Ready for Trick-Or-Treaters!

Alright, school is done and the sun is starting to go down. I'm all dressed up in my costume (picture later), and the candy bowl is full to the brim. The light is on, the Jack-O-Lantern is out, and I'm ready for some trick-or-treaters to stop by!

I hope they remember that they've got a pastor living here this year!

Buffalo Commons?

An extremely interesting article in the Times today: Make Way for Buffalo. The columnist observes:

"It sounds cruel to say so, but towns like Rawson [ND, pop. 6] are a reminder that the oversettlement of the Great Plains has turned out to be a 150-year-long mistake, one of the longest-running and most costly errors in American history. Families struggled for generations to survive droughts and blizzards, then finally gave up and moved on. You can buy a home out here for $3,000, and you can sometimes rent one for nothing at all if you promise to mow the lawn and keep up the house.

"The rural parts of the Great Plains are emptying, and in some cases reverting to wilderness."

The author then goes on to advocate the "Buffalo Commons" plan, which seems to involve somehow returning much of the Great Plains to their "original" state, as they were before American pioneers settled there, with huge herds of buffalo and other large animals running free.

I've never even heard of such a thing. I'll have to research this more when I get the chance. While I can certainly understand how one might argue that the Plains have been "oversettled," the Buffalo Commons idea, at least as much as I know of it, seems to be a bit, well... FLIGHTY. But we'll see.

I'll report back when I discover more about this plan.

North Dakota: Whiter whites every time!

Probably a rejected tourism slogan. ;) But it's a lot whiter outside than I expected it would be this morning! Although there's supposed to be rain this afternoon that will probably wash everything away, the trees and roofs are noticeably covered in snow, which is kinda nice. Not enough for a snowball fight yet, but that might be coming later this week. Looks like, except for tomorrow, we're supposed to have snow each day.

Hopefully no Halloween blizzards, though. One in a lifetime is enough for me. And I'd enjoy getting rid of some of the four big bags of candy I bought. (Struck me that, if they remember someone's living here now, the pastor's house could be a popular trick-or-treating destination!) I even got some makeup to get in that Halloween mood, so I hope the weather doesn't keep families in on Friday night.

Time to looking into those auto repairs (and the finances they will affect).

Internal clock issues!

There's just no way it's only 8:48! Even with the time change early this morning, it still feels like it's after 11:00 to me. As nice as it'll be to have light in the morning again when I'm getting up, I can tell already that having it this dark by 6:00 or earlier is going to really trip me up.

I think part of the wierdness is that it's so much darker here in the first place. It's never been this dark anyplace else I've lived, with the possible exception of when I was on internship. So when night falls at six, it's darker here than it was in the middle of the night back in St. Paul. It just feels so much later.

But I'm looking forward to the winter, believe it or not. Maybe I'll be whistling a different tune in a few months, but I remember liking Litchville in the snow when I came to visit in January. There's a beauty to the place that the snow brings out. And if we get a frost at any point this year like when Dad and I were visiting... WOW is all I can say. I'll have to dig the camera out for that.

Speaking of digging the camera out, I need to post a pic I took yesterday. The wild turkeys were out for a stroll - several dozen of them - in my yard and the neighbors'. Crazy birds! I couldn't get too close to them, but I think the pic gives the general idea. Look for it in the next few days, hopefully.

That's it for now. I think tonight will be a good night to go to bed early. Tomorrow I'll be brining the car in for some long overdue maintenance and to get it ready for the winter.

Confidential to a friend

Thank you. What a blessing you are, and tonight was. Happy ReformING Sunday! =)

Spring ahead...

...FALL BACK!!! Woo-hoo! *does cartwheels*

In one year...

I had no idea what day it was today. How quickly we forget.

It's been one year now since Paul Wellstone and several others were lost in a plane crash in northern Minnesota. Thinking about how the entire world, and especially the political landscape, has changed in that one short year almost boggles the mind.

I still miss Paul. I think our nation would be in a much, much better place right now if his voice were still among us. Many things have changed for the worse in America these last 365 days, and Paul Wellstone would have stood against them. He may not have prevailed each time, but he would not have rolled over as many of his colleagues have done.

