Category Archives: religion

Memento mori, Episode 5

23 Tuesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Life and death, religion, suffering, Uncategorized

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This is the final installment of my “Memento mori” (Remember you will die) series of real-life scenarios to remind us of the brevity of our lives, and to be prepared for its inevitable, often seemingly premature, end. More details about my perspective and intentions can be found when you scroll back to the August 26th, 2025 initial post. This last one is personal.

Last week we buried my brother. My one and only brother. My only sibling.

It was unexpected. He entered Methodist Hospital on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving for a battery of tests to identify why he had been experiencing some unusual symptoms his Primary couldn’t diagnose. By Friday he was in the ICU on a respirator. Early Saturday morning, with his immediate family present by his bedside, he died. He was barely 68.

When many of our family and friends heard the news, the common response was “What!” The shock, the disbelief went on for days as grief took over in the empty spots of the lives and hearts of those who knew him. How could this happen?

At the wake, his widow and two adult children testified to his many virtues as a husband and a dad, describing a man of character and compassion, consistently serving others.

I had the last words that evening, looking out on a crowded room of somber faced mourners, longing for some semblance of comfort. I prayed ahead of time that I could get through my eulogy without choaking up. With one trembling hand holding the pages and the other gripping the side of the podium, my voice broke the heavy aura of sadness.

I said, “I don’t want to be here, doing this. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

After talking about how well he lived and lamenting his sudden passing, I asked “But what does God have to say about such a thing, the unexpected tragedy, the terminal cancer diagnosis, the fatal accident, the death too soon?” I quoted several Bible verses that address this issue of man’s frailty and his inevitable end, including James 4:14, which states quite bluntly “. . . our life is just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” My brother’s life vanished away, leaving not even the trace of a shadow.

Is there a lesson here, I asked? If there is, it’s this: We should never assume that someone we love, or care about, will be here tomorrow. Life is so fragile, life is fleeting.

In closing, I ended with this recollection: When a young 46-year-old John F. Kennedy passed — a tragic death too soon – this lyric from an old Irish ballad was quoted and later a book written titled: Johnny, we hardly knew ye. In other words, even at age 46, it wasn’t enough. Not enough days. Not enough minutes.

And then I spoke directly to my brother. “Nick, we didn’t have enough time with you. You slipped away too quickly. The sand in your life’s hourglass rushed through to the bottom and we couldn’t see it until the final grain fell with a terrible thud, like a boulder. So we’ll have to make up for it — in heaven.” Then I sat down, weeping.

Dear reader, will you learn from my admonitions, about the end of your days? How will you deal with this statement from Ecclesiastes, where the wise Preacher says, “The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad . . .  religious or irreligious.”

The post-mortem is not the end. The grave is not the end. The afterlife is exactly that. But until then, today, will you Memento mori?

Memento mori, Episode 4

25 Saturday Oct 2025

Posted by in Life and death, religion, Uncategorized

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This is the fourth installment of my “Remember you will die” series of real-life scenarios to remind us of the brevity of our lives, and to be prepared for its inevitable, often seemingly premature, end. More details about my perspective and intentions can be found on the August 26th post.

Besides the unusual circumstances of the event, what makes this tragedy unique is the victim’s mother’s response. It is a sad story, nonetheless, about how unexpected circumstances like weather and a train can in an instant alter the lives of so many people.

NEWS ITEM: It was on the night of January 14, 2015, when a prison transport vehicle carrying 15 men skidded off a Texas highway overpass and plunged into the path of a moving Union Pacific freight train. After the collision, the bus was dragged for about 200 yards along the tracks, leaving it a crumpled mass alongside the tracks before coming to a stop near Penwell, just west of Odessa. The prisoners did not have seat belts and were handcuffed together in pairs, officials said. Some of them were ejected from the bus after it struck the train.

Two long-time veteran prison department officers and eight inmates died from injuries suffered in the accident. “It’s as bad as you can imagine,” Odessa Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Kavin Tinney remarked. “In 32 years, it’s as bad as anything I’ve seen.” Officials later concluded that icy roads were to blame for the crash.

