191 Clear the Clutter for Christ

For 34 years we lived in a lovely, two-story home on a beautiful street. This house had no basement and no attic, and very few closets; the two car garage was so tidy (thanks to my husband) we had room for two cars. We added closets to the house and did not allow clutter, not even in the garage. I made regular contributions to various clothing and household goods drives by the Kidney Foundation and Lutheran Social Services. Now we live in a condo that has basement storage, walls with built-in book shelves, a larger garage and an attic over the garage. Yes, now we are developing a clutter problem.

That happens to churches too. Stuff. It's the golden calf of the modern church. Here's an item from Builder's Newsletter on how to improve your physical worship space for under $1,000:

"You can improve your worship space without spending a lot of money. Consider these ways to get a lot of impact with a little investment:

• Update Lighting Fixtures

• Focus Light on the Primary Symbols

• Clean Out the Clutter

• Remove Extraneous Furnishing

• Remove Seldom Used Seating

• Take Up the Carpet

• Vest for the Liturgical and Natural Season "
Builder's Newsletter

Earlier in the year our congregation focused on the best seller, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It was a sermon series, our SALT groups used it, our women's groups used it, the adult Sunday School used it and individuals used it. During the course of the study (several months), huge banners with the themes from Warren's book began to appear, hanging from the ceiling in the narthex/fellowship hall. They didn't mix well with the flags of nations and mission posters from an earlier theme and the seasonal decorations that various ministries put up. But they all are still there, fighting for the eye and mind of the members and visitors on their way to worship on Sunday, small groups meetings during the week, or weddings and funerals. They have become very bad, monotonous wallpaper. No one even notices or reads them now--except first timers, and I doubt that they find them spiritual. But this sort of mindless clutter is an ugly and common fact of almost every Protestant church in which I've ever worshipped.

The gallery space we use for art shows is littered with posters and signage for Sunday School. When the choir gives a concert, posters are plastered everywhere--even inside bathroom stalls and over mirrors in the ladies room. Although we have numerous bulletin boards, the ministry that oversees that decorates them, so there is no place for other ministries to post their information that week or month. There is a constant "real estate" battle, and if you hang your announcement in the wrong place, someone will take it down. Last week I stopped at a bulletin board that had four identical posters announcing an event--all for an event the previous week. Thus, the posters and memos start appearing on the walls, where the tape pulls off the paint or leaves a residue. The glass doors are considered just additional billboard space.

Today a member came up to me after church and told me how much she enjoys looking at the oil painting of the sheep beneath a large tree in a meadow, painted by local artist, Debbi VerHulst. It is hanging on a brick wall as you enter the sanctuary. It is peaceful and scriptural. And no one has hung a poster on the wall to compete with it.

190 The Florida Supremes, at it again

TAMPA, Fla.(AP) The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined a request from Gov. Jeb Bush to reconsider its decision striking down a state law designed to save the life of a severely brain-damaged woman at the center of a bitter right-to-die dispute. (AP Oct. 21, 2004)

Wouldn't that be A BITTER RIGHT-TO-LIVE DISPUTE? Mrs. Schiavo is not dying. Florida court summary page

189 A message for libertine Republicans

A traditional Republican [John Mark Reynolds] has a message for the Andrew Sullivans of the Republican party, the libertines:

“What about the future? Television, made by aging vets of the sexual revolution, has deceived you about what the young want. Your fantasy that the young are with you is part of your cultural blind spot. How many kids, on average, do your friends have? One or two? Millions of kids are home schooled. How many do you know? Many Mexican kids are being educated today in California schools. How many support partial birth abortion and unnatural marriages? Give me Saint Joseph's Sunday School and you can have the Women's Studies Program at State U. . . . Check out the average number of kids per household in your demographic groups. The future is ours.

Here is the good news. We may not be libertines, but we have a strong libertarian streak. We want to make government smaller, more compassionate, and we believe in a culture of life. We will let you do what you want in the privacy of your home as long as you don't defraud our kids or ask for our blessing. If you can get over forcing your sexual views on the rest of us, allow us to protect babies, and move on to other things, we will have much common cause.”

188 Family feuds, Christian style

There's some interesting stuff to read over at Midwest Conservative Journal (US Anglican) and Relapsed Catholic (Canadian). I link to Revealer on my blogroll, but generally it is anti-conservative Christian. Occasionally the links are pretty good, though. In the articles it features, Bush really takes a beating for his faith. Probably because they can't figure Kerry's out. LaShawn Barber, also on my blogroll, tracks all kinds of Christian and faith stories, and will smack the Black church upside the head when needed.

187 The vigil with a dying parent

“I've been here at home with the big guys while Jan and the little guys have been down in Orting with her Dad all week so that she can spend as much time as possible just loving on her Mom before the end. She told me it's like when her Mom used to hold babies who were teething. They couldn't understand what was happening and you couldn't explain it to them, but you could still hold them and love them. Her Mom did it for her. Now she's doing it for her Mom.” Mark Shea, Catholic and Enjoying it

186 Does it pay to be honest?

Of course it does, but sometimes the results aren't what you would expect. When the clerk at the supermarket handed me change for a twenty instead of a ten, I said, "I think I gave you a ten."

I expected her to check her bill tray--clerks are taught to put bills in certain slots, so there should have been a ten in the twenty slot if I were correct.

No. That's not how it is done at that store. First she gave me a dirty look. Told me she can't open the drawer. With a long line waiting behind me, she calls a supervisor on the loud speaker and reports it. Then she pulled out the locked drawer, took it to the office, and got a new drawer. She told me to go to the office where it would be counted.

I waited at the office while the employee chatted with an elderly gentleman, and then waited for her to count and balance the drawer. It checked out perfect. I was wrong, the clerk was right.

Later I realized I hadn't "broken" the twenty I'd put in my purse the day before because I hadn't shopped anywhere else. But I was still right to ask.

185 The Family Reunion

The maples and ash and sycamores along Mountview Avenue in our old neighborhood were glorious this morning--every imaginable color on the trees, except maybe blue, and even it is a component of green. It had been raining; the clouds cleared and the sun broke through causing each leaf to wear diamonds. I was listening to a Christian radio a.m. station I’d never heard before, and the song was about a family reunion in heaven.

It occurred to me that when we get to heaven we’ll be seeing the richness and diversity of God’s family, the bride of Christ, the blessed, the chosen, the saved by his blood, holy children of God. Beautiful and different like those trees.

Every Sunday at the coffee shop Frank, the Catholic, suggests I need to get to the one true church. Catholics will be surprised in heaven to see us Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians. Confessional Lutherans will be speechless to see other Lutherans who’ve never opened the Book of Concord, and Anabaptists will be amazed to see others who have gathers on their prayer bonnets instead of pleats. King James Only fundamentalists who believe you couldn’t possibly find God’s Word in the RSV or Message will wonder why on earth they made such a fuss.

Yes, we’ll be in for a few surprises at the reunion, won’t we?

184 Gnat in my cabernet

There are Christians who spend time writing and debating whether Noah went out and found all the insects and parasites, or if they just hitchhiked into the ark on the animals, food supplies and wood materials.

I think Noah had bigger fish to fry than worrying about snails, spiders, slugs and gnats.** Insects are among God's most resourceful creatures. They know enough to come in out of the rain, which is more than some people I know.

Tonight at dinner there was a gnat floating in my cabernet. I lifted him/her out with my little finger and wiped him on my napkin. He was drunk, but stable, and flew away.

**Yes, I know these are not all insects--I just like the alliteration.

183 Kerry's faith walk

I was doing the mail run for church this morning listening to Glenn Beck do an impersonation of Kerry talking about the Bible and his faith. It was so hysterical I thought I'd have to pull over. Beck may be a Mormon, but he sure knows hypocrisy and puffery when he hears it.

182 The hand in your wallet

A few years back the national United Way had some bad publicity. I don’t know if that’s why the local campaign name was changed, but it is now “Community Charitable Drive.” However, good deed dollars need to be carefully distributed, especially if you live on a pension. I don’t want to contribute to ACLU, NARAL, Stonewall Columbus, or some of the green, “earth-friendly” education groups of which there are many overlapping on the list.

Americans are very generous. The letter I received from the Campaign says that the IRS recognizes some 819,000 charities. However, you need to know the political and social goals of the hand that’s reaching for your wallet. Look at your church budget--it has many reliable Christian social action groups and missionaries. Let the non-Christians support United Way--they won‘t be helping your church meet its budget!

181 Writing for the Church

WRITING FOR THE CHURCH WORKSHOP is an intensive one-week experience designed to help participants develop creative writing and editing skills according to a website advertising it for the summer of 2005. Writers and editors from Concordia Publishing House and Lutheran Hour will be the faculty. Topics featured at the website include the writing of religion lesson materials for all levels and agencies of Christian education; feature articles; devotional literature; family and children’s literature; writing to reach the post-modern mind and heart; types of writing. Included in the plan are self and instructor critiques and peer "helping circles" to improve writing. Before the workshop, reading a recommended text on writing with accompanying writing exercises is required.

The workshop is in St. Paul, July 17-23, 2005. Details on cost and number of students accepted are at the site.

180 The new Lutheran pastor

A woman on a bike and the South Beach diet stopped at my yard sale. We chatted about 15 minutes (she's here at Lakeside for the week-end with a group of women friends). She bought a hard cover gardening book (I have a brown thumb) and two hand carved Asian figurines. She only wanted one of them, but I encouraged her not to separate the couple, who had never been separated, at least in the 30 years since we bought them.

She said she's lost 35 pounds. Also opined that she needed to simplify her life and start getting rid of "things." That's what I had in mind, too (which is why I was glad to see her stop).

Then a woman with a baby in a stroller stopped and bought the little 4 drawer dresser for $10.00. It turns out her husband is the new pastor of St. John Lutheran over in Marblehead, one of my husband's clients. She said he is a very good preacher. So when he stopped by with the $10, the dog, and the other baby, we talked a bit. I told him I liked a good gospel sermon. He agreed. As he walked away I said, "And the liturgy. Do you have liturgy?" "Oh yes," he replied. "It reminds me that it isn't about me."

