Why I'll Be There On The Corner Tonight

The assholes from Westboro Baptist will be in town tonight. Yeah, that's right - the "God Hates Fags" church that pickets funerals and other such stuff.

Many folks in town have suggested that the best response to their message of hatred and bigotry is a silent refusal to even acknowledge their presence. While I certainly agree that this is the best way to deal with the WBC folks, I'm also concerned with providing a public counter-witness that the church is NOT a community that welcomes or endorses hatred. By most accounts, Fred Phelps, the pastor of WBC, is a sick man, who has unfortunately passed his disease on to all of his children save two. They are a cancer on the church. Even an overwhelming majority of people who endorse the historic understanding of homosexuality are appalled and disgusted by Phelps and his ilk. Unfortunately, the rantings of this diseased 'prophet' and his cabal provide a ton of ammunition to anti-church folks, justified or not. So, we who feel the same way will gather tonight in public witness against those who claim that hatred is a holy thing.

I don't like how I feel about this. Within my anger at the hurtful, hateful disease that is Westboro Baptist, there is a serious desire to just physically kick their asses out of town. Someone posted a video on YouTube from the inside of a Westboro van as they were run out of another town, with rocks pelting the vehicle and shattering glass, and I was both horrified and satisfied at the same time. "Zeal for your house will consume me," says the gospel when Jesus takes out the moneyvendors, and dare I admit that a portion of my soul aspires to exactly the same thing? Of course, that's playing into the hands of WBC, who would love nothing more than to be able to add "martyr" to the list of titles they've hoisted upon their ministry.

It's dangerous, wanting to do the right thing so badly you'd consider using evil means to accomplish it. So, I'll be there, tonight, perhaps in collar, perhaps carrying a sign, perhaps conflicted, but absolutely certain that hatred is not holy, especially when it threatens to consume my own soul.

Grace & peace,
Scott

Post - protest update:
It was pretty tame at the corner of University and Lincoln Way last night. I actually missed a good portion of the whole show: the WBC people shoed up at 4:30, not 5:00 as I thought. There were over 200 counter-protesters of various beliefs and non-beliefs; some of the signs I saw were:

• There Is No God
• Jesus Had Two Dads (think about it for a minute)
• Jesus Was Super Gay (not particularly helpful IMHO)
• Mean People Suck (one of my favorites)
• Love One Another As I Have Loved You (the vast majority seemed to support this)
• Honk If You Love Someone (lots of honking and cheering)

There were also hula-hoopers who crossed the street and did a routine next to the WBC folks. Never thought of "overcome evil with hula-hoops" before, but I suppose it's another form of love, or at least distraction.

All in all, WBC remains a sick cult that presents one of the faces of evil in the world, while some of the counter-protesters were almost as hostile to those of us in the legitimate church. Pretty much what I expected, unfortunately, but life (and faith) will go on.

Grace & peace,
Scott

Universal Health Care: Let's Be Honest, Shall We?

Yesterday's mail edition of Newsweek featured this cover article by Sen. Edward Kennedy. If you're not a subscriber, it's worth a look anyway.

Our elected officials are engaged in a very acrimonious debate on health care, health insurance and the future of American medicine at the moment. President Obama wants something on the table prior to the August recess, while some are suggesting we shouldn't rush things.

For me, one troubling aspect of the entire debate is the way terms get thrown around with little care for how they are defined. The words "medical," "care," "health" and "insurance" seem to be interchangeable, while they actually describe very different things depending on how they are paired and how they are used. "Health Care" and "Health Insurance" are two very different things: the first describes an actual interaction with a medical professional, while the second describes a company or government program whereby the professional is guaranteed compensation for services provided, and the patient generally bears a portion of the cost in addition to a base premium surrendered monthly, quarterly or annually. You can see the problem when the two start getting tossed around as if they are the same thing.

In a professional sense, I'm fairly un-qualified to weigh in on this issue. I'm certainly not a businessman, nor am I a health care professional. What little mental health care I'm qualified to provide falls under the umbrella of spiritual care: the nano-second I sense that we might be drifting into illness, I refer to a qualified professional, as I am NOT a mental health counselor. In an ethical sense, however, we are all qualified to weigh in, as we, the American people, are the ones who are and will be affected by the ongoing discussion of medicine in America. And I dare say that those of us who serve in the pastoral office are called to be advocates when we feel ethically driven toward a certain point of view.

So, it seems to me that as a country we have one basic choice in front of us. The time has come for a decision about medicine in America: is it primarily a for-profit business or a social service? We are rapidly approaching the point when we will no longer be allowed to waffle between the two extremes, and for me, at least, the decision is obvious: medical care is a social service that must be guaranteed to all Americans. Period.

I'm not saying this is going to be easy. But when an estimated 47 million people can't get medical care for real illness and medical problems, easy has long since left the barn. To my mind, we have an ethical imperative to guarantee reasonable access to affordable medical services, and I, for one, am willing to do my part to see that it happens.

Taxes will need to be raised. That's a given. Medical profits will be cut. Also a given. Insurance companies may find themselves competing against the government. Some insurance companies might go bankrupt. We'll need to transition out of employer-based insurance, which was a bad idea from the start and has only become worse with time. All of these are real repercussions of shifting the model from profit-bearing to service-providing, and it might be bad before it gets better.

But the alternative is worse, in my opinion. Some estimate that 55 million Americans will be without health insurance in the very near future if we do nothing. That, to me, is an unconscionably high percentage of the American population with no hope of cure when illness strikes. That's 55 million Americans who can't get their infant daughters to the doctor when they have an ear infection, like our Alanna had last month. That's 55 million Americans who can't find respite from back pain, as I have this summer. That's 55 million Americans who can't escape the clutches of depression, as I have over the past three years. Can we really think this is the better solution?

The total cost of the medical care required for the births of our daughters, Ainsley and Alanna, was in the neighborhood of $32,000. That's approximately 90% of my yearly cash salary. Health insurance covered most of the cost for us - what are the options for mothers who don't have insurance?

The time has come for a renovation of American medicine. No renovation comes without sacrifice, struggle, and moments when the damage done seems to outweigh the possible end result. But the present situation is a house of cards teetering on the verge of collapse. We have an ethical and moral imperative to do better for our society - let's speak the truth and get it done.

Grace & peace,
Scott

In Which I Reflect On The Deepening of Love and The Rapid Advance of Time (Here There Be Sappyness)

Take a look: that's our newborn, Alanna, who was a whole year old on Tuesday. Crikey, the time moves fast!

Could it really be a year ago we first met this squalling little surprise? Can it really be two and 1/2 years since her big sister saved me from Annual Meeting by finally making her own introduction?

There are three ladies in my house these days. The oldest gets more beautiful the more I get to know her. I'm happy to say that we laugh at each other more and more every day. The first of our progeny is a curly-haired adventurer who just refuses to slow down, except when there's really good Sesame Street on the tv or a particularly engrossing book to read. The last of our brood is a relentless escape artist who likes standing still even less than her sister. She's a happy, smiley child also, except when she doesn't get what she wants RIGHT THIS FRIGGING INSTANT. Heaven help you if you take something out of her hands (or mouth) without something better ready for replacement.