One of the victims, 29-year-old inmate Tyler Townsend had called his mother in Benbrook the night before. “I said, ‘Let’s pray for a safe journey. Call me Sunday night,’” Petra Townsend recalled when interviewed. “He said, ‘OK.’”  “I said, ‘I love you.’ He told me he loved me too, and that was it.”

She admitted that her son chose his own journey outside of the law early on, using drugs as a teenager. He went to prison twice before, for drugs and other crimes, including car theft, but managed to graduate from an alternative school, and even tried college. “I always believed he was going to change that path,” his mother told reporters. She felt that Tyler believed it, too. Sentenced to three years, Tyler had been denied an early release on Dec. 28, just a couple weeks before the accident.

A deeply religious woman, Mrs. Townsend said her son had recently been baptized in prison. She said her faith does not have room for laying blame for her son’s death. “That’s part of a plan we can’t understand. This is God’s business. This is God,” she repeated. “No, no, no. Don’t question.”

I am fairly certain that none of the men involved in this tragedy woke up that morning and expected to end up later that day in a morgue. Talk about bad timing – the weather, an icy overpass, the train schedule. But when it comes to death, what would be good timing? 

“The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad” (Eccl. 9:2).

Memento mori, Episode 3

11 Thursday Sep 2025

Posted by in Bible, Jesus Christ, Live your purpose, religion, Ukraine, Uncategorized

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If you are new to this site, before reading the following I suggest you go back to the August 26th post which will explain in detail what my intentions are with this Episode. Basically, I am presenting a series of real-life scenarios to remind us of the brevity of our lives (literally Remember, you will die) and to be prepared for its inevitable, often seemingly premature, end.

I didn’t plan on writing about the subjects for this post, until today. The prior two concern accidental deaths in the recent past. The following, however, reported by fresh ink headlines or recent pings on your phones, are sudden, deliberate deaths – by murder.

First, Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian woman who had recently come to the United States to escape the life-threatening perils of war with Russia, to live the American dream. Vivid video evidence shows Iryna boarding the Charlotte (N.C.) Light Rail at 9:46 to go home after working at Zepeddies Pizzeria. Four minutes later, Decarlos Brown, Jr., leapt up from the seat behind her and stabbed her in the neck three times with a pocket knife.

Brown, 34, has a criminal history spanning over a decade, including felony breaking and entering and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered hallucinations and paranoia, his sister Tracey Brown said. Her brother told her multiple times that the government had implanted some kind of a chip in him to force him to act against his will.

Zarutska, a beautiful, petite 23-year-old, had received a degree in art and restoration in Kyiv and hoped to become a veterinary assistant. She was living in a bomb shelter before coming to the United States. Family and friends describe her as “a real sweetheart” with “a heart of gold.”

Do we call her death “untimely”? Iryna the “victim”? Brown the “assailant”? Was she in the wrong place at the wrong time? Who do we blame? The failed justice system? Mental illness? Fate? A dark force or just plain evil out to devour whomever might be the next innocent target?

How could an intersection like that happen?

However we decide to paint it, the bloody scene of Iryna’s murder screams at us the living to face life’s unavoidable reality: “The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad . . . religious or irreligious” (Eccl. 9:2). We like to dismiss death as some day far into the future, pushing it into a dark corner with the rest of our fears, but we must remember that it can creep up behind us, anywhere, anytime.

Next, Charlie Kirk, conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder, was shot – no, assassinated – yesterday (September 10, 2025) at Utah Valley University, the first stop on an “American Comeback Tour” of 15 college campuses. He was speaking to a large crowd at an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” event, where he invites students to hear and debate his political and cultural views about issues like climate change, sexuality, faith and family values.

Just in case you are unfamiliar with Charlie, he was an avid public speaker, addressing Republican events, and touring the country with Turning Point USA, a right-wing nonprofit with the stated mission “to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.” His daily talk radio show had millions of followers on social media.