Here's a link to a short retrospective in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Yahoo! News - Tree Stump Virgin Mary Draws Faithful

OK, I know I'm a pastor. I believe in God. I believe God is active in this world. I believe in miracles, both big and small.

But sometimes, folks, a tree stump is just a tree stump, alright? =)

Yahoo! News - Tree Stump Virgin Mary Draws Faithful

I'm glad that the people in this desperate neighborhood suddenly have some kind of hope, but I'm dismayed that it takes some silly superstitious "sighting" to inspire it. Let's consider reality for a second:

(1) As far as I can tell, the photo of the tree stump in question doesn't look like anything other than... a photo of a tree stump. It's a pretty huge stretch of the imagination to "see" anything here, much less a human figure.

(2) Our brains are wired to see pictures in completely random things. Think about the constellations in the sky. Is there really a "big dipper" pouring soup all over the heavens? Of course not. But our minds connect the dots. Especially into faces. It's a very good thing, biologically speaking, to be able to recognize human faces instantly, and as early on in life as possible. It helps us survive. A side effect of this is that we see faces everywhere, from interesting rock formations (the former "Old Man of the Mountain" for example) to bowls of Cheerios. And... also tree stumps.

(3) How on earth do these people know what the Virgin Mary would look like if she did somehow appear in a tree stump? Because they've seen "her" picture in children's Bibles and stained glass windows? Except Mary never had blonde hair, or light brown, and she certainly didn't have a light complexion, rosy cheeks or blue eyes. In fact, no physical description is ever given of Mary, except that she was a Jewish girl (which rules out those things I just mentioned). About the only way we could "identify" about her is that she wore a robe. But if some robed woman were to really, truly appear in a tree stump, how would we know it was Mary? Why not Miriam, sister of Moses? Or Sarah? Or Deborah? Or Ruth? Or Martha? Or Phoebe? Or... well, you get the idea. There were lots of godly women in the Bible who wore robes.

Anyhow, it's useless to argue against superstition like this. But I wish people would look for the real miracles that God does every day, rather than making up ridiculous ones like this. Every time "the Virgin" appears on a moldy piece of toast or on the bottom of someone's swimming pool, the fanaticism causes many rational people to conclude that miracles never happen, that every miracle is just a case of silly, superstitious people imagining ludicrous things.

God is at work in this world. But I'm pretty sure even God pounds his head on a table when people ignore the things he's up to in order to pray to a tree stump.

Public defenders plead their own case

"The Hennepin [County public] defenders laugh at how they end up reaching into their own pockets to give clients quarters to call family members, money for lunch or fare for a bus home."

Thanks to Jeff for passing on this link. Our dad has been a public defender in the Hennepin County juvenile court system for years. It's interesting (and rather sad) to read about how overburdened and underfunded the defenders' office is.

I really consider public defenders to be the most noble players in the legal game. They take jobs that pay far less than a position at a law firm, out of sheer idealism. They believe that a person's wealth or lack thereof shouldn't determine the quality of their treament in our legal system, that a poor person should not be deprived of a hardworking, capable lawyer. As the article in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, they defend people that many other folks would just as soon pretend don't exist, because they believe it's the right thing to do. In a profit-driven world, that's an encouraging and noble exception to the rule.

Unfortunately, it's much more popular to fund district attorneys' offices, because it's a good move politically to be "tough on crime." Uninformed people believe the government's money should be spent on prosecuting "criminals" (that is, people who have been accused of a crime, who may or may not actually be criminals) and not on providing those "criminals" with proper legal representation.

So with minimum funding and maximum work, the public defenders keep on plugging away at their caseload, trying to give the best service to their clients that they are able.

I enjoy good lawyer jokes just as much as the next guy. So does my dad, as a matter of fact. But the truth is that Dad, and all of his colleagues in the public defenders' office are heroes in my eyes. They deserve as much support, praise, and - yes - funding as we can give them.

Read all about a day in the life of one of Dad's colleagues: "Public defenders plead their own case"

Off the wagon? Or on?

