tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78842262024-03-23T12:45:45.969-05:00david : philip : bestbiased opinions from an average guy... and attempts at poetryDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.comBlogger391125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-6432986213873247522021-01-13T12:46:00.018-06:002021-01-14T10:39:29.548-06:00The Church in a Time of National TragedyWhen tragedy strikes the community that a church is in, be that the local community, national, or international community, (like with Covid-19) the churches role is to help facilitate healing. We know this because when the Apostle John had a vision while imprisoned on the island of Patmos, he saw God making all things new, God setting all things right, and wiping the tears away from the eyesDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-49780083558973836762021-01-07T11:09:00.003-06:002021-01-07T12:05:15.705-06:00Next Steps In 2008 I voted for a Democrat for President for the first time. I did so, not because I agreed with everything that all Democrats said, then or now, but because first and foremost, I had come to believe that ensuring access to healthcare was a fundamental good, which would benefit all of us. One of those benefits was reducing abortion. There were other reasons too, but that was the chief David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-11783707668513658062020-12-30T09:59:00.008-06:002021-01-12T13:03:33.704-06:00Avaricious DesiresHe sits in the park eating an ice cream cone. A large one.Nine years of age, with not a care in the world, save one.Three scoops or more, in a waffle cone.Not nearly enough. As sugar and cream descend down his hands, not yet a man's.A truck, all gay with lights, and frozen sights, sits at the curb.A woman attends to the treats.He stares, wanting more than he could possibly eat, as his David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-38518121553329569712020-12-14T08:36:00.011-06:002020-12-14T08:40:37.545-06:00Open Handed, Love UndoneOpen handed, love undone
Holds us here, before the sun
Freely captured, freely freed
Commiserate, laugh, cry for needOpen handed, love undoneLost and found, they came as oneA thing was had, then set asideTwirl twist and spin, dance and abide
Open handed, love undoneReconnect, outrunKnown and being known becauseOpen handed, love becomesDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-75282890203507017992020-12-01T15:25:00.027-06:002020-12-05T23:45:46.044-06:00A 12th Street ChristmasTina stood near the corner of Broadway and 12th, but not on the corner. She was not allowed to stand on the corner. She had to stand a ways back, an indeterminate but precise distance from where the others worked. If she did not… well, she hated to think about it.Her phone rang, and the beautiful picture of her baby boy appeared on the screen, he would be six in three weeks.
“Hey baby!” she David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-42198289118523125532020-11-28T22:03:00.006-06:002020-11-30T07:51:50.001-06:00Faith Reconsidered"Do you think you will go to the Christmas Eve service, or just pick up the stuff" read my mother's text.
"Pick up" I replied.
I had left some stuff at my mother's house the night before, and now needed to pick it up before returning to the Twin Cities, and meeting her at the Christmas Eve services was most convenient. But that was beside the point. I didn't want to go to church. Fortunately I David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-66580951739816474152020-10-30T10:36:00.010-05:002020-11-30T10:43:29.204-06:00Brief analysis of appellate court voting opinionsHere is one lawyer's take on what you are seeing out of the appellate courts in regards to ballet counting.* I think you will find this even-handed, but feel free to critique or set me straight on what the law says. (For the full argument you need to read the full post.)As far as I can tell, the courts are consistently requiring states to follow state statute, (passed by both houses of a state's David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-71793408313878835942020-09-11T08:40:00.011-05:002020-09-11T09:04:57.665-05:00Appropriate fuck appropriateappropriate is for nicetiesbut no niceties are herehere in this placea place broken and hurtinghurt people hurting others others striving ceaselesslyceaseless in their efforts for moremore money more broken more power power to kill and destroydestroyed, they destroy othersbecause these others failed to be appropriate but the other appropriately turns to David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-57326290409658920962016-04-29T09:31:00.001-05:002016-04-29T09:31:05.566-05:00RainRain interrupts us.Slows us down and causes pause.Plays with perception.David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-16575793262757541072016-04-17T09:36:00.000-05:002016-04-29T09:36:44.526-05:00Tire store ambienceThe stains run down the front of the garbage can, suggesting a stench. Next to the can sits an untouchable carafe, while on the television, a bear dismembers a salmon.
The "free" wifi doesn't work, and the extension cord is covered in paint.
But the tires smell wonderful. And the marketing images evoke a sense of confidence.
At an auto-body shop we wouldn't have it any other way.David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-40005925877242330772016-04-10T12:07:00.003-05:002020-11-28T21:49:02.934-06:00Truth Like Waterput away old thingsthen rediscover and takeback what was beforechase truth like water.poet comedians beforeliars for hireDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-34751917972059449372016-03-26T11:01:00.001-05:002016-03-26T11:11:04.837-05:00Holy Saturdayholy Saturday
dawns with indifference for most
myself included
we sit in the cold
next to a fire warmed
freezing and burned
our back to the one
our face to the other one
unsure which is which
we long for the holy
and profanity in spades
unsure which is which
God from Nazareth
have mercy me a sinner
lost and searching hereDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-91201956843591990192016-03-03T12:58:00.003-06:002016-03-04T11:08:57.521-06:00Why some of us Evangelicals will be voting for a Democrat come fallIn many circles it goes without saying that Evangelical Christians can vote for any reasonable candidate on either side of the aisle, and that this is a large and diverse group of people. However that truth is not understood everywhere. There are those both in the movement and outside of it who think of this branch of Christianity as a singular monolith. Because of that I want to put into writingDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-11613860331629423192015-04-13T08:44:00.003-05:002015-04-13T08:44:43.348-05:00Homecoming
Men, women come home.Filled with pain, regret, and hope.Pretending forget.