At just 31, Charlie was so much more than a populist, conservative, relentless and courageous crusader for free speech, and an outspoken MAGA culture warrior. He was a devoted husband and a father of two young children. His brief life is the testimony of a true American patriot, but more than that, he was a man – an authentic, passionate man of faith, not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is truly a Psalm 1:1-3 example. Look it up.

Jesus said that the thief (the Enemy) “comes to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). An attempt to do so happened yesterday. But Charlie’s ministry and mission will survive, continuing to influence the youth of this country, from beyond the grave so to speak, one citizen after another. What an outstanding legacy!

Rest In Peace, dear brother, as we plead, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” (Psalm 39:4)

Memento mori, Episode 2

03 Wednesday Sep 2025

Posted by in Bible, Life and death, religion, Uncategorized

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If you are new to this site, before reading the following I suggest you go back to the August 26th post which will explain in detail what my intentions are with this Episode 2.

Basically, I am presenting a series of real-life scenarios to remind us of the brevity of our lives, and to be prepared for its inevitable, often seemingly premature, end. We can go all the way back to Genesis 3:19 for the origin of another “memento” phrase, one used by the Roman Church traditionally on Ash Wednesdays: “Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.” (“Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.”)

This tragic event occurred in 2011 but remains an incident appropriate for this series.

NEWS ITEM: It’s a typical, hot early July evening in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers ball club. Shannon Stone had driven 150 miles to the ballpark to enjoy the game that night with his young son, Cooper, sitting right next to him in the left field stands. It’s the ultimate father-son American experience — until he dies trying to catch a ball. It’s hard to comprehend.

The fateful accident happened in the second inning after Oakland’s Connor Jackson hit a foul ball that bounced back onto the field.

Rangers’ All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton, ironically Cooper’s favorite player, snagged that ball and tossed it into the stands, aiming right for Stone and his boy.

Stone leaned over the railing to retrieve Hamilton’s throw, probably the first time he had an opportunity to catch an MLB ball for his son. He must have been aware of this surely magical moment, a memory he hoped his son would cherish forever. Then he apparently lost his balance, and tumbled over as Cooper and hundreds of fans watched in horror on the Jumbotron screen, falling head-first about 20 feet to the concrete below. Stone went into cardiac arrest while being transported to the hospital and died in transit.

Stone was just 39-years old, an 18-year veteran lieutenant with his hometown Brownwood, Texas fire department, and undoubtedly had experienced his share of dangerous situations, risking his life for the sake of others.

Still conscious on a stretcher leaving the park, Stone pleaded, “Please check on my son. My son is up there all by himself.” The EMTs who carried him out reassured him. “Sir, we’ll get your son. We’ll make sure he’s OK.”

 I’m not sure that he ever will be.

Post script: The Rangers went on to beat Oakland 6-0.

Memento mori. Episode 1

26 Tuesday Aug 2025

Posted by in Bible, religion, Uncategorized

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Today I am posting the first in a series of real-life scenarios focusing on the brevity of our lives and its inevitable, often seemingly premature, end.

The overall title is a Latin phrase roughly translated as “Remember you will die.” Basically, it has been used over the centuries as a concept that encourages reflection on mortality and the fleeting nature of life, and to live each day to the fullest. It is more common to see these days than you might think. A young man I met at the gym had the statement tattooed along his forearm in a large, all caps Old English type font. Memento mori coins, pendants and medallions can be found online for anyone too squeamish or shy to display it permanently on their skin but willing enough to keep the thought close at hand.

It is not a Carpe Diem mentality which boasts about enjoying the pleasures of the moment without any concern for the future. Instead, we are counseled to number our days so that we may live wisely (Psalm 90:12). This means using our awareness of life’s brevity in order to make wise choices, prioritize what truly matters, and to live a meaningful life. 