Let's see... when you're addicted to something and you do it again, that's called falling off the wagon. But if you're not addicted to something but it should be done regularly, if you don't do it, have you fallen off the wagon then? So by getting back to blogging, am I on or off the wagon? I'm so confused.

Chalk it up to my advanced age. As of Tuesday, I've completed twenty-eight years on this earth, and am working on Number Twenty-Nine. When asked at the post office how old she thought I was that day, one of my sixth graders said, "Umm... late thirties?" Doh! "Late forties?" Argh! But my mom likes that people here have no concept of my age: She was asked several times if she was my sister. ;)

Ah! Cookies are done. Back in a minute.

OK, they're cooling. Sarah's making dinner for our Survivor night, so I thought I'd furnish cookies. Especially since the basket I left for her yesterday got eaten by the wild farm cats before she found them. =( Anyhow, it'll be fun to go and see how Rupert does tonight. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the first season of Survivor. And it's really good to spend time with folks my own age who are also doing this gig. What a stroke of good fortune (or divine providence) to have not just one but two single, twenty-something colleagues within a stone's throw of me!

So, about the Troubadors, then. To be honest, I resisted joining the Troubadors, despite urging by several of my parishioners. I just wasn't sure it would be wise to get involved in a (by all accounts) very good community ensemble so early on. The time requirements worried me.

But I'd forgotten how good it is to make music.

I've missed that in my life since coming out here. Sure I get to sing every Sunday, more than most folks, but that's not the same as being in an ensemble. Not necessarily worse than ensemble work, just different.

Singing with the Troubadors was wonderful. One of the best decisions I've made yet since moving to North Dakota. I've loved singing in my church choirs over the years, and Jim Nelson's choir back in my HHS days, but this is a different beast. They don't audition, but the ability level is still very high. This is the best group I've sung in, and it's just plain fun for me.

I'm singing Tenor II - that's the second highest part, with a range up to around the G above the treble staff. Maybe with enough practice I can stretch my voice up to a Tenor I... I know they're looking for more first tenors.

Well, time to head off to Sarah's! Sorry to be so long between posts - I'll do better, I promise. ;)

Sleep is best

Hmmm... as it turns out, now that I'm back home, I'm tired and in a bit of a mood, so I'm going to just head to bed and write tomorrow. I've got my first rehearsal with the Valley City Troubadors men's choir tomorrow night, so I should have something interesting to write about.

Council... then blogging

I'll be heading off to Hastings for the Spring Creek church council meeting in a few minutes. I'll try to write a bit after I get back from the meeting. It's been a while! ;)

More happiness!

I just had a visit from one of my parishioners, and she was bearing a gift! October turns out to be clergy appreciation month, and the folks at First Lutheran were aware of that little fact. =)

(I didn't even know there was such a thing until Lucinda mentioned it to the pastors at our monthly conference meeting a few weeks back.)

So Shelly brought a beautiful palmy-sort of plant (we're not sure exactly what kind it is). That's perfect, because the plant that I bought six months ago for my living room finally died for good, after a long and annoying death rattle. That means I've got the perfect spot for the newcomer, and a pot and soil that are ready to go!

Shelly tells me this is a hardy plant that likes medium light... perfect.

Thank you to everyone at First Lutheran...I'll do my best to make sure my new plant is still alive for you to see next summer, at my next open house. ;)

On the lighter side

Just because this was starting to feel too heavy, here's a qoute that cracked me up. Thanks, Wiehan!

"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe."

I don't know if this is true or not, but I dn'dit hvae any tuborle radenig it. =)

Pulley

Pulley is a fun word. I like it. Unfortunately, it's also the word that's holding up my little exercise kick. As you might recall from an earlier post, my BandFlex home gym arrived two weeks ago with holes in its box and a missing pulley. After calling the customer service line repeatedly (friendly, but not especially helpful), I've finally got some results. Sounds like a new pulley will be shipped to me in two weeks. I'm glad for it, but it's rather frustrating that a gym set will have sat in pieces in my guest bedroom for a full month before I'm able to even put it together. Now, here's hoping that once it comes I don't discover any other missing pieces! It could be New Year's resolution time before I get a chance to start lifting if that happens.

