Clerical Musings

Christians in Garbage City Fall Victim to Egypt’s Instability

2011-04-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Egypt. Christians in Garbage City Fall Victim to Egypt’s Instability American Bible Society Record ONLINE - News, Bible resources and translation and stories of life change

Saint Fere Verus

2011-04-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Now this is a Lenten saint we should all know about.

Aardvark Alley: Saint Fere Verus

Curving Inward: “incurvatus in se”

2011-03-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

A thoughtful and honest video clip on sin Curving Inward

The Annuciation

2011-03-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

Since today is the Feast of the Annunciation, here are some of Martin Luther's reflections. Notice that the greatest miracle is the faith of blessed Mary. May we all pray for such faith!

"To this poor maiden marvelous things were announced: that she should be the mother of the All Highest, whose name should be the Son of God. He would be a King and of his Kingdom there would be no end. It took a mighty reach of faith to believe that this baby would play such a role. Well, Mary might have said, “Who am I, little worm, that I should bear a King?” She shut her eyes and trusted in God who could bring all things to pass, even though common sense were against it; and because she believed, God did to her as he said…. there are here three miracles: that God and man should be joined in this Child, that a mother should remain a virgin; that Mary should have such faith as to believe that this mystery would be accomplished in her. The last is not the least of the three. The Virgin birth is a mere trifle for God; that God should become man is a greater miracle; but most amazing of all is that this maiden should credit the announcement that she, rather than some other virgin had been chosen to be the mother of God...."

Handel on my Mind....

2011-03-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

"From Books & Culture: A Christian Review, a fascinating assessment of how Lutheran, Catholic, Anglican, secular, aristocratic, and commercial influences combined to shape a man with a serious claim to the title of England’s greatest composer." Michael Potemra

Here

First post of 2011!

2011-03-24T12:05:00.001-07:00

Do I get a medal or something?

Long time; no write.

Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas

2010-12-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

As we remember Nicholas today, Bishop of Myra (in modern day Turkey), we rejoice in our ethnic traditions, in gift giving, and in childhood wonderment during this season.

Gracious God, send your spirit upon us that we may follow in the steps of St.Nicholas, loving you and generously caring for others; we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

George Blanda, RIP

2010-09-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I used to LOVE to watch football (still do, but not as much). Even though I didn't care for the Oakland Raiders (I was a Chargers fan and they were in the same division), I admired and enjoyed watching George Blanda. He was one of a kind!

Reverend Fun - That Bishop Thing

2010-09-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Reverend Fun - That Bishop Thing

I should ask Bishop Nelson if he moves diagonally!

Why is John a Lutheran?

2010-09-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Why is John a Lutheran?

Some good stuff from a good friend.

Turkey vulture festival in Kern River Valley

2010-09-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

Turkey vulture festival in Kern River Valley

(For those of you in the area looking for something to do.)

Religious Kitsch of the Week

2010-09-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

One definition of "Kitsch" (from the German) is “Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts.” Vulgar does not always refer to something indecent, here instead refering to something coarse or distasteful.

Of course, in the arts, one man's kitsch is another man's inspiration. Bad taste is subjective. With that caveat, let me introduce the first Kitsch o' the Week:

(This comes courtesy of my friend John Hudson, who posted it on his Facebook page.)

Here we have Sensei Jesus, watching over two karate kids. While I think it pleases the Holy Trinity when we take care of our bodies and engage in physical activity (we are temples of the Holy Spirit), this figurine seems to indicate that Jesus watches over our every chop and kick to the spleen. It reminds me of the football player this weekend who thanked the Lord for helping him not fumble the ball. (If so, the reverse must be true: that God causes fumbles to happen on the field. Usually he doesn't get the blame, though. "I would like to acknowledge the Lord for making us lose this Saturday. I didn't mean to fumble, but Jesus failed to help me grip the ball!")

Anyway, Jesus as Mr. Miyagi is my first pick for Religious Kitsch of the Week. "Be at peace, boys. Wax on. Wax off!"

God Bless David Mitchell

2010-09-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Since the Church is in the job of communicating, she ought to do it as clearly as possible.

OK. I'm Back: College Mascots

2010-08-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all three of my regular readers (!), who have eagerly been awaiting a word from the prophet.

Of course, I'm kidding, but as a new program year approaches in the parish it's time for me to get in the blogging habit again.

I've always been fascinated by college mascots. I remember going to my first Naval Academy football game with my dad (vs. Syracuse) and wondering about the goat on the sidelines. Like the USNA, most schools originally had a real animal for a mascot, but now either include a larger animated one (think of those big Disneyland characters) or they have replaced the live animal altogether. (I guess it can be a little unnerving to have a live cougar on the sidelines.)

For instance, the Army mule has undergone a transformation from this:

to this:

(Army still has the real mule on the sidelines, just as Navy has the goat in both real form and "cuddly' form.)

In any case, there are some fascinating mascots out there in NCAA land. My own Alma Mater (UC Riverside) has a "Highlander" as a mascot (the first Chancelor was Scottish and the campus is sorrounding by the Box Spring Mountains). However, the mascot is a bear wearing Scottish tartans. The reason? The bear has long been a symbol of California and the bear is the mascot of both the main campus of the University of California (Berkeley) and the Los Angeles campus (the Bruins). So, UC Riverside kept the bear theme with a twist:

UC Santa Cruz kept to the blue and gold theme, but jettisoned the bear altogether (what would you expect from folks in Santa Cruz?!) to become the Banana Slugs! As you can see from this next picture, an "animated" slug works much better for games and functions than an actual slug:

One mascot I didn't know existed was the Whittier College "Poets." (Richard Nixon being the most famous alumnus of that small Quaker school.) I'm not sure how they got the name "Poets," but the logo sure is clever.