The purpose then is not to develop a morbid fascination with death, but rather to encourage a more meaningful and purposeful life by acknowledging its brevity. By familiarizing individuals of their own unavoidable mortality, it can help prioritize what truly matters and to live accordingly. Isn’t that what the Bible does?

Actually, I could cite many verses in sacred scripture that focus on exactly such advice and even with warnings about the transitory nature of human existence. In fact, the notion has been over time a common theme in Christian thought, particularly during the Medieval period, as a reminder of the Day of Judgment. The afflicted Job in his suffering laments, “How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear” (Job 14:1).

Like a passing shadow. O that we would see our busy days with such perception.

The following narrative affirms how quickly and unexpectedly the end can come.

IN THE NEWS: The Kearney Hub newspaper headline reads: “Retired Business Owner Is Crash Victim.”  But there’s so much more to it, beyond the official details of the police report. There’s always the human, heartbreaking side of these events that put a gulp in your throat for the unlucky victims and the grieving survivors who are left to deal with the consequences of a wrong turn.

Betty Beavers and a friend were just feet away from driving into the Little Caesar’s Pizza parking lot for a Fourth of July weekend lunch date when her 1997 Lincoln Town car was broadsided by Tim Trompke and his ’99 Chevy pickup. The Lincoln, built solid like a luxury tank, was smashed into a wedge shape, pinning Betty inside in an ugly twist of brokenness. The pickup continued on sideways, stopped finally by a light pole.

Emergency personnel transported both drivers to Good Samaritan’s, just down the street on Second Avenue where Betty was pronounced dead. She was 69. Trompke was treated and released.

I was there that Sunday with my Kearney family on our way to pick up some lunch too, after church. We passed by the accident scene a couple hours after the dust had settled and the screaming stopped. Talking to some other onlookers in a grocery store parking lot we learned the sad news that there was a fatality involved. Looking at the wreckage, it seemed so obvious that some reckless young Kearney cowboy had probably been high on something, and innocent folks yet again would pay the price for his poor choices.

Not really. The accident report later indicated that eastbound 52-year-old Trompke suffered a seizure while driving, lost control of his vehicle and jumped the median, impacting the westbound Lincoln and its occupants. It happened at 10:48 on a pleasant Sunday morning. Isn’t it odd that in this life, so often timing is everything?

Postscript:  Neither Ms. Beavers nor Trompke were wearing seat belts.

It’s the end of the world! Maybe.

14 Thursday Aug 2025

Posted by in Bible, Prophecy, religion, Uncategorized

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“It’s real wrath of God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling. Earthquakes and volcanoes. The dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.” Of course, this is a satirical quote from the 1984 Ghostbusters scene when Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murry express their dire warnings to the New York City mayoral staff about an impending supernatural apocalypse.  

Not surprisingly, it sounds like a close paraphrasing to many texts and podcast subjects I am beginning to see on social media these days. Once into the End Times algorithms, you’re doomed (pun). Here’s just a few topics I saw today: “Final Warning: Rapture hits in just hours,” “God gave me a timeline,” “Is Obama the Antichrist?” “Trump’s role in the end times,” “Angels revealed to me what’s coming to America,” “The secrets of Fatima unfolding now!”

How does one separate valid prophesy from the explosions of crackpot “seers” on YouTube and Facebook? First, I would click off of any media that begins with “God showed me . . .” In Old Testament times, false prophets were stoned to death (Deut. 18:20).

Secondly, there are some tests to identify a true message from God. 1. Does it align with what the Bible, the Word of God, has to say about the matter? 2. Does it reflect the character and attributes of God as expressed in scripture? 3. Does the Holy Spirit within you testify to the words? John 10 says that the sheep of the Good Shepherd hear his voice and a stranger they will not follow. 4. Is the speaker a trusted and tested person with a reputation of godly character? and 5. Is there confirmation from other reliable spiritual sources?

1 John 4:1 advises, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God.” Similarly, Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “But test everything; hold on to what is good.” The Greek word used here also means to examine, prove, or scrutinize.