More disturbing analysis of America's financial meltdown...

From today's New York Times:

"In 2004, the typical family will pay about $700 less in taxes than it would have without the Bush tax cuts - but meanwhile, the government will run up about $1,500 in debt on that family's behalf.

"George W. Bush is like a man who tells you that he's bought you a fancy new TV set for Christmas, but neglects to tell you that he charged it to your credit card, and that while he was at it he also used the card to buy some stuff for himself. Eventually, the bill will come due - and it will be your problem, not his."

Read the whole piece here.

Yankees vs. Marlins... *YAWN*

What a recipe for low World Series ratings. Who wants to see the Yankees play in the World Series again? The Red Sox shoulda been there.

And who wants to see the Marlins play the Yanks? They're an 11-year-old team that's already won one world championship. It would have been so, so, so much better to see the never-say-die Cubs play than the Marlins.

I can honestly say I have no interest in the World Series whatsoever. The two most interesting, most deserving teams got eliminated. The two teams that are left aren't worth my time.

An excellent metaphor

On a more "up" note, I thought I'd share an extremely insightful metaphor with you. I'm big into understanding things in terms of how they relate to other things, so metaphors are right up my alley. Sarah shared the following one with me, and I think it's really excellent:

When we are looking for items to decorate our houses, we'll often hang a piece of art on the wall. The most important thing to do in choosing art is to get the right piece in the first place. Once you've chosen a piece of art, you can choose a mat and frame that suit it.

Now, there are lots of different combinations of mats and frames that will work wonderfully with any given piece of art. Each frame and mat pulls out different colors and textures in the artwork, emphasizing greens or reds or golds. In fact, the same piece of art often looks quite different depending on the frame and mat you select.

But as important as they are, the frame and mat aren't the point. The point is the artwork itself. That's what you loved in the first place; the frame and the mat exist entirely to present the art in the best possible way.

Different churches are that way. Lutherans, because of our theological "colors," tend to draw out certain elements of the masterpiece that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Catholics draw out other aspects, and present the picture just a bit differently. Methodists, Baptists, Reformed and every other church bring certain "colors" to our attention, and help us to see the picture in a new light. Each denomination is a different frame to the Gospel, presenting it to the world just a bit differently from all the others.

But the point isn't the "frames," no matter how important and beautiful they may be. The point is always the masterpiece in the center - Jesus. Christians don't worship frames and mats. We worship Christ the great Work of Art. All the different "frames" and "mats" of our religious traditions simply help present Christ to the world in the best possible way we know how.

Isn't that a great image? I hope I presented it as well as Sarah did. It was definitely one of those "aha!" moments for me. I'll have to chew on it for a while. =)

Welcome to rural America

I went through an initiation rite of sorts tonight: I hit my first deer.

Sarah and I were on the way back from Lucinda's where we'd taken in "Survivor." There's nothing overtly theological about the show... we clergy-types just enjoy letting our hair down and watching some light TV. Survivor Night fits the bill for us.

We were halfway between Litchville and Marion when we hit the deer. Or, as Sarah pointed out, the deer hit us. He (she?) was in the ditch on the right side of the road, and both Sarah and I saw him. It was clear he intended to run across the road. There was no one coming in the other lane, and I swerved to the left, hoping to avoid the deer. I slowed down, but didn't slam on the brakes... didn't want to lose control of the car.

Unfortunately, the deer came too fast for me to avoid, and it ran into the side of my car.

In retrospect, that's pretty scary to me. Sarah was sitting on that side, with no big hood and engine block to protect her. If it had been a buck with big antlers, that could have been really, really bad. Yeah. I don't even want to go there.

As it turned out, the deer must have hit the side view mirror, because the mirror was a little less dusty on its tip than elsewhere. Otherwise, there were only two scratches about an inch in length on Sarah's door, about midway down. No dents, no blood, nothing broken. Nothing worth reporting to the police. I was relieved and amazed that the damage was so minimal; I'm afraid the deer was much worse for the wear than my car is. =(

But, by God's grace, Sarah and I were able to continue our conversation more or less uninterrupted all the way back to Litchville. Minimal damage to the car. More important, absolutely no damage to her whatsoever, aside from our shared regret at having just killed a deer, however unintentionally.