I knew this family gig would change my life forever. I also knew I wanted it, even though I was more than a little worried about those changes. What I didn't know was how I would never, ever want to go back to the days when it was just me and Beloved, even though they were wonderful days.

Thank you, ladies, for enriching my life so much. Now, if you don't mind, could Daddy just get a quiet night of reading every once in a while?

Please?

Grace & peace,
Scott

For the Record...

One of the fun things they never tell you in seminary is how much it hurts when you hear of bad news from a former call. A mother of two committed suicide this week - the daughter was one of my first confirmands, the son played on my final Junior High football team.

There just aren't words for sorrow like these folks must be feeling. Please keep them in your prayers.

Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: "Shepherds and Kings"

There is a curious dichotomy in the Old Testament understanding of shepherds. On the one hand, when prophets and poets spoke of “shepherds,” they were often using the term as a metaphor for kings and kingly behavior. On the other hand, there was a prevailing opinion within Old Testament society that shepherds were dusty and smelly, and their work was beneath the sensibilities of those who could do better. Thankless job, shepherding - and one could certainly argue that ruling a nation isn’t much better at times. As American poet John Godfrey Saxe once quipped, “Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made” 1
However, let’s not focus this morning on the odious nature of governing, though it could be a humorous adventure. I want to draw your attention to the difference between this week’s gospel reading and last week’s reading. These two readings paint two very different pictures of what it means to shepherd one’s people; one falls under the condemnation of Jeremiah from our first reading, while the other shows the care and tenderness described by the poet of Psalm 23. Some time, then, to reflect on shepherding and who, indeed, is the Good Shepherd. Let us pray:

Compassionate God, You have compassion enough for all.
Lord in your mercy, Have compassion for us.

Jesus, out of your compassion for us, you invite us to come away with you to a place of rest and quiet.
Help us to say yes and then to be able to come away with you.
Lord in your mercy, Have compassion for us.

Lord, out of your compassion you care for those who are harassed, helpless, and lost. Sometimes we feel that way ourselves
Lord in your mercy, have compassion for us.

Lord in your compassion teach us to follow you, to trust you, to love you and to love as you love.
Lord in your compassion feed us who are hungry; physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Lord in your compassion heal us in the places we need healed.
Lord in your mercy, have compassion for us.

And Lord in your having compassion for us teach us to have compassion for others as you do.
Help us to show compassion in action the way you did, and remind us when it is time to come away with you for quiet and rest.
Lord in your mercy, have compassion for us. 2

What do you remember about Herod Antipas? Conflicted, greedy, adulterer, incest, killed John the Baptist. All of that is true, of course. But the Herods were more than simple corrupt kings. The Herods used anything they could to gain an advantage on their enemies, their friends, even their families. When Antipas’ father Herod the Great died, his will stipulated that Antipas would be one of three sons among whom their land would be divided. Antipas traveled to Rome to argue, unsuccessfully, that he should be the ruler of all the land his father once occupied. The Herods were Jewish, but often the extent of their faith matched the corresponding benefit: when it fitted the Herods to flatter their masters, the Romans, they did so with an ease that shocked the people they ruled.
So, last week we examined Herod Antipas, a king haunted by the execution of John the Baptist. One wonders if Antipas would have been troubled by the words of the prophet Jeremiah we heard this morning. As Professor Rolf Jacobson said in a podcast this week, “[Jeremiah] is only [bad news] if you’re the king! If you’re the people, who have a king who sucks, this is total gospel!” Kings are entrusted with the care of their people, as shepherds are entrusted with the care of their sheep. Herod made a bad job of it, but not so our King, Jesus of Nazareth.
See him here in Mark, gazing out on the crowds who’ve gathered and are following him. Jesus wanted some time apart for himself and his disciples, but the people’s needs are so great that Mark says “they hurried [to where Jesus was going] on foot from all the towns, and arrived [at their destination] ahead of [Jesus and his disciples].” It brings to mind images you see of travelers in the poorer sections of India, where children scurry to the nearest tourist, begging for a handout. Jesus saw that the needs of the people were so desperate he couldn’t take time away just at that moment: his heart was filled with compassion for this flock of shepherd-less sheep, and so Jesus began to teach them on the spot.
It seems that God’s view of the world is a reversal of our own. It is said that when Herod the Great died, he was worried that people wouldn’t mourn his passing. So he arranged for several of his soldiers to be killed at the same moment, so that there would be mourners close to his body. Thankfully no one carried out those orders, but can we deny that when our own kings die, we are any less misled? We’ve spent the past three weeks detailing and reliving every second of the admittedly tragic life of Michael Jackson; how many homeless men, women and children have also died, unnoticed, in that same period of time, and who has spent millions to mourn their passing? God knows - God sees - God judges our lack of vision and calls us to remember what it is God has done for us in Jesus Christ.
In that remembrance, God also promises the good care of a good shepherd. Jesus taught; Jesus healed; Jesus cared for the world in which he lived, and the Holy Spirit of God continues that work in our time, in our world, through our hands. We are not governed by a King who exploits every situation for his own advantage: we are ruled by a gracious King who is peace and life and grace in himself. As the writer of Ephesians wrote,
“Jesus is our peace: in his flesh he has made both [circumcised and uncircumcised] into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. Jesus has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace...So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”
So we are gathered into the fold under the watchful gaze of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. But let’s not forget that shepherds also call their flocks out into the world - and so we, too, are called into the world by our Good Shepherd. In his book Why Christian?, Douglas John Hall writes:
Christianity does have a mission to the world, and that mission is the most basic reason for the existence of the church. There are religions ... that do not have a missionary impulse in them; but Christianity has been pushed out into the world from the beginning, like a little fledgling bird nudged out of its cozy nest by its parents. That is in fact a good simile, because what drives Christianity (as distinct from Christendom) towards the world is not personal eagerness for exposure to the public sphere, nor a desire to become big and powerful, nor a sense of its superiority over every other faith. No, it is "sent out" (that is what the word apostolic means), usually against its will, by the God who has called it into being, because of love for ... the world … the mission of the church is of central importance to Christian faith, so much so that it constitutes the most basic reason why the church must exist. Of course the church needs to have periods of retreat from the world, to recover its own identity through study and prayer, to renew its courage, and so on. But precisely in these times of renewal, the church learns once more that it does not exist for its own sake. A church that hived off to itself and was content to be a comfortable "fellowship" would contradict in the most flagrant way the whole message of the New Testament.3
So we are both gathered in and sent out under the eye of the King who rules us. It is bad news when we think we control the world, or our little corner of it, kings of our own little domains. It is good news to realize, as the disciples and all who follow Jesus eventually realize, that Jesus is indeed in the business of kingdom-building, and the work is glorious indeed. The kingdom of God isn’t a place we go, but a reality in which we live, just as a sheep knows its shepherd’s voice whether it is in the paddock, grazing out on the hills or lost in the valley of the shadow of death. Listen for the voice of your shepherd, your king, and follow it where it leads, trusting that our king, unlike Herod, is a good, wise, benevolent king, who will not lead you astray. Amen.

