Stories by Michael Bannon
Stories by Michael Bannon
For God’s Sake: Carefully reading Bible can lead to epiphany
January 10, 2023
Friday, Jan. 6 was the Feast of the Epiphany in the church calendar, commemorating the wise men’s visit to the Christ child.
That date never fails to dredge up in me the memory of an epiphany I had 37 years ago.
For God’s Sake: Put your trust in Him
January 2, 2023
A blank page, or screen in this digital age, is intimidating for a writer.
In your head is a jumble of ideas, each one a potential vehicle for a creative journey, but like cars in rush hour traffic, they are backed up with none moving forward.
For God’s Sake: Conflicted by popular Christmas hymn
December 19, 2022
I have a favorite Christmas hymn that I am uncomfortable singing. It is one of the most beloved Christmas hymns, and I love it too, with reservation. I am a man conflicted!
The hymn is “Away in a Manger,” a song mistakenly attributed to Martin Luther.
For God’s Sake: Time is ripe; receive God’s gift of his Son
December 14, 2022
I have a friend who is obsessed with the proper use of grammar.
One time when going through TSA security screening at the airport, he felt the need to correct the TSA agent’s grammar.
For God’s Sake: Our hope is in Jesus Christ
December 6, 2022
November 27th was the first Sunday of Advent; its theme was hope.
When Winston Churchill learned that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States had entered World War II, he said, “Silly people, and there were many, not only in enemy countries, might discount the force of the United States…But I had studied the American Civil War, fought out to the last desperate inch. American blood flowed in my veins.
For God’s Sake: Jesus is the reason for the season
November 29, 2022
I knew it was inevitable, the culture has long been drifting in that direction, and it is just a slogan, but I still cringed when I heard it used in this way.
“This is the reason for the season,” a commercial for who-knows-what cheerily declared.
For God’s Sake: Prayer seems intended to change the one praying more than their circumstances
November 21, 2022
My wife has an endearing habit that I am gradually making my own.
She says, “thank you,” for everything I do. If I take out the trash, she says, “Thank you for taking out the trash.” When we go grocery shopping, she says, “Thank you for helping me do the shopping.”
For God’s Sake: No time for frantic preparation when Jesus returns
November 14, 2022
I awoke with a start in full panic mode. It was morning and sunlight flooded our tiny motel room.
Shaking my wife, I shouted, “Get up, we overslept! We’re going to miss the ferry!” We bounded out of bed, threw on clothes, and wrangled our suitcases out of the room.
For God’s Sake: Attitudes toward Halloween participation vary widely
November 8, 2022
“Do we have enough candy?” my wife’s text read.
It was Halloween, she was leaving work, and her commute would take her past several grocery stores. I considered last year’s brisk trick-or-treat traffic and replied, “You should pick up another bag.”
For God’s Sake: God’s will is like a new car
November 1, 2022
My wife and I just bought a new car. Our old car was making strange sounds that threatened to leave us stranded.
Car purchasing is a rare experience for us because we keep our cars for a long time. This experience was quite pleasant, unlike our first car-buying experience.