Brian Ellison

These days, you can find me where the sky is blue. My handle is the same.

On our latest episode, @kcur's @Ptsbrian explores why relationships across political lines feel harder than ever. When political stances start to signal our moral and ethical beliefs, disagreement can feel personal. Link: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

@BenSasse Ben, thank you for sharing this, and doing so with the same deep faith and theological integrity with which you came to my door — repeatedly, doggedly— to get me to join the freshman Bible study you were leading, a key part of my own faith. Praying for you in the days ahead.

Friends- This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die. Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do. I’m blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers. As one of them put it, “Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock.” Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all. Still, I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad. I can’t begin to describe how great my people are. During the past year, as we’d temporarily stepped back from public life and built new family rhythms, Melissa and I have grown even closer — and that on top of three decades of the best friend a man could ever have. Seven months ago, Corrie was commissioned into the Air Force and she’s off at instrument and multi-engine rounds of flight school. Last week, Alex kicked butt graduating from college a semester early even while teaching gen chem, organic, and physics (she’s a freak). This summer, 14-year-old Breck started learning to drive. (Okay, we’ve been driving off-book for six years — but now we’ve got paper to make it street-legal.) I couldn’t be more grateful to constantly get to bear-hug this motley crew of sinners and saints. There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come. Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in). Nope — often we lazily say “hope” when what we mean is “optimism.” To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son. A well-lived life demands more reality — stiffer stuff. That’s why, during advent, even while still walking in darkness, we shout our hope — often properly with a gravelly voice soldiering through tears. Such is the calling of the pilgrim. Those who know ourselves to need a Physician should dang well look forward to enduring beauty and eventual fulfillment. That is, we hope in a real Deliverer — a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place. But the eternal city — with foundations and without cancer — is not yet. Remembering Isaiah’s prophecies of what’s to come doesn’t dull the pain of current sufferings. But it does put it in eternity’s perspective: “When we've been there 10,000 years…We've no less days to sing God's praise.” I’ll have more to say. I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more. Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived. We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape. But for now, as our family faces the reality of treatments, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned….For to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9). With great gratitude, and with gravelly-but-hopeful voices, Ben — and the Sasses

Mayor Lucas Responds to Appointment of Dr. Scott Boswell Sr. to Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners

@BrianKaylor @Eric_T_Thurman @jackmjenkins I believe this is correct. They were past noon already and things seemed disorganized for a moment.

@Eric_T_Thurman @jackmjenkins @Ptsbrian My guess (merely a guess) is he just forgot & wasn't paying attention. Roberts was quick to start, even before Melania was completely in place.

So…I'm not sure it matters in any practical sense, but looking at the footage, it's not clear if Trump physically put his hand on the Bible(s) when he took the oath of office? C-SPAN footage suggests he didn't — is there a better angle? (H/t @Ptsbrian)

On further reflection, I’m not sure whether Bluesky or Threads will be my final destination. Might as well follow me both places if you find yourself there … The handle’s the same.

@chastherev Yes, that and sports video clips and some other things I will hate to give up. But honestly, I’ve mostly let it go slowly already. It’s time now to finish the job.

I’m moving soon to threads. Same screen name. I hope you’ll follow me there.

@RadioDana It’s just a different genre now and it doesn’t seem to fit. I wouldn’t preach a sermon at a monster truck rally. And I wouldn’t try to present accurate reporting and analysis at a partisan political rally—which this platform, I’m sorry to say, now is.

@RadioDana It’s been a long time coming as I’ve become concerned that the platform isn’t just flawed (as all are) but actively seeking to steer views and votes. That’s the owner’s prerogative, but it seems odd to fill his site with content that I see as fact-based.

Need a roundup of KS and MO candidates and issues before heading to the polls? I contributed to this special over the last couple months… check it out Sunday at 6pm.

Proud to get to hang out with this show from time to time! Congratulations to @CodyKMBC and the whole @kmbc team on this win!

Extremely proud of our "Heart of the Matter" team for an EMMY win tonight! We're tackling important topics every week, and we appreciate this honor! 🏆 @emmymidam @kmbc

Hampson*

Hot take: If third base coach Vance Wilson doesn’t get himself ejected earlier, Hampton scores there to tie the game. #Royals

I know it’s your birthday @mikemccartneykc, but Mustard totally won that hot dog derby. #ketchupbias #Royals

@jeremyhobson @kcur @stlpublicradio That is interesting … and it would be interesting to know which parts of those markets brought the big numbers… each market includes an intensely blue dot in a sea of red. (KC market has a lot of Kansas voters too; STL some Illinois, too.)

Very interesting that KC in STL are on this list, given that Missouri is no longer a swing state… @kcur @stlpublicradio @Ptsbrian

The Harris campaign might have wanted to save this for the next news cycle…

NYT is tracking total speaking time. This is a significant difference (as of 10:27 ET)