Explaining the Trinity to Geeks

7 Jun

Holy TriniTy ProtocolHow would you explain the Trinity to a geek, you ask? The concept I’m about to describe below is one I’ve ruminated over the years, wondering if it was helpful or if it was blasphemous. As another Trinity Sunday passed, I decided to publish it.

Reflection for Trinity Sunday

Think of the elements of a website. You’ve got the words and pictures, you have the underlying site structure and directory names, and then there are the links that connect. When you bring these separate parts together, the whole is much greater than the sum of the distinct parts.

The same principle is at work with the Trinity. While it’s impossible for our human minds to comprehend the infinite love of God, we can get a glimpse by looking at the persons of the Trinity.

So let’s take a closer look at how understanding a website can give our nerd friends some insight into the Trinity. Now we all know that in the beginning was the Word (that will represent our words and graphics). The Word was begotten by the Creator who designed our world. Together, those two form our webpages–words and structure. But the bonds between those two are so strong and interconnected that we have links that spring forth, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to help us to see connections that we would otherwise miss, to enter into a deeper understanding of God. Putting it all together, we have three distinct elements working together.

Now if this doesn’t work for you, there’s always Saint Patrick’s clover leaf analogy or a more formal definition of the Trinity. But for your web geek friends, try this one.

Best Songs About Mary for Mother’s Day

9 May

A Twitter friend recently asked about recommendations for Mary songs that a non Catholic might like. Two Michael John Poirier songs jumped to mind:

I’ve got these on tape and CD, but it took some digging to find them online so I want to share them in the spirit of Mother’s Day today. (You may need to hit the purple play triangle and then the gray triangle in the Rhapsody button at the bottom.)

Please give them a thoughtful listen and then consider buying them to support Michael John’s wonderful music ministry.

And now for something from a completely genre — the Mother’s Day rap my sons put together for my wonderful wife:

I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. If you have a favorite Marian song, or your own Mother’s Day project to share, please do so in the comments.

How Church Imitates Baseball

4 Apr

In honor of opening day coming on the heels of Easter, here are the top 10 ways going to Mass imitates baseball.

Top 10 Ways Going to Church Imitates Baseball

By jcarwash31 via Flickr

By jcarwash31 via Flickr

10. Sometimes you stand and sing, other times you sit.
9. It can go into extra innings.
8. Hard to follow without a program.
7. Uncomfortable seats.
6. Sometimes you spend more than you want to.
5. Gotta know how to read the signs.
4. Come early to get good seats.
3. Long line for alcohol.
2. You’re preparing for post-season play.

And the number 1 way going to church imitates baseball…

1. If you screw up, you get sent down.


Good luck to your team this year, unless you’re a Yankee fan.

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Should Churches Participate in April Fool’s Day?

1 Apr

Toyota, in the guise of a baptismal font recall, was the target of my church’s annual April Fool’s Day stunts. (I’ve covered some of these parodies before.) April Fool’s Day usually falls during Lent and in 2010 it was on Holy Thursday. Is it appropriate for a church to celebrate April Fool’s Day during Lent?

Baptismal Font with Unintended Acceleration from StCharlesChurch.org

Baptismal Font with Unintended Acceleration from StCharlesChurch.org

Yes.

Our goals:

  • Increase traffic to the site.
  • Show that we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
  • Give members of the community a reason to share the church’s web address with others. It’s difficult for some to overtly evangelize, but sharing a link to a funny site makes it a lot easier.

We’ve met all of those goals the past several years.

At the same time, we’ve focused on spoofs and parodies rather than outright tricks that could legitimately fool someone. You don’t want newcomers showing up for a non-existent event because they weren’t in on the joke, especially during Lent. It’s a balancing act, but based on the traffic and feedback it’s been worth it for us.

Would your church consider putting on a stunt for April Fool’s Day?