I have no quarrel with prophecy. According to Christian belief, the gift of prophecy is from the Holy Spirit. It is described as a ministry gift that can be received by believers to edify, exhort, and comfort the church. There is also the manifestational gift of prophecy that can be given to any believer as the Spirit wills, for guidance, for direction, and for calling folks into a right fellowship with God. Paul wished that all would prophesy (1 Cor. 14:5). I have done so, over many souls, as I was directed by God based on what I saw in the spirit to deliver a word specific to that person’s particular situation.

Finally, about all this doomsday panic, I would avoid the Book of Revelation, with its many subjective interpretations. Instead, anyone looking for signs of the end need but to read Matthew 24:4-44, where Jesus is quite specific about what must transpire before the end comes.

Personally, I’m okay just singing R.E.M.’s 1987 hit lyrics, “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.” When the Bridegroom chooses to appear, I plan to have my lamp lit and be ready to go into the wedding feast with Him.

P.S. Obama is not the antichrist. Are you going to test me on that?

All About Eve

23 Saturday Nov 2024

Posted by in Bible, Life and death, religion

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I don’t mean the 1950 film starring Bette Davis at perhaps her most barbed wire personality worst. I am referring to the Bible’s first woman and genuine femme fatale.

What if Eve had stood alone in front of that special tree, without The Tempter? Would she have succumbed to the magnet of mystery, biting off more than she could chew, the juice of disobedience running down her chin, the inside of her head exploding with knowledge and her soul shrinking into a heart of darkness? I say No. She needed prodding, to hear the hissing lure of doubt in her ears.

What if I had stood alone, facing that tree?

Living the Carnival Life

25 Monday Sep 2023

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Ever feel like you’re stuck living the carnival life? The origin of the word carnival derives from Latin to describe a festival of unrestrained indulgence before depriving oneself of pleasure, particularly meat, just before the start of the Lenten season.

It’s like a night out at the County Fair. Who can resist browsing the midway – the lights and sounds, the aroma of funnel cakes and bacon-wrapped corn on the cob. Then there’s the irresistible lure of crazy amusement rides. The Ferris wheel, bumper cars and the dizzy tilt-a-whirl, so much fun it’s worth the risk of puking on yourself or someone else the corn dogs you ate ten minutes ago.

Who can pass by the game booths? Just throw a couple balls at a clown figure and win that big stuffed panda for your kid. I’ve lost more than a few bucks and my manly honor trying that scam.

Eventually though it’s time for the long walk in the dark through the parking lot to the car, to go back home to real life. Back to piles of laundry and bills, the job that sucks, the strained relationships, into an unknown future.

The story of this Carnival Life may be one way to portray our desperate effort to somehow medicate ourselves out of the real life of desperation and the struggles we face. But this is the physical plane we all live on. There is, however, another dimension, the unseen spiritual realm, just as real as the physical. Mystics, seers and tarot card readers would have all gone out of business long ago without cashing in on an innate yearning to find answers to the meaning of life. It seems to remain an ever-present popular arena of speculation, with cable programs featuring investigations into the paranormal, literally the “alongside” normal.  Religion wouldn’t be what it is without teaching about faith in something beyond this tangible world.  

Every civilization throughout history has made its own unique effort to deal with the possibility of whatever lies beyond this visible world, through myths of deities and greater powers controlling the universe and our destinies. How do we know what’s true, dependable, and life altering enough to rescue us from the doom of fear and despair?

What’s your answer? It can’t be sex, drugs and alcohol, or the endless pursuit of selfish gratification. That’s the Carnival Life.

Here’s what I have discovered, after my own long search for worth and significance, for an answer to what lies beyond the grave. My personal relationship with Jesus Christ gives meaning to not only my temporal life now but to the eternal to come. As recorded in John’s gospel, He said “I have come that they [who believe in Me] may have life.” (John 10:10) Written in Greek, the word there for “life” is “zoe” and it means so much more than being alive, which would be “bios,” or more like just biologically surviving. It conveys rather the meaning of the best, fullest, vital, most satisfying life. It is what Adam and Eve were to enjoy before eating from the forbidden tree rather than the tree of life. We all know how that went.