So we decided to attend St. John's tomorrow and drive home a little later than planned.

179 At the church website

At http://www.ualc.org/ you see under Resources:

The popularity of the Internet presents new challenges as well as new opportunities for Christians. We suggest you take a moment to read and reflect on Norma Bruce's article, Christians and The Internet.

178 New on the blogroll

To counteract some of the bloggrumps on my blogroll, I'm adding Lutheran in a Tipi. Stop by her page and take a look. She likes poetry and lovely photographs.

177 Lutherans for Life

At the church library last week I picked up a copy of LifeDate; a quarterly journal of life issue news and commentary from National Lutherans for Life. The mission statement: Lutherans For Life believes that the Church is compelled by God’s Word to speak and act on behalf of those who are vulnerable and defenseless. The crisis of our times is the repudiation of Biblical truth manifested in the wanton destruction of innocent human life through legalized abortion-on-demand and the growing threat to the lives of others through legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia. Therefore, as Lutherans For Life, we will strive to give witness, from a Biblical perspective, to the Church and society on these and other related issues such as chastity, post abortion healing, and family living.

It is beautiful in content and format--20 pages, good clear graphics, text boxes for small items, and news and articles about abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, and other bio-medical ethical issues important to Christians. There is a wonderful section on inexpensive publications you can purchase for your church, group or personal reading, such as:

• Implmenting a Pro-Life Theology in a Lutheran Congregation
• Marriage, a statement by Lutherans for Life
• Defending the Right to Choose/Know the Facts
• Cloning; understanding the basics

This issue (Fall 2004) has an excellent article on end of life treatment with the conclusion:

The certain and guaranteed hope you have in Jesus' victory over death gives you hope in living life! You can face death with hope because you know it is the door to life. You can face living and dying with hope because you know the true souce of human worth and dignity. You can face and make difficult decisions in hope because you know God is present and at work. Nothing can separate you from His love. Nothing can diminish your hope in Him.

You can read LifeDate on line in a pdf format, however, you can subscribe to the paper copy free, read it, and then put it in your church library, or pass it along. God's economy for paper.

176 Another kind of wealth

“Once a citizen of the nursing home nation, you no longer operate on a money economy. At Fair Acres [nursing home] the rich are those who can get to the dining room under their own steam, use the toilet by themselves, and can still speak and be understood. My mother arrived there with little of that capital.

Nevertheless, her fellow residents envied her wealth of daily family visits. My father never flagged in his faithfulness. During the five years my mother lived at Fair Acres, he missed spending mornings with her only about a dozen times, most during illnesses of his own. I relieved him in the afternoon. My mother's cousin also visited her twice a week, and a busy sister-in-law often came on Thursdays.”

The Visit, by Virginia Stern Owens, Christianity Today, September 2004

175 First Sunday Worship

[Interrupting my hunt for what the various denominations point to as the Gospel, I want to say a few words about how wonderful and inspiring our morning worship was today.]

Pastor Jeff preached a good sermon about the problems Christians have with materialism, specifically consumer debt, and he under girded it with the Gospel. He is a dynamic and lively speaker, and no one would ever fall asleep with Jeff in the pulpit. Jesus talked more about wealth than any other topic, he said. “Debt enslaves, Jesus frees us for service,” is a paraphrase. The root cause of “debt disease” is putting material things in place of God, and the cure is to let Jesus forgive and heal. The steps he suggested were, 1) confess the sin of materialism to God, 2) admit it to another person so you have accountability, and 3) get help from a financial counselor.

My standard for a good worship service is, 1) clear exposition of the Gospel, 2) use of the liturgy, and 3) some hint that the congregation knows what is going on out there in the world around us, especially beyond the city limits of our suburb. There have been Sundays when I’ve heard none of the three, or two out of the three, but today and last Sunday, we had three out of three.

If there are a few gaps in the Gospel, the liturgy fills that in with the words of Confession and Forgiveness, and this was Communion Sunday so we had the Canticle “This is the Feast,” always a lovely addition, the Words of Institution and Lord’s Prayer, and the Canticles, “Lamb of God” and “Thank the Lord.” It was the first time I’d heard Jeff sing, and he has a lovely voice.

Pastors, Preachers, Lay Leaders: No matter how good the sermon, if it doesn’t include a clear exposition of how Jesus paid the price for our sins and we are forgiven because of what he did, not because of our feeble efforts to do good works, how he suffered, died, and rose again. . . well, you’ve just brought everyone together for coffee hour and singing.

The theme of our church magazine this month is also about debt. You can read that at http://www.ualc.org.

174 The Presbyterians and the Westminster Confession

Chapter 8, Christ the Mediator

I. It pleased God, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only-begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and men, the prophet, priest, and king; the head and Savior of the Church, the heir or all things, and judge of the world; unto whom he did, from all eternity, give a people to be his seed, and to be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. . .

