November 16, 2020 by mitchteemley

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjusts the sails.” ~William Arthur Ward Stormy Sea at Night, 1849, by Ivan Aivazovsky (Pavlovsk Palace, Saint Petersburg) Thought for the Week Some years the world barely … Continue reading →

Posted in Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

The Power of Forgiveness

Posted on November 15, 2020 by mitchteemley

Broken Stone, Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand (photo by Victor Guntin) Theologian David Seamands once told my friend, retired pastor Jerry Kirk, that half the people in mental hospitals could leave if they learned to forgive themselves. “Yes,” Jerry … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Quips and Quotes, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Life Is a Sandwich

Posted on November 14, 2020 by mitchteemley

It was soft below us and easy to chew Twill be soft above us when we get through But right now we’re trapped in the middle, and wham! We find ourselves suddenly stuck in the jam Still, the art of … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Lockdown, Part Two?

Posted on November 12, 2020 by mitchteemley

My state, like most of the world, is on the verge of producing a bad sequel, Lockdown, Part Two: Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Into a Restaurant. For many, the last lockdown seemed to last forever … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Popular Culture & Entertainment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 45 Comments

Filling the Shoes of Giants

Posted on November 11, 2020 by mitchteemley

My Featured Blogger this week is Rob Stroud of Mere Inkling, a site centered on the life and teachings of C.S. Lewis. It will come as no surprise to anyone whose followed me for a while that I’d be drawn … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Stay the Course!

Posted on November 9, 2020 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week Don’t lose sight of your true purpose. Purpose always transcends circumstances. Yes, adjustments and even detours will need to be made along the way, but they too can be a part of fulfilling your purpose. If … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Our Autumn Getaway

Posted on November 6, 2020 by mitchteemley

Sometimes you need to visit the past to face the present. My wife and I love doing location-scouting daytrips for future films. They give us an opportunity to be together while exploring our adopted region. For the last several years … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

The Cost of Freedom in 2020

Posted on November 5, 2020 by mitchteemley

I wrote the words below after the 2016 U.S. elections. This year, the issues seem completely different. But are they? True, we’ve had four years of bluster from a man who believes not so much in conservative values as in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments