Guardians of the Galaxy is an expanding movie franchise that initially hit the screen in 2014. Vol. 2 appeared just over a year ago (May 5), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled for release in 2020. In these movies, a team with would-be, semi-impressive superpowers join together to become guardians of the galaxy.

Isaiah and Jesus both provide clues about what/who is the real Guardian of the Galaxy:

This Protector is the ruler of everything, the omni-potentate of innumerable universes filled with galaxies we cannot see, and is more powerful, fearsome and wise than we can imagine. And, based on today's text, this Guardian is holy -- more holy than we can imagine -- and just: justice you see, is essential for holiness.

Have you ever tried to communicate with someone whose language you did not speak, or translate a text into English from a language you barely understand? This can be very frustrating, as I learned years ago when traveling in Turkey. I tried communicating in the commonly understood language of German while there, and it led to a few fascinating misunderstandings!

On this Mother’s Day it is good to be reminded to never underestimate the power of table talk.

Adam Bellow wrote a book that approaches this topic in a fresh and surprising way. Called In Praise of Nepotism, it defends the practice of showing favor to your relatives, and it makes the case that many “self-made men” were really nothing of the kind.  In fact, they were family-made men, often mother-made men. From Abraham and King David to John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush, the influence of families has been seen and felt in the shaping of generations of leaders.

It looks like a burger. Cooks like a burger. Tastes like a burger. And even "bleeds" like a burger. But, there is no beef in it.

This burger is made from a plant-based beef alternative, with juices that come from beet juice. The burger is produced by a company called Beyond Meat.