That's all for now. Go team!

Back from Vacation and VBS

2010-07-22T19:31:00.001-07:00

More on both, but after a month of quiet, I'm ready to post!

An Act of God?

2010-06-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

"Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life
End over end neither left nor to right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life." --Bobby Bare
[ Via: AP ]

MONROE, Ohio —

A six-story-tall statue of Jesus Christ with his arms raised along a highway was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm Monday night and burned to the ground, police said.

The “King of Kings” statue, one of southwest Ohio’s most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

The sculpture, 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown in a game of football.

Church Attendance Good For Your Mental Health

2010-06-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here's some good reading from one of my favorite blogs:

Glosses From An Old Manse: Church Attendance Good For Your Mental Health

A Prayer for this Week of the Holy Trinity

2010-06-02T11:06:00.001-07:00

Almighty God, most blessed and most holy, before the brightness of whose presence the angels veil their faces: With lowly reverence and adoring love we acknowledge thine infinite glory, and worship thee, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternal Trinity. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto our God, for ever and ever.

--Book of Common Order

Halpert to Hudson

2010-05-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Jim Halpert passes to Stanley Hudson for another Dunder-Mifflin TD in the Paper Bowl, Scranton, PA!

EA Sports: NCAA Football 10 Video

Holy Trinity

2010-05-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

On this day that we celebrate a doctrine (unique to the church calendar), here's a great piece from C.S. Lewis on the importance of theology. It's worth a read.

Everyone has warned me not to tell you what I am going to tell you in this last book. They all say ‘the ordinary reader does not want Theology; give him plain practical religion’. I have rejected their advice. I do not think the ordinary reader is such a fool. Theology means ‘the science of God,’ and I think any man who wants to think about God at all would like to have the clearest and most accurate ideas about Him which are available. You are not children: why should you be treated like children?
In a way I quite understand why some people are put off by Theology. I remember once when I had been giving a talk to the R.A.F., an old, hard-bitten officer got up and said, ‘I’ve no use for all that stuff. But, mind you, I’m a religious man too. I know there’s a God. I’ve felt Him out alone in the desert at night: the tremendous mystery. And that’s just why I don’t believe all your neat little dogmas and formulas about Him. To anyone who’s met the real thing they all seem so petty and pedantic and unreal!’
Now in a sense I quite agreed with that man. I think he had probably had a real experience of God in the desert. And when he turned from that experience to the Christian creeds, I think he really was turning from something real to something less real. In the same way, if a man has once looked at the Atlantic from the beach, and then goes and looks at a map of the Atlantic, he also will be turning from something real to something less real: turning from real waves to a bit of coloured paper. But here comes the point. The map is admittedly only coloured paper, but there are two things you have to remember about it. In the first place, it is based on what hundreds and thousands of people have found out by sailing the real Atlantic. In that way it has behind it masses of experience just as real as the one you could have from the beach; only, while yours would be a single glimpse, the map fits all those different experiences together. In the second place, if you want to go anywhere, the map is absolutely necessary. As long as you are content with walks on the beach, your own glimpses are far more fun than looking at a map. But the map is going to be more use than walks on the beach if you want to get to America.

Now, Theology is like the map. Merely learning and thinking about the Christian doctrines, if you stop there, is less real and less exciting than the sort of thing my friend got in the desert. Doctrines are not God: they are only a kind of map. But that map is based on the experience of hundreds of people who really were in touch with God-experiences compared with which any thrills or pious feelings you and I are likely to get on our own are very elementary and very confused. And secondly, if you want to get any further, you must use the map. You see, what happened to that man in the desert may have been real, and was certainly exciting, but nothing comes of it. It leads nowhere. There is nothing to do about it. In fact, that is just why a vague religion-all about feeling God in nature, and so on-is so attractive. It is all thrills and no work; like watching the waves from the beach. But you will not get to Newfoundland by studying the Atlantic that way, and you will not get eternal life by simply feeling the presence of God in flowers or music. Neither will you get anywhere by looking at maps without going to sea. Nor will you be very safe if you go to sea without a map.

In other words, Theology is practical: especially now. In the old days, when there was less education and discussion, perhaps it was possible to get on with a very few simple ideas about God. But it is not so now. Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed. Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones — bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas. For a great many of the ideas about God which are trotted out as novelties to-day are simply the ones which real Theologians tried centuries ago and rejected. To believe in the popular religion of modern England is retrogression — like believing the earth is flat.

Take from the 23rd chapter of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

LSMFT

2010-04-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

"I think nothing else helped so much to lessen the strain for all of us." I bet! :-)

A Quote for Tax Day

2010-04-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

"It's income tax time again, Americans: time to gather up those receipts, get out those tax forms, sharpen up that pencil, and stab yourself in the aorta." ~Dave Barry

Happy Eastertide (and damn those orks!)

2010-04-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

Obviously I haven't posted for a time. (Monday in Holy Week seems like months ago!) The good news, of course, is "Christ is Risen!" (If you want to read a great poem from John Updike, check this out: Seven Stanzas at Easter.)

Anyway, about those orks.... In an earlier post ( see here ) I shared how my command of ork forces was a disaster. Well, during Dylan's Easter Vacation he commanded the orks and I took the reigns of the Warriors of Gondor. Different game, same result! Dylan won. The orks were victorious and dear old dad hangs his head in shame for letting Boromir meet such an inglorious end.

Hope lives eternal, however. Onward to victory!

Monday in Holy Week

2010-03-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

O God, your Son chose the path which led to pain before joy and the cross before glory. Plant his cross in our hearts, so that in its power and love we come to the final joy and glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Lutheran Book of Worship, Monday in Holy Week)

Lenten Quote: Frederica Mathewes-Green

2010-03-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

"Repentance is the doorway to the spiritual life, the only way to begin. It is also the path itself, the only way to continue. Anything else is foolishness and self-delusion. Only repentance is both brute-honest enough, and joyous enough, to bring us all the way home."
--Frederica Mathewes-Green, The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation

(Editor's note: Sounds very much like the first of the 95 Theses of Martin Luther:
"Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance." )

A Blessed St. Patrick's Day to All

2010-03-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

A beautiful prayer of St. Patrick:

Wellington's Rifles

2010-03-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted gaming news for awhile, so here's a few pictures of my Napoleonic British Rifles. It has been a long time since I've put paint to lead, as we have been going throuugh house reconstruction. I'm eager to finish more of these guys and finish painting French Voltigeurs and Line troops, so that Cpt. Sharpe, Sgt. Harper, and crew can save England from the despotic French!

New Orleans: Beignets!

2010-03-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite food! Eating beignets during Lent was almost sinful, but I cannot begin to describe how wonderful a fresh, warm beignet tastes (with a cup of cofee) on a cold evening in New Orleans. My mouth is watering as I type.

Lenten Quotes: Chrysostom

2010-03-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

John Chrysostom, (4th century church father) speaks of the true Lenten fast:

"Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works.
If you see a poor man, take pity on him.
If you see a friend being honored, do not envy him.

Do not let only your mouth fast,
but also the eye and the ear and the feet and the hands
and all the members of our bodies.
Let the hands fast, by being free of avarice.
Let the feet fast, by ceasing to run after sin.
Let the eyes fast, by disciplining them not to glare at that which is
sinful.
Let the ear fast, by not listening to evil talk and gossip.
Let the mouth fast from foul words and unjust criticism.

For what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes, but bite and
devour our brothers?

May He who came to the world to save sinners, strengthen us to
complete the fast with humility! Have mercy on us and save us."
Amen.”

Lenten Reading from Down Under

2010-03-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

Are there Lutherans in Australia? Sure are! A Lutheran Church of Australia pastor posts a must read for this Lenten season:
click here

New Orleans: D-Day Musuem

2010-03-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

Actually, it used to be the D-Day musuem, but the correct name these days is The National World War II Musuem. The focus originally was on D-Day, as the "Higgins Boats," that were the key to the amphibious landing, were built in New Orleans. As General Eisenhower put it, "Andrew Higgins ... is the man who won the war for us. ... If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different."

The museum has expanded its focus to include other theaters of the war (including the Pacific "D-Day"), and it is not to be missed when visiting New Orleans. It is easy to forget how perilous the worldwide situation was for many years with the powerful Japanese, German, and Italian war machines threatening so many. At the start of the war, the U.S. Army was only the 18th largest in the world (behind Romania!). The exhibits were fascinating and the Tom Hanks movie "Beyond All Boundaries" should be seen by all Americans (especially school children).

To go to the musuem site, please click here .

As someone who has laid to rest many World War II veterans, I fear that the American propensity to forget will lead us to neglect and fail to appreciate the sacrifices of so many. This is history that needs to be remembered. Each man I buried had a fascinating story to tell. They may have indeed been, in Tom Brokaw's words, "the greatest generation".

Lenten Quotes: Martin Luther (part II)

2010-03-04T14:59:00.001-08:00

Lord Jesus,

You are my righteousness,
I am your sin.

You took on you what was mine;
yet set on me what was yours.

You became what you were not,
that I might become what I was not.

- Martin Luther

New Orleans: A Streetcar Named Desire (or 951)

2010-03-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

On Monday I picked up a streetcar on St. Charles Street and headed for the World War II D-Day musuem past Lee Circle. I was surprised to see that these were real working streetcars and not the tourist type in San Francisco and other cities I've been too. Yes, there were tourists like me aboard, but the majority were folks going to work or students going to school or the elderly getting a ride to a needed destination.

After the musuem (more on that in another post) I headed out to the Borders bookstore in the Garden District. The Garden District is a distinct neighborhood in New Orleans (like the French Quarter) and includes Antebellum mansions and many beautiful 19th century homes. I also passed the historic Zion Lutheran Church, begun in 1847 by German immigrants. (The current church dates to 1871). The bookstore was housed in a beautiful older home and I asked one of the clerks what it used to be. The surprise response? A funeral home!

New Orleans has the most character of any U.S. city I have visited and it is truly an ecclectic and a fascinating place.

New Orleans: Fleur-de-lys Capital of the World

2010-03-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

I don't know if that title is true or not, but I have been to Quebec City (Capital of French Canada) and I have observed a wider use here than there.

