Tag Archives: Trinity

What say we milk this cow one more time?

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Yesterday was Trinity Sunday, so like a farmer on the edge of ruin, I’m going to milk this cow for the third time running, and re-post my poem “Apples are Apples” once and for all:

https://thestoryfolder.com/poetry/apples-are-apples/

The illustration running through the middle of the page is sloppier than I’d like – my surface touch screen has been giving me fits, and I tried to hide that fact by using the calligraphy tool, with mixed results – but so be it. Someday I’ll probably replace the illustration with a scanned copy of the original (done in regular old pen and paper; the version here was traced over a badly pixelated picture of the original), but I’ll do so quietly. There’s only so many times I can re-upload the same content. Mind you, I might get away with it more if I didn’t announce my regurgitated content with a running post-count every time.

Actually, in all honesty this is probably not the last time I talk about this poem. It’s third on my picture book project list, because there’s nothing like pretending a theological diatribe on Trinitarian heresies, written in rhyme and targeted at adults, might somehow have an audience anyways.

But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Luke 18:16-17

Cheater, Cheater, Apple Eater

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For those of you that don’t attend a traditional church, today is Trinity Sunday. This gives me the perfect opportunity to cheat and act like I’m posting something when I’m doing nothing of the kind. So to commemorate having to speak the Athanasian creed not once but twice in a single day, here is a link to an old page post:

Apples are Apples

As an additional commemoration, to the left is a fuzzy picture of the picture I drew for my mother, when she asked for a copy of the poem (you can always count on moms to make you feel good about your art projects, no matter how old you get). Someday I might try getting a cleaner shot, but this is what I have to offer for now.

Honestly, this post is really just an excuse to surprise my one watcher (who does, in fact, attend a traditional church, and probably also spoke the Athanasian creed this morning). Look, Boonder! I updated over the weekend like I said I wouldn’t! Ignore the fact that Sunday is technically the start of the new week.

(P.S. My regards to my IT guy, my other one watcher. Ten bucks says my traffic stats don’t say otherwise.)

(P.P.S. If I’m wrong, I’m not actually giving you $10. Just FYI.)

Faith for Fools

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But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

~Luke 18:16-17

I absolutely love apologetics. Apologetics (from the Greek apologia, meaning “to make a defense”) is the discipline of defending the faith by using rational arguments backed by reason and information. It appeals to the part of me that finds it extremely satisfying when all the pieces in a jigsaw puzzle fits. I also like proving that I’m not an idiot, despite what Richard Dawkins may say.

But the fact of the matter is that the basic tenants of my religion aren’t reasonable to anyone who lives in the physical world. God as man? Life eternal? Not to mention that the math is all wrong. Three, as anyone can tell you, is not the same as one. But I’ve gone ahead and added a “Religious Poems” subsection to the Poetry tab anyways, and here’s this poem:

Apples are Apples

Acknowledgment where acknowledgment is due: This was inspired in large part by the Lutheran Satire video “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies” (found here – I originally sent this poem to the creator of the youtube channel as a thank you for all the laughs, which he graciously posted on his Facebook page), but also by my Sunday School teacher from many, many years ago. She was a dear, loving woman who felt compelled to explain the Trinity to her class using the apple analogy. I still remember thinking that, while interesting, I already got the whole three-in-one, one-in-three thing, apples aside.

Adults so often like to rationalize concepts to children who have already accepted the unexplainable as fact.