Thursday Roundup

Two of the three women who meddled with Beloved & me until we started dating are here with us this week. It's been fun to be with them again. We had a babysitter last night and went out for delicious Italian at a restaurant we hadn't tried yet, and tonight we'll take in a LCM barbecue and a Muni Band concert. Fun times!

Finished two books this week and began reading an unpublished work for a friend, something I'd promised to do for a while and finally I think I've got time to do it. The girls are sleeping until seven or even eight most mornings now, which means I can brew my coffee and sit outside in the early morning quiet and read. It's really lovely.

That's the quick update. We're hoping to get to the new Harry Potter movie tomorrow afternoon. The in-laws are coming Saturday night, another visit to which I'm looking forward. Hope you all have a great week.

Grace & peace,
Scott

Good Love - You Know, The Heart-Breakingly Strong Kind

Since the new Harry Potter movie will be released tomorrow night, and Beloved hasn't read the books, we bought "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" on DVD yesterday and sat down to watch it last night after the girls went to sleep.

After some initial reluctance to buy into the Harry Potter fad when the first books were released, I became a fan just before Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published. I'm with Stephen King: I think JK Rowling is a ripping good writer who mixes imaginative plotlines with a deep understanding of human emotions and the seductive, covert nature of evil. There is a moment in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" where Dumbledore says, "Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Harry. Soon we must all face the choice, between what is right and what is easy." That sums up an awful lot about life, if you ask me.

That having been said, in the months since my last contact with anything Potter I had forgotten what an emotional wallop this story packs, especially when delivered by the wonderful movies developed from the books. This might be children's literature, but it is not childish, not at all. People betray one another. Friendships careen along on a knife's edge because people misunderstand one another. Major characters die, and everyone suffers at some point. But for me, the lasting emotional impact of these books comes from the bond between Harry, Ron and Hermione. There's simply nothing stronger than the love they share for each other, perhaps most poignantly expressed at the end of the second movie, when Hermione, healed from a petrificus curse, sprints the full length of the dining hall at Hogwarts into the waiting arms of her friends. To love and be loved like that makes every other worldly gift or possession worthless.

After watching the movie last night, including a heartbreaking death at the end, I shouldn't have been surprised by the abandonment dream that came in the middle of the night. There's something about the shared heartbreak of Harry, Ron and Hermione that mirrors something of my own, I suppose, and JK Rowling obviously knows the pain of loneliness and abandonment as well. It's a fear we all share, I'm sure, but we are presented with a choice in regard to that fear. We can shield ourselves from the fear of rejection and abandonment, but in so doing we also shield ourselves from the full depth and strength of real love. Or we can open ourselves, become vulnerable to heartbreak and pain, but in so doing our love becomes genuine, self-giving, self-revealing, the kind of love that breaks our hearts open, but only so they can be filled more fully.

There is nothing safe, fast or easy about love - it takes risk, time and effort to love as God has intended. Even though JK Rowling doesn't do spirituality in the Harry Potter books, she has said she is a Christian, and I believe that the self-emptying love of Christ is one aspect of Christian faith she understands most fully. Today I'm grateful, though my sleepy haze from a restless night, for the way she wrestled with love, pain and suffering; it makes all of us consider it more deeply, and when people consider love, nothing evil can come from it.

Grace & peace,
Scott

A Healthy Friday Five

Sophia had the Friday Five at RevGals today:

I just got back from an 8 mile bike ride down the beach boardwalk near our home, and was struck with the number of people out enjoying physical activity. Runners, other cyclists, surfers, swimmers, dogwalkers, little kids on scooters.... It's easy to lose track of my physical self-care in the midst of flurried preparation for a final on-campus interview Monday for a college teaching position in the Midwest (prayers welcome!) and the family move that would accompany it. But each day that I do make time to walk or ride my bike it is such a stress reliever that it is well worth the time invested! So how about you and your beautiful temple of the Holy Spirit?

1. What was your favorite sport or outdoor activity as a child?
Football - could not get enough of it. So much that our parents bought us real shoulder pads for Christmas one year. Like many boys in Nebraska, I dreamed of growing up to play for Tom Osborne. Never quite made it, but I still love football, especially Nebraska football.

2. P.E. class--heaven or the other place?
A little of both. I was a mix of the klutz who fell over a lot and got teased and the strong kid, so some days were great and some were awful. I think it's terrible that schools are cutting P.E. - we need our kids to exercise and be active, now more than ever.

3. What is your favorite form of exercise now?
Running, running and running some more. I've run two marathons and several half-marathons/20Ks, and plan to do more. In fact, just yesterday I hung up a running rack in our basement - four pegs for my running medals and various other running paraphanelia, like my first running cap in all its sweat-stained glory. (see the picture above.)

4. Do you like to work out solo or with a partner?
Yes. Beloved and I are trying to find ways for the two of us to work out together more often. We're doing a spin class on Thursdays and I think I've finally convinced her to try running with me once in a while, once we get her some proper running shoes. And I love running with our students or friends from out of town when they visit. I like my solo runs a lot, but it's also very enjoyable to share that time with others occasionally.

5. Inside or outside?
Outside when available. Frankly, the only thing I don't like about our gym is the way they manage the moisture - it's pretty humid all over the place, and the men's showers just reek, though they are fairly new. But we don't have access to weights or machines anywhere else, so inside it has to be for that.

Bonus: Post a poem, scripture passage, quotation, song, etc. regarding the body or exercise.
"The miracle isn't that I finished - the miracle is that I had the courage to start."
John "The Penguin" Bingham

Give Us This Day...

die Van ist kaput.

When we pulled into our parking spot at Ponca State Park last Thursday, we were all excited for a three day cabin stay with my entire family. When I backed the van up to move it closer to our particular cabin, the large puddle of transmission fluid that was revealed indicated we would soon be enjoying something of a change in plans as far as driving goes.

We limped back to Ames on a replacement quart of fluid and dropped off the van at the shop yesterday morning. The verdict? Leaky torque converter. The expense? $1400. At least, that's the estimate. Wow. As Bing said in White Christmas: "It's somewhere between 'Ouch' and 'Boing.'" Wow.

These things happen, of course. But the peculiar thing is how and when they happen. Beloved and I have been discussing what to do with our extra money this month. See, I am paid every other Friday, which means that two months out of the calendar year contain an 'extra' paycheck. July '09 is one of those months. In addition, I'm scheduled for several supply dates this summer, so I'll be pulling in some extra $$ there as well. We were trying to figure out how much to put toward debt retirement vs. some stuff we'd like to do in the house. Well, now we know where the extra money is going, don't we?

In the midst of these troubled times, I'm struck by the story of Israel in the wilderness. God provided enough manna for one day. Anyone who tried to gather more found it mealy and wormy by morning. We think in terms of scarcity: there's no way of knowing what tomorrow will bring, so we grab all we can for today. God thinks about things differently: what is meant to last will last, and what is meant to end will end, no matter what we might do about it.

It occurs to me that God might really care very little for the continuation of the institutions we think are so important. Churches who worship less than twenty people with endowments to maintain the building and cemetery? Seminaries who pour all their gifts into endowments while they pile the burden of today's education on the backs of their students? Companies who lay off workers while executive salaries continue to climb and widen the gap between labor and management? I'm not so certain a God who promises to provide daily bread, not monthly bread, thinks a lot of this type of stewardship.