(Quebec Flag)

In New Orleans the fleur-de-lys is on the trash containers, on the city flag, on the football helmets, on the tourism brochures, interwoven with the decorations, and nearly ubiquitous. I joked with Katy that they sure do love the Boy Scouts here! (Past and present Boy Scouts may remember that the fleur-de-lys is the universal symbol of scouting.)

In New Orleans, the symbol is a reminder of her French heritage. The Cajuns are really decendents of the Acadians from French Canada. In the Great Expulsion of 1755-1763, mostly during the French and Indian War, the British forceably deported more than 14,000 Acadians from the maritime region of Canada. Approximately one third perished. Many later settled in Louisiana, where they became known as Cajuns.

Off to New Orleans

2010-02-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

No new posts for a bit. We are off to New Orleans for a few days. I must confess that it feels a bit odd to leave the parish during Lent (for a place associated with Mardi Gras, no less), but I'm looking forward to it.

Interesting travel notes to follow.

Lenten Quotes: Watts

2010-02-25T22:23:00.001-08:00

The Lord can clear the darkest skies
Can give us day for night.
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise
To rivers of delight.

--Isaac Watts

Lenten Quotes: Christenson

2010-02-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

Why do I offer quotes from other people and various saints of the church? Well, let me offer a quote (!) from Marlene Dietrich: "I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself."

Now you know.

Lenten Quotes: German Proverb

2010-02-22T13:42:00.001-08:00

"To change and to change for the better are two different things."
-- German proverb

(Let's pray that our Lenten discipline changes us for the better.)

It's a Good Day for U.S. Hockey!

2010-02-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to savor the moment. (USA 5, Canada 3)

Lenten Quotes: Jesus (via St. Matthew)

2010-02-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, `Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.' I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.
--Matthew 9:13

Lenten Quotes: Solomon

2010-02-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

--Proverbs 3:7

February 18th: The Heavenly Birthday of Martin Luther

2010-02-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

On the evening of February 17th, 1546, Martin Luther experienced chest pains. When he went to his bed, he prayed, "Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God" (Ps. 31:5), the common prayer of the dying. At 1:00 a.m. he awoke with more chest pain and was warmed with hot towels. He thanked God for revealing his Son to him in whom he had believed. His companions, Justus Jonas and Michael Coelius, asked him, "Reverend father, are you ready to die trusting in your Lord Jesus Christ and to confess the doctrine which you have taught in his name?" A distinct "Yes" was Luther's reply.

Almighty God, the sender in every age of faithful men and women to recall the Church to its task, and to renew its life: raise up, in this our day, prophetic heralds and evangelists, whose voices, like that of your servant Martin, will give strength to your Church, that your will may be done and your name be glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.

Behold, Lord

An empty vessel that needs
to be filled.
My Lord, fill it.
I am weak in the faith;
Strengthen me.
I am cold in love;
Warm me and make me fervent,
That my love may go out
to my neighbor...
O Lord, help me.
Strengthen my faith and
trust in you...

With me, there is an
abundance of sin;
In You is the fullness of
righteousness.
Therefore I will remain
with You,
O whom I can receive,
But to Whom I may not give.

-Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Lenten Quotes: Martin Luther

2010-02-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

"There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow." --Martin Luther

Snow Track for Greyhounds!

2010-02-17T15:32:00.001-08:00

Not everyone is enjoying a beautiful Spring day like we are in Bakersfield (feels a bit odd on this Ash Wednesday). Katy shared this with me and I have to post it.

A Visual Meditation for Ash Wednesday

2010-02-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

"Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return."

Lenten Quotes: Oswald Chambers

2010-02-16T21:29:00.000-08:00

"It is not repentance that saves me; repentance is the sign that I realise what God has done in Christ Jesus."
--Oswald Chambers

The Power of Cheese

2010-01-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Please watch until the end. No mice were harmed in the filming of this video.

Happy Birthday Katy!

2010-01-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

My beautiful bride celebrates her birthday today. I am a very lucky man.

She is the attractive one on the right. The picture location is near Cedar City, Utah, when we were there for a Shakespeare Festival. Life is an adventure when Katy is around. She's dragging me to New Orleans in February.

To some, sermonising is a sin, but Christians still value the preacher -Times Online

2010-01-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

To some, sermonising is a sin, but Christians still value the preacher -Times Online

I saw this referenced on one of my favorite blogs (Glosses from an Old Manse) and thought I would share. This, indeed, is good news for pastors.

What's the future of denominations? | Faith & Leadership

2010-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

What's the future of denominations? Faith & Leadership

Odd News o' the Day

2010-01-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

From the Associated Press:

UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Police say a Pennsylvania man in a hospital gown stole $50 from his ex-girlfriend at Wal-Mart, then tried to flee on a store-owned motorized shopping scooter.

Thirty-two-year-old Craig David Jr., of Smithfield, was charged Wednesday with robbery and disorderly conduct.

State police Cpl. Chuck Frey says David had just been released from a hospital for injuries in a domestic dispute Jan. 1. Frey says David had been hit with a frying pan and table leg.

David was still in a hospital gown Tuesday night when he met an ex-girlfriend who agreed to pay for his prescription medication. Instead, police say he grabbed $50 from her and scooted away.

_________________________________________________________

Wow. That's a sight I really do not want to see: a man with a flapping hospital gown fleeing on a Wal-Mart scooter! I hope they gave him some clothing when they sent him to jail.

