Lots has been going on. My sister's mother in law died after a long illness. I found out I had to have surgery. Mary has set up a Caring Bridge site. It is here
I have to have my aorta redone. When Dr. K replaced most of my aorta in 2003, he left small section of my aorta intact. This was to prevent him from having to reattach all of the intercoastal arteries individually. It would have taken too long and greatly increased the risk of paraplegia. So he just left the section where all of those attached and sewed the whole thing into the graft. Now, that section of native tissue is failing. He wanted to do a minimally invasive procedure six months ago but we found out that the stent-graft wouldn't deploy correctly. So, Dr. K decided to put off surgery as long as possible.
Long story short, it isn't possible anymore. I was originally going to wait until summer vacation to have it done, but we've decided it needs to be moved up to April 1st. I've gotten a few comments about that date...
Anyway, I have some things to take care of. I just wanted to get this post up so everyone was up to date.
I'm Proud
One of my best friends sent me this video. This friend is a passionate secularist and a political progressive.
The video makes me proud to be a progressive and proud to be a Christian. This is the first time I can ever remember being both at the same time.
The video is 40 minutes long but well worth the time. I'm not sure when it was taken but I don't think the content would change much if the speech were given today.
The video makes me proud to be a progressive and proud to be a Christian. This is the first time I can ever remember being both at the same time.
The video is 40 minutes long but well worth the time. I'm not sure when it was taken but I don't think the content would change much if the speech were given today.
Here we go again!
A big day today. Election day, school starts and tomorrow is my first Ash Wednesday as clergy. I'll end up at church for about 12 hours tomorrow. We do imposition of ashes, Eucharist, in the morning, a midday service and an Ash Wednesday service tomorrow night.
An interesting discussion is starting in my theology class. (Pneumatology, Ecclesiology and Eschatology, or P. E & E for short.) Today we learned about the idea that total depravity is not the way of humanity. I must admit, this was refreshing for me. Despite everything I've learned about the evil of man. I have never been able to give up on a high anthropology. I've always felt that we have a spark of the divine in us. Its nice to know that a German Theologian agrees with me.
Jurgen Moltmann talks about the Holy Spirit as not being only relevatory. In other words, The Holy Spirit is not something that we simply experience, it is something we are in relationship with. And to be in relationship with something implies that there is a bit of that thing in us. Therefore, if we are part of the relationship with the Holy Spirit, we have some of it in us. And it is this part that goads on on and moves us toward perfection.
I see some echoes of Bonhoeffer's concept of Costly Grace in this as well as some of the Social Justice directives of Wesley. Ultimately, it is this bit of divinity that is in all of us that gets of off our butts and motivates us to make this world a better place. Moreover, to not do something is a denial of that divinity that rivals the denial of Peter.
So, go vote!
An interesting discussion is starting in my theology class. (Pneumatology, Ecclesiology and Eschatology, or P. E & E for short.) Today we learned about the idea that total depravity is not the way of humanity. I must admit, this was refreshing for me. Despite everything I've learned about the evil of man. I have never been able to give up on a high anthropology. I've always felt that we have a spark of the divine in us. Its nice to know that a German Theologian agrees with me.
Jurgen Moltmann talks about the Holy Spirit as not being only relevatory. In other words, The Holy Spirit is not something that we simply experience, it is something we are in relationship with. And to be in relationship with something implies that there is a bit of that thing in us. Therefore, if we are part of the relationship with the Holy Spirit, we have some of it in us. And it is this part that goads on on and moves us toward perfection.
I see some echoes of Bonhoeffer's concept of Costly Grace in this as well as some of the Social Justice directives of Wesley. Ultimately, it is this bit of divinity that is in all of us that gets of off our butts and motivates us to make this world a better place. Moreover, to not do something is a denial of that divinity that rivals the denial of Peter.
So, go vote!
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