It's one thing to be responsible in planning for the future. Beloved and I have far too much debt. If that weren't the case, this car repair wouldn't be the problem that it is. We're working on being free of what we owe to others, but it's going to take some time. Afterwards, though, we're going to have to work just as hard to remain free of our excess, assuming we ever get there. We all know about the farmer in the gospel of Luke who builds new granaries for all his excess - he dies that night and all that excess does him no good.

This week's lectionary texts deal with some of these institutional issues, also. Amos tells the people of the northern kingdom that they will not stand forever just because of who they are, that God is about to set them plumb (an image for justification), and that it will not be all lollipops and sunbeams when it happens. Herod hears about Jesus' ministry and is haunted by the thought that Jesus could be John the Baptizer resurrected - and we get the picture of a man haunted by the knowledge that all his wealth and power will amount to nothing in the end.

I remain convinced that God doesn't give a fart in a stiff wind for propping up institutions for their own sake. Our call to stewardship is both a call to recklessly trust that God will provide and a call to understand that debt and wealth can each be a burden and a barrier between ourselves and faith. So we'll go to the dealership tomorrow afternoon and unburden ourselves a bit, and hopefully our faith will be all the richer for it, even if our wallets will not.

Grace & peace,
Scott

The painting is "Daily Bread, Version 1" by Jim Gola

A Belated Friday Five About Clothes Because It Looked Like Fun

1. Are you a hoarder, or are you good at sorting and clearing?
I'm pretty good and clearing out stuff, but being a guy I don't have nearly as much to sort and clear as Beloved. When you consider that I've been wearing a brown pair and black pair of the Docs pictured left as my basic 'dress' shoes for almost ten years, it's easy to see I keep things pretty uncomplicated and try to find stuff that will last.

2. What is the oddest garment you possess and why?
Probably my cow tie. When I was in pep band at Nebraska in the 1990s, our basketball coach, Danny Nee, was known for his unusual ties (I think he even developed his own line at some point). So every now and then the band would have a tie night and we'd all find the goofiest ties we could find. I found a red-white vertically striped tie with cows and thought it was perfect. Don't think I've worn it in fifteen years, but I can't bring myself to throw it out just yet.

3. Do you have a favourite look/ colour?
I like simple and classic stuff that will last - see the Doc Martens above. At the same time, I like funny t-shirts; at the moment I'm wearing one with the chemical formula for caffeine printed on the front. Summer is t-shirt, shorts and sandals; fall will bring more polos, blue jeans and khakis, while winter is sweaters. The one thing on which I almost always insist is wearing a proper suit for formal occasions such as funerals.

4. Thrift/ Charity shops, love them or hate them?
For kids clothes, they're wonderful. At my age, I tend to wear out my clothes, but for those of an age to outgrow clothing, brand new stuff can be an obscene waste of money. We have several lovely consignment shops in town and we frequent them all for the girls. Man, they're gonna hate us when school comes around. :-)

5. Money is no object, what one item would you buy?
The recently announced 1962 throwback jerseys for the University of Nebraska football team's upcoming celebration of its 300th consecutive sellout. I don't know if they're going to sell replica jerseys or not, but the actual uniforms used that night will be auctioned for charity. Bidding starts at $500 - I wonder if you have to pay more to get them laundered, or unlaundered?

A Rose By Any Other Name Would Be "OW, #%^&!"

The ongoing saga of my back continues...

A few weeks ago I actually went to our doctor to seek treatment to relieve and correct the ongoing pain in my lower back. After an exam and X-rays, it appears my L5 vertebrae is not aligned properly and is thus causing a lot of what's been going on over the past year. Chiropractic has alleviated some of the pain over that time, but the issue itself hasn't been properly addressed to this point. Consider the issue addressed now.

I've been going to physical therapy three times a week for the past week with largely positive results. Positive result number 1 was meeting my therapist and discovering that both he and a coworker are native Nebraskans and would like to add us to their list of folks for football game parties this fall. Score! :-) Positive result #2 has been the work he's helped me do. While I'm feeling a bit more regularly uncomfortable since beginning treatment, I can also feel the muscles and joints in my back working more as they're supposed to work, and that's worth the occasional discomfort. My therapist is now including my hips, knees and ankles in our work, finding ways to better stabilize my body for both day-to-day activity and, sound the hallelujahs, better running. Turns out that even though I have a neutral stride and normal to high arches, stability shoes may help me run with greater comfort than my trusted neutrals. To that end I've purchased my first pair of inserts and will soon be buying a good pair of stability shoes, as soon as I find some we can afford.

My mother has also been dealing with some back and leg pain, much different than my own, and she mentioned while our family was camping together this past weekend that her father, my Grandpa Janke, also had back problems, leading to a surgery in the last few years of his life. It's funny how the generations have changed in such a short time. I experience discomfort that keeps me from pursuing my favorite exercise (golf and running) and I get myself a specialist right away, while I'm sure my Grandpa would have said that doing such a thing was a waste of both time and money, given that I could still work and be a father to my kids without too much trouble.

One of the unfortunate side effects to America's continual success in the 20th and 21st century was the development, I believe, of a false belief in the right to a life without suffering. My generation, as a whole, hasn't known what it means to suffer for the life we have been given, certainly not to the extent of my grandparents and great-grandparents. There are miracle fixes everywhere for every problem under the sun, especially if you watch cable television between midnight and morning sunrise, all playing off the idea that work is for those who aren't smart enough to game the system. I'm sure, if I look long enough, there's a pill or apparatus pitched by a third-tier celebrity that guarantees an end to my back problems in less than 30 days (or my money back!).

Here's the thing: the only way I'm going to beat this thing is to work hard and work smart. I need to lose weight so I'm not carrying so much load on my joints (221 on the scale this morning). I need to sleep more to give my body time to recharge itself after a good workout every day. I need to diligently do the exercises my PT gives me. If I do all this, there is a good chance I'll soon be swinging my clubs pain-free, and hopefully training for my third marathon by next spring. But this only works if I accept my present limitations AND make the decision to work to change those limitations. Shortcuts won't do it, but neither will pretending it doesn't exist or just giving up the fight.

This isn't a faith thing, either: I'm God's child whether I qualify for Boston or never run another stride. But it is a peace of mind thing: to be healthy, to live a life that sees the abundant goodness of God, I'm going to have to suffer a bit. In this case, some pain does equal some gain, and I'm willing to give the one in hopes of receiving the other.

Grace & peace,
Scott

2009 Reading List - January through June

Here's a list of the books I've read in 2009 thus far. It's not as large as I'd like it to be, but when you get all your kids to bed sometimes it's all you can do to catch up on a TV show befor turning in. I like to read books that require me to think, and that's not easy when you're exhausted at 9PM, right?

Anyway, iPod and other audio books are noted with an asterisk (*), and books I'd recommend are listed in bold type. Happy reading!

1. Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
2. Atonement by Ian McEwan
*3. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
4. Jesus Wants To Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile by Rob Bell and Don Golden
5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
*6. Sabriel by Garth Nix
7. Home by Marilynne Robinson
*8. Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell
9. One Magical Sunday (But Winning Isn't Everything) by Phil Mickelson with Donald T. Phillips
10. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
*11. Imperium by Robert Harris
*12. The Mighty Johns And Other Stories by David Baldacci, Anne Perry, Dennis LeHane et al.
*13. Lirael: Daugher of the Clayr by Garth Nix
*14. The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education by Craig Mullaney

Some Light Summer Reading?

Every once in a while you get the chance to read a book that surprises you by how much it kicks your ass. I started one this week: Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction: Christianity and the Battle for the Soul of a Nation by Rodney Clapp. (Click on the picture of the book for a link to Amazon.) Here's just one example of the can of whupp-ass Clapp brings to the subject:

"Technologically enamored, plutocratic proponents of nationhood like to envision America as an invulnerable, innocent behemoth, able to overcome any and all limitations. Ronald Reagan represented this bizarrely inflated, wildly optimistic Americanism with his 1987 comment that, 'The calendar can't measure America because we are meant to be an endless experiment in freedom, with no limit to our reaches, no boundaries to what we can do, no end point to our hopes.' This blatantly theological statement denies creatureliness and casts America in godlike terms. It makes the nation an entity without limits, infinite in power and reach, eternal in its endurance. Such attitudes have real-world consequences. They lie behind American attempts
to control political affairs in societies across the globe, as well as a willful
eagerness to dismiss the ecological damages and costs of our extravagantly
consumeristic way of life. They imagine there will always be another
technological fix, that the powerful and wealthy, at least, will be able to take
care of themselves, and that human progress will continue indefinitely, if not
forever. All these are strange, incongrous attitudes for what fashions
itself as 'conservatism.' They are also rather infantile attitudes - the
expectation of the infant that all else exists to serve its needs, that any
limits set before it are only to be overcome by protest and ingenuity, that
frustration is never to be endured but always removed by eliminating its
sources. Such attitudes form citizens fit to live in a democracy for moral
infants and adolescents, rather than a democracy for grown-ups."

Sometimes you read the book - and sometimes the book reads you. Nice to get the chance to do a little 'light reading' while vacationing in Nebraska. As you were.

Grace & peace,
Scott

The Michael I Remember

It's been a tragic week in the entertainment world. But in the midst of all the furor surrounding Michael Jackson, I'm forced to think back to 1983, when a nine year-old boy and his seven year-old brother would run upstairs after coming home from church to see if "Billie Jean," "Beat It," or "Thriller" was still #1 on the American Top 40 with Casey Kasem.

This is the Michael we'd all like to remember. Some folks remember the child with the beautiful voice who pleaded for us to remember, "I'll Be There." I'm sure all of us will agree that we wish the man with all the issues had remained the incredible entertainer he once was, rather than the cartoon he became.

What I wonder is, how much did that fame and celebrity contribute to his illness? What inner demons drove him to such extreme depths? How did we who once adored him contribute to the brokenness that may have comsumed him?

This is just one of the reasons I'm generally avoiding celebrity anything these days. It's hard to avoid entirely: the media seems to think that all of us want to know the latest about Jon & Kate, who's getting divorced, who's having weight problems, who can't stop drinking/smoking/doing drugs. We may not be able to avoid it entirely, but we can try to avoid feeding the frenzy.

How about we focus more on people who put their celebrity to good use? Like, say, Stephen Colbert's recent trip to Iraq? Tom Hanks' work to honor the veterans of World War II? Matt Damon's recent work with the ONE Campaign? If we must have celebrity, and a media who follows their every move, why not use it for good?

Grace & peace,
Scott

The Futility of Revenge

I heard on NPR this morning that Bernie Madoff is going to be sentenced today.

Some of his victims were interviewed, and one of them, to my mind, showed uncommon wisdom and, unfortunately, an all too common resignation. In essence, she said it didn't matter how many years Madoff serves in prison: twelve years, (the suggested sentence from Madoff's lawyers), 20 years (what most seem to think will likely be the result) or even 150 years (the prosecution's request) will not even begin to repair the damage caused by this massive betrayal.

Madoff's lawyer was also interviewed, and he said something to the effect of Madoff "beginning to show his remorse for this terrible crime." I call bullshit there. Talk is cheap. Madoff's wife has surrendered much of what they held in common, but she gets to keep $2.5 million - she won't be suffering much beyond the obvious discomfort of living with this crime for the rest of her life. It's easy to SAY "I'm sorry." It's much more difficult to actually do something to repair the damage from the wrongs we've committed.

Madoff will be in prison, likely until he dies or close to it, but who benefits from his prison term? This is the futile nature of our justice system: revenge, not reparation, is the name of the game. Bernie Madoff is not a danger to society in his present state, so prison time accomplishes little in terms of protecting society. What if we were imaginative enough to sentence Bernie Madoff to spending the rest of his life working to repay the people he defrauded? His personal fortune has already been claimed, but that's a drop in the bucket - what if we forced him to use the intellect and ability, through which he stole billions, to spend the rest of his life rebuilding some of what he stole?

This is in some ways a pipe dream, of course: you can't rebuild those fortunes in the short years Bernie Madoff has left, nor do I think it's likely anyone would trust him with the capital required to do so. But I am left questioning, once again, the wisdom of our punitive system and whether or not we can do better. It is one thing to incarcerate those who pose an actual danger to society: it is another thing to throw gasoline on the fire of bitterness by using prison to punish rather than being inventive enough to sentence criminals in such a way that they might actually begin to repair the damage they have done. Can't we do this better?

Grace & peace,
Scott

Summertime and the Livin' Is...Boring?

I'm not really sure what to make of this week.

Beloved is off on a mission trip in South Dakota, so I'm in charge of our progeny. We are having a beastly hot and humid week in Iowa, and perhaps that has something do do with the lethargy that has swallowed me up. Campus life has crawled to a near stop, and without a regular Bible study or anything beyond our small Sunday night worship services, I'm perhaps feeling a bit under-utilized at the moment.

All I know is, some days it's hard to feel as though I'm accomplishing much in the way of contribution. It's hard to blog because our internet is still not functioning properly at home. Several home projects remain uncompleted because by the time I get the girls to bed all I want to do is sip a beer and breathe easy. (Though I did manage to get one nearly completed this morning, and should finish it up tonight with a bit of good luck). I have managed to get to the gym several times this week, which is good, but frankly it's a poor substitute for the running I'd rather be doing in this weather (oddly enough I really enjoy a hard run when it's hot like this).

It could just be the June drag. This is our "Resource Fair" season, when I spend two hours every day connecting with incoming first year students during their Orientation sessions. It's been good - we've made a lot of contacts and our partners in local congregations seem to be telling their kids to be sure to connect with us once they're on campus. But after three weeks it does begin to wear on you a bit, the constant repetition of catchphrases and the pressure to be "on" with complete strangers.

Anyway, life is good - the girls are happy and we're having fun while Mommy's away, but it definitely isn't quite what I thought this week would be. Maybe the guys at Car Talk nailed it when they named the Head of their Working Mothers' Support Group "Erasmus B. Dragon" (sound it out): my ass is definitely dragging today, and I've got the weekend to survive yet. Uff da.

