Paul says of Jesus in 1 Cor 15 45 ldquo Thus it is written lsquo the first man Adam became a living being rsquo the last Adam became a life-giving spirit rdquo Luke Timothy Johnson draws on this verse when he describes the ascension of Jesus saying that ldquo the lsquo withdrawal rsquo

lsquo Hey want to hear the most annoying sound in the world rdquo That is Jim Carrey rsquo s character Lloyd speaking in the 1994 comedy ldquo Dumb and Dumber rdquo He goes on to demonstrate the world rsquo s most annoying sound Some people might find a lowbrow comedy like this as a whole

When you rsquo re lost it rsquo s good to be missed it rsquo s even better to be found At the heart of spiritual lostness though is our collusion in our own absence People are not inanimate objects like coins things that can fall unwittingly into corners nor are they like sheep animals with

Most readers of this column have been in a position of authority at some time I rsquo m sure and some of us this writer included enjoy a constancy of authority because of education ordination position or wealth Though we might not speak of it often even quietly to ourselves it is a delight

The common understanding of the relationship between Onesimus and Philemon in Paul rsquo s letter to Philemon is that Onesimus was a slave of Philemon Though it remains a debated issue Onesimus had either run away from Philemon or had been sent by him to render service to Paul while he was impriso

The whole nature of kingship can be confusing At least it is confusing to me raised as I was in Canada a democracy that nevertheless retains a monarch as head of state It does not necessarily get clearer in the United States whose founding as an independent nation goes back to the casting off o