But better and wise,for their time in disguises.Volunteered defense.
At the behestof a nation torn apart.They too, torn apart.
Reflections on watching the conclusion of The Pacific, and our own long decade and a half of war.
David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-33570505305525951132015-04-10T09:28:00.001-05:002015-04-13T08:46:43.762-05:00La CrosseLa Crosse Wisconsin,
sits between river and bluffs.
People have gathered
for five hundred years;
playing games, and war, and peace.
French pale skins arrived.
Noted game with sticks
that resembled a bishops
crozier or la crosse.David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-22855573669329943712015-03-22T17:10:00.002-05:002015-03-22T17:10:55.383-05:00Thoughts on Integrating Faith, Politics, and Public Policy
There are two things one does not talk about in polite
company, religion and politics. I happen
to have a passion for both, and to various degrees, my professional life has
moved in both circles. Integrating these
passions well then, is something I care about, and that leads to the question
of how that should be done.
My goal here is not to set out a treatise for all people at
allDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-26098494686085687302014-10-15T13:21:00.001-05:002014-10-15T13:31:56.729-05:00On Doing Corporate Philanthropy Well, Or not
Some thoughts on corporate marketing and philanthropy. I am increasingly uncomfortable with us and our corporate/non-profit partnerships that seem to be all about marketing and appear to have little substance behind them. While I blame the companies in part, I think we may be a part of the problem as well.
I was reminded of my discomfort last weekend at the Vikings game, and with the David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-27741720490775234192014-07-02T11:08:00.003-05:002014-07-02T11:39:22.258-05:00Everyday Negotiating
We've had a little extra drama in our lives of late, but we have made the most of it.
A week and a half ago a guy decided to take a left turn in front of me,
while I had the right of way. Collided going 25 or 30 mph. Since our
01 Civic was technically only worth $3200, they totaled it. Been
shopping for a new sedan ever since.
Purchased a gently used
Certified Honda Accord on Monday, (David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-44640728484161598702014-06-01T01:52:00.002-05:002014-07-02T11:06:52.115-05:00Scripture on Judging OthersThere is a tension in scripture on the use of the word "judge."
For example, John 7:24, and many other similar passages say things
like, "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
While in contrast, Romans 14:4 says, "Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To
their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the
Lord is able to make them David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-13874533764433322332014-06-01T01:05:00.002-05:002014-06-01T01:06:19.270-05:00A Memorial for those who fell in Afgaistan and Iraq?I recently spent
some time at the Vietnam War Memorial in Duluth.
While there, it occurred to me that our generation needs to build some
memorials for those who have fallen during our wars.
I did a quick google search to see if anything was in the works. It seems Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery is the closest thing we have at the moment. And some have pointed out that weDavid Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-46420085138342248132014-05-26T11:03:00.000-05:002014-06-01T01:06:36.287-05:00Reflections on Memorial DayMemorial
Day makes me uncomfortable. It is meant to be about those that died,
but with them absent, people want to thank those that served. I never
saw combat. Like many, I joined the military for personal reasons, not
altruistic ones. (College money.) It was pre-9/11, and Bosnia was in
the headlines. Defending freedom was a distant thought. I enjoyed serving, and got every last David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-45314472679037684032014-05-09T01:08:00.000-05:002014-06-01T01:09:22.260-05:00Go in PeaceThere
is a tension in Christianity between on the one hand, living a holy
life that abstains from sin, and on the other, participating in systems
that seem necessary but give us pause. Being a part of our communities
in ways that call into question the ideals of Christ. One's career is a
common area this challenge surfaces. On that topic, this passage caught my attention today. In 2 David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-2132882072034700402014-01-01T11:34:00.001-06:002014-06-01T01:10:21.325-05:00Reflections on the Affordable Care ActThe problems with Obamacare are well documented. And they are real. People have a right to be upset with the roll-out of the ACA. But the fundamental premise that all Americans should have access to healthcare is being addressed, and it reflects a value for life and justice and generosity.
This article in the New York Times details some of the promises and ongoing problems of David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-42668412363301326122013-09-29T10:43:00.002-05:002014-06-01T01:11:23.673-05:00Why a Government Shutdown is Reasonable<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->
A government shutdown is not reasonable from a policy or good
governance standpoint. But it is
reasonable if we consider what we know of human behavior during toxic conflict.
In the context of war, it is “reasonable” for one human to
kill another, and for that to happen on a mass scale. It becomes reasonable when the stakes are
David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7884226.post-78588432672702089582013-09-20T08:02:00.001-05:002014-06-01T01:12:38.997-05:00Picked up and drove,
A thousand miles south,
To Wisconsin.
A temperate land
where four seasons come and go.
Bluffs on a river.
But such good memories
of that first home state. Way up
north. The last frontier.
(1000 miles straight south, 3200 miles on the odometer.)
David Besthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17691876048299429391noreply@blogger.com0