Alas, it has begun anew. It will get worse and there’s reason to believe that this time it will be more irritating than ever before.
In the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus feeds the 5000 people, walks on the water, and has a conversation with the leaders and the people about the covenant with Abraham and Moses, and his place in all that. As seems to be usual, Jesus is inviting us to see beyond signs to a spiritual reality in Him.
Are you happy with 2026, now that the first month is almost half over? Me neither.
Just hours ago as of this writing, Mike Tomlin, head coach of the venerable Pittsburgh Steelers for the last 19 years, resigned. He coached them to a Super Bowl championship after the 2008 season, and represented the AFC in the Super Bowl after the 2010 season.
Simba-sama made it to 2026, but just barely. It matters. His real name was just Simba, but he was wise, so it made sense to add “sama,” an honorific signifying high rank and wisdom, to that name. “Sensei” would have worked, too, because he taught the several other cats in Risa’s house how to be cats.
Hook, the absolutely star-studded film directed by Stephen Spielberg, has received mixed reviews from critics since its release in 1991. I still can’t figure out why. One could have given the Academy Award for Best Actor to Dustin Hoffman, and Best Supporting Actor to Robin Williams.
Just over a year ago I got my Unicomp Model M Mini, a newly manufactured version of what is in my estimation the best computer keyboard ever, the IBM Model M SSK. The Minis and the SSKs are like a regular IBM Model M, but they don’t have a number pad at the right, so I can put the trackball there and not have to reach for it.
Ahead of Christmas, I heard a lot of ads for a company that digitizes old photos and videos. The pitch was that all of our physical recordings can be lost or destroyed, but a digital version is a gift of security for a loved one’s memories.
Has there ever been a less Christmas-y Advent? I sure can’t remember one. Even during times of great sadness and crisis, we’ve always allowed — I daresay welcomed — the season to comfort and encourage us.
Every year, OFB’s Tim Butler assembles a Twelve Days of Christmas booklet to help anyone interested in meditating on the miracle of Christmas over that season between December 25 and Epiphany. This year’s booklet is the Kings Before, looking at Old Testament kings and what they do to help us understand who Jesus is. The first day’s reading appears on this page exclusively ahead of the full release on Christmas night.