The gun rights/ownership debate continues to be an interesting one for me. I grew up rural, learned how to use guns, how to respect them, and what they were used for, and how to store them. If you grew up rural, guns were mostly for hunting, recreation (target, skeet, making noise), and protecting the animals […]
Bless this land to which we’re boundBy gravity of joyful soundFeed the hearth and feed the herdHope must stand on every word -Emily Scott Robinson “Men and Moons” This song lyric spoke to me as it closed out the concert I attended last Friday. Emily Scott Robinson wrote the song “Men and Moons” as an […]
(This post originally appeared on my Facebook – facebook.com/j.lemastersmith on February 16, 2023) A friend and I went to a concert last night. It was a smaller venue, but it was a sold out crowd. The opener was from Oklahoma, and the main performer, Charles Wesley Godwin was from West Virginia. The feeling I got […]
One thing that continues to be an issue in the church responding to rural issues and creating resources for rural communities is the conflating of rural and agricultural. Yes, quite a few people in rural communities are involved in agriculture directly or indirectly. Essentially, unless we are only hunter/gatherers, we are all indirectly involved with […]
Today (November 8th) is my birthday. And today, an article from Christian Century found me. It is an article about Heaven, and the need for heaven to be real. I’ll link it here. And Quote the last two paragraphs: “Sometimes I wonder if the church’s witness is failing because we don’t know how to translate […]
I have to admit, I’m not a big Keith Urban fan. I’ll listen to his songs on the radio, but I don’t search out his music when given the chance. I enjoy him for what he is, pop country, somewhat innovative, and a non-US country singer. But, since he was on the list, I wanted […]
Alright, back in the groove. Writing today was less challenging. One reason was that included a ton of country music lyrics. In academic writing I see so many people shaming people who quote directly from other writers. I understand the need to prove that you can interpret a work and not just directly quote it, […]
This morning I drove into Charlotte to volunteer with my Charlotte FC supporters group at Second Harvest Food Bank. I was late. It was mostly my fault, but I will blame the wreck in Lincoln County for at least five minutes of my lateness. Our job was sorting food donations. I have never seen so […]
Today’s writing came in three parts. It involved research. And didn’t prioritize it like I have for the past few days. But I got it done. This is a reminder to re-prioritize. I got distracted by the endless emails, the news, the Twitter bird, and the needs that could have waited. Still, I got it […]
This morning I received messages from someone who needed several things from me because of something someone else needed from them. It was an issue that was no fault of my own, and I let the person know I was working on a couple other things first. I prioritized my writing and creative work. I […]
Jonathan LeMaster-Smith 