Daily Archives: September 21, 2025

The optimist in me

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This story about the “dishonest steward” follows immediately after St. Luke’s telling of the Prodigal Son in which the young man wastes wealth and opportunity, but comes to his senses, returns home and is restored to the family. The dishonest steward is one who wastes his position and opportunity, comes to his senses and works to restore his future from his pending dismissal. Did Luke intentionally put these two stories back-to-back? Hard to know. I will tell you that the parable of the dishonest steward is one of the most debated parables among scripture scholars. So, if you are hoping that I will unravel the wisdom and mystery of this parable for you … well, that would be a long wait for a train don’t come. But I will give it a go. Continue reading →

Requiem for a Battleship

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The final death blow to the Japanese Imperial Navy occurred during the Battle of Okinawa – the sinking of the super-battleship Yamato. This pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) was named after Japan itself, IJN Yamato, the historic name for Japan and was the pride of the nation.

Yamato was the largest warship ever built up to that time. Compared to ships of the time it was simply a monster. It carried larger guns (18-inch) than any warship and could fire a 3,200 lb armor-piercing projectile more than 26 miles. For reference, a Ford Escape weighs about 3,200 lbs. 26 miles, as the crow flies, is about the distance from the White House to the runways at Dulles International Airport. It was armored to withstand the impact of a 3,200 lb armor-piercing shell. And it was fast.

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