I expect this won't be the last time I hit a deer. I can only hope any future incidents turn out as "well" as this one did.

Out of the office

Cinda should be here in a few minutes, and then I'm off to the conference. Won't be back until after our weekly "Survivor Party" over at Sarah's tonight. I'll have the cell phone with, on the off chance I need to be reached.

Condolences to the Cubbies

It was sad news to me: The Cubs lost out to the Marlins in the National League Championship Series. I've been pulling for the Cubbies...it's been way too long since they had a shot at the World Series, but their fans have stuck by them each year. It was their turn this year. Unfortunately, it looks like they'll have to wait until next fall.

I feel even worse for the fan who tried to nab a foul ball last night in Game 6, which might have been caught by the Cubs for an out. The Cubs managed to foul up that 3-0 lead themselves, but that fan is going to bear the blame forever, just because baseball fans are like that. And the Chicago Sun-Times was cruel enough to publish his name and place of employment, so that the poor man has become a minor celebrity. Apparently he watched the Cubs lose tonight at home, with a police office standing guard. A huge Cubs fan himself, he'll always be hated as "The Guy Who Cost Us The Championship" now. That's not only unfair, it's darn near tragic.

So, my condolences to Cubs fans everywhere, but also this: Please be kind to the guy who grabbed. He only did what anyone else caught up in the excitement of a big game would do: He tried for a souvenir. You would have done it. I would have done it.

And the Cubbies lost this series fair and square, without any help from The Fan. It wasn't his fault. Please don't make him pay for it the rest of his life.

Upcoming events

Tonight we have another Theme Event for confirmation. (Theme Events are the main teaching times in our program, taking place every other week. On the "off" weeks, the kids either do a service/fellowship activity in their small groups, or have a "Family Date Night" with their parents and sibs while the program leaders meet for a "huddle" to evaluate the last month.)

I'll probably be working all day today getting the Theme Event pulled together, so don't expect much more blogging after this today. ;)

Tomorrow I'm catching a ride with Lucinda to the Fall Theological Conference at Concordia, presented by the Charis Ecumenical Center. One of our old professors from Luther, Dr. Terry Fretheim, is the keynote speaker. For more information, visit the Charis Ecumenical Center.

Friday will probably be a working day for me, meaning I'll shift my day off until next week. With all of the special events and the holiday this week, I'll need Friday to get my sermon and adult forum study on Martin Luther pulled together, I think.

Busy, busy, busy! So it's time for me to get cracking.

Bob the Personal Shopper (please don't laugh)

Yes, yes, it's true... I've become the personal shopper of my pal Sarah. ;) Or something like that. As she was pulling together dinner for some important guests this afternoon, she realized she needed a few things (spice, oil, etc.), and called to see if I could help out.

Lowbrow bachelor that I am *LOL* I didn't have any of the requisite items on hand, with the exception of parsley flakes. But since Jeff and I had been planning on running in to Jamestown this afternoon anyhow, I volunteered to pick up anything she needed.

Little does Sarah relize what a chance she was taking having Tweedledee and Tweedledum running errands for her. But she seemed happy enough with her groceries, so we must have done alright.

Bon apetit, Sarah! I'll have to start advertising my personal shopper service. ;)

Bargains, bargains, bargains

Thought I'd pass on a link that I've found interesting: Raging Minds (www.ragingminds.com). The site is devoted to sifting through the Internet for bargains and deals, so you don't have to. There's definitely a "tech" focus to the site, but it features many general-use deals at vendors like Amazon.com, too.

Just for Sarah

On this very night...
10 years ago...
along the same stretch of road...
in a dense fog...
just like this...
I saw the worst accident I ever seen...
There was this sound...
Like a garbage truck!
Dropped off the empire state building!
And when they finally pulled the driver's body...
From the Twisted... Burning... Wreck...
It looked like...
THIS!!!!!!
hooo hooo hooo hooo hooo haaaah!