The Journey of the Magi

2010-01-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Journey of the Magi
by T.S. Eliot

"A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter."
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty, and charging high prices.:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

USA World Junior Hockey Champions

2010-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

Watch this video and then try to tell me hockey isn't a great sport: WJHC

Congrats to the young men from USA who ended Canada's 5 year gold medal run.

Kevin's Chili

2010-01-06T11:13:00.001-08:00

No words are needed. :-)

Cheese Puffs Flying Around The Office

2010-01-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a clip from one of my favorite television shows. The humor is quirky enough to keep me interested.

On the Hockey Front

2010-01-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Read further about a true Winter Classic . Few events named "classic" live up to the billing, but the last three NHL New Year's Day outdoor games have been terrific. What can be better than outdoor hockey?

When I was growing up, all the college football bowl games were held on New Year's Day. Of course, there were far fewer of them then (Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Orange Bowl). Now, the bowl season runs from December thorugh the first weeks in January. So, the NHL Winter Classic has become my sport of choice on the day all sports fans can be couch potatoes. According to reports and ratings, the Winter Classic has become on of the top 5 sporting events in North America.

(The Bruins won in extra innings at Fenway Park.)

Christmas Myths

2010-01-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

As we near the end of the Christmas season and approach Epiphany, I thought I would share this video. It's a good reminder of the ultimate sigificance of Christmas.

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas

2010-01-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

As we celebrate a new year, while still celebrating Christmastide, here's the final two sections of 'Christmas Oratorio.'

Christmas Oratorio – W H Auden

III
Well, so that is that.
Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes -
Some have got broken – and carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week -
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted – quite unsuccessfully -
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.
The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off. But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry
And Newton’s mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
It seems to have shrunk during the holidays. The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this. To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened. Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.
And craving the sensation but ignoring the cause,
We look round for something, no matter what, to inhibit
Our self-reflection, and the obvious thing for that purpose
Would be some great suffering. So, once we have met the Son,
We are tempted ever after to pray to the Father;
“Lead us into temptation and evil for our sake.”
They will come, all right, don’t worry; probably in a form
That we do not expect, and certainly with a force
More dreadful than we can imagine. In the meantime
There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,
Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem
From insignificance. The happy morning is over,
The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:
When the Spirit must practice his scales of rejoicing
Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure
A silence that is neither for nor against her faith
That God’s Will will be done,
That, in spite of her prayers,
God will cheat no one, not even the world of its triumph.

IV
CHORUS

He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.

He is the Truth.
Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.

He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.

(W H Auden – 1907-1973)

Murder in the Cathedral (continued)

2009-12-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

At 4:07 of the video (T.S. Eliot):

We praise thee, O God, for thy glory displayed in all the creatures of the earth.
In the snow, in the rain, in the wind, in the storm;
in all of thy creatures, both the hunters and the hunted.
For all things exist only as seen by thee, only as known by thee, all things exist
Only in thy light, and thy glory is declared even in that which denies thee;
the darkness declares the glory of light.
Those who deny thee could not deny, if thou didst not exist;
and their denial is never complete, for if it were so, they would not exist.
They affirm thee in living; all things affirm thee in living;
the bird in the air, both the hawk and the finch;
the beast on the earth, both the wolf and the lamb;
the worm in the soil and the worm in the belly.
Therefore man, whom thou hast made to be conscious of thee,
must consciously praise thee, in thought and in word and in deed.

Murder in the Cathedral

2009-12-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite authors is T.S. Eliot (perhaps most famous for Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the basis for the musical Cats). I was introduced to him in junior high and have been intriqued by his poetry ever since. Several years ago I had the pleasure of reading his play, Murder in the Cathedral, based upon the life and death of Thomas Becket.

I had been introduced to Thomas Becket by my English history professor in college and I was also intriqued by him. As a friend of the King of England (Henry II), he was elevated to the position of Archbishop of Canterbury as a way for Henry to have more control over the Church. However, Thomas took his position seriously and seems to have grown in his discipleship and prince and bishop were frequently at odds. He was assasinated on this day (December 29th) by one of Henry's knights, while praying Vespers at the Cathedral.

The following is from T.S. Eliot's play, "Murder in the Cathedral," and is a wonderful example of the price and privelage of dicipleship. (The words are Eliot's, of course, and not Thomas.)
"The Archbishop preaches in the Cathedral on Christmas morning, 1170...

Dear children of God, my sermon this morning will be a very short one. I wish only that you should ponder and meditate on the deep meaning and mystery of our masses of Christmas Day. For whenever Mass is said, we re-enact the Passion and Death of Our Lord; and on this Christmas Day we do this in celebration of His Birth. So that at the same moment we rejoice in His coming for the salvation of men, and offer again to God His Body and Blood in sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. It was in this same night that has just passed, that a multitude of the heavenly host appeared before the shepherds at Bethlehem, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men"; at this same time of all the year that we celebrate at once the Birth of Our Lord and His Passion and Death upon the Cross. Beloved, as the World sees, this is to behave in a strange fashion. For who in the World will both mourn and rejoice at once and for the same reason? For either joy will be overcome by mourning or mourning will be cast out by joy; so that it is only in these our Christian mysteries that we can rejoice and mourn at once for the same reason. But think for a while on the meaning of this word "peace." Does it seem strange to you that the angels should have announced Peace, when ceaselessly the world has been stricken with War and the fear of War? Does it seem to you that the angelic voices were mistaken, and that the promise was a disappointment and a cheat?

