WAHOO!
I started The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon. The same guy that wrote the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay My sister would call them "weird" I prefer the term Post Modern. They are both set in a familiar setting, but with an twist. The Yiddish Policean's Union is set in an alternate reality where the Jews have no homeland and have been scattered across the globe. I'm only a chapter in, but it already has my attention.
I'd forgotten that reading could be fun! Not that I don't like reading German theologians...
Update -
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 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!
MLK
A few months ago, I posted the text of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech. See it here.
Today I went to a lecture at school by Rev. Mark Dennis
Rev. Dennis discussed Dr. King's legacy and some of his management techniques. He compared and contrasted them to Barak Obama's. Very favorably compared them I might add. A classmate (Young Ashley, for those of you who've heard my stories.) said. "I want to vote for Obama more now than I did before!"
But anyway, the prime point of the lecture that I took away was that both Obama and King had spiritual advisers. The both had/have Pastors to help them along. This is the way Pastors can be agents of change.
Dr. King had "Daddy King" as MLK Sr. was called by those close to them. MLK also had Rev. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, who would eulogize King shortly after that day in April.
Senator Obama has Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity UCC in Chicago.
The contributions of these men were and are critical to the success of King and Obama. Rev. Dennis spoke us about the importance of training seminarians to be this type of agents of change. His most pointed comment was that "The world is in need of more Pastors and fewer Preachers."
Dr. King has always been a hero of mine. He's been up there with Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and other crusaders for Justice. But these people are almost like fictional characters. I've never had a real life link to them. Recently I was privileged to hear Rev. Martin Deppy tell stories about his work with Dr. King when Dr. King moved his family to Chicago.
One of Martin Deppy's closest friends, (indeed, Deppy described him as his brother), is Jerry Forshey. The last time I had surgery, Jerry, a retired United Methodist minister, was a great source of comfort to my lovely wife (girlfriend at the time) Mo. Jerry has cancer and is not expected to live to see the end of the year. He has asked me to help him to write some of his stories of his involvement in the Civil Rights movement. I've already heard stories about what happened to Jerry when he was marching and a number of people including Dr. King were hit with thrown bricks. I've heard stories about Jerry's involvement in the effort to desegregate the Methodist church. I hope to hear more soon. I'm sure I'll be writitng about it in some format. If not here, then somewhere.
It is an obvious honor to be asked to help someone carry out a dying wish. But there is another level to this. This gives me a living link to one of my heroes. I've sat and talked with two men who were privileged confidants of one of the greatest figures in American History. It has been almost two weeks since I was asked to do this and I'm still processing it. I'll let you know how it goes.
Today I went to a lecture at school by Rev. Mark Dennis
Rev. Dennis discussed Dr. King's legacy and some of his management techniques. He compared and contrasted them to Barak Obama's. Very favorably compared them I might add. A classmate (Young Ashley, for those of you who've heard my stories.) said. "I want to vote for Obama more now than I did before!"
But anyway, the prime point of the lecture that I took away was that both Obama and King had spiritual advisers. The both had/have Pastors to help them along. This is the way Pastors can be agents of change.
Dr. King had "Daddy King" as MLK Sr. was called by those close to them. MLK also had Rev. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, who would eulogize King shortly after that day in April.
Senator Obama has Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity UCC in Chicago.
The contributions of these men were and are critical to the success of King and Obama. Rev. Dennis spoke us about the importance of training seminarians to be this type of agents of change. His most pointed comment was that "The world is in need of more Pastors and fewer Preachers."
Dr. King has always been a hero of mine. He's been up there with Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and other crusaders for Justice. But these people are almost like fictional characters. I've never had a real life link to them. Recently I was privileged to hear Rev. Martin Deppy tell stories about his work with Dr. King when Dr. King moved his family to Chicago.
One of Martin Deppy's closest friends, (indeed, Deppy described him as his brother), is Jerry Forshey. The last time I had surgery, Jerry, a retired United Methodist minister, was a great source of comfort to my lovely wife (girlfriend at the time) Mo. Jerry has cancer and is not expected to live to see the end of the year. He has asked me to help him to write some of his stories of his involvement in the Civil Rights movement. I've already heard stories about what happened to Jerry when he was marching and a number of people including Dr. King were hit with thrown bricks. I've heard stories about Jerry's involvement in the effort to desegregate the Methodist church. I hope to hear more soon. I'm sure I'll be writitng about it in some format. If not here, then somewhere.
It is an obvious honor to be asked to help someone carry out a dying wish. But there is another level to this. This gives me a living link to one of my heroes. I've sat and talked with two men who were privileged confidants of one of the greatest figures in American History. It has been almost two weeks since I was asked to do this and I'm still processing it. I'll let you know how it goes.
Seasonal Depression Antidote
I've taken a hiatus. But I have some new projects to work on and some old, overdue ones to finish. So, I need to clear out the cobwebs and break the writers block I've had for a while. I also usually spend most of January in bed, hibernating. I'm always down this time of year, as is most of everyone else. This morning I, as usual was "flipping through" the online version of the Chicago Tribune. and I came across the picture below. It goes on my list of cutest things ever and it made me smile for , what seems like the first time since Christmas. (Except of course for the constant smile that comes from being around Mo. She's been wonderful as usual. I'll never understand how she puts up with my foul moods, but she does. She really does love me.) Anyway, enough of that. Here's the picture. (It's a baby Polar Bear.)
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