Prepare Ye

So I' m checking my Facebook account, and see a message from my good friend (& future Bishop) Faithful Yet Changing who has a message to pray for Glen Beck. And my response is the title of this post, "Are You Freakin ' Nuts??" Politically, I score just left of center, but that is because I hold a couple of far right positions which balance out some of my far left positions. But in the past year or so, I have found myself leaning farther and farther left, mostly in response to the morons (and I apologize to all of the real morons for lumping them in with this group) at Fixed Noise, like Beck, O'Riley & Hannity . The venom they spout comes from either ignoring facts or not being able to understand them or being so deluded that they actually believe the crap they spread. I only clicked on the link because it is Future Bishop Faithful Yet Changing 's birthday, and I was hoping this was going to be a joke, kind of like being Rick rolled. But it wasn'

Police - So Lonely

My sermon notes from September 13th. This lesson from Mark’s Gospel [ Mark 8.27-38 ] literally changed my life. Three years ago, I was struggling with a bunch of decisions, one that really came down to one decision. I was wondering if I was being called to leave my home, family and friends in Saginaw, Michigan and pursue the ministry. I had a number of people from my church tell me I should go into the ministry. They saw gifts and talents in me that I did not see, and some that I still do not see in myself. Because of their insistence, I felt I owed it to them to look into the process of candidacy with the ELCA and attending seminary. I was looking into the process so I could find that roadblock and report back to them and say, “You know, I would follow that call, but I can’t because of _insert reason here_. But I could not find that reason. In fact, the more I looked into it, the more it felt like the right thing to do. At the same time, the job that I enjoyed was not as enjoyable as

Eight years after, and I still remember .... hearing the news in my office. .... watching the events in the lounge. .... going to practice and going through the motions. .... going home to really watch what had happened. .... crying myself to sleep. U2 - Peace On Earth/Walk On from the Tribute to Heroes broadcast

This is my manuscript I worked from for last Sunday's (September 6) sermon. As usual, I went off on a bit of a tangent. The Gospel lesson was Mark 7.24-37 , and the Second Lesson was James 2: 1-17 . Today’s Gospel lesson picks up where last week’s has left off; Jesus was arguing with the Pharisees and scribes about cleanliness. Jesus told them “(T)here is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. … All … evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” [Mark 7.15, 23] After that argument, he leaves and heads northwest, away from the Galilean Sea to the coastal area of Tyre. This is not just a short trip to a nearby town; it is over a thirty-mile walk across the mountains. As I have found out in my month here, getting over the mountains is not an easy task, and I am driving. Jesus was going away from where he had been doing his ministry into an area not populated by many Jews. Tyre was more of a Greek community. He ma

Please check out a new blog by one of my classmates who is also on internship, Faithful Yet Changing .

This is the outline from which I worked to deliver my August 16th Sermon. Please excuse the partial sentances and phrases, but this was my script for the day. The Gospel was John 6.51-58 . I enjoy watching TV, especially High Definition TV, because you can see so much more. I also enjoy detective shows and mysteries. When I started at LTSG, went for 2 weeks of Summer Greek. Learn about the original language the New Testament was written in. Also learn to look at the little details Realize each version of the Bible has “translator choices” Make the Bible easily read or try and include all of the nuances of original language Discover some subtle differences It’s like seeing TV in high def for the first time and playing CSI detective Today’s Gospel lesson continues what is known as Jesus’ “Bread discourse” Entire chapter goes from the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water through Jesus saying he is the bread from heaven, the bread of eternal life into today’s lesson where Jesus

From Pray Now by the Church of Scotland God rested on the seventh day. - Genesis 2:2 Prayer God, I'm wabbit,* I'm weary, I'm worn out. Often it feels as if I'm running on half empty. Harassed because it seems I've never enough time to do everything. Frustrated with my lack of energy to do things as well as I'd like, or within the timescales I, or others, have set. Meltdown and breakdown,
 exasperation and exhaustion,
 sometimes feel just one more step, one more task, away. 
And yet,
I know, God, you want it other wise
 for me, for my neighbors, for our world.
 When I pause to listen to my body, to nature,
to you, 
there is a rhythm which jolts us from frenetic
 twenty-first-century living.
 A rhythm where rest and relaxation,
 fallow periods and holidays are built in.
 Not add-ons or extras to be earned. Forgive me God,
when I abuse your creation -
pushing myself and others too hard.
 Help me to follow Jesus' example,
to learn to do nothing regularly,
to

The Beatles - Get Back & Don't Let Me Down The Rooftop Concert Apologies on not posting more often. It's not that I haven't had time, but that I haven't had anything I've wanted to share. Things are ok here in the Garden, and the loneliness has hit me some. I'm going to spend Labor Day back in the 'burg and maybe reconnecting with friends will lift this ennui.