Longer Articles:

Anselm's Explanation of the Trinity
How can the Father, Son and Holy Spirit each be God, but not be each other? This is Archbishop Anselm's explanation - the best I've heard so far.

Anselm at Starbucks
A new look at Anselm's argument for the existence of God.

The Divine Inferno
Why the existance of Hell is a demonstration of God's mercy.

1000 Easter Balloons
What if, on Easter Sunday morning, after services, every church in town released yellow balloons?

Scary Meditation
What is the difference between Eastern meditation and Christian meditation?

The Golfer of the Gaps
Have you heard that our God is a "God of the Gaps," only invoked to explain increasingly small gaps in science? Here's that logic applied to golf.

Esther's Japanese Origins
Using the approved "wild extrapolation" method, I've conclusively shown that the Biblical Book of Esther is of Japanese origin.

But I Was Born That Way
When people use this excuse, why do we keep trying to talk them out of it?

Digital Reality
Is reality digital? I couldn't care less, but if it is, maybe that's one point for the theistic view.

Church Economics
It's kind of fun to see companies becoming successful using the kind of financing churches have used for ages.

Legislating Morality
You can't legislate morality! Really? If you can't legislate morality, what can you legislate?

Paganism in Christmas and Easter?
A writer thought I ought to stop celebrating Christmas and Easter. It had pagan origins, he said. So what, I replied.

Shooting the Wounded
In which I launch a diatribe against a phrase I find particularly shallow and offensive.

Evolving Computers
What computers do - or don't - show us about evolution.

Are All Religions the Same?
A Buddhist's view.

Easter Balloon: Idea, Planning, Mini Service, Experiences

A Thousand Easter Balloons

An Easter balloon release at Faith Christian Church.

It has occasionally struck me that Easter, though a major Christian holiday (maybe the major Christian holiday), seems to have relatively few church ceremonies associated with it compared with Christmas, which has many and varied.

So here's something I thought would be wonderfully uplifting, simple, and even a reminder to the community at large that "He is risen!"

I think it would be really awesome to come out of church on Easter morning and be handed a yellow biodegradable balloon, then the pastor (or priest or minister or whomever) would say a brief, joyful Easter prayer and everybody would release their balloons - hundreds of them drifting upward!

Looking across the skyline throughout the morning you could see which churches were getting out by the rising balloons.

"There's First Presbyterian! There's Maple Street Assemblies of God!" Then maybe a little later, "There's St. Jude's Catholic Church, and over there I see Victory Chapel!"

The symbolism behind the balloons is this:

On Easter Jesus Christ arose, and the rising balloons symbolize his rising.
Later he ascended, and the rising balloons make us think of that as well.
I thought yellow would be wonderful to symbolize Easter morning - the beauty of the rising sun.
It would be an awesome sight, and would remind us of our awesome God.
It would raise our eyes to the physical heavens and make us think of the spiritual heaven.

If your church wants to do this, give your city hall (or county or whatever you have) a quick call to make sure there's no problem with doing this in your area.

More on Easter Balloons: Planning, Mini Service, Experiences

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
– Romans 12:2