IV. This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake, which, that he might discharge, he was made under the law, and did perfectly fulfill it; endured most grievous torments immediately in his soul, and most painful sufferings in his body; was crucified and died; was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw no corruption. On the third day he arose from the dead, with the same body in which he suffered; with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth at the right hand of his Father, making intercession; and shall return to judge men and angels, at the end of the world.

V. The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father; and purchased not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him.

VI. Although the work of redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after his incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefits thereof were communicated into the elect, in all ages successively from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices wherein he was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman, which should bruise the serpant's head, and the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, being yesterday and today the same and for ever.

VII. Christ, in the work of mediation, acteth according to both natures; by each nature doing that which is proper to itself; yet by reason of the unity of the person, that which is proper to one nature is sometimes, in Scripture, attributed to the person denominated by the other nature.

VIII. To all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same; making intercession for them, and revealing unto them, in and by the Word, the mysteries of salvation; effectually persuading them by his Spirit to believe and obey; and governing their hearts by his Word and Spirit; overcoming all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom, in such manner and ways as are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensation.

173 The Gospel according to the Methodists

"The Methodist Articles of Religion" Discipline of 1808

There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided; whereof is one Christ, very God and very Man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.

Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day.

The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

172 The Gospel according to the Mennonites

There is nothing in Christian literature more uplifting and inspiring than the pure and simple Gospel. Different Christian traditions may quibble on details, but agree on the basics. The following is from the Mennonite Tradition.

We believe and confess further, that when the time of the promise, for which all the pious forefathers had so much longed and waited, had come and was fulfilled, this previously promised Messiah, Redeemer, and Savior, proceeded from God, was sent, and, according to the prediction of the prophets, and the testimony of the evangelists, came into the world, yea, into the flesh, was made manifest, and the Word, Himself became flesh and man; that He was conceived in the virgin Mary, who was espoused to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and that she brought Him forth as her first-born son, at Bethlehem, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger. John 4:25; 16:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 2:7.

We confess and believe also, that this is the same whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, without beginning of days, or end of life; of whom it is testified that He Himself is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last; that He is the same, and no other, who was foreordained, promised, sent, and came into the world; who is God's only, first and own Son; who was before John the Baptist, before Abraham, before the world; yea, who was David's Lord, and the God of the whole world, the first-born of every creature; who was brought into the world, and for whom a body was prepared, which He yielded up as a sacrifice and offering, for a sweet savor unto God, yea, for the consolation, redemption, and salvation of all mankind. John 3:16; Hebrews 1:6; Romans 8:32; John 1:30; Matthew 22:43; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 10:5.

But as to how and in what manner this precious body was prepared, and how the Word became flesh, and He Himself man, in regard to this we content ourselves with the statement pertaining to this matter which the worthy evangelists have left us in their accounts, according to which we confess with all the saints, that He is the Son of the living God, in whom alone consist all our hope, consolation, redemption, and salvation, which we neither may nor must seek in any other. Luke 1:31, 32; John 20:31; Matthew 16:16.

We furthermore believe and confess with the Scriptures, that, when He had finished His course, and accomplished the work for which He was sent and came into the world, He was, according to the providence of God, delivered into the hands of the unrighteous; suffered under the judge, Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, was buried, and on the third day, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven; and that He sits on the right hand of God the Majesty on high, whence He will come again to judge the quick and the dead. Luke 22:53; 23:1; 24:6, 7, 51.

And that thus the Son of God died, and tasted death and shed His precious blood for all men; and that He thereby bruised the serpent's head, destroyed the works of the devil, annulled the handwriting and obtained forgiveness of sins for all mankind; thus becoming the cause of eternal salvation for all those who, from Adam unto the end of the world, each in his time, believe in, and obey Him. Genesis 3:15; 1 John 3:8; Colossians 2:14; Romans 5:18.
Dordrecht Confession. Canadian Mennonite Encyclopedia

171 Food Pantry Shopping

Under $28--and you should see the bounty. The pastor announced Sunday the Food Pantry of Lutheran Social Services needed everything. Usually, they announce what they need, peanut butter or diapers or mac and cheese. This week, anything and everything was welcome. But I by-passed my usual stores in Columbus and went to Bassett's near Port Clinton, OH where I shop on vacation.

Bassett's is pretty high end, lots of gourmet and specialty items and a fabulous bakery, deli, and coffee bar, but in preparation for the expansion of the Wal-Mart to a super store, they are starting to stock lower priced, lesser known brands, a number at $1.00. During the summer I tried a number of items and found most to be quite satisfactory. I make a lot of pudding, sugar-free pies, and use graham cracker prepared crusts. Purity brand has that at $1.00, rather than the $1.59 or $1.79 of name brands. I also bought "Our Family" brand, not for a dollar a piece, but certainly much reduced and good quality compared to well known brands with a hefty advertising budget. I looked at and compared prices on soups, selecting Campbell's because they were on special and a better deal than house brands.

So I purchased boxes of crackers for $1.00, cheese and mac 3/$1.00, "cherrios" clone and raisin bran clone boxes of cereal, instant oatmeal packets, peanuts, potato mixes, casserole mixes for stroganoff, lasanga and chili, flavored coffee packets, and soups. I don't use a lot of prepared foods myself, but I know they are essential for the users of the food pantry, many of whom are very young and don't have equipped kitchens for "home-made," or who don't know the basics of food preparation.

Purity has a web site where you can shop on-line. If One Dollar grocery stores aren't near you, you can buy terrific bargains here, like 12 8-packs of oatmeal cereal for $12.00, or 12 6.5 oz packets of beef pasta dinners for $12.00, or 24 4 oz. jars of instant coffee for $24.00. Again, I remind you I don't purchase prepackaged, single items like oatmeal, but I have a nice kitchen. I find the sizes reasonable, which often is not the case in the stores where I shop, which seem to reason that bigger is cheaper which isn't really so.

NashFinch produces a lot of low cost and special label foods, although I haven't found a way to order on-line. Look for them at your store. On-line they have a very good recipe page.

170 The adopted Grandfather

CNN carried a real tear jerker today--even warned the viewers ahead of time. An 80 year old widower in Italy put himself up for adoption as a grandfather!

"Giorgio Angelozzi, 80, has lived alone outside Rome with seven cats since his wife died in 1992, but he took the unprecedented step of putting himself up for adoption last month via the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Not satisfied with just running the advertisement, Italy's main daily ran a front-page story about Angelozzi's plight.

Inundated with offers from families across Italy and as far away as New Zealand, Brazil and the United States, the retired schoolteacher has decided to go to live with Elio and Marlena Riva and their two teenage children in Bergamo, northern Italy." CNN story here.

The reporter said Mr. Angelozzi had one child who lived in another country. Marlena is Polish and her husband Italian. She was already calling Giorgio, Papa and the children were calling him Grandpa, as the video panned his home as he packed to go live with them. He is giving the cats away. It really was a beautiful story--and did indeed cause a few tears.

169 The Plot to Kill Evolution

That's the cover story on the October 2004 issue of Wired, one of my favorite journals. You can read Wired on-line, but the paper copy is much more satisfying. But in either medium, this "story" will be a hoot (I haven't opened it yet). You can't kill what doesn't exist.

168 The Practical Gospel

This congregation offers free oil changes for single Moms, The South Sound Vineyard Church. There are many practical ways to invite people into your congregation. Just be sure they hear the Gospel in the exchange.

To tell people about the wonderful conference you attended, is not the Gospel.
To crank the music even louder and swing and wave your arms, is not the Gospel.
To announce how Jesus has changed your life, is not the Gospel.
To invite people to join a small group, is not the Gospel.
To ask people to repent, is not the Gospel.
To pray for healing, is not the Gospel.
To tell the latest miracle in your life, is not the Gospel.

The Gospel does not tell us to do something, it proclaims what God has done. The Gospel doesn't tell us how to get to God, but tells how God gets to us.

167 Fill a Bucket for the Methodists

United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) urges United Methodists and anyone else willing to help replenish supplies of flood buckets that have been sent to Florida. The buckets include such items as sponges, brushes, trash bags and various types of cleaning materials. Specifications can be found online at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/. Completed flood buckets--and $1.50 per bucket to cover reshipping-- should be sent to UMCOR Sager Brown, 101 Sager Brown Rd., Baldwin, LA 70514.

UMCOR is also requesting donations for its Material Resource Ministry, Advance #901440 for cleaning supplies that the staff and volunteers at the Sager Brown Depot will use to assemble flood buckets. Contents include:

Flood Bucket http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/floodbucket.stm
(Updated: 9/3/2004)
These supplies enable people to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up after a flood or hurricane.
5-gallon bucket with resealable lid
Bleach (two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle. Do not include bleach of you are shipping the bucket through the US Postal Service, UPS or FedEx)
5 scouring pads
7 Sponges
1 scrub brush
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
5 dust masks
2 pair latex gloves
1 pair work gloves
24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon (remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
1 Insect repellant spray, 6-14 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See special requirements below.*)
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps. See special requirements below.*)
*Special requirements: Put all items in the plastic bucket and seal lid. Please ensure that all cleansing agents are liquids (not powder) and in plastic bottles. All aerosols or flammables: If aerosols are included, do not send the bucket by US mail or DHL/Airborne freight. Ship by UPS ground, FedEx ground, or truck. Pack inside the bucket or strong outer boxes. Put the ORM-D mark on the outside of any buckets or boxes containing these items. Get it at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/print/kits/orm-d.cfm. Copy and tape on each bucket or box. Boxes cannot exceed 66 lbs. each.
Value: $45 per bucket.In a separate envelope, please send a check for at least $1.50 for each flood bucket to help UMCOR Sager Brown with the costs of processing and shipping.

166 The Exit Ramp of Puberty

Joe Carter, who is 36, has great suggestions for the teen-ager who whines that his parents don’t understand that things are different than they were in the 70s or 80s--that today’s 15 year olds know much more than the 18 year olds of an earlier era. So Joe plays it forward to the exit ramp of puberty. Read this humorous post at The Evangelical Outpost.