Reflect now, how Our Lord Himself spoke of Peace. He said to His disciples: "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." Did He mean peace as we think of it: the kingdom of England at peace with its neighbors, the barons at peace with the King, the householder counting over his peaceful gains, the swept hearth, his best wine for a friend at the table, his wife singing to the children? Those men His disciples knew no such things: they went forth to journey afar, to suffer by land and sea, to know torture, imprisonment, disappointment, to suffer death by martyrdom. What then did He mean? If you ask that, remember that He said also, "Not as the world giveth, give I unto you." So then, He gave to his disciples peace, but not peace as the world gives.

Consider also one thing of which you have probably never thought. Not only do we at the feast of Christmas celebrate at once Our Lord's Birth and His Death: but on the next day we celebrate the martyrdom of his first martyr, the blessed Stephen. Is it an accident, do you think, that the day of the first martyr follows immediately the day of the Birth of Christ? By no means. Just as we rejoice and mourn at once, in the Birth and Passion of Our Lord; so also, in a smaller figure, we both rejoice and mourn in the death of martyrs. We mourn, for the sins of the world that has martyred them; we rejoice, that another soul is numbered among the Saints in Heaven, for the glory of God and for the salvation of men.

Beloved, we do not think of a martyr simply as a good Christian who has been killed because he is a Christian: for that would be solely to mourn. We do not think of him simply as a good Christian who has been elevated to the company of the Saints: for that would be simply to rejoice: and neither our mourning nor our rejoicing is as the world's is. A Christian martyrdom is no accident. Saints are not made by accident. Still less is a Christian martyrdom the effect of a man's will to become a Saint, as a man by willing and contriving may become a ruler of men. Ambition fortifies the will of man to become ruler over other men: it operates with deception, cajolery, and violence, it is the action of impurity upon impurity. Not so in Heaven. A martyr, a saint, is always made by the design of God, for His love of men, to warn them and to lead them, to bring them back to His ways. A martyrdom is never the design of man; for the true martyr is he who has become the instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom. So thus as on earth the Church mourns and rejoices at once, in a fashion that the world cannot understand; so in Heaven the Saints are most high, having made themselves most low, seeing themselves not as we see them, but in the light of the Godhead from which they draw their being.

I have spoken to you today, dear children of God, of the martyrs of the past, asking you to remember especially our martyr of Canterbury, the blessed Archbishop Elphege; because it is fitting, on Christ's birthday, to remember what is that peace which he brought; and because, dear children, I do not think that I shall ever preach to you again; and because it is possible that in a short time you may have yet another martyr, and that one perhaps not the last. I would have you keep in your hearts these words that I say, and think of them at another time. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

O God, our strength and our salvation, who didst call thy servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of thy people and a defender of thy Church: Keep thy household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ the shepherd of our souls, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

A Blessed Christmastide

2009-12-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

We continue to sing with joy, as our Christmas celebration is not even haf way through! Today is the 5th Day of Christmas, with those famous 5 golden rings from the song. Since I cannot afford five gold rings at this time, I think I'll enjoy 5 golden onion rings for lunch! Anyway, here's a classic from 30 years ago:

Holy Innocents

2009-12-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

How can one continue to say Merry Christmas on a day that remembers the Holy Innocents? We remember today the baby boys that were slaughtered by King Herod in his attempt to eliminate the Christ child. It is the fourth day of Christmas, but it feels more like a day for penitence.

There are so many wonderful stories in the Christmas saga that we love to hear. We love the story about the sheep, the shepherds, and the angels above them, singing “Glory to God in the highest.” We love the story of the shepherds going to the stable and visiting the baby Jesus who is lying in a manger. We love the story of the wise men with their gold and frankincense and myrrh. These are wonderful Christmas stories that bring joy to our hearts

But so quickly the story turns ugly and evil. Christmas Eve is such an idyllic, holy night, but it is followed so quickly by chaotic, profane evil. Herod the beast, Herod the murderer, became insanely jealous for his own reign, and he decided to murder all the baby boys two years and under. The mothers began to wail in pain. In one moment, we hear the beauty of the songs of the angels from heaven, and before the week is out, we hear the wailing sounds of mothers whose children had been slaughtered by soldiers. And so Mary and Joseph need to flee from the murdering soldiers to Egypt, into hiding for two years. By then, the cruel and insane Herod finally died. But King Archelaus rose to power in the southern region of Jerusalem, and so Mary and Joseph traveled up north and settled in Nazareth. The whole story of the first Christmas starts off so beautifully but it quickly takes an ugly detour.

The Holy Innocents intrudes upon these joyous days to remind us that God came to confront the reality of evil and sin. Jesus was not born into an idyllic, peaceful world, but into a very real world of sin and death. The good news for us, however, is that the “light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” For that reason, we can continue to say, “Merry Christmas.”

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by order of King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims, and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Lutheran Book of Worship)

Christmas Re-gift

2009-12-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

From a very funny blog, That is Priceless, comes this picture with the caption below. Enjoy!

Baby Jesus Accusing Wise Men of Re-Gifting the Frankincense

The Coventry Carol

2009-12-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

I never realized the Coventry Carol, frequently sung at Christmas, refers to the Holy Innocents. I was doing looking through an old church year handbook and discovered the following:

This beautiful English lulaby carol originated in the Coventry Corpus Christi Mystery Plays performed in the 15th century. In a play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors, the women of Bethlehem sing this song just before Herod's soldiers come to slaughter their children. It tells the story of the murder of the Holy Innocents, and is sung on December 28, the feast of those tiny martyrs.