Real life is more than a life style. It is a Person. My suggestion to you is stay away from the carnival, stop feeding on the world’s enchanting entertainment and junk food. Jesus said “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) The trials and struggles we face will not go away, but He will always be “The Way, the Truth and the Life” through every inevitable trouble. That’s a promise. (John 14:6)

Apparently, I am mentally ill.

31 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by in politics, religion

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For some reason, off-the-chart far left liberals like Stephen Colbert, Al Sharpton, Michael Moore, the Clintons and the infamous Louis Farrakhan can make whatever contemptible comments they want to regarding Jews, Christians and the white man, usually without consequence or backlash. Occasionally though, it boomerangs.

Joy Behar, a co-host of ABC’s “celebrity” chatfest “The View,” publicly apologized recently for mocking Vice President Pence’s Christian faith and suggesting that his religious views made him mentally ill. After weeks of protests by viewers who were outraged by her remarks, she offered an on-air apology.

Bashing conservative or religious Americans seems to have intensified with the onset of the Trump candidacy, thanks to a sympathetic, complicit, liberally prone media, blind to objective journalism. The Who, What, When Rule of reporting went out the window. Instead, we saw the networks witch-hunting conservatives and championing the Chuck Schumer-Nancy Pelosi agenda to squelch the rich and generously reward the entitled poor. Hillary dumped me personally into the “deplorables” basket, along with millions of my fellow citizens whom she so erroneously perceived as barefoot, toothless, Bible thumping, rifle toting illiterates. The election is over. She lost. But her doting entourage-in-mourning on the nightly Talk Show circuit and CNN continues a campaign of mudslinging against over fifty percent of the country’s traditional, faith-based citizenry who don’t want to see the America they love devoured by big government, broken by fascist radicals, or perverted by pseudo-philosophical educators who think free speech applies only when you agree with their prejudicial interpretation of the law.

As seen by many of our current legislative and judicial representatives, moral values and the basics guaranteed by the Constitution, like the right to life and to bear arms, are old-fashioned and subject to interpretation. Now add gender issues to the list. If you’re out of step with neo-progressivism, then you’re labeled a racist, misogynistic, homophobic, intolerant hater. Well, so much for diversity and the art of being inclusive.

I really don’t mind the Joy Behar-style criticism of my faith. It’s nothing compared to what believers have endured down through the last two thousand years. Burned at the stake — now that’s a tough one. I heard someone say that if you’re not maltreated for being a Christian, then apparently no one knows what you believe. Maybe you’re really not any different than they are. The Bible says “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2Tim. 3:12)

And about the “mentally ill” comment – I find myself in good company. Mark 3:21 records an incident when Jesus returned to his hometown. Already well-known for his provocative preaching and behavior, his family and neighbors — who saw him only as Joseph’s son, the carpenter — tried to take control of him. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

So call me crazy. When I was in grade school, we’d all endure some sort of inevitable childish name-calling, which in turn invoked the sing-song response of “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” In other words, verbal abuse to anyone with a thick-skinned temperament is fairly harmless. I am prepared, however, if someday indeed the sticks and stones do come.

Christ is risen! Happy Easter everyone!

5 People I’d like to have lunch with.

06 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by in Buddhist, Happiness, Jesus Christ, religion

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Or, to be more grammatically correct, “with whom I would like to have lunch.” So, now that’s out of the way, here’s the list and why:

The Dalai Lama. I’ve always found him to be such a jolly fellow. Always smiling. Very caring and gentle. I’d probably mention my long-ensuing fascination with the Himalayas and the Buddha’s teachings. I’d mention I’ve seen Seven Years in Tibet several times. I’d ask him to read my post from early 2015 titled “The Pursuit of Happiness,” about the life of Peyangky, a nine-year-old Buddhist monk in Bhutan. I’d like to discuss with him the Bodhisattva’s teachings, and ask how can there be so many similarities with the morals and ethics presented in Bible and yet the purported spiritual outcomes are so different. I’d also ask what good is the cycle of reincarnation if you never know you’re reincarnated? And yes, I’d have to eventually mention that I’d been a fan of the Seattle grunge band Nirvana, and ask facetiously of course if he thought that was wrong.