Yes sir...
That was the worst accident I ever seen...

(Click for more)

Jeff's here

My brother Jeff is in town this weekend. He's on mid-sem break from Southwest Minnesota State University, and he was good enough to come up to visit. Probably means postings from me will be somewhat limited for the next few days - funny how having a life in the real world limits one's virtual life on the Internet!

Should I be insulted?

You know those coupons the cash registers at the grocery store automatically spit out, depending on what products you've purchased? Here's one I got the other day at Hugo's in Jamestown. You think I should take offense at it? ;)

YOU CAN BE DEBT FREE! Profina offers confidential credit counseling, debt management & financial education programs. Go to www.profinadebtsolutions.net or call 866-721-8306

The beautiful thing was, I paid by debit card.

It's Even Worse Than You Think

Once again, "It's the economy, stupid!" I'm becoming convinced that more than any other issue, the US economy and how we handle it now will determine whether my children and their children will have better, more prosperous lives (like every American generation before them) or will find themselves worse off with every passing year. An op-ed piece in today's New York Times, It's Even Worse Than You Think, leaves little room for optimism: Unless politicians of all stripes address this problem now, long before it is politically necessary for them to do so, our children will pay dearly for our lack of foresight.

The Times piece, by a professor at Harvard, shows how the government, if held to the same accounting practices as corporate America, would be forced to report a deficit this year of nearly one trillion dollars. Through fiscal slight of hand, the insolvency of Social Security and other elderly entitlement programs is being hidden in a move worthy of Enron and WorldCom.

It's the economy, stupid. I consider myself a Democrat, but right now anyone who is willing to confront this crushing problem immediately will get my vote, regardless of party. Of all the issues I care about, absolutely none of them can be advanced with the federal finances in tatters. We have a responsibility to our children not to saddle them with our debts. Any politician who gets that simple concept and charges on Washington with it is a hero in my book.

Anyone listening?

Happy birthday, Nancy!

That pretty much says it all, doesn't it? =)

If you live in a parsonage, you don't pay property taxes

That was my revelation tonight. I had dinner with a teacher friend of mine, and she was telling me about the many difficulties she and her colleagues face. Getting a window to let in more light in my study seemed like a ridiculous luxury compared with having current and enough textbooks for her students.

I'm a sympathetic audience. Although it's probably true that pastors don't in general receive the salaries and prestige that their academic credentials would demand in other occupations, I've long felt that teachers are far more abused by the rest of us. Their salaries and respect in most communities are far below what they deserve, and they're constantly struggling for the funds to (a) eek out a modest living, and (b) teach children effectively. Most teachers I know are very idealistic (at least, they start out that way), and are truly fulfilling their calling by teaching. That we don't honor them for their talents and efforts more than we do is shameful.

That's when I had my revelation. One consequence of parsonage life is that I don't pay property taxes. While this is generally a happy circumstance, it also means that none of my salary goes directly to support the schools. If the school district were to come to us and ask for more funding, as much as I'd lobby for it, it would be entirely accurate for someone to say, "It's all well and good for you to advocate higher taxes - since you don't have to pay them, Pastor!"

I don't know that there is a good "solution" for me, other than to patronize school events, purchase fundraiser items when the kids come to my door, and drop a bigger-than-expected donation in the wicker basket at band concerts.

I was just struck by the realization that my status as a pastor resident in the parsonage ever so subtly undermines my credibility as an advocate for proper school funding. I hope nobody else thinks as hard about these things as I do, or they might also figure that out. =(

The zoo in CA

This article is the most insightful analysis of California's unfortunate situation I've come across: Yahoo! News - A New Governor Won't Fix What Ails California

Let there be light

Right up front I need to say this: I've been absolutely delighted with my house these last six months. I've visited the homes of a few of my colleagues, and even though I like their houses well enough, I'm very glad that I live in this one. It's the nicest of the parsonages I visited on my Grand Tour of North Dakota last January, and the folks here have done a wonderful job maintaining and improving it.