Lully, Lullay, thou little tiny child.
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Lullay thou little tiny child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay

O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing
Bye, bye lully, lullay

Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.

Then woe is me, poor child, for thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
Bye, bye lully, lullay.

Sherlock Holmes

2009-12-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

Katy and I saw a fun movie tonight, and I was going to write my own review, but came across a better one on Christianity Today.

The movie is smart, funny, and well worth watching. I loved the scenes of 19th century Victorian London. Looking forward to the sequel!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a quote from Dickens to complement last night's sermon (looking at A Christmas Carol):

"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." ~Charles Dickens

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

2009-12-22T09:09:00.001-08:00

O King of the Gentiles and the Desired of them, Thou Cornerstone that dost make both one, come and deliver man, whom Thou didst form out of the dust of the earth.

Antiphon for December 22

Advent Quotes: Cornelison

2009-12-20T21:37:00.001-08:00

"Advent is a time for taking stock of our lives and actions in light of the kingdom of God which entered human history with Christ, but still awaits completion."
--Robert T. Cornelison

Dog Quotes: Rooney

2009-12-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person."

-- Andrew A. Rooney

Advent Quotes: Hays

2009-12-17T21:43:00.001-08:00

Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts.

Edward Hays

Boston Tea Party

2009-12-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

This comes courtesy of one of my favorite blogs, Flintlock and Tomahawk

It's the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, so here's Disney's Johhny Tremain*

* Disney's Johnny Tremain is not the same as the book. The book is so much better. Find the book. Read it and enjoy. (It was the first book I ever bought with my own money.)

Dog Quotes: Eliot

2009-12-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

I've enjoyed finding and posting Advent quotes, so I thought I would post a few dog quotes. Our greyhounds bring us so much joy and love that they truly are a blessing of God.

"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment." ~George Eliot

Advent Quotes: Norris

2009-12-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

"Mary's story … tell[s] us that if the Scriptures don't sometimes pierce us like a sword, we're not paying close enough attention."

--Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk

Christmas Tree Sales

2009-12-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

Creator of the Stars of Night

2009-12-14T17:34:00.001-08:00

A favorite Advent hymn, frequently sung at Vespers.

"CREATOR of the stars of night,
Thy people's everlasting light,
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,
and hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse
should doom to death a universe,
hast found the medicine, full of grace,
to save and heal a ruined race...."

Theotokos

2009-12-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

O Mary,

In awe we come to you:

Praising,

Beseeching,

(Perhaps cajoling);

Sancta Maria. . .Ora pronobis,

Holy Mary. . .Pray for Us,

Mater Dei, Theotokos,

Mother of God, Bearer of God.

Yet when you sing

You seem not so distant,

Not so Lofty.

In your song we hear no hint

Of Latin piety,

Or Greek abstraction

Or mystical echoes.

In your song we hear the

Raw, Exuberant, Beautiful

Passion of a Hebrew woman,

Just weeks,

Maybe just days,

Beyond being a child.

O Daughter of David,

Your song is as grand

As your ancestor's best.

Of all the great Prophets only Isaiah,

Mighty seer,

Saw as clearly as you

The Light to come.

O Mary,

Sister of all in Christ,

Break out of the marble,

Come down from the canvas,

Teach us hope

In the midst

Of despair.

O Mary,

Our Lady of Inversion,

Teach us to sing

Of the proud cast down

And the lowly raised high.

O Mary,

Perpetual catechist,

Teach us to trust

The Promise

And the One who promises.

(From my good friend, Fr. Gregory Singleton)

Advent Quotes: Wangerin

2009-12-12T12:34:00.001-08:00

God is coming! God is coming!
All the element we swim in, this existence,
Echoes ahead the advent. God is coming! Can't you feel it?

--Walter Wangerin Jr., "The Signs of the Times" in The Manger Is Empty

Born in a Barn

2009-12-09T14:33:00.001-08:00

The feet of the humblest may walk in the field
Where the feet of the Holiest trod,
This, then, is the marvel to mortals revealed.
- Phillips Brooks

Advent Quotes: Moltmann

2009-12-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

The context for understanding the meaning of Advent is to be found in the expectation of the second coming of Christ. For Christians, Christ’s (first) coming only makes sense in light of his promise to come again.
--Jurgen Moltmann

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

2009-12-08T09:16:00.001-08:00

Advent Quotes: Book of Common Prayer

2009-12-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; So
that, at the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal.

The Book of Common Prayer, published in 1662

Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

2009-12-07T16:53:00.001-08:00

Advent Quotes: Isaiah

2009-12-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Advent Quotes: Lewis

2009-12-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

"He came down from heaven" can almost be transposed into "Heaven drew earth up into it," and
locality, limitation, sleep, sweat, footsore weariness, frustration, pain, doubt, and death are, from
before all worlds, known by God from within. The pure light walks the earth; the darkness, received
into the heart of Deity, is there swallowed up. Where, except in uncreated light, can the darkness
be drowned?

C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

Advent Quotes: Auden

2009-12-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.

He is the Truth.
Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.

He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.

(Christmas Oratorio)

(W H Auden – 1907-1973)

Advent Quotes: Bonhoeffer

2009-12-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1943

First Sunday in Advent

2009-11-29T14:29:00.001-08:00

Worth watching and reflecting.