John Lennon. Man, where do you start? How ‘bout: “We miss you terribly. You left too soon. But you left us with so much — to sing, to think about, to remember that ‘All you need is love, love.’ I really liked those glasses. Yoko, not so much.” I’d let him know that I’ve seen Help countless times and it’s still fab.

William Shakespeare. My collection of The Complete Works, I’ll never get through. There may be a comment made hinting about his authorship being in question, now a legitimate field of scholarly inquiry. I’ll mention that I saw Richard Burton portray his best Hamlet at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway. I’d ask if he liked being known in literary history simply as “The Bard,” and if those frilly, starchy Elizabethan collars were terribly uncomfortable.

Abraham Lincoln. I’m not sure if I could actually eat in the presence of this giant figure of Americana. Maybe we would both weep most of the time, for the nation, then and now, and about the bloody Civil War battlefields, where so many gave up their lives for causes so opposed. Barefoot boys shooting at each other with rifles that just weeks before were used to shoot squirrels, holding the line alongside decorated academy trained men smartly uniformed in blue or gray. I’d tell him I actually did weep when I visited his Memorial, overcome with a sense of the awesome weight of his presidential burden, that carved solemn face forever musing his beloved country’s heritage and destiny. Wonder what he’d think if I shamefully confessed that moral principles and incorruptible integrity were apparently no longer valued by our government today? Then I would honor him by reading a stanza penned in 1865 by Walt Whitman lamenting his passing: “O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning.”

And lastly, Kim Jong Un. Never really cared for Korean food, so on my side of the table it will be a water and appetizer event. Maybe I’d at least order a side of Mandu, the Korean version of a pot sticker. But since I’m German, I’d be more comfortable just calling them dumplings. First question: “With all due respect, sir. Are you nuts, or just a self-styled Asian Napoleonic megalomaniac?” But wait. There’s really no difference. (Pausing for translation and response, if any.) Next question: “So unlike the millions of devoted followers who literally worship you as The Supreme Leader, you seem to be eating pretty well. Must be all that Chinese take-out you order.” The interview might be headed South from here (pun intended) and besides, I find the man’s presence in the civilized world so creepy, I’d probably have to excuse myself and head for the shower just to try to feel clean again. — Actually at this point I’m hoping to get this posted before Big Kim pushes the blinking red button launching a nuke-loaded ICBM aimed at my backyard.

If you know me at all, you’re probably saying, “What? No Jesus Christ on the short list?” Interestingly, it is He who makes the divine offer to dine together. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Rev. 3:20) This is both a metaphor describing God’s desire for personal relationships, and a prophetic promise for those who choose to realize that relationship by sharing an actual meal with Him at table. Barry Jones, writing for the Dallas Theological Seminary’s blog, says “I’m becoming increasingly convinced that food is one of God’s love languages. It’s worth noting that at the center of the spiritual lives of God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments, we find a table: the table of Passover and the table of Communion.”

Dining together in ancient times and even in our current day culture conveys the idea of intimate fellowship (Luke 19:5-7; John 13:1-5; Matt. 9:10). Jesus, looking ahead in anticipation of that kind of fellowship with his followers, promised not to partake of the Passover meal again until He dines with them in the Millennial Kingdom (Isaiah 25:6; Mat. 8:11; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18).

So in this case, my “lunch” will not be a fictional fantasy. Jesus has already booked the reservation. The menu will certainly include fruit from the tree of life and fountains of living water, but most importantly, the breaking of bread in the pleasure of the company of the One who is the Bread of Life. (John 6:35)