Grace & peace,
Scott

The illustration is "Ennui" by Mike Reed.

Leader of the Pack

We have apparently reached the "for the love of God, just HOLD ON!!!" point of parenting two children under the age of three. I wish I could say it's all wonderful, but what sucks is that we're exhausted at the end of the day, the house is a disaster, AND we're gaining weight because there's not enough time in the day to exercise properly. And this is fair how?

Along with the eternal craziness that is parenting, we of course have the menagerie of pets we've adopted to add a delightful nutty edge to our insanity. Our Sunday/Monday night went something like this:

• 8:00 PM - both girls in bed, Ainsley crying but eventually falling asleep. Directly behind the door, with a poopy diaper, but asleep nonetheless.
  
• 9:00 PM - Beloved hits the sack.
• 11:00ish - I follow suit.
• 1:00 AM - while rolling over and sticking my foot out of the covers, I discover that the dog has vomited on the bed. Much muttering and grumbling ensues from Beloved. Strip the duvet cover and put it in the wash, stuff the stained duvet in the hall closet, grab some quilts from downstairs and go back to sleep.
• 6:30 AM - while dressing, Beloved discovers that one of the cats has peed on the clean laundry stacked inside the closet. Grumbling gives way to outright profanity.
  
• 6:45 AM - I discover I'm out of coffee. This is about where the wailing and gnashing of teeth started...

My seminary buddy Nate said, "Remember when you wondered why you hadn't gotten a dog before? This seems to be a good reason here." He's most likely right. But for all the craziness, we're happy and content, if a bit dazed by the end of the day most of the time.

I've made some time for household projects this week. Here are some shots of the fence I've been renovating in the backyard so we can trust Jack to stay put:

Disassembling the gate from the old fence.

New fence pickets on the old posts with reconfigured crosspieces.

The old fence - I removed the pickets, moved the top crosspiece to the top of the post and attached new pickets, pictured at the right end of the old fence.

A comparison of the old and new fences. Other than the gate, it was a really easy project.

As we've gotten to know our Jack over the last few weeks, it's become apparent that we needed help when it came to properly training him. He's not a bad dog at all - just rambunctious and easily distracted, and it was getting very difficult to keep him in line. Kristin found a local branch of a national training chain who does on-site training, which includes looking around the house from the dog's point of view and hands-on help getting started with proper commands, correction and rewarding. The trainer came this afternoon, and after he left, we felt a whole lot better about our life with Jack - especially the 'out in public' parts where we need him to understand who's in charge.

I've tried to do a theological bent on the whole thing, but it just doesn't compute without the pastor winding up the dominant person in the pack, and I'm not sure I want to go there. So, no big theology tonight - just the thought that, sometimes, it's nice to be the one issuing commands. Even if, just as in real life, sometimes those commands go unheeded. And you still have to deal with someone else's crap.

Running, Reading and Resource Fair

We got back from a wonderful weekend in Lincoln last night. I ran in a charity 10K with my brother and two of our roommates from college. The race went fairly well: I ran it in 55:14, with just one stop to say hi to my girls and catch my breath after several long hills. We also spent lots of time with my college friends and their families, including a trip to Olive Garden with 8 adults and 8 kids, church with the same group of folks and many, many brats, beers and other good eats consumed over the weekend. Pictures to come as soon as I can convince those who took them to email me copies.

I'm in a bit of a reading quandary at the moment. I read Neal Stephenson's novels and Snow Crash and The Diamond Age a few years back and loved them both. But now I've tried two of his more ambitious projects and have found both really hard to read. Quicksilver was some sort of alternate history that just seemed to wander all over the place and never really do anything, even after several hundred pages. Anathem, my latest attempt, is just flat-out bizarre; I've only read about 20 pages, but I'm already tired of flipping to the glossary to find the definition of terms again and again. It seems to me that these are both novels I should like but, for reasons unknown, I just can't get into them at the present time. If anyone out there has tried either one and found enjoyment, would you please offer any suggestions you might have?

In other news, it's Freshman Orientation month here at Iowa State, and that means Resource Fair for us campus ministry types. Today I had the pleasure of meeting several young people who seem to be very interested in campus ministry, including one young lady whose former youth director is one of the three women responsible for Kristin and me becoming Kristin and me. We've gotten seven or eight folks to sign up for our mailing list each day thus far, which is always a good sign.

But I also have some ambivalent feelings about what we do at Resource Fair. It feels like a popularity contest: each booth lines up their pictures and brochures and tchotchkes so students will remember us when they empty that gigantic bag o'crap out once they return home. We play the game, too: our pens, highlighters, brochures and a piece of chocolate make their way into as many bags as possible. Of course, I try to explain what it is we do in campus ministry and why I believe so strongly in what we do, and that part is genuine. But some of it feels like 'selling' our ministry, and I'm very leery of crossing that line, so much so that today I considered electing to skip Resource Fair next year.

It's not that I don't believe in evangelism. I'm just fairly certain there are better, less coercive means of being evangelical than handing out highlighters at the Resource Fair. What if we accidentally promise something we can't deliver - does the world need yet another disappointed, disaffected fence-sitter using our mistakes as a reason to reject faith altogether? And let's face it: even with every attempt to be as honest and forthright as possible, when we talk about our ministry in an environment like this, there's always a certain element of "Please, Like Us And Come To Our Church!" in what we say and how we say it.

I remain convinced that true evangelism comes from people whose lives have been transformed by God, and they simply must tell the story of how that happened. Do we have some of those folks in our midst at University Lutheran Center? Of course we do - and they do tell that story often. The Spirit is at work in the ministry we carry out here. I'm convinced that we are providing a necessary, important, sometimes life-saving ministry in what we do. So, with the fear that I might actually become some glad-handing, back-slapping snake-oil salesman constantly running through my mind, we'll continue to be at Resource Fair, telling the story of campus ministry as authentically as possible. But if it gets to the point where I'm trying to figure out whether 3 Musketeers or Snickers will be more likely to get students to come to worship, just shoot me, okay?

Grace & peace,
Scott

What Are We When We Terrorize At Home?

terrorism: "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

On my way home tonight, National Public Radio was speaking with Dr. Warren Hern, a colleague of Dr. George Tiller, killed Sunday morning as he prepared to serve as an usher at his local church. Here's a quote from the NPR story:

Hern is pleased that President Obama spoke out after the murder, but he wants to hear more.

"I think the president of the United States needs to go to a national television broadcast and say to the American public, 'Safe abortion is a fundamental component of women's health care. Anti-abortion terrorism and violence will not be tolerated. We will stop you.'"

The full text of the story can be found here.

As I was listening to the radio, I got so mad I pulled off the road and into a coffee shop to start blogging. Never blog angry, folks: nothing good can come of it. Thankfully, a nosy, annoying coffee shop barista kept me from writing the whole post, so here's my more reasoned take on things.

I'd like to go one step farther than the course of action which Dr. Hern proposes. I'd like to see picket lines at clinics which provide abortion procedures made illegal, defined as an act of terrorism and as such no longer defensible under the right to free speech as set out in the 1st Amendment.