That said, the one real issue I had with the house (aside from the color, which was always inteded to be changed after I moved in) was the lack of light in my study. I only have one medium-sized window in my study, and it's on the west side (front) of the house. The room itself is cozy and pleasant, and I enjoy working in my study. But I get very little light through my window, except for a short period late in the day, when the sun is starting to set. Lighting is a big issue to me, and I'm much happier in any room if there's plenty of natural light.

So I had been thinking about the possibility of adding a window to the study. Since it's in the corner of the house, there wouldn't be any major issues with putting another window on the north side. Instead of a rather dark, oppressive feeling study during the daytime, it would become bright and airy, a wonderful place to work. I'd thought about how to pitch this to the council, probably as a project for next summer (since they did so much to make the house welcoming for me when I arrived). I'd also mentioned it to selected parishioners when they came to visit, just to float the idea and see how it went.

One of them seems to have taken the idea to heart. =) She's got some memorial funds left after purchasing her main gifts to the church, and has instructed that those be used to put a new window in my study... preferably sooner rather than later! Her word for the study as it is right now was "depressing." I don't usually put it quite that strongly, but it makes me grin just to imagine this room with corner windows and light pouring in. I think it will be absolutely wonderful.

So thank you to my patron! I can't say how much I'm looking forward to the change. =)

Success and disappointment

Success tonight: Adding an external antenna on the roof of my car dramatically increased my reception with the cell phone. No second thoughts anymore. The phone stays. I should be able to make calls just about anyplace I go around here, as long as I'm in my car.

Disappointment tonight: My new BandFlex home gym arrived today. After lugging all 140 lbs. of it upstairs and preparing to put it together, I discovered that I only have 15 of the 16 pulleys needed. The box was all beaten up when it arrived, with the bottom practically falling off (it did fall off after I opened the box), and two holes that were more than big enough for a pulley to fall out of. This wouldn't be a problem had the pulley bag not also been ripped open and at least three pulleys loose in the box when I got it. Presumably the sixteenth pulley is somewhere between here and the warehouse... with all likelihood in a UPS truck somewhere.

So, I'll need to find out how to get a replacement. In theory I can ship the whole thing back to them, which would be stupid. I'll never get it back in the box (which is destroyed from its trip out to me, anyhow), and I'm not even considering paying the shipping, regardless. With any luck the company will just send me the part I need with no hassle, but I've dealt with enough customer "service" people that I'm not holding my breath.

More on this later.

What a gorgeous morning!

Fall here is beautiful. My backyard has several trees that are a marvelous shade of yellow, and when the first morning sun hits them across the schoolyard, they just glow. My grass is long and thick again, after months of being dry and frail this summer, and the golden leaves that are finally accumulating in my lawn made for a wonderful first sight this morning.

Cell shopping

Bought a cell phone today. I tried to get by without, really, I did. When my Sprint phone wouldn't work here, I decided that it was $40 or so each month in my pocket, and that the quiet life in the country was better without being constantly connected.

Problem is, I've become painfully aware of how unpleasant it would be to have car troubles while out visiting in the country, or (God forbid!) I should hit a dear or otherwise be involved in an accident. Figure in the amount of time I'm on the road and possibly needing to place a call for whatever reason, and the conferences I attend... well, a cell phone starts to look more and more like a necessity for a modern-day pastor.

So I'm trying out a Motorola model from Verizon. Coverage is pretty spotty here, but I knew that. Folks either have CellularOne service here (and they wanted a $500 deposit before they'd give me a phone! Ha!) or Verizon, but you're hit or miss with either. My understanding is that the reception's much better with an external antenna mounted on your car roof. I might try that. I think the coverage is good enough that I'll keep the phone (I have 15 days to change my mind, no harm, no foul).

Not entirely happy to be paying for a cell phone again, especially with money somewhat tight. Still, it's much better to have at least a chance of summoning assistance in an accident, and the convenience while visiting or traveling can't be denied. So, hello again to the cellular world. You knew I'd be back, didn't you?

Arnold's Biggest Fan

A scary, but probably accurate assessment of Ah-nuld, the man most likely to come out of the California circus with the governor's job: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/06/opinion/06HERB.html?th

Poem: "How Do I Love Thee?"

