Prepare Ye

from "Of Course, I Could Be Wrong . . . " At a U2 concert in Ireland, Bono asks the audience for some quiet. Then he starts to slowly clap his hands. Holding the audience in total silence, he says into the microphone..... "I want you to think about something. Every time I clap my hands, a child dies in Africa." A voice from the back of the audience yells out........ "Then fookin stop clapping yer hands, ya arsehole!"

Ladies & Gentlemen, the Reformation Polka! shamelessly swiped from the Lutheran Chick Come on everyone, sing along! When I was just ein junger Mann I studied canon law; While Erfurt was a challenge, it was just to please my Pa. Then came the storm, the lightning struck, I called upon Saint Anne, I shaved my head, I took my vows, an Augustinian! Oh... Chorus: Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation Speak your mind against them and face excommunication! Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation! Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation! When Tetzel came near Wittenberg, St. Peter's profits soared, I wrote a little notice for the All Saints' Bull'tin board: "You cannot purchase merits, for we're justified by grace! Here's 95 more reasons, Brother Tetzel, in your face!" Oh... Chorus: Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation Speak your mind against them and face excommunication! Nail your theses to the door, let

Just a quick entry for my dozen of readers. I'm test blogging from a classroom because I can't get on the net with my new computer in my room. So I'm in class an hour early. I'm SOOOOOO pathetic. That, and I need my reading glasses to type on the MacBook. While you're laughing at me, enjoy some pictures.

Well, I'm in a better mood. I went shopping. And now I've got one of these! I went back to my roots and bought a MacBook. It's my 4th Mac, dating back to a Mac SE that I paid extra to have a 30 MB hard drive to go with the two floppy drives. Here's a Reformation Day preview photo of Luther's Rose on the Wentz Library here at LTSG.

I'm fighting through the middle-of-the-semester blues . I miss home. I miss getting to coach in a playoff game after 12 years of getting my a$$ kicked. I miss my big ol' bed. A care package only reminds me I'm away from home. I'm getting frustrated with some of my classes. I'm frustrated with my teaching parish. I'm upset with my lack of getting it. I'm upset some of my friends are getting dumped on since I'm not there. I'm pi$$ed at the idiots in my hometown blaming everyone for a kid getting a gun EXCEPT the family. But, on the other hand. I'm having an "Oh Wow!" moment about twice a day. I'm getting care packages and emails. I'll get home in a few weeks. I enjoy a bunch of my classes and am doing well (so far -- I reserve the right to edit this post.) I'm not at work getting dumped on. I'm not having to deal with the cow crap. Being here is like eating caviar with dirt. But hey, there's better days shining through

I got a call from home today. Mom & Dad told me about the news back home. Two kids were shot while attending a middle school football game. A game at the middle school where I started my coaching career. The school coached by a very good friend of mine. The two students seem to be ok, considering they were shot. One, it appears, had a disagreement with the shooter earlier in the day, and so the shooter went home, got a gun and hunted the victim down to settle the argument and shoot him. The other victim just got in the way. Early reports are that all 3 are students at the high school where I had been coaching. The one that just made the playoffs for the first time since I started coaching there. To recap: A teenager got into a disagreement with another teenager. Teenager #1 got upset and got a loaded gun. T1 then located the person who he disagreed with at a football game with several hundred people around. T1 decided to settle the disagreement by shooting at the other person whi

Just to share, The Ghosts of Wayne Fontes (best blog name EVER!) has a post comparing bad NFL teams to bad consumer marketing ideas. ENJOY!

Well, today (or this week, to be more accurate) was a good day. After being bummed that I couldn't, or really shouldn't, go home for Reading Days, I ended the pity party & got to work. Preached a sermon twice on Sunday (same sermon -- I'm not THAT crazy) and studied for the Greek mid-term that I took today. I did ok (but I reserve the right to amend that if I choked like Mama Cass). Missed a few easy ones, but I think I'll live to fight another day. P is for Pastor and that's good enough for me. But Monday night, I travelled to York to finally see RENT. I have wanted to see this show since I first heard about it. That would have been after Jonathon Larson died. The creator of a play dies just before it debuts, and then it becomes a smash? You couldn't make a movie from that. But whenever the tour came to Michigan, something on my schedule kept me from going. So when I read it was coming near here, I bought my ticket. Front row, just off to the right. The wa

This is the text of the sermon that I gave today at my teaching parish. It's not what I thought I was going to talk about. I thought I was going to give a much more personal sermon, but the more I wrote, the more that didn't feel right. I'll post the stuff I pulled out in a few days, and my readers (all 4 of you) can let me know what you think. The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 17th Chapter (verses 11-19) On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the othe

My football team should, better, have won and qualified for the playoffs. All it took for them to turn the program around was getting rid of me. : ) You Are a Little Scary You've got a nice edge to you. Use it. How Scary Are You?

Seminary hard. They make us read lots of stuff. And memorize lots of silly nonsensical words. And then we have to remember it. And take tests and quizzes. And write papers. And they won't just give us the answers. It's graduate school, for God's sake. So enough of the pity party. Earlier this week, I was in full depression. I realized I couldn't get back to the Great Lakes state over Reading Days because I need to do LOTS of reading. Irony, what a female dog? Then I focused so much on one assignment that I sacrificed a quiz. So I called home bemoan my fate, Dad listened lovingly, then told me to quit whining, suck it up and do the work. Sometimes a swift kick in the ass is better than a hug. My thoughts are with my Brothers who are celebrating our fraternity's anniversary this weekend. Keep safe and it was good to get emails from so many of you. I'm finishing my sermon for this Sunday at my teaching parish. The final version (so far) didn't turn out to

"1985" by Bowling for Soup A quick tale of woe from a second-career seminarian. I don't know how the conversation got started, (I blame Law & Gospel ) but I got in a conversation with some of my class mates who are pipeliners. The discussion was about embarassing clothing. I grew up in the 70's & 80's, the two decades that provided the most opportunities for fashion crimes. If you were ever at the height of fashion coolness in those decades, you do NOT want to show anyone those photos now. One of my classmates (bless her heart) said, "I didn't even go to school in the 80's." I honestly have clothes here with me that are older than many of my classmates. I'll take my arthritic knees and kneel to pray before I go to bed. Hopefully I can get up. I know my experience will pay off sometime soon, but how long must I wait O Lord?

Is the role of the church to bring people in or to send people out? In order to deliver the Message of the Gospel, we must use all methods to reach all people. We are broken because we become complete through Christ. We are broken because in our brokenness we can be examples and signposts for others.

Law & Gospel tagged me with this meme. 4 jobs I've held: Football Coach, Recreation & Special Programs Director, Production Coordinator, Door to Door Vacuum Salesman. 4 films I could do watch over and over: The Godfather (I & II), Lady and the Tramp, Rent, Braveheart 4 TV Shows I watch: Lost, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Survivor. 4 3 places I've lived: Gettysburg, Alma and Saginaw, MI 4 favorite foods: Pizza, Brownies, Arby's Jamocha Shakes & Hooters 3 Mile Island Chicken Strips 4 websites I visit every day: ESPN , USA Today , Google & ltsg . edu 4 favorite colors: maroon, black, silver, navy 4 Places I would love to be right now: home, a coaching booth, Scotland & Disneyworld 4 names I love but would/could not use for children: Cephus , Randolph, Eileen and Mulva