Let me be absolutely clear: I detest the very idea of abortion. But I detest even more the thought that women making such an agonizing decision, and sometimes the men responsible enough to share the burden of such decisions, should be subjected to intimidation, fear-mongering and abuse for the sake of a public display at medical clinics carrying out a fully legal medical procedure.

The definition of terrorism quoted above uses the word "violence." Is all violence physical? No. Should the picture of an aborted fetus shoved in the face of a pregnant woman be considered violence against her rights as a citizen as defined by law? Yes, in my opinion they should be, because the intent behind such displays is to intimidate, frustrate and deny people access to medical treatment guaranteed under the law.

Protests and picketing have their place, and normally I tend to fall more on the demonstrators' side. I thought the demonstration restrictions at the political conventions over the last two presidential elections bordered on tyranny, frankly. I've attended anti-death-penalty protests in the past and will do so again in the future. But picketing Planned Parenthood for providing abortions is like picketing Walgreens for providing condoms: it may be unfortunate that some have to make these decisions, but it is legal to do so under current law, and those who make such decisions should be allowed to do so without the added violence and stress of picket lines and shouting protestors.

Let's face it: Roe v. Wade is not going to be reversed. Frankly, it shouldn't be: there are times when the least harmful course of action involves the terrible choice to terminate a pregnancy. I've lived through such choices with friends, and it is no easy, flippant decision, much as some would like to believe it is. I can't think of anyone who is pro-abortion; even the most ardent defenders of reproductive rights acknowledge that in a utopian world all pregnancies would end in the miracle of a living, healthy child. Using picket lines, blown-up photos of aborted fetuses and protest chants at clinics that provide abortion procedures doesn't decrease the violence, though: it increases it by scapegoating those whose spirits are likely already burdened by regret, pain, and loss.

We can be better than this. We must be better than this, if we are truly pro-life, and, in the end, aren't we all in favor of life?

Grace & peace,
Scott

Later note: My beloved pointed out that a few sentences above were unclear. I wasn't angered by anything Dr. Hern said - what angered me was the fact that he felt as though it needed saying. I was angry that we should need to have this discussion at all. Apologies if I misled anyone into thinking I disagreed with what Dr. Hern said - I agreed, and would like to take his suggestions several steps further.

Running Report: Dam to Dam 20K, Des Moines, IA

I ran a dam 20K yesterday. [ba dump crash!]

The Dam to Dam is supposedly the largest 20 kilometer race in the country. I don't know if that's true, but there were 6,746 finishers, so you figure it's pretty big. All I know is I had a good time for being fat, slow and tired on race day.

The biggest drawback? Early start time + point-to-point course + sleeping at home Friday night = EARLY wake up call. As in 4:00. I met with our local runners group at 4:30 to pick up my race bag with timing chip and number, then drove to Des Moines with the group. We arrived at our parking ramp in downtown Des Moines and I promptly forgot my wallet in my car, so had to leave the runners group and go back. By the time I got down to street level the bus crowd was really big. I mean REALLY big. Crowds are the name of the game at Dam to Dam.

They dropped us off below Saylorville Dam at about 6:30. At this point I was thinking it would be a snap to get to a biffy, do my last 'business' before the run, lube up and get ready to go. Of course, that didn't happen. Biffy lines were long wherever you went, and they also didn't tell us that it was a walk of about a mile to the start on the Dam. So I got into line about 45 seconds before the starting gun went off, which wound up being okay since it was another seven minutes before I actually crossed the line and started the run.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day for a run. Temperature was about 60 at the start and was no higher than 73 at the finish. Light winds kept us cool as we moved off Saylorville Dam and wound through some countryside on our way into town. I can only remember four noteworthy hills, including the road over I35 where people were honking the whole time as they drove underneath us. Great day for a long run with 7,000 friends.

Personally, the day was just an endurance test. It's no secret that I've been struggling with training, my back and my weight since Alanna was born. So my only real 'goal' for this race was smart race management, as in: 1. No walk breaks; 2. Proper hydration; 3. Negative splits toward the end. I got the first two right on, but the third was just too much yesterday. I felt really good throughout the race, which indicates I hit a good pace for what was essentially a long, easy run. My feet and knees bothered me throughout, but never more than what I've become accustomed to enduring, and toward the end they weren't much of a problem at all. The only times I walked were at water stops and for one bathroom stop in mile 11. I only stopped for water twice, at mile 5 and mile 9, and I think that's about right for me. In previous distance races I've drank far too much and gotten sick at the end - yesterday, I felt just fine crossing the finish line and got some Gatorade in me right away to replenish fluids. Negative splits just didn't happen, for a couple of reasons. First, I haven't gotten enough rest lately, and the early start just sapped whatever energy I had to give from my limited sleep. Second, I'm just too heavy right now to run more than six miles at a hard pace, so by mile seven I could tell I'd just need to take it easy and grind my miles out to the finish. Third, I haven't run enough this spring, especially long runs. If I want to get faster, I'll just need to keep picking up miles until I'm back to where I was senior year of seminary. It was just tough to pick up the pace at the end - I covered mile 12 in 9:30-something, but miles 9-11 were all around 10:00. I just didn't have good speed in me yesterday.

But the course was great, the fans cheered us on and overall I was pretty happy. The post-race expo was really confusing, but I got my medal and some good food and enjoyed the post-race glow before changing my clothes and heading north to Ames. Next Saturday is going to be fun - a 10K charity race in Lincoln with college buddies. Hopefully this 20K will make next week a walk in the park - or maybe a jog.

Grace & peace,
Scott

The Reason Why I Do This #427

I was privileged in conversation yesterday. It started with Ryan, a graduate of Our Fair University, who is in town and just wanted to grab lunch together. Then it was steaks and potatoes on the patio with Mikah, my campus pastor's son, who has grown from the squeaky-voiced ping-pong nut we all loved into an incredibly talented singer hoping to study abroad next fall, after his internship in Switzerland this summer. Finally, it was our Theology on Tap group last night, which included Eric, another alum who is now on internship and looking forward to being a pastor in just over a year.

I know I've shared before how I struggle sometimes with the more personal aspects of this calling to ministry. I still come home Sundays ready to crawl into my cave and not talk with anyone for a while, and probably always will. But the fact that some conversations take a lot out of me does not mean those conversations aren't enjoyable, meaningful and sometimes even life-changing. It is a great privilege to be given the gift of conversation, to be privy to the hopes, dreams, sorrows and frustrations of God's people, to be ushered through the doorway of someone's protective emotional barriers into the house where the unfiltered, exposed core of that person lives. Is it hard at times? For me, personally, it can be - but that does not in any way negate the holiness of these conversations. Dear God, don't ever let me trade, in a moment of weakness, these holy times. If I am called to be a tired, caffeine-mainlining denizen of every coffee shop in town, so be it: here I am, Lord.

Grace & peace,
Scott

The painting is "In Deep Conversation" by Pam O'Connell

Connections and Community

I love Facebook, mostly for one reason: connections.