Remembering the "Great War"

2009-11-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

What Veterans Day was originally all about. "The war to end all wars." A reminder that all our peace is temporary, unfortunately, this side of eternity. God is our only lasting peace.

Remembering the Great War

For Dad

2009-11-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

"For those whose vocation it is to bear the sword in defense of others, grant your benediction and blessing, O Lord of Hosts, that they may serve honorably in the cause of justice and peace. Receive our thanksgiving this day for all our veterans who have served to defend us. Hear us for Thy Name's sake. Amen."

Thieves!

2009-11-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Read it and weep:

Los Angeles Times

All Saints

2009-11-01T19:59:00.001-08:00

On this All Saints Day I am remembering fondly all those who have gone to their eternal rest and who had such an impact on my life. In the past, this could be a rather melancholy day for me, but today is filled with joyful memories. Praise God for his constant love toward us.

Happy Reformation Day!

2009-10-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

A mighty fortress is our God,

a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevaling.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,

our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,

from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.

Haiku Revisited

2009-10-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

In honor of the clueless parents who let their small child run free in the dog park.

Little boy runs in park
“It looks like prey”, thinks Rocky
A tasty dinner

Fortunately, Rocky veered away at the last moment, realizing it was not a hart to be taken down.

Waterloo: From the Orange County Register

2009-10-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is my wargaming group with whom I hardly ever wargame! (Pastors are busy on weekends.)

Happy Birthday John Adams!

2009-10-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

On this day in 1735, John Adams, the son of a farmer and a descendant of Plymouth Rock pilgrims, is born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He enrolled in Harvard University at16 and went on to teach school and study law before becoming America’s second president.

Adams did not fight in the Revolutionary War, but was instrumental in crafting the foundation of the American government. In 1776, he anonymously published Thoughts on Government, which proposed the three-tiered system upon which the United States government is modeled: a bicameral legislature, independent judiciary and strong executive. In 1783, Adams brokered the peace treaty with Britain that ended the American Revolution. Fellow founding father Thomas Jefferson once referred to Adams as "the colossus of independence." The two men developed a deep friendship during the Revolutionary era and both served in George Washington’s first cabinet--Adams as vice president and Jefferson as secretary of state.

Adams, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and James Madison articulated the basis of the Federalist policy— featuring above all a strong centralized government and favoring an economy based on manufacturing--that dominated the Washington and Adams presidencies. Jefferson, a Republican, favored stronger states’ rights and a primarily agricultural economy. Following Washington’s retirement in 1796, Jefferson and Adams ran against each other for the presidency. Adams won and, due to a procedure that gave the next highest vote-getter the vice-presidency, Jefferson became his adversary’s vice president. In personality as well as politics, the obstinate and hot-tempered Adams clashed with the genteel, diplomatic Thomas Jefferson and the two grew increasingly alienated during Adams’ presidency.

As president, Adams lobbied for and signed the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which many observers, including Jefferson, feared would give Adams despotic powers. In Jefferson’s opinion, the acts threatened to compromise the constitutional right to free speech and severely limited the definition of citizenship. In the election of 1800, Jefferson again ran against Adams and, under the guise of a pseudonym or using ghost writers, published vicious denouncements of Adams’ policies and character in the press. Jefferson won and though Adams retired to Quincy, Massachusetts, to write his memoirs, the bitterness between the two former friends endured.

Throughout his political career, Adams was steadfastly supported—and sometimes challenged--by his wife, Abigail. The couple’s correspondence, which has been preserved, thoroughly catalogued and published, provides insight into their private lives and early American culture. When Abigail learned that Jefferson was behind the newspaper attacks against her husband, she too felt betrayed. Nevertheless, it was she who initiated contact between the sworn political enemies when she wrote a letter of condolence to Jefferson upon the death of his daughter in 1812. After that, Adams and Jefferson resumed their long-halted correspondence and repaired their friendship.

Adams lived to see his son, John Quincy Adams, become president in 1825. A year later, he and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, July 4, 1826, only hours apart.

History of Halloween

2009-10-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Blame the Irish!

History Channel Video

Greyhound Haiku

2009-10-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

As the sun comes up
A sound breaks the morning peace
My dog is rooing!

I forget where I found this, but this is my morning (and all night) ritual. Becuase of some construction we have going on, the dog door is closed and the dog yard is not usable. Therefore, whenever one of our wonderful pets needs to use the bedroom at night, they whine on my side of the bed, or Rocky (the youngest, nutty one) barks at me. No matter how cold it might be, I stumble out into the dark, eager to crawl back into the warmth of my bed. (Please know that I do not usually do so with a cheerful disposition.)

The dogs used to wait until we woke up to feed them, but Rocky and Junior changed all that. Now, the sun comes up and they need to eat! Now!

"A sound breaks the morning peace...(no matter how many times I put my head under the covers)...My dog is rooing!"

Who needs an alarm clock?

And now for your daily dose of Haiku

2009-10-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

masquerades embark
alligators fade roughly
singing fables howl

Courtesy of the Genuine Haiku Generator

A Couple of Those Famous Theses

2009-10-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].

28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.

Posted by Martin Luther (on a door somewhere) on October 31, 1517

A Great Site for Wargamers

2009-10-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Just discovered this site, where you can find what you need on E bay without looking through a bunch of goofy stuff first. The software engine weeds out the chaff.

Lead and Dice