Prepare Ye

This is my sermon text for June 30, and is based on the Gospel text, Luke 9.51-62. On January 28, 2008, my father passed away from injuries related to a car accident that he and my mother were in. For a week, my mother told me not to come back to Saginaw from Gettysburg; things weren’t that bad. The second semester of my first year of Seminary was approaching, and they didn’t want anything to take me away from my work. My mother called on a Friday afternoon, (after being urged to do so by family and friends) to tell me that Dad wasn’t doing well, and to get home. I told her I was looking into booking a flight. I got into my car and drove through a 3 state snowstorm. I got into Saginaw at 4 a.m., and went to the hospital. I talked with my Dad. He responded by squeezing my hand. I told him I loved him. He squeezed my hand as hard as I ever remember it being squeezed. I stayed in Saginaw for about three weeks before returning to Gettysburg, and that was ho...

Today is the third anniversary of my father's death. With all that is going on, with assignment, and graduation and the call process looming, I miss him so much. No matter what was going on, he would listen to me, and then tell me what I needed to hear. Not what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear. When I needed reassurance, he gave it. When I needed a kick in the ass, he'd do it. The last real conversation I had with him was the day before the car accident that eventually took his life. I had received the class reports for the fall semester and read them to him. He told me how very proud of me that he was. When I was told of the accident that he and my mother were in, I was told not to come home, it wasn't that serious. But when he took a turn for the worse, I drove back to Saginaw overnight. I stopped by the hospital when I got in at 4 am, and got into see him. He was in a great deal of pain, and was struggling. But he knew I was there. He squeezed my hand in...

Tough, you think you've got the stuff You're telling me and anyone You're hard enough You don't have to put up a fight You don't have to always be right Let me take some of the punches For you tonight Listen to me now I need to let you know You don't have to go in alone And it's you when I look in the mirror And it's you when I don't pick up the phone Sometimes you can't make it on your own We fight all the time You and I... that's alright We're the same soul I don't need... I don't need to hear you say That if we weren't so alike You'd like me a whole lot more Listen to me now I need to let you know You don't have to go it alone And it's you when I look in the mirror And it's you when I don't pick up the phone Sometimes you can't make it on your own (This is it) I know that we don't talk I'm sick of it all Can, you, hear, me, when, I, sing You're the reas...

I was invited to talk to the Junior Class here at THE LTS about CPE and when I finished, I realized I may have been a little on the dark side while talking to them. Chatting with some of them, and some of my classmates later, I guess my dark was not quite descriptive enough. I didn't have fun during CPE. I don't think anyone does, but my CPE at the Chocolate Factory was really tough. I'm still dealing with my dad's death and spending the summer in a hospital away from family was not my favorite idea. But the experience was good for me. It made me confront some issues, raised a bunch of others, and has some issues that I'm still coming to grips with. While writing a reflection paper on CPE, I found I wrote a couple of sentences that made me confront feelings I hadn't expressed or really acknowledged. Things I haven't shared much because it is still too sore. Sooooooooooo, maybe I wasn't the one to talk to a bunch of nervous, up to their eyeballs newbies w...

A video of pictures put together to remember my dad, who passed away a couple of weeks ago. The Chieftans with Sting - Mo Ghile Mear (Our Hero) [1 & Chorus] Sé mo laoch mo Ghile Mear ‘Sé mo Chaesar, Ghile Mear, Suan ná séan ní bhfuaireas féin Ó chuaigh i gcéin mo Ghile Mear. [2] Grief and pain are all I know My heart is sore My tears a'flow, We saw him go .... No word we know of him... Chorus [3] A proud and gallant cavalier A high man's scion of gentle mien A fiery blade engaged to reap He'd break the bravest in the field Chorus [4] Come sing his praise as sweet harps play And proudly toast his noble frame With spirit and with mind aflame So wish him strength and length of day Chorus

I'm back at The LTS, and trying to get caught up on Mt. O' Reading. Holding out for 2 weeks will do that for you. While I'm interested in the reading, I just don't care to get it done. I want to sit and do nothing. I want to be here, and not be here. I want to bawl like a baby, and I want to watch the funeral's slide show over and over. I want to talk, but I'm sick of my own voice.

I made it back to Gettysburg tonight. Thirteen inches of snow and a ton of guilt couldn't keep me away. This photo was taken several years ago in the TV broadcast booth at Tiger Stadium. The dorky looking guy in the red is me. On either side of me are my two childhood heroes. Al Kaline, Tiger Hall of Famer, is on the right wearing a tie. My dad is on the left in light blue. I purchased this package to go to a Tiger game as part of Sparky Anderson's CATCH charity. We watched half of the game from the box seats behind home plate and the other half from the TV booth where Al Kaline and George Kell were broadcasting. Al Kaline was a hero of mine. He was the type of athlete we all hope to idolize. He did things the right way. He never embarrassed himself or the team or the community. In the weeks leading up to going to the game, I rehearsed what I wanted to say to Mr. Kaline. I wanted to tell him he was my idol. He made me love baseball. He showed me and everyone what the right way ...

I found this post which I was working on when I first heard about the accident my parents were in. I guess now is as good of a time to post it as any. From What Privileges Do You Have? , based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright. Bold the true statements. 1. Father went to college. 2. Father finished college. 3. Mother went to college. 4. Mother finished college. 5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor. 6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers. 7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home. Encyclopedia Britanica put the total over 50. 8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home. 9. Were read children’s books by a parent. 10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18. 11. Had more than two kinds of lesson...

I'm revealing my "secret identity" because I wanted, needed to share some of the wonderful things that people said about my dad. The funeral was yesterday, and over 125 people came, even though we had 6+ inches of snow. Between 250 and 300 people came Thursday for the visitation. We are so blessed to know how many people cared about him, and care about my mother and me. I had my moments of dealing with my grief, but when the bagpiper began to play "Amazing Grace," I came unglued. Here is a link to the comments on my father's obituary. His obituary is here . Some of the photos we had made into a video are below. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. I'm not sure when I'm headed back to The LTS. I need to take care of my mom first.