Biting the hand...

*sigh* I really didn't need that.

A gentleman seeking assistance at St. John's just yelled at me and accused me personally and the church in general of being a cheat and a fraud. Reason? Our standard assistance form asks for a Social Security number, and the only reason the church would want that would be to swindle him, apparently.

He didn't want help with his cell phone bill or gas for his car bad enough to deal with a phony church, he decided. I've still got the gas card sitting on my desk.

Guess I'll go back to my crooked, evil work before grabbing a bite to eat.

In memoriam - Rev. Timothy Maland

UPDATE: Visit Tim's CaringBridge page for more information and to leave his family your prayers and remembrances.

I got news this afternoon that Tim Maland, one of the two pastors who served Faith Lutheran throughout my growing up years, passed away a few hours ago. He was recovering from a heart transplant surgery earlier this week, and died of complications subsequent to the procedure.

Despite his frequent misguided attempts to convince me St. Olaf College was the right place for me (sorry, Tim... Concordia got to me first), Tim was a good pastor, mentor, and friend to me. His one-of-a-kind Norwegian/Portugese accent was unmistakable on the phone, as was his enthusiasm for serving God, which came through just as clearly.

Not only did Tim survive my class in confirmation (no small accomplishment), but he continued to show an honest interest in my academic and, ultimately, pastoral vocations long after we both had left Hutchinson behind. He seemed particularly pleased the Halloween I shaved my head into a tonsure and dressed as a monk - he concluded I looked the part of old Martin Luther himself, and how appropriate! Of course, it was under Tim's tutelage that I got some of my first tastes of Luther's approach to scripture and theology - a debt I hope to repay in my own confirmation ministry.

A lead foot? Yes, he had one A goofy sense of humor? That, too. A bad ticker? Alas, neither the heart he was born with nor the one that was so generously given him in his last days could keep up with Tim. The ancient Greeks, as Tim could have told you, didn't locate the seat of emotions and compassion in the heart, as we do.. It was all about the bowels - the guts - for them. Wherever it may be found, Tim did not lack for "heart," even as his body was forced to struggle mightily to compensate for an overburdened, under-performing pump.

To the Malands - you remain in my prayers, as you've been throughout the ups and downs of this process. Tim was not only greatly blessed, as you've described so many times in your journal; he was also a great blessing to a great many people. His joy now and our grieving are one and the same - that Tim is at rest, away from the suffering of this life, received eternally into the arms of the God whose servant and child he has been during his brief pilgrimage with us on earth. May you be comforted by the prayers and remembrances of your friends... But much, much more by the faithfulness of God, who has never let Tim go, even for a moment.

Blogging the Assembly!

Next week I'll be attending the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA in Chicago as a volunteer. I'll be able to sit in on the business sessions and any other assembly event I like (as long as I'm not scheduled to be helping out at the time!).

St. John's is generously allowing me to count this experience toward my continuing education hours - and thereby use continuing ed. days and funds. When I proposed this to the council, I suggested that I could take advantage of St. John's fledgling web site to blog live from the assembly. It would be a way to generate some interest with the site, keep people back home in the loop, provide some awareness of the larger church, and put some content online, all in one fell swoop.

So I've established a new blog to post my experiences and reflections in Chicago - Dispatches from the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. I'll be updating it periodically before and after the assembly, and frequently (as in, multiple posts per day, I hope) while I'm there.

I'm looking forward to participating in an important event in the life of my church - and documenting some of the experience for those who can't be there themselves. Please hop on over to the assembly blog and check it out! Meanwhile, this blog isn't going anywhere. You'll continue to find the normal stuff here, just like always.