"You’ll learn to appreciate country music -- Kids who grow up listening to rock or rap often believe that country musicians only sing about how the dog died, the truck broke down, and their woman ran off. That is, of course, a fairly accurate assessment of country music. But by the time you hit forty you’ll have had your share of dead dogs, dead batteries, and dead-end relationships. You’ll find that you can relate to this music better than you can songs about drinking champagne while driving in your Rolls and getting shot at by rival East Coast rappers."

Note from a woman old enough to be Joe's mother: at the coffee shop the other day I thought I was listening to the latest rock/pop tune until I looked up and saw a group of 40-something, mother-joggers dancing to it and realized that it was from their era, not the current one.

165 The Slaughter of Innocents

Honora Howell Chapman writes at Victor Davis Hanson’s website:

“When I was flying home from Dublin on the third anniversary of 9/11, at the airport there I saw a Time magazine cover with the shocking photo of a boy who had escaped the Beslan massacre, nose bloodied, crying out in anguish, with clenched fists and only underwear on; the title screamed “Slaughter of the Innocents.” After we landed in Atlanta, I discovered, however, that Time magazine for the U.S. has a different cover showing a placid Muslim boy with his right hand over his heart, accompanied by the innocuous title: “Special Report: The Struggle Within Islam.” So, is the message here that American readers should be less interested in what happened at Beslan than in the general state of Islam?”

She calls the cover switch “bizarre” and continues on with thoughts and statistics about children and war.

164 The Problems of Growth

“Brad” would get credit for this analysis of how church growth affects the pastor and the pew, but it is excerpted from a forum discussion of the “40 days of Purpose” by Rick Warren at the web magazine for the PCA, By Faith. Go to “Forums,” look at the topics, and read.

“Church growth has consequences that must be dealt with before a church goes down any road which entails a change in philosophy and focus. Having attended churches which have adopted the tenets of Saddleback Church and also experienced rapid growth these are some of the problems I witnessed. The pastor rapidly loses touch with the flock as the size of the church increases. This means increased small group leaders each with their own theological view, some with training that is minimal at best. Often these small groups are highlighted as the "real" soul of the church. The pastor must devote more and more time away from preaching sermons (or putting the effort and dedicated prayer into them) into working with the community political leaders and wooing large donors to finance the increase in building projects which come with this influx of people. While I'm sure others have seen different, the results I've seen have been 20-25 minute sermons which resemble the Franklin Covey 7 Habits of Highly Successful people instead of sermons which direct focus towards God and encourage disciplined spiritual growth.”

163 Foxholes and Hurricanes

"I'm going to say a little prayer and hope for the best," said Steve Turner, 43, of Port Sulfer in south Louisiana as Hurricane Ivan approached. His prayer was recorded in this morning's paper.

There are no atheists in foxholes is an expression I first heard in the 1970s. Apparently, there aren't too many in hurricanes either.

162 Politicians preaching to the choir--in church

Ambra has some hard things to say about pastors who invite politicians to take over in the pulpit.

"When it comes to earning the "black vote", everytime an election rolls around, all of a sudden, everyone remembers how "religious" and "deep" and "spiritual" they are, and church appearances abound. If I were a pastor, I'd charge their shady behinds to come speak to the congregation." Her blog here.

Even so, there are times when my former humanist/mainline values come to the fore and I wish occasionally my pastors would say something, anything, to indicate they read the newspaper or watch the news! Perhaps they could run through the list on the ELCA's homepage for advocacy (which sounds not unlike the ALA's) and take a conservative view? I'm sure this Sunday we'll pray for the children of Beslan, but a sermon on evil? Probably not. We don't even get abortion or gun control, in case you think that is a given in a conservative congregation. Divorce? Pornography? Gambling? Adultery? Never. Maybe the Sudan Darfurs will creep into a morning prayer, but probably not a sermon. But then, I've been gone most of the summer. . . maybe. . .

161 Matthew 25:42-45

It’s First Tuesday, the holiday is over, the summer at the lake is a memory and it is time to visit my ladies in the area nursing homes. One is 50 and had an aneurysm at 18; one is 75 and had a devastating stroke about 3 years ago; another is probably mid-80s and needs assisted care. This is not an easy task--even my parents slipped quietly into the arms of Jesus without a nursing home stay. I have to read Matthew 25:42-45 to gird my loins, as we say.

“. . .for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer, “Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to thee?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ ” RSV

“. . . for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me. Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ " NASB

So I keep that in mind as I visit--I’m ministering to Jesus. What a privilege!

160 Teaching Creationism to restore morality in schools

This post at Social Affairs Unit argues for restoring the seven day creation to schools in Britain (in addition to, not instead of, Darwinism) in order to give the schools a moral base.