At the present I have over 700 friends from all sorts of different times and places in my life. My two best friends from high school are there. The guy with whom I share a brain is there. My 'little sister' is there. One of my best friends from seminary recently joined up. People I haven't seen face to face since elementary school are there. Music Camp friends. College Band friends. Family, of course, is there. One big happy mess of connections.

But is it community? I'm not certain. Actually, I'm of several minds on the subject.

On the one hand, the FB community allows me to keep up on who's sick, who's getting better, who's losing family, who's getting divorced, who's getting married, all of that stuff and more. I've discovered news that is important to me and to my friends because status updates can be a really useful way to get news out quickly. One friend who lives in South Korea at the moment had a prayer chain up and running within hours of the recent nuclear insanity on the part of North Korea. I truly believe these things are important.

On the other hand, some of these 'friends' are surface relationships at best, people with whom I have fleeting connections or, even worse, folks I just don't have the heart to turn down. I'm sure several of my FB friends felt the same way when I sent my request to them. Let's face it: as much as I treasured the company of X, Y and Z at music camp 17 years ago, we haven't heard from each other in all the years since - can you really call that a 'friendship?'

Jan E recently wrote about Twitter and what it can and can't do. I guess I feel the same way about FB (and no, I'm just not gonna tweet - it's not my thing): where it helps, great, but let's not mistake it for the real thing. Some FB relationships are an acknowledgement of a shared past - others are the signs of a hoped-for future friendship (I would put most of my blogging friends in that category): what really matters is the time we're willing and able to invest in each other in real, concrete terms.

We have a Lutheran Campus Ministry Facebook group, but, more importantly, we have Lutheran Campus Ministry. They are not equivalent - one is a tool to serve the other, and that's something for all of us to keep in mind.

Grace & peace,
Scott

A Memorable Parenting Moment

She's watching Sesame Street while Mommy and Alanna nap and I read a magazine.

[deadly serious voice]: "Oh, no."

"What, Ainsley - what's wrong?"

"Oh, no." [pointing at me]

"What's wrong, Ainsley?"

"Oh, no - boogers."

Turns out she wasn't pointing - she was showing. And there was plenty to show.

Now she's back to watching Sesame Street. Me? I can't stop chuckling...

Friday Five: VACATION!

I should be on my way home at the moment, but I haven't done a Friday Five in a while, so I'll just be a teensy bit late while I think fondly of trips and non-trips of years past.

1) What did your family do for vacations when you were a child? Or did you have stay-cations at home?
We did take vacations, but almost always with family in mind. I remember several trips to Des Moines to see family on my Mom's side, and trips to Omaha for family on my Dad's side. We went to Chicago when my Uncle K & Aunt A lived there, and also to Denver to see Mom's sister L, her husband G and their son J, who is just a year older than me. The longest trip together by far was the year we drove to Seattle to see my Dad's sister P and my cousin K. We drove through South Dakota and saw Mount Rushmore, drove through Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful, stayed with my Mom's Aunt E and Uncle D in Wyoming, then stayed for a week in Seattle before flying back to NE (my grandparents flew out and drove our car back). It was a great trip.

2) Tell us about your favorite vacation ever:
While the one mentioned above was wonderful, my favorite by far was our honeymoon in Germany. Kristin's family hosted an exchange student who is now a professional basketball player in Europe, and he was married three months after our own wedding, so we decided to go for the ceremony and then do some traveling. Using Rick Steves' tour guide (thanks to my sister-in-law and her husband, who'd done the same trip two years earlier), we drove around Germany for a week by ourselves, with stops in Rothenburg ob det Tauber, Nurnberg, Munchen, Hohenschwangau and Wurzburg before flying home. Great beer, incredible sights, a really fun rental car, great beer, good food, great beer and, of course, the wonderful company of my wife made it a trip that'll be hard to beat. Did I mention the great beer?

3) What do you do for a one-day or afternoon getaway...is there a place nearby that you escape to on a Saturday afternoon/other day off?
We haven't found it just yet. There's a really nice state park not too far from here that everyone suggests, but travel with our girls to anywhere like that is really tough. As they grow older, though, we'll do lots of camping and hiking and outdoors-y things with them. I'd love to spend a day or two riding along some of the great trails in the area once we get a bike trailer, or maybe spend the day at the Iowa State Fair with the whole family when they're older. For now, though, one day get-aways are for me, not for the family. :-)

4) What's your best recommendation for a full-on vacation near you...what would you suggest to someone coming to your area? (Near - may be defined any way you wish!)
Amana Colonies. You just can't do anything else in this part of the country, really. There is a neat wine trail that the local wineries have put togther, so oenophiles could certainly do that, but for most folks, this part of Iowa means Amana Colonies and perhaps Dyersville, the "Field of Dreams" field. I know others who live here would disagree, but chalk it up to my ignorance of Iowa and let me say I hope to discover more to enjoy the longer we live here (and we want to stay a good long time).

5) What's your DREAM VACATION?
A month in Ireland with Kristin, followed by another month in Germany. Could also be done in a cabin on the north shore of Lake Superior, much like the picture here. Unlimited money for Guinness and pub food. My guitar with me and a solid grasp of a goodly number of reels and jigs so I can sit in on sessions in local pubs. Time in the morning to drink good coffee and read good books. Afternoon visits to museums, castles, landmarks, what have you. Most of all, to fit into the local culture and not be so easily identified as American tourists - always a goal for me wherever I go.

Bonus: Any particularly awful (edited to add: or hilarious) vacation stories that you just have to tell? ("We'll laugh about this later..." maybe that time is now!)
When we got to Germany for our honeymoon, we thought we had good directions from the airport in Frankfurt to Bamberg, a drive of approximately 160K. What we didn't realize is that in Germany roads often cross and re-cross one another, so it's best to get directions by city, not by road numbers. For example, to get to Bamberg you go through Town A, then Town B, etc., not the A5 to A29 S to ... You get the picture. So, we got lost. Then, when we realized we were off track, we tried to get back on track, which is difficult with a dyslexic navigator and a driver who's not sure exactly where he's going. About two hours after we landed, when we should have been arriving in Bamberg, we were off the map in some hills southeast of Frankfurt, calling for help on what we soon realized was a phone only used for accidents or car trouble. As we sat in the car, frantically trying to figure out where we were, arguing with each other about how we'd gotten into that mess, windows down because of the heat and not wanting to run the engine for fear of running out of gas, a moth attracted by the dome light flew into the car and we wound up screaming, flapping our hands at it and finally opening both doors and shooing it into the night. Then Kristin was crying, but 30 seconds later we were both laughing our asses off. It was just so absolutely ridiculous. Pretty soon we got back into the car and just started driving until we found a road on the map, and eventually we found our way to Bamberg. The really funny thing? We were never lost again on that trip. Not once. And now we do indeed laugh about it.

The pictures, from top to bottom:
- On the shore of Lake Superior, north of Duluth, summer 2004
- Sharing a drink at this cute cafe near the Kaiserburg in Nurnberg, summer 2004
-"Our" cabin at Cascade River Lodge, north shore of Lake Superior, summer 2006
- The Panorama Trail Overlook at Yosemite National Park, summer 2004
-Hanging out with friends in Lincoln, NE, summer 2006 (and soon to be together again, which is the best reason for traveling these days.)