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

Church Improv

When my friends have stressed over their weddings and the choreography the priest/pastor is asking of them, I've always reminded them that a wedding, like any church service or public ceremony, is always an exercise in improvisation. Things will invariably happen that surprise you or don't go exactly according to plan, and so the worship leader or emcee will improvise around the circumstances. If it's well done, no one will be the wiser.

We had a lot of improv going on today at church. ;)

We started with a substitute acolyte at the last minute, in order to get our candles lit. Not so many minutes later, my pitch cue for the Kyrie was in the wrong key (our organist, bless her heart, had pressed the button on the organ that shifts the key down a step or two in order to help us sing the preceding hymn, and she forget to switch it back). Probably no one noticed that except the organist, me, and anyone with perfect pitch. Later on we shuffled around some music and drafted a communion assistant at the absolute last moment.

Yee-haw!

Sunday mornings are never dull for me, but this was a bit more adventure than normal. And the beautiful part is that probably very few people know the half of it. =)

And now I'm exhausted. It's time to get some food in the belly and then take advantage of some prime afternoon napping time.

Long day... must... get... sleep...

What a very odd thing - instead of going in to Moorhead for Concordia's homecoming game and my class reunion, I spent the day in Jamestown for the Jimmies' homecoming instead. What can I say? I had a better offer. My clerical chums Sarah and Lucinda were planning on making the trip (Cinda's an alum), and I was invited to tag along. Since watching football is much more interesting when you're with friends, regardless of who's playing, I was glad for the invite.

Meanwhile over at the Reformed church, Paul Peterson was in need of a video projector for tomorrow morning. We'd worked out an agreement for him to borrow First Lutheran's new projector, but he needed help setting it up. After some crossed wires (I thought the presentation was at his rural church, which took me nigh unto two hours to locate in the dark), when in fact I only needed to bring it to First Reformed, about four blocks from my house. *sigh* So it goes sometimes.

I know it's bad, but I've got plenty of work left to do on my sermon, and no energy left in my bod. Not even my good friend Mr. Coca-Cola is proving much help to me right now. But the Word must be proclaimed, and I'll be up after a few hours of restful peace gathering my thoughts and putting them down for preaching.

Look for my reflections on next week's texts Monday morning on Preacher's Corner. I don't plan on being in this position again if I can avoid it, and Preacher's Corner will help me get my thoughts together before Saturday night. ;)

Back at the computer in five hours...but don't expect another post until the sermon's finished.

It's finished...

...for now, anyway. The site is uploading, and I'm finally done for the day. Good night! ;)

Whew... what an effort

I can't think how long it's been since I worked so hard on a web site. Even the synod's site didn't take this much tweaking. A lot of the time and energy tonight went into this blog. Since it's done completely separately from the rest of the site, it was a little tricky getting it to look more or less like it belongs here (with all my graphics, color schemes, etc.)

It was good to hole up and work on this today, though. This sort of work is a creative outlet for me, and I really needed to just .create today.

I'm going to get the web site published, and then I'm going to bed

Huzzah!

Absolutely painless. =) I'm very pleased with the simplicity of publishing using Blogger. Expect to see much more frequent posts from me now that I've gotten with the times. I'm going to tweak the default design so that it fits better with the look of my site, but otherwise I'm happy with this!

New blog

I'm trying out a new blogging tool, "Blogger". Up until now, I've just used my web design program for blogging, and treated the blog like any other page. That's pretty cumbersome, though, and I can only do it from one computer - my own.

Blogger will take a lot of the tedium out of publishing to my blog, making it worthwhile to fire off short blurbs much more frequently. Also, since it's a web-based tool, I can update from any computer that's connected to the Internet.

I'm also shifting focus here a little bit. In addition to the general personal and political notes, I'd like to use the blog to kick around the biblical and theological topics that I deal with each day. Many preachers keep a blog that discusses their ideas on the texts for next Sunday...if time allows, I'll maybe delve into that, as well.

As I get the chance, I'll be moving my old blog entries to the new version.

For now, it's time to see if everything works...if you're reading this, my new blog, "Musings of a Young Pastor" has gone live. =)