“Schools in which creationism is cherished are the kinds of faith schools that succeed in instilling decent moral principles in their pupils. Creationist schools are able to generate the kind of moral authority that will combat crime, teenage pregnancy and drug addiction in amoral inner city areas and they can do this without creating political or communal animosities. Parents who want their children to be protected from the problems associated with inner city seek out schools that condemn sin. They want schools that are judgmental and moralistic. Those schools which believe in the literal truth of the Book of Genesis are likely to provide this.

Parents do not care about the waxing and waning of trilobites or moths that turn black in Lancashire or the species of bottom feeding sea-urchin that became extinct when its anus slowly migrated round its perimeter until it coincided with its mouth. Such esoteric knowledge does not appeal to the parents of Govan or Splott, Bon-y-Maen or Chapeltown. They know that the wages of Darwin is sin and they dislike sin.

Democracy as well as reason demands that we go back to the seven days of creation and the quelling of confusion to create order. The story of the flood and Noah's Ark has a moral dimension that Darwinism lacks, for it links changes in the natural world to the need to restore moral order at a time of social confusion.”

159 Chuckle for the Day

"Hearing nuns' confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn." Bishop Fulton Sheen

I noticed this quote over at Thinklings, which I've recently added to my blogroll. It is a group Christian blog, but some of the individual bloggers also are free lance writers, so their links are are also available.

158 Beer and Updating the Blogroll

This morning I spent some time updating my blogroll for this site, and specifically added some Lutherans. I've been a Lutheran since 1976--almost 30 years--and attended a Lutheran church when I was in elementary school because our town didn't have a Church of the Brethren. I'm a member of one of the largest Lutheran churches in the United States, with 3 campuses.

Even so, I'm still a bit surprised at how "worldly" Lutherans are compared to the Anabaptist tradition in which I was raised. I rejected some sites for inclusion because of "trash talking," and I'm puzzled at their fascination with beer. OK, so maybe you want to glory in our German roots, but in the 21st century, alcohol is still destroying a lot of lives and costing us billions in social and personal damage. Drink beer if you wish, but what does it have to do with a witness for Jesus Christ? (Please, no wineskin stories here--I've heard them all. I'm talking about "glorifying" beer drinking, not proverbs about the Kingdom.)

157 When Plan B is a Deception

Emergency contraception which causes a developing embryo to not implant, is not contraception at all--it is an early abortion. Switching the controversial emergency contraceptive known as Plan B to over-the-counter (OTC) status is bad medicine according to a leading medication therapy journal. "Avoiding Pregnancy: 'A Plan' versus Plan B," by Gene Rudd, MD appears in the September issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy and can be viewed at The Annals Online's Articles Ahead of Print. Abstract.

Story tip from Vox Lauri, a librarian on my blogroll at Collecting My Thoughts.

156 How to treat the dying

Melanie Phillips, a British writer, writes about the recent death of her mother and the kindness of strangers.

"On the day before my widowed mother died, five weeks ago today, I was inexpressibly moved by an act of love towards her that went way beyond the call of duty in the Jewish Care nursing home where she lived. My mother had suffered much, and for long, although her passing was gentle. On that day, as her life ebbed away, she was in a partial coma, unresponsive to any stimulus.

To my surprise, the home’s aromatherapist suddenly arrived. Without further ado, she carefully uncovered my mother’s wasted limbs and with extreme tenderness applied her oils and unguents, all the while expressing endearments and loving encouragement. She sprinkled fragrant essences on her pillows, and put on the soft, soothing background music that my mother had come to love in the years in which she had drawn comfort from this treatment.

Nor was this all. The aromatherapist took a quick lunch and then came back and did it all over again. When eventually she tore herself away, she wept as she bade my mother goodbye. She understood, from her care of that body, that what was ending here was a monumental struggle. And what was so moving was that even though my mother could not respond, and for all we knew was quite unaware of what was going on, she was treated right to the end as a person with particular likes and desperate needs; and even more touchingly, as if she was still as alert and responsive as she had always been. It was a reaffirmation of humanity, both her own and that of the person who was giving so much of herself."
Melanie Phillips, August 30, 2004

155 God had a plan

There is an interesting study in JAMA (that's the journal of the American Medical Association--official title) that shows fetal cells remain in a woman's blood stream after pregnancy and help her body repair injured tissues even decades later. Dr. Diana Bianchi, chief of the division of Medical Genetics at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, is the lead scientist behind this revolutionary development. Read more about this at Book of Joe, which explains medical events in layman's language. JAMA abstract is here.

154 NCC Smears Cuban Americans' Heritage

I was in the Cokesbury Bookstore today and picked up a colorful folded map of Cuba. The verso (text) presented quite a surprise, with nary a mention of Communism, only a Revolution and an oppressor country (USA). Yes, published by the National Council of Churches and promoted by the United Methodist Church.

"Map & Facts: CUBA
Beautiful four color map, 23" x 35" , shows topography, provinces, major cities, and the island of Cuba in relation to other Caribbean countries and the USA. Eight panels on the reverse side provide a ready reference to Cuban history, blacks in Cuba, religion in Cuba, relations with the USA and USSR, and basic geographic facts. The map may be used in conjunction with the adult study book and video or as a valuable resource on its own. Oxford Cartographers; text by Joseph A. Perez (retired) who served as secretary, Latin America and the Caribbean, for the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries World Division. He was professor of sociology at Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan. FP 73028 / $8.95"

If it hadn't been so outrageously expensive ($9 for one sheet of paper with ridiculously slanted information), I would have purchased it and quoted a few of the paragraphs. Fifty cents is a fair price for Communist propaganda. The above quote is from the Friendship Press web site. I wonder what is in the video and study book?

I remember when I was working in the Agriculture Library about 25 years ago browsing a World Council of Churches detailed budget (It had numerous agricultural projects). One thing caught my eye: WCC was supporting a "consciousness raising" group for Muslims in the Philippines. I wonder what that group is doing today?

153 How long does it take to die of dehydration?

That depends. If your adult daughters sneak past the staff and into your room at hospice, you might have a few more days. You may be alert enough to ask for food and water, and if they are successful in obtaining a little pudding or apple juice, you'll have a few last stolen moments together.

Depending upon the state of health prior to stopping fluids, three to ten days. The average lean individual has enough energy stored in muscle and fat tissue to last 40 days without food. If you are already elderly and sick, probably less.

If your wife, bone tired from your care at home these many years (and really ready for you to go this time), has her way and forbids your children to see you, it could be a long slow, painful process. Here's how it works according to the website Life cycles: Withholding foods and fluids

Effects of dehydration and starvation:

· Dry mucous membranes (mouth, nose throat and genital organs)
· Constipation
· Impaction (buildup of stool in the body), severe abdominal cramping and bloating, nausea and vomiting
· Electrolyte imbalances (salt and water problems in the blood and tissues)
· Arrhythmias (heart problems); myalgias and malaise (muscle pain and marked fatigue)
· Cough and shortness of breath
· Severe depression and confusion, severe agitation and fear, delusions
· Dry, cracked skin
· Urinary, vaginal and bowel infection
· Bronchitis and pneumonia
· Blood in the bowel, stomach, kidney and lungs, kidney failure
· General systemic collapse and death

If you were an farm animal, there would probably be an animal rights organization to prevent this painful death, but because you are a human being created in the image of a holy God . . .[insert text here].

152 Let's Sing the Old Hymns Again

On August 2 I blogged about the perfect day at Lakeside. We had houseguests we love; the weather was gorgeous; there was an ice cream social and a band in front of the hotel; there was a book sale at the Ladies Club. I wandered over to the booksale and went through the freebie box, picking out a 1964 Methodist Hymnal to keep at the cottage.

After joining our guests seated back at the pavilion overlooking the lake, I opened the hymnbook and selected a familiar tune and began to sing softly. Sweak. Squawk. Squeal. That's all that came out. I used to be a first soprano and loved to sing. Now I have a range of 5 or 6 notes--all around middle C. I sang in high school choirs, and when the children were young, we'd put on records and sing together. Where did my voice go? When did it leave me? It isn't just age--even my Great aunt Ada (90) still has a lovely voice.

Being a librarian (emeritus), I immediately began to analyze my loss. 1) I'm retired now and may go for many hours during the day and not use my voice. 2) For about 15 years the only place I've had an opportunity to sing is church services. 3) Church congregational singing has deteriorated badly during that time--choruses and camp songs, the easier the better. Lots of swing and sway, but not much of a challenge if you can read music.

I'm going to start singing in the car. Just some scales and fa-la-la's for now. Then I'll work up to that Methodist hymnal with all those wonderful Watts and Wesley hymns waiting for me at the lakehouse.

151 Why Marriage?

Stop over at Family Scholars Blog for some interesting insights on marriage and family, and a long list of reviewed books and films. It will probably only confirm what you already know--divorce is hard on children, children from homes with married parents are less likely to become involved in crime, drugs or poverty, married people are healthier, etc. But the links to the writers who try to make it otherwise is quite fascinating.

150 Respectable Britain?

The most discouraging thing about reading this article in The New Criterion, The death of religion and the fall of respectable Britain, is my feeling that the United States is on the same path. Read some of the articles at Barna Research about the faith professions and behaviors of Americans, and you‘ll see what I mean.

149 Presbyterians and Israel

"The Presbyterian Church (USA) has committed a grievous sin. The General Assembly of that church has voted to divest from only one country in the world. No, it was not China, which has occupied Tibet for half a century and continues to deny basic human rights to its own citizens. No, it was not Iran, which threatens nuclear holocaust, executes dissenters and denies religious freedom to Christians and Jews. No, it was not North Korea, Libya, Russia, Sudan, Cuba or Belarus. It was -- you guessed it -- Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and America's most reliable ally in a troubled part of the world. " Alan Dershowitz

Any Presbyterians out there who can comment? OK. How about Lutherans? Methodists? Congregationalists? How many think Israel is a bigger threat than North Korea? Violates more human rights than China. Silence.

148 Religion in Wired

At my blog on first issues of magazines "In The Beginning," I've written about the premiere issue of Wired. It isn't religious, but sometimes I am awed by what I see about God and creation in "secