POLLUTION IN THE VALLEY
(Wednesday) The Central Valley of California has the third worst air pollution problem in the country -- right behind LA (where it's better than it was 20 years ago) and Phoenix (where it's worse than it was 20 years ago). About 25% of our smog producing emissions and 50% of the dust and particulates are the result of relatively unrestricted practices in the dairy and farming industry. Tomorrow that all changes. The farmers aren't terribly happy about it but I suspect that deep inside they've known all along that the 21st century would catch up with them. It's a good thing -- even though it will be painful for everyone -- including the consumer who will end up paying more for ag products.
My guess is that the rest of our air problems have to do with local driving and perhaps even more so the industrial drift and smog that blows over from the San Franciso Bay Area. The Valley acts as a catch basin and the further south you go the worse it seems to get (fewer delta breezes to clean things out).
Wednesday, June 30
Tuesday, June 29
UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN EVANGELICALS
(Tuesday) A conversation with Mark Noll and Jay Tolson provides a really fine introduction to American Evangelicalism.
(Thanks CT weblog)
(Tuesday) A conversation with Mark Noll and Jay Tolson provides a really fine introduction to American Evangelicalism.
(Thanks CT weblog)
Monday, June 28
HISPANICS IN FLORIDA -- NO LONGER JUST CUBANS
(Monday) The whole make-up of Hispanic Florida is dramatically shifting. LA Times article
(Monday) The whole make-up of Hispanic Florida is dramatically shifting. LA Times article
Sunday, June 27
THE WHOLE HOMOSEXUALITY ISSUE II
(Sunday) This is a response to some of the comments that Vera has left in my comment boxes and the Covnet list.
VERA: Sorry, this is an agree to disagree issue for me.
BRAD: You can be sorry. But you're still wrong. :-) And that is not just my opinion but it is the stated opinion of the church -- and has been for 2,000 years.
We've got folk who are otherwise faithful people in our churches who do not believe in the bodily resurrection, the divinity of Christ, or the Virgin birth. And while we're glad to have them in our family these are not issues upon which we "agree to disagree". In other words, just because someone in our church holds a particular perspective that doesn't mean that we accept that perspective as legitimate. Even if there is a group of people holding a perspective that doesn't make it legitimate. And just because we don't spend a lot of time and energy trying to hunt down heterodox belief or behavior doesn't mean that we are agreeing to disagree. The same is true with this issue.
VERA: And for many others who I know personally who attend the Covenant who were not represented at that meeting.
BRAD: Now, that's not really a fair statement. Every church and every perspective in the church had the opportunity for representation. There were people who spoke from a perspective similar to yours. And while the church isn't about to banish them (no one is even keeping a list!) the perspective is clearly out of step with where the Covenant is at and where the church has historically been. The church reaffirmed what it has previously stated.
VERA: I cannot speak for them, I will speak only for myself here. But I think it is important for you to know that I am not alone in my thinking on this issue.
BRAD: I know you're not alone because I get more than my fair share of letters and email -- sometimes oozing anger and hate (I'm not implying that about you). I've been threatened and called names. People suggest that I'm hateful. They tell me I know nothing about the Bible or modern psychological thinking. They imply that I don't really care about people. They tell me that I live under a rock and if I really knew some gays I wouldn't be this way.
And this isn't even an issue that is high on my agenda! I guess it just comes with being in denominational leadership. I've been surprised. At this point there isn't much more that will shock me. Fortunately I have fairly thick skin -- formed through 20 years of pastoral ministry.
VERA: I very much question the biblical references to this issue, just as I questioned the role of women in the church as depicted in the Bible.
BRAD: Robert Cagnon does a good job in dealing with the analogy of women in ministry
http://www.robgagnon.net/articles/homoTheologyMattersArticle.htm
This isn't at all parallel to the issue of women in pastoral ministry where there is strong direct biblical scholarship indicating that women can serve in leadership. The issue has been, how do we balance that with a few passages that have been construed in such a way to suggest that women cannot serve in pastoral leadership? But there is absolutely no biblical evidence to suggest that homosexuality is acceptable in any context -- not one single passage.
There is lots of evidence to the contrary. It is one of the items from the OT levitical code that is reiterated in the New Testament.
There is a short Cagnon article which pretty well summarizes the issue from a biblical and theological perspective. http://www.robgagnon.net/ZenitInterview.htm
BTW, Cagnon teaches at a mainline protestant seminary. He isn't what people would typically call an evangelical and he is certainly not a fundamentalist.
VERA: Obviously, this issue was interpreted differently by the Covenant when they voted to ordain women.
BRAD: The Covenant has ordained women from early on (at least as early as the 1920's -- perhaps earlier). We have never had a rule prohibiting the ordination of women. When we voted in 1976 we simply stated that we're not going to make any rules prohibiting the ordination of women. But, again, this issue has nothing to do with the ordination of women and isn't even a parallel issue.
VERA: There are many references in the Bible that we have chosen to interpret differently than other denominations.
BRAD: Not really. We're not as unique as some people like to state. We have a unique history and ethos but we are well within the mainstream of historical biblical apostolic Nicean Christianity. I'm not sure that there is really an original idea among us. :-)
VERA: For example, Brad, you say that "In regard to the Covenant's "agree to disagree" principle -- that agreement is only in certain areas where faithful Christians have historically had differences of practice..." Are you saying that Catholics are not faithful Christians in your estimation because only men can become priests and those men must remain celibate?
BRAD: I'm not saying or implying that. But I'm missing your point. Perhaps you could flesh this out a bit for me.
VERA: If so, this is an argument full of holes, especially when you read the biblical references that are supposed to be about "homosexuality" in the Bible. We could argue that it says "men lying with..." but not "women lying with women" so there should be differences in respect to gender on this issue, if we wanted to be completely technical.
BRAD: Again, I'm missing the point. I'm just a little dense.
VERA: Let's examine some other issues brought up along with that passage in Leviticus that has been used so much for arguments sake. God also decrees through Moses a few other things (a long list, as you know):
Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
BRAD: Yes, and I've noted that the prohibition regarding homosexual is an issue which is carried over from the OT laws into the NT. The OT prohibition against homosexual practice is bigger than just some rules but it has to do with the way that we were created -- as male and female.
VERA: In the same book, there are rules about rituals after childbirth, skin diseases, and the like. Some things on this list have held up to scrutiny because there are reasons related to emotional or physical health that make them valid in today's society. Others, as we read them today, we consider to be ridiculous. We point to them as beliefs anchored in a lack of good information or the cultural ignorance of those times.
If you have not reached out to and befriended a committed homosexual couple, perhaps you need to. Judge not what you do not know of.
BRAD: I'm am in the thick of it. I don't know how it is that people think that because I read the Bible as condemning homosexual behavior that I don't know, like, or relate well to homosexual people. But even if I were not involved there are lots of things that I judge as unacceptable without having direct knowledge or involvement. And I suspect the same could be said of most of us. 1 Cor. 2:15 says, "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one." That is, we all, by virtue of our life in Christ, are in the process of fine tuning our crap detectors. In a sense we are called to be judgmental! Jesus was!
But the radical thing about Jesus is that he sat down and ate with the sinners and he loved them and had compassion on them. But this didn't mean that he let them off the hook for their sin. "Go and sin no more..."
VERA: Do not hide behind your ignorance.
BRAD: Are you referring to me personally? Are you saying that I am ignorant about people struggling with this issue?
VERA: This also rests upon the belief that homosexuality is predetermined or a choice. I happen to believe, after having many professional and personal friendships with homosexuals, that this issue is very clear to me as predetermination.
BRAD: Predetermination? Like in a Calvinistic way? Predetermination is different than the concept of orientation.
VERA: One of my friends I have known since we were small children. (I know her whole family.) Do I believe she made a casual choice to live her life this way? Absolutely not. This was not a casual choice, nor driven by a desire to live promiscuously (she has never been). She has been in a committed relationship since she was 21. She is now 43. If she and her partner could have married years ago, they would have. This is in contrast to her oldest brother who has been divorced and married three times within! a Protestant denomination.
BRAD: Even if sexual orientation is innate that does not mean that we need to act on all our sexual impulses. Certainly men have to throttle their sexual impulses when it comes to women. We seem to be wired to want to mate with all kinds of females. We have to learn to set those desires aside.
There is some evidence that some people are predisposed to alcohol abuse. Others are predisposed to violence or dishonesty. Do we bless those activities and say, well that's just the way they are wired? If indeed there is a predisposition toward homosexual behavior the response is analogous to how we deal with other forms of deviancy.
Divorce is always a tragedy and it is clearly not God's design. We do not approve of divorce. However, to throw divorce into this discussion is a red herring.
VERA: If the Covenant does not wish to ordain or marry homosexuals, there is nothing I can do about that on my own. But to imply that we should turn people out of church, to brand them sinners and insist that they break off a committed relationship and change to suit us, is wrong.
BRAD: We are not turning people out. We are simply gently challenging them to "go and sin no more" -- the same as we would do with someone struggling with sinful heterosexual behaviors, or greed, or racism, or dishonesty. It's not about branding anyone. We aren't even the ones who have brought up the issue of homosexuality. We are simply responding to the pressures that modern culture has been placing on us.
And this isn't about pleasing us -- but about what pleases God. If it were left up to me personally I would just say live and let live (I grew up in the 60's and 70's in California!) Frankly, I would be totally happy to say that as long as you don't hurt anyone else what you do in private is your own business. I'd like that a lot. But the word of God compels us differently -- at least if we take it and our responsibility to accurately reflect it seriously.
VERA: As has been said before, "you can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all of the same people you do."
BRAD: I don't hate anyone. To disagree isn't the same as hate. To tell someone the truth can be the most loving thing a person could do.
VERA: Think about it.
BRAD: Okay. I will. I'm not sure I have the luxury of not thinking about this issue.
:-)
(Sunday) This is a response to some of the comments that Vera has left in my comment boxes and the Covnet list.
VERA: Sorry, this is an agree to disagree issue for me.
BRAD: You can be sorry. But you're still wrong. :-) And that is not just my opinion but it is the stated opinion of the church -- and has been for 2,000 years.
We've got folk who are otherwise faithful people in our churches who do not believe in the bodily resurrection, the divinity of Christ, or the Virgin birth. And while we're glad to have them in our family these are not issues upon which we "agree to disagree". In other words, just because someone in our church holds a particular perspective that doesn't mean that we accept that perspective as legitimate. Even if there is a group of people holding a perspective that doesn't make it legitimate. And just because we don't spend a lot of time and energy trying to hunt down heterodox belief or behavior doesn't mean that we are agreeing to disagree. The same is true with this issue.
VERA: And for many others who I know personally who attend the Covenant who were not represented at that meeting.
BRAD: Now, that's not really a fair statement. Every church and every perspective in the church had the opportunity for representation. There were people who spoke from a perspective similar to yours. And while the church isn't about to banish them (no one is even keeping a list!) the perspective is clearly out of step with where the Covenant is at and where the church has historically been. The church reaffirmed what it has previously stated.
VERA: I cannot speak for them, I will speak only for myself here. But I think it is important for you to know that I am not alone in my thinking on this issue.
BRAD: I know you're not alone because I get more than my fair share of letters and email -- sometimes oozing anger and hate (I'm not implying that about you). I've been threatened and called names. People suggest that I'm hateful. They tell me I know nothing about the Bible or modern psychological thinking. They imply that I don't really care about people. They tell me that I live under a rock and if I really knew some gays I wouldn't be this way.
And this isn't even an issue that is high on my agenda! I guess it just comes with being in denominational leadership. I've been surprised. At this point there isn't much more that will shock me. Fortunately I have fairly thick skin -- formed through 20 years of pastoral ministry.
VERA: I very much question the biblical references to this issue, just as I questioned the role of women in the church as depicted in the Bible.
BRAD: Robert Cagnon does a good job in dealing with the analogy of women in ministry
http://www.robgagnon.net/articles/homoTheologyMattersArticle.htm
This isn't at all parallel to the issue of women in pastoral ministry where there is strong direct biblical scholarship indicating that women can serve in leadership. The issue has been, how do we balance that with a few passages that have been construed in such a way to suggest that women cannot serve in pastoral leadership? But there is absolutely no biblical evidence to suggest that homosexuality is acceptable in any context -- not one single passage.
There is lots of evidence to the contrary. It is one of the items from the OT levitical code that is reiterated in the New Testament.
There is a short Cagnon article which pretty well summarizes the issue from a biblical and theological perspective. http://www.robgagnon.net/ZenitInterview.htm
BTW, Cagnon teaches at a mainline protestant seminary. He isn't what people would typically call an evangelical and he is certainly not a fundamentalist.
VERA: Obviously, this issue was interpreted differently by the Covenant when they voted to ordain women.
BRAD: The Covenant has ordained women from early on (at least as early as the 1920's -- perhaps earlier). We have never had a rule prohibiting the ordination of women. When we voted in 1976 we simply stated that we're not going to make any rules prohibiting the ordination of women. But, again, this issue has nothing to do with the ordination of women and isn't even a parallel issue.
VERA: There are many references in the Bible that we have chosen to interpret differently than other denominations.
BRAD: Not really. We're not as unique as some people like to state. We have a unique history and ethos but we are well within the mainstream of historical biblical apostolic Nicean Christianity. I'm not sure that there is really an original idea among us. :-)
VERA: For example, Brad, you say that "In regard to the Covenant's "agree to disagree" principle -- that agreement is only in certain areas where faithful Christians have historically had differences of practice..." Are you saying that Catholics are not faithful Christians in your estimation because only men can become priests and those men must remain celibate?
BRAD: I'm not saying or implying that. But I'm missing your point. Perhaps you could flesh this out a bit for me.
VERA: If so, this is an argument full of holes, especially when you read the biblical references that are supposed to be about "homosexuality" in the Bible. We could argue that it says "men lying with..." but not "women lying with women" so there should be differences in respect to gender on this issue, if we wanted to be completely technical.
BRAD: Again, I'm missing the point. I'm just a little dense.
VERA: Let's examine some other issues brought up along with that passage in Leviticus that has been used so much for arguments sake. God also decrees through Moses a few other things (a long list, as you know):
Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
BRAD: Yes, and I've noted that the prohibition regarding homosexual is an issue which is carried over from the OT laws into the NT. The OT prohibition against homosexual practice is bigger than just some rules but it has to do with the way that we were created -- as male and female.
VERA: In the same book, there are rules about rituals after childbirth, skin diseases, and the like. Some things on this list have held up to scrutiny because there are reasons related to emotional or physical health that make them valid in today's society. Others, as we read them today, we consider to be ridiculous. We point to them as beliefs anchored in a lack of good information or the cultural ignorance of those times.
If you have not reached out to and befriended a committed homosexual couple, perhaps you need to. Judge not what you do not know of.
BRAD: I'm am in the thick of it. I don't know how it is that people think that because I read the Bible as condemning homosexual behavior that I don't know, like, or relate well to homosexual people. But even if I were not involved there are lots of things that I judge as unacceptable without having direct knowledge or involvement. And I suspect the same could be said of most of us. 1 Cor. 2:15 says, "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one." That is, we all, by virtue of our life in Christ, are in the process of fine tuning our crap detectors. In a sense we are called to be judgmental! Jesus was!
But the radical thing about Jesus is that he sat down and ate with the sinners and he loved them and had compassion on them. But this didn't mean that he let them off the hook for their sin. "Go and sin no more..."
VERA: Do not hide behind your ignorance.
BRAD: Are you referring to me personally? Are you saying that I am ignorant about people struggling with this issue?
VERA: This also rests upon the belief that homosexuality is predetermined or a choice. I happen to believe, after having many professional and personal friendships with homosexuals, that this issue is very clear to me as predetermination.
BRAD: Predetermination? Like in a Calvinistic way? Predetermination is different than the concept of orientation.
VERA: One of my friends I have known since we were small children. (I know her whole family.) Do I believe she made a casual choice to live her life this way? Absolutely not. This was not a casual choice, nor driven by a desire to live promiscuously (she has never been). She has been in a committed relationship since she was 21. She is now 43. If she and her partner could have married years ago, they would have. This is in contrast to her oldest brother who has been divorced and married three times within! a Protestant denomination.
BRAD: Even if sexual orientation is innate that does not mean that we need to act on all our sexual impulses. Certainly men have to throttle their sexual impulses when it comes to women. We seem to be wired to want to mate with all kinds of females. We have to learn to set those desires aside.
There is some evidence that some people are predisposed to alcohol abuse. Others are predisposed to violence or dishonesty. Do we bless those activities and say, well that's just the way they are wired? If indeed there is a predisposition toward homosexual behavior the response is analogous to how we deal with other forms of deviancy.
Divorce is always a tragedy and it is clearly not God's design. We do not approve of divorce. However, to throw divorce into this discussion is a red herring.
VERA: If the Covenant does not wish to ordain or marry homosexuals, there is nothing I can do about that on my own. But to imply that we should turn people out of church, to brand them sinners and insist that they break off a committed relationship and change to suit us, is wrong.
BRAD: We are not turning people out. We are simply gently challenging them to "go and sin no more" -- the same as we would do with someone struggling with sinful heterosexual behaviors, or greed, or racism, or dishonesty. It's not about branding anyone. We aren't even the ones who have brought up the issue of homosexuality. We are simply responding to the pressures that modern culture has been placing on us.
And this isn't about pleasing us -- but about what pleases God. If it were left up to me personally I would just say live and let live (I grew up in the 60's and 70's in California!) Frankly, I would be totally happy to say that as long as you don't hurt anyone else what you do in private is your own business. I'd like that a lot. But the word of God compels us differently -- at least if we take it and our responsibility to accurately reflect it seriously.
VERA: As has been said before, "you can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all of the same people you do."
BRAD: I don't hate anyone. To disagree isn't the same as hate. To tell someone the truth can be the most loving thing a person could do.
VERA: Think about it.
BRAD: Okay. I will. I'm not sure I have the luxury of not thinking about this issue.
:-)
A WALK ON THE BEACH
(Sunday) Cheryl and I drove to San Diego to pick Kirk up from school. We got there a little early so we could see the skits that he and the other orientation leaders had put together for new UCSD students. Then while he had a meeting we went for a walk on the beach. It was a long drive for 45 minutes of beach time. But it was worth it. The June gloom had pretty much burned off and the water is warming up. It was a beautiful day.
We got home a little before midnight last night.
(Sunday) Cheryl and I drove to San Diego to pick Kirk up from school. We got there a little early so we could see the skits that he and the other orientation leaders had put together for new UCSD students. Then while he had a meeting we went for a walk on the beach. It was a long drive for 45 minutes of beach time. But it was worth it. The June gloom had pretty much burned off and the water is warming up. It was a beautiful day.
We got home a little before midnight last night.
CALIFORNIA HOUSING PRICES
(Sunday) Californians are selling their homes and moving to places where they can live like kings with the profits. Link to LA Times article
Rudy has his thoughts on the issue.
(Sunday) Californians are selling their homes and moving to places where they can live like kings with the profits. Link to LA Times article
Rudy has his thoughts on the issue.
THE WHOLE HOMOSEXUALITY ISSUE
(Sunday) Someone has posted comments on the story about St Barnabas Church in Austin. The commenter implies that these are fundamentalists and that if the church really comes into the Covenant they need to make sure that they understand our commitment to "agree to disagree."
I want to suggest that the commenter has a fundamental misunderstanding of the Covenant -- and St Barnabas.
St Barnabas is hardly what one might call a "fundamentalist" church -- theologically or culturally. They are low-key civil people who are struggling with the issue of faithfulness to biblical Christianity in the midst of their own denominational crisis. These are humble people. There is no "holier than thou" thinking that I'm aware of.
In regard to the Covenant's "agree to disagree" principle -- that agreement is only in certain areas where faithful Christians have historically had differences of practice (e.g. mode and timing of baptism, understanding of the endtimes timeline). Homosexuality (like heterosexual promiscuity, greed, racism, drunkenness, divisiveness...) is not and never has been one of those "agree to disagree" areas.
We have never made this an issue of crusade but when pressed we have consistently said that homosexual practices of ALL sorts are inconsistent with biblical teaching and the Church's historical practice and understanding.
The 1996 statement on human sexuality makes this clear and the annual meeting of the ECC last week reaffirmed this with just a few dissenting votes. And the few dissenting votes were divided between those who wanted the denomination to be more aggressive in hunting down signs of sin and those who don't think that the Covenant should speak at all on this issue. Where we stand is pretty clear and this is why many evangelical congregations from mainline churches have been moving our direction.
(Sunday) Someone has posted comments on the story about St Barnabas Church in Austin. The commenter implies that these are fundamentalists and that if the church really comes into the Covenant they need to make sure that they understand our commitment to "agree to disagree."
I want to suggest that the commenter has a fundamental misunderstanding of the Covenant -- and St Barnabas.
St Barnabas is hardly what one might call a "fundamentalist" church -- theologically or culturally. They are low-key civil people who are struggling with the issue of faithfulness to biblical Christianity in the midst of their own denominational crisis. These are humble people. There is no "holier than thou" thinking that I'm aware of.
In regard to the Covenant's "agree to disagree" principle -- that agreement is only in certain areas where faithful Christians have historically had differences of practice (e.g. mode and timing of baptism, understanding of the endtimes timeline). Homosexuality (like heterosexual promiscuity, greed, racism, drunkenness, divisiveness...) is not and never has been one of those "agree to disagree" areas.
We have never made this an issue of crusade but when pressed we have consistently said that homosexual practices of ALL sorts are inconsistent with biblical teaching and the Church's historical practice and understanding.
The 1996 statement on human sexuality makes this clear and the annual meeting of the ECC last week reaffirmed this with just a few dissenting votes. And the few dissenting votes were divided between those who wanted the denomination to be more aggressive in hunting down signs of sin and those who don't think that the Covenant should speak at all on this issue. Where we stand is pretty clear and this is why many evangelical congregations from mainline churches have been moving our direction.
Friday, June 25
JAMBA LIME
(Friday) When I went home for lunch Betsy greeted me with the news that Jamba Juice has introduced a new line of lime drinks. Of course, I had to stop there on the way back to the office. They gave me a sample of "Lime It Up" and I bought an "Endless Lime." I can't decide which is better. But I know that their "Mango-A-Go-Go" now has some competition.
(Friday) When I went home for lunch Betsy greeted me with the news that Jamba Juice has introduced a new line of lime drinks. Of course, I had to stop there on the way back to the office. They gave me a sample of "Lime It Up" and I bought an "Endless Lime." I can't decide which is better. But I know that their "Mango-A-Go-Go" now has some competition.
Thursday, June 24
HOME AT LAST
(Thursday) Cheryl picked me up at the airport in San Jose and we finally got home at about 12:30 this morning.
This morning I could see that the kids had done a good job taking care of the yard while I was gone. We have some huge tomatoes. Tomatillos are about to take over a quarter of the universe. One of the key lime seeds I planted has sprouted -- AND an even more wonderful surprise -- one of the mango seeds I planted has sprouted and is now about 4 inches tall. This is the first mango I've been able to germinate.
(Thursday) Cheryl picked me up at the airport in San Jose and we finally got home at about 12:30 this morning.
This morning I could see that the kids had done a good job taking care of the yard while I was gone. We have some huge tomatoes. Tomatillos are about to take over a quarter of the universe. One of the key lime seeds I planted has sprouted -- AND an even more wonderful surprise -- one of the mango seeds I planted has sprouted and is now about 4 inches tall. This is the first mango I've been able to germinate.
Wednesday, June 23
EPISCOPAL STIRRINGS IN TEXAS
(Wednesday) An Episcopal Church in Austin voted Sunday to leave their denomination and try out the Covenant. I think that's a first.
(Wednesday) An Episcopal Church in Austin voted Sunday to leave their denomination and try out the Covenant. I think that's a first.
HOMEWARD BOUND
(Wednesday) The last few days have been extremely busy with the annual meeting of the Covenant Ministerium, the annual meeting of the ECC, and an ordination service last night. Things have gone well -- more ECC meetings today. I fly home at 7 p.m. tonight. Yeah!
(Wednesday) The last few days have been extremely busy with the annual meeting of the Covenant Ministerium, the annual meeting of the ECC, and an ordination service last night. Things have gone well -- more ECC meetings today. I fly home at 7 p.m. tonight. Yeah!
Sunday, June 20
THE SANCTUARY
(Sunday) This morning I attended the service at The Sanctuary Covenant Church, an 1 1/2 year-old congregation that meets in a high school theater.
It was an interesting experience. I wouldn't be surprised if all the band members were professionals -- the drummer and electric guitar player were awesome. The pastor, Efrem Smith, is an enthusiastic preacher who morphs between vocal entertainer, stand-up comedian, story-teller, and black preacher.
The service itself was a hybrid between Willow Creek, rock concert, African-American revival, and racial reconciliation rally. About half the congregation was white and half black. The energy level was definitely black. Transcendence and mystery were noticeably absent. Even the music was "I" "I" "I"...
There were about 300 people present. Although, I only counted about 100 when the service started at 10:30. Two-thirds of the congregation drifted in during the first half-hour. I suppose when the service goes nearly two hours no one feels like they're really missing out on much when they miss the first 30 minutes. The people were warm and accepting. If they had the facilities I suspect that The Sanctuary would quickly jump to megachurch status.
(Sunday) This morning I attended the service at The Sanctuary Covenant Church, an 1 1/2 year-old congregation that meets in a high school theater.
It was an interesting experience. I wouldn't be surprised if all the band members were professionals -- the drummer and electric guitar player were awesome. The pastor, Efrem Smith, is an enthusiastic preacher who morphs between vocal entertainer, stand-up comedian, story-teller, and black preacher.
The service itself was a hybrid between Willow Creek, rock concert, African-American revival, and racial reconciliation rally. About half the congregation was white and half black. The energy level was definitely black. Transcendence and mystery were noticeably absent. Even the music was "I" "I" "I"...
There were about 300 people present. Although, I only counted about 100 when the service started at 10:30. Two-thirds of the congregation drifted in during the first half-hour. I suppose when the service goes nearly two hours no one feels like they're really missing out on much when they miss the first 30 minutes. The people were warm and accepting. If they had the facilities I suspect that The Sanctuary would quickly jump to megachurch status.
Saturday, June 19
GOOD NEWS
(Saturday) The Board of the Ordered Ministry interviewed Randall this morning and voted to finish the process of transferring his ordination into the Evangelical Covenant Church. We're blessed to have him.
After the interview Randall and I had lunch together at the Chipolte on Nicolette. It was really fun to talk with face-to-face after knowing him all this time only online.
(Saturday) The Board of the Ordered Ministry interviewed Randall this morning and voted to finish the process of transferring his ordination into the Evangelical Covenant Church. We're blessed to have him.
After the interview Randall and I had lunch together at the Chipolte on Nicolette. It was really fun to talk with face-to-face after knowing him all this time only online.
Friday, June 18
NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS
(Friday) The credibility crisis in the Roman Catholic Church is about to worsen. The Dallas Morning-News is running a series of articles exposing an ongoing pattern of dealing with pedophilia by shifting priests, without supervision, to other countries around the world. Today they are highlighting a priest, a convicted pedofile, who is working with children in Samoa.
(Friday) The credibility crisis in the Roman Catholic Church is about to worsen. The Dallas Morning-News is running a series of articles exposing an ongoing pattern of dealing with pedophilia by shifting priests, without supervision, to other countries around the world. Today they are highlighting a priest, a convicted pedofile, who is working with children in Samoa.
THE STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS
(Friday) A few observations from my time on the streets of downtown Minneapolis: The Skyway system is cool -- miles and miles of connected walkways meandering through the downtown...
Most people prefer the outside Nicollet pedestrian mall at this time of the year. The place is wall-to-wall people during the daytime. Things seem to close up by 7 or 8. Even Target closes by 8 p.m... After that only the trendy restaurants and bars are open.
While there are a few Somalis out there (some dressed in traditional Islamic garb), and a few Asians (especially yesterday for the Farmers' Market), a few African-Americans, and even fewer Hispanics (I actually heard someone speaking Spanish today) -- on a whole this place is really white compared to Turlock, where people of some kind of color seems to make up half the population (especially among the younger people). And I do mean white -- unsunned. And they all look like people I should know -- from the common Northern European gene pool. Some of them are probably my Scandinavian cousins -- 4 or 5 times removed.
The weather is great -- sun shining -- light breeze -- temps in the mid-60's. Very fine.
(Friday) A few observations from my time on the streets of downtown Minneapolis: The Skyway system is cool -- miles and miles of connected walkways meandering through the downtown...
Most people prefer the outside Nicollet pedestrian mall at this time of the year. The place is wall-to-wall people during the daytime. Things seem to close up by 7 or 8. Even Target closes by 8 p.m... After that only the trendy restaurants and bars are open.
While there are a few Somalis out there (some dressed in traditional Islamic garb), and a few Asians (especially yesterday for the Farmers' Market), a few African-Americans, and even fewer Hispanics (I actually heard someone speaking Spanish today) -- on a whole this place is really white compared to Turlock, where people of some kind of color seems to make up half the population (especially among the younger people). And I do mean white -- unsunned. And they all look like people I should know -- from the common Northern European gene pool. Some of them are probably my Scandinavian cousins -- 4 or 5 times removed.
The weather is great -- sun shining -- light breeze -- temps in the mid-60's. Very fine.
NEW ANGLICAN ALLIANCE
(Friday) Six conservative Anglican groups have formed a new alliance. These groups represent about 200,000 people. The significance of this move is that it starts to heal the breach among the traditional Anglicans who haven't been able to get along -- in spite of their common "enemy."
(Friday) Six conservative Anglican groups have formed a new alliance. These groups represent about 200,000 people. The significance of this move is that it starts to heal the breach among the traditional Anglicans who haven't been able to get along -- in spite of their common "enemy."
Thursday, June 17
QUIRKY TRAVEL NOTE
(Thursday) My hotel room came with a small refrigerator ("mini-bar") stuffed with beer and liquor (and candy). I don't know what any of it costs but I'm certain that I don't want to pay for anything in there (no prices to be found anywhere in the room. If you have to ask then it's out of your budget). So, as usual I'm ignoring the frig -- except I've added a few of the sodas that I bought at the Target store across the street.
Anyway, the quirky thing that I've never seen before is that the frig has an automatic lock on it. Since Minnesota law prohibits the sale of booze after 1 a.m. the frig automatically locks itself until 8 a.m. Isn't technology wonderful?
(Thursday) My hotel room came with a small refrigerator ("mini-bar") stuffed with beer and liquor (and candy). I don't know what any of it costs but I'm certain that I don't want to pay for anything in there (no prices to be found anywhere in the room. If you have to ask then it's out of your budget). So, as usual I'm ignoring the frig -- except I've added a few of the sodas that I bought at the Target store across the street.
Anyway, the quirky thing that I've never seen before is that the frig has an automatic lock on it. Since Minnesota law prohibits the sale of booze after 1 a.m. the frig automatically locks itself until 8 a.m. Isn't technology wonderful?
Wednesday, June 16
GOOGLE MAIL
(Wednesday) Yahoo is responding to the gmail heat. Yesterday they raised the amount of storage on my account to 100 MB (up from 10). And they've redesigned the interface so that it looks a lot like gmail (cleaner).
Gmail, which offers over 1,000 MB of storage, continues to give me more invitations to give away. The more I give the more they give me (There is some kind of stewardship lesson in there). So if you'd like a gmail invitation let me know (boydston[AT]gmail.com).
(Wednesday) Yahoo is responding to the gmail heat. Yesterday they raised the amount of storage on my account to 100 MB (up from 10). And they've redesigned the interface so that it looks a lot like gmail (cleaner).
Gmail, which offers over 1,000 MB of storage, continues to give me more invitations to give away. The more I give the more they give me (There is some kind of stewardship lesson in there). So if you'd like a gmail invitation let me know (boydston[AT]gmail.com).
MINNESOTA LIVE
(Wednesday) I arrived in the Twin Cities yesterday afternoon and drove through the rolling hills out to Jonathan and Sue Fenton's place in Buffalo. It's just beautiful out there. You can see why some people would put up with the winters so they could live in a place like that. The mosquitoes on the other hand...
We had a terrific visit. So I didn't get back into Minneapolis until after midnight and found that my hotel had over-booked. They put me up in a Holiday Inn. I slept in a little this morning and then drove out to the bookstore at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Now, I'm doing lunch and borrowing bandwidth from the Taste of Scandinavia Bakery and Cafe just down the street from the seminary.
(Wednesday) I arrived in the Twin Cities yesterday afternoon and drove through the rolling hills out to Jonathan and Sue Fenton's place in Buffalo. It's just beautiful out there. You can see why some people would put up with the winters so they could live in a place like that. The mosquitoes on the other hand...
We had a terrific visit. So I didn't get back into Minneapolis until after midnight and found that my hotel had over-booked. They put me up in a Holiday Inn. I slept in a little this morning and then drove out to the bookstore at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Now, I'm doing lunch and borrowing bandwidth from the Taste of Scandinavia Bakery and Cafe just down the street from the seminary.
Monday, June 14
MINNEAPOLIS OR BUST
(Monday) I leave early tomorrow morning for 9 days of meetings in Minneapolis. I'm tired just thinking about it!
Actually, my experience has been that it's a good time when the Covenant gets together. I'm involved in the Board of the Ordered Ministry, the Covenant Ministerium, and I'm a delegate to the ECC annual meeting. AND I've got several meetings with good friends like Jonathan and Sue Fenton (who used to be a part of our church in Turlock) and I'm looking forward to a face-to-face with Randall Friesen who is a Covenant pastor in Prince Albert, SK.
I wish Southwest flew into the Twin Cities.
(Monday) I leave early tomorrow morning for 9 days of meetings in Minneapolis. I'm tired just thinking about it!
Actually, my experience has been that it's a good time when the Covenant gets together. I'm involved in the Board of the Ordered Ministry, the Covenant Ministerium, and I'm a delegate to the ECC annual meeting. AND I've got several meetings with good friends like Jonathan and Sue Fenton (who used to be a part of our church in Turlock) and I'm looking forward to a face-to-face with Randall Friesen who is a Covenant pastor in Prince Albert, SK.
I wish Southwest flew into the Twin Cities.
WEBHOSTING
(Monday) Several of my domain names are hosting on the redirection.net server. This is a great service. For $5/year you get redirection to unlimited email addresses and subdomains. The interface is reasonable enough.
I am thinking, though, of moving one of those domains (boydston.us) to its own server. And then I would get rid of the domain that it currently redirects to (bradboydston.com). However, I would like to have a simple interface with unlimited email redirection and subdomains for people in my family. I'd like to have at least 1,000 MB of disk space, 50 GB of bandwidth/month, a history of reliability, good back-up -- all for under $10/month. Any time I start to investigate this I'm swamped with options. I need some personal input from others who pay for hosting. Any suggestions?
I currently have some hosting with he.net, which provides great service, but their interface is not user friendly. And I have to stop and think through what I'm doing every time I update anything. That is, it's not intuitive.
(Monday) Several of my domain names are hosting on the redirection.net server. This is a great service. For $5/year you get redirection to unlimited email addresses and subdomains. The interface is reasonable enough.
I am thinking, though, of moving one of those domains (boydston.us) to its own server. And then I would get rid of the domain that it currently redirects to (bradboydston.com). However, I would like to have a simple interface with unlimited email redirection and subdomains for people in my family. I'd like to have at least 1,000 MB of disk space, 50 GB of bandwidth/month, a history of reliability, good back-up -- all for under $10/month. Any time I start to investigate this I'm swamped with options. I need some personal input from others who pay for hosting. Any suggestions?
I currently have some hosting with he.net, which provides great service, but their interface is not user friendly. And I have to stop and think through what I'm doing every time I update anything. That is, it's not intuitive.
Saturday, June 12
A CLASSICAL DIVORCE
(Saturday) The public radio stations in the US are trying to divorce themselves from the fine arts. Classical music just doesn't draw the dollars like talk-radio and the newsmagazines -- all of which I at times enjoy -- but I would rather that they didn't bump classical music.
I don't understand how it is that the most listened to station in the UK is ClassicFM (6.5 million listeners a week) but in the US public radio stations are abandoning what has traditionally been their mainstay as though it was the plague.
Fortunately satellite radio and broadband Internet streams are coming to our rescue. Some of my favorite online options:
KBAQ (Phoenix) -- an NPR station which still specializes in classical
ClassicFM (London) -- Commercial, best of classical format, and as a bonus -- traffic reports for the London area motorways.
BBC3 (London) -- The "mother of all classical stations" -- has Choral Evensong live on Wednesdays (and on file for other times)
XLNC1 (Tijuana, Baja California, México) -- aiming at the San Diego listener
WGCU (Ft. Myers, Florida) -- Only classical about half time but fun to imagine that I'm in South Florida
KING (Seattle) -- the first classical station to utilize streaming audio
KUSC (Los Angeles) -- the station I listen to when I'm driving in So Cal
KCNV (Las Vegas) -- new on my list
ClassicalWebcast is a site run by Peter Ribbens in the Netherlands. He has tried to catalog all of the classical stations with live-webcasts -- in the whole world! There are still lots of options out there -- even if NPR continues down the road to perdition.
(Saturday) The public radio stations in the US are trying to divorce themselves from the fine arts. Classical music just doesn't draw the dollars like talk-radio and the newsmagazines -- all of which I at times enjoy -- but I would rather that they didn't bump classical music.
I don't understand how it is that the most listened to station in the UK is ClassicFM (6.5 million listeners a week) but in the US public radio stations are abandoning what has traditionally been their mainstay as though it was the plague.
Fortunately satellite radio and broadband Internet streams are coming to our rescue. Some of my favorite online options:
KBAQ (Phoenix) -- an NPR station which still specializes in classical
ClassicFM (London) -- Commercial, best of classical format, and as a bonus -- traffic reports for the London area motorways.
BBC3 (London) -- The "mother of all classical stations" -- has Choral Evensong live on Wednesdays (and on file for other times)
XLNC1 (Tijuana, Baja California, México) -- aiming at the San Diego listener
WGCU (Ft. Myers, Florida) -- Only classical about half time but fun to imagine that I'm in South Florida
KING (Seattle) -- the first classical station to utilize streaming audio
KUSC (Los Angeles) -- the station I listen to when I'm driving in So Cal
KCNV (Las Vegas) -- new on my list
ClassicalWebcast is a site run by Peter Ribbens in the Netherlands. He has tried to catalog all of the classical stations with live-webcasts -- in the whole world! There are still lots of options out there -- even if NPR continues down the road to perdition.
Friday, June 11
THE FUNERAL
(Friday) I've been watching the Reagan funeral on C-Span this evening. Interesting -- solemn -- as close to a royal pageant as Americans get. Lots of well done eulogies. The elder George Bush was especially effective. The younger President Bush did a good job weaving the hope of the resurrection into his tribute. Former senator John Danforth, who is also an Episcopal priest, was the lead celebrant. He, too, made sure that the pageantry didn't totally overshadow the hope of the resurrection.
(Friday) I've been watching the Reagan funeral on C-Span this evening. Interesting -- solemn -- as close to a royal pageant as Americans get. Lots of well done eulogies. The elder George Bush was especially effective. The younger President Bush did a good job weaving the hope of the resurrection into his tribute. Former senator John Danforth, who is also an Episcopal priest, was the lead celebrant. He, too, made sure that the pageantry didn't totally overshadow the hope of the resurrection.
HOW GERMANY WAS WON -- THE FIRST TIME
(Friday) In short -- monks.
Chris Armstrong: "Irony" seems a concept invented for such a situation as this: The man historian Christopher Dawson once called the most influential Englishman who ever lived is the patron saint of … Germany.
And, as journalist Uwe Siemon-Netto has recently reminded us, the 60th anniversary of D-Day is also the 1250th anniversary of this man's death."
Read Chris Armstrong's article on St Boniface -- aka "Winfrith from Essex".
He's got his own webpage, too. And the tourism people in Crediton would like you to be interested in St Boniface as well.
(Friday) In short -- monks.
Chris Armstrong: "Irony" seems a concept invented for such a situation as this: The man historian Christopher Dawson once called the most influential Englishman who ever lived is the patron saint of … Germany.
And, as journalist Uwe Siemon-Netto has recently reminded us, the 60th anniversary of D-Day is also the 1250th anniversary of this man's death."
Read Chris Armstrong's article on St Boniface -- aka "Winfrith from Essex".
He's got his own webpage, too. And the tourism people in Crediton would like you to be interested in St Boniface as well.
Thursday, June 10
MAKE YOUR XP LOOK LIKE A MAC
(Thursday) And people accuse me of having way too much time on my hands.
(Thursday) And people accuse me of having way too much time on my hands.
Cara Cara
(Thursday) Usually when I buy a tree I get it into the ground right away. But it was over a week ago that I bought another Cara Cara tree. And it wasn't until this evening that I finally got it planted.
Cara Cara navel oranges are reddish pink inside and taste like a pink grapefruit -- except without the acid. It is a limb sport (a natural genetic mutation which has been propagated) discovered in Venezuela and introduced into Florida in 1987. They are now available to gardeners through specialty nurseries such as Wal-Mart -- which is where I got mine.
(Thursday) Usually when I buy a tree I get it into the ground right away. But it was over a week ago that I bought another Cara Cara tree. And it wasn't until this evening that I finally got it planted.
Cara Cara navel oranges are reddish pink inside and taste like a pink grapefruit -- except without the acid. It is a limb sport (a natural genetic mutation which has been propagated) discovered in Venezuela and introduced into Florida in 1987. They are now available to gardeners through specialty nurseries such as Wal-Mart -- which is where I got mine.
Wednesday, June 9
WANT GMAIL?
(Wednesday) I currently have 2 gmail invitations at my disposal. That is, I can invite two people to become gmail beta testers. And I will extend those invitations to the first two people who write and ask for one -- boydston-AT-gmail.com -- and yes, replace the -AT- in the email with a @ -- just trying to hold off the spam spiders.
(Wednesday) I currently have 2 gmail invitations at my disposal. That is, I can invite two people to become gmail beta testers. And I will extend those invitations to the first two people who write and ask for one -- boydston-AT-gmail.com -- and yes, replace the -AT- in the email with a @ -- just trying to hold off the spam spiders.
Tuesday, June 8
Monday, June 7
THE TRIP TO SAN DIEGO
(Monday) My parents picked Kirk up from school in San Diego and brought him north to Turlock on Friday. Friday evening we all saw Kent graduate from high school.
We decided to send Kirk back to San Diego with a car for the next three weeks. This is finals week and then he will be working with the new student orientation for the following weeks. However, since he needs to be out of his student apartment this week we also needed to take the van down to pick up his stuff. So Kirk, Kent, and I set off this morning in two vehicles.
We only got about 5 miles out of Turlock when the clutch went out on our Ford Escort. I managed to nurse it back into town, off the freeway, and into the parking lot at the Circle K. It refused to go any further. Fortunately, there was a tow truck in the parking lot and the driver agreed to take the Escort to Nona's.
Repairs should be done tomorrow. However, the three of us drove down to San Diego -- about an hour behind schedule -- and with only one car. We did make a stop at UC Irvine so Kent could pick up some student laundry for his new school.
So tonight is another Motel 6 night for Kent and I. Kirk may or may not get sleep tonight. He's still packing up most of his stuff so we can pick it up tomorrow morning.
We did manage to catch the tail end of the final Stanley Cup game -- what a Lightening show!
(Monday) My parents picked Kirk up from school in San Diego and brought him north to Turlock on Friday. Friday evening we all saw Kent graduate from high school.
We decided to send Kirk back to San Diego with a car for the next three weeks. This is finals week and then he will be working with the new student orientation for the following weeks. However, since he needs to be out of his student apartment this week we also needed to take the van down to pick up his stuff. So Kirk, Kent, and I set off this morning in two vehicles.
We only got about 5 miles out of Turlock when the clutch went out on our Ford Escort. I managed to nurse it back into town, off the freeway, and into the parking lot at the Circle K. It refused to go any further. Fortunately, there was a tow truck in the parking lot and the driver agreed to take the Escort to Nona's.
Repairs should be done tomorrow. However, the three of us drove down to San Diego -- about an hour behind schedule -- and with only one car. We did make a stop at UC Irvine so Kent could pick up some student laundry for his new school.
So tonight is another Motel 6 night for Kent and I. Kirk may or may not get sleep tonight. He's still packing up most of his stuff so we can pick it up tomorrow morning.
We did manage to catch the tail end of the final Stanley Cup game -- what a Lightening show!
Saturday, June 5
ULTRA REV
(Saturday) Steve Evans has taken up blogging. He is a Covenant pastor serving in an Episcopal Church.
(Saturday) Steve Evans has taken up blogging. He is a Covenant pastor serving in an Episcopal Church.
THE DEATH OF RONALD REAGAN
(Saturday) Apparently President Reagan died a short while ago. He was a master communicator and I considered it a great privilege to count him as one of my closest friends. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. I did get to ask him a question at a press conference once, and I do think that he was one of the best communicators to ever hold the White House.
I've never been fond of actors in politics and so I don't think I voted for him. If I remember right, I thought he had single-handedly dismantled the educational system in California. I didn't realize at that point how much more damage could be done.
(Saturday) Apparently President Reagan died a short while ago. He was a master communicator and I considered it a great privilege to count him as one of my closest friends. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. I did get to ask him a question at a press conference once, and I do think that he was one of the best communicators to ever hold the White House.
I've never been fond of actors in politics and so I don't think I voted for him. If I remember right, I thought he had single-handedly dismantled the educational system in California. I didn't realize at that point how much more damage could be done.
GMAIL SIG LINE
(Saturday) Good news: Gmail has added a signature option in the settings. Bad news: They automatically put the two -- over the sig line. In the early days of email some geeks somewhere decided that the -- should separate the sig line from the body of the email. Hardly anyone adopted the standard but somehow gmail has resurrected it.
(Saturday) Good news: Gmail has added a signature option in the settings. Bad news: They automatically put the two -- over the sig line. In the early days of email some geeks somewhere decided that the -- should separate the sig line from the body of the email. Hardly anyone adopted the standard but somehow gmail has resurrected it.
Friday, June 4
CONGRATULATIONS
(Friday) Kent graduated from Turlock High School this evening. He's wearing gold because he had a grade point average over 4.0. In the fall he starts in the honors program at UC Irvine.
Standing next to Kent is Betsy (aka "Elizabeth" to her friends at Pitman High School), our 16-year-old. As of today she is a junior.
(Friday) Kent graduated from Turlock High School this evening. He's wearing gold because he had a grade point average over 4.0. In the fall he starts in the honors program at UC Irvine.
Standing next to Kent is Betsy (aka "Elizabeth" to her friends at Pitman High School), our 16-year-old. As of today she is a junior.
Thursday, June 3
BOB LETTIS
(Thursday) Bob died this morning. He was a sweet old guy who had been a part of our congregation. Bob was the kind of man with whom you could talk about anything -- well read -- tuned into what was going on around the world. Even though his body was pretty worn out his mind was sharp and he was enthusiastic in his greeting the last time I saw him a few weeks ago. Praise God for his life!
(Thursday) Bob died this morning. He was a sweet old guy who had been a part of our congregation. Bob was the kind of man with whom you could talk about anything -- well read -- tuned into what was going on around the world. Even though his body was pretty worn out his mind was sharp and he was enthusiastic in his greeting the last time I saw him a few weeks ago. Praise God for his life!
Wednesday, June 2
ACLU BULLIES LA COUNTY
(Wednesday) Rather than spend big bucks in court, the County of Los Angeles has agreed to removed a microscopic cross from the county seal. The designer of the seal in the 1950's put the cross there to represent the historical influence of the California missions on the development of the county. Link to earlier post.
I'm not surprised. And I don't think it makes LA County any less Christian (no one is suggesting that it was ever a Christian county). It's just silly -- the secular paranoia over things spiritual.
But the real bottom line was the bottom line. It was a decision based in economic reality. The counties in California are struggling financially. The ACLU used that reality to their advantage.
(Wednesday) Rather than spend big bucks in court, the County of Los Angeles has agreed to removed a microscopic cross from the county seal. The designer of the seal in the 1950's put the cross there to represent the historical influence of the California missions on the development of the county. Link to earlier post.
I'm not surprised. And I don't think it makes LA County any less Christian (no one is suggesting that it was ever a Christian county). It's just silly -- the secular paranoia over things spiritual.
But the real bottom line was the bottom line. It was a decision based in economic reality. The counties in California are struggling financially. The ACLU used that reality to their advantage.
Tuesday, June 1
ANOTHER REASON TO GO TIE-FREE
(Tuesday) Karl is razzing me because I wore a tie Sunday morning. (For those of you in Hawaii, a tie is an article of clothing that men wore around their necks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it was considered somewhat fashionable.) It was Pentecost and the only thing red in my closet was a tie. I could have worn my alb and red stole but that would have probably been distracting for many if not most of the people who worship in our church. Anyway, I don't usually wear a tie. And that's fine with almost everyone in this community where only a few bankers and an occasional physician still strangle themselves on a regular basis.
I'm sure that there are some sound theological reasons to avoid ties.
Dan, who wears a tie as often as I do, has come up with a non-theological reason to go tie free. Germs.
(Tuesday) Karl is razzing me because I wore a tie Sunday morning. (For those of you in Hawaii, a tie is an article of clothing that men wore around their necks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it was considered somewhat fashionable.) It was Pentecost and the only thing red in my closet was a tie. I could have worn my alb and red stole but that would have probably been distracting for many if not most of the people who worship in our church. Anyway, I don't usually wear a tie. And that's fine with almost everyone in this community where only a few bankers and an occasional physician still strangle themselves on a regular basis.
I'm sure that there are some sound theological reasons to avoid ties.
Dan, who wears a tie as often as I do, has come up with a non-theological reason to go tie free. Germs.
MORE ON SHREK 2
(Tuesday) Tuesday is my "day off" -- which means that I did a lot of yard work today. It also means that I got a lot of mental work done while I was out there pushing the mower and whacking at the bushes. And after much thought I've decided that I need to make Shrek 2 a part of the pre-marital counseling requirement. Great discussion starter -- non-threatening tool.
(Tuesday) Tuesday is my "day off" -- which means that I did a lot of yard work today. It also means that I got a lot of mental work done while I was out there pushing the mower and whacking at the bushes. And after much thought I've decided that I need to make Shrek 2 a part of the pre-marital counseling requirement. Great discussion starter -- non-threatening tool.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)