It is time

We now wait for the first of the wise (ass) kids to explain the joke for the rest of the kids - and roast us in doing so.

Seems to me the governmental stack might be better as something like:
Executive, power derived from
Legislature, power derived from
Judicial, power derived from
Constitution

I suspect the main reason Americans don't seem to really understand democracy is because they see all the power in the executive and see it separate from and not necessarily beholden to the legislature. I think this may be what the parliamentarian model does better.

Either way, I think Paul was just ... doing what he was trained to do and kinda created a distraction as a result.

And while there is a lot of communal instruction and structure from Paul, I suspect it would have emerged from others in time - but that kind of thing is always speculative and hard to say.

That said, I do think the move towards abstract theology is probably an unintended consequence in the case of Paul - he routinely pleads for the case of good living - it's just that they are crumbs in his body of work.

They both engage in intellectual reconstruction that takes us away from the lived message of Jesus towards abstract theology.

When I'm looking at the historical Jesus, I see the Kingdom is probably a here and now thing more than a cosmically transcendent thing - but if the latter is true, awesome.

Paul had believed obeying the Law saved him. And so he had to demonstrate that by obeying Jesus, he satisfied the Law. Whereas Luther was plagued by the uncertainty of scrupulous living and needed to be free of the consequences of his actions.

The question is whether Paul is the right kind of Pharisee after Damascus

I'm currently leaning towards not really - because he is essentially creating a new law of right believing in the name of Jesus. It's almost like he's having a similar crisis to that of Luther: "what saves me if not X?"

I think it's fair to say that the Gospels may make a caricature of the Pharisees that may not extend to all Pharisees. We see good Pharisees in Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Gamaliel.

Paul was definitely the "wrong kind" of Pharisee before Damascus

I dunno - right now, I kinda feel like the best parts of Christianity would have survived without him

I've been kinda measuring the writings of Paul against the Gospels, and I'm finding myself thinking:
- this is well intentioned
- this is a mistake
- Paul clearly remains a committed Pharisee, just changed up the poison of his addiction

It's a bit of a mind job when you come up in a Gospel culture but realize that each Gospel is just, like, someone's take on this Jesus guy and that the real truth of things is probably not sitting as plainly on the page as folks would like you to think.

@stephenking.bsky.social @mikeflanaganfilm.com I've watched the Life of Chuck 5+ times now, and the most pressing question I have at the moment is: when do we get to see you dance?!?

Beautiful film - gives me goose bumps and makes me cry every time - I'm so happy for it all, even when it's sad.

There's no kind of day that a grande latte with an extra shot of espresso can't make better.

... I'm understanding the assignment right? You are begging the world for this ... ? You have deep seated resentment, and you want to be invited to explore it further? So, let's ... talk about it?

I have discovered a tea hack that is probably an abomination, but it works really well for me:
- empty mug
- add tea bag
- add water
- nuke for two minutes
- remove tea bag
- milk

I liken it to Keurig but for tea:
- perfect temp
- perfect strength
- single serving

And - maybe - they're all the wrong project.

Jesus wasn't exactly systematic in his elaboration of theology - and where he was, it seems to me it was always rooted foremost in love and service, not waxing poetic and philosophical about heads of needles.

I can't wait to see new pics of you in a puffy shirt

I feel like too many people don't sit with existential dread long enough, assuming they're sitting with it at all.

oh there you go again with your "no true fascist" argument /s

That bear man is barely bare with that bear

Any time I hear someone say "bear with me" I translate it as "bare with me" in my head and have a little silent giggle 😄🍑

We are cursed with meaning

I definitely think I'm down for living forever - but it's definitely predicated, in part, on the idea that I'm made to live forever and that there is endless joy and discovery to be had in doing so. In the meantime, getting some more years in before whatever happens .. happens .. would be excellent

have you tried logging in via incognito?

have you tried dumping cache and clearing cookies?

have you tried turning it off and on again?

Stephen Colbert, Will You Be My Assistant? - Josh Brolin YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

I'm thankful for the Late Show for letting us watch the Stephen Colbert + Josh Brolin bromance blossom

Watching this guy tank all the good will he had simply by virtue of just playing Superman is wild

Mehdi Hasan's jubilee episode highlights that the far right feels represented enough to want to be seen more. They're not afraid. They know there's enough support to survive being cancelled.

The real problem is that the Republican party is doing nothing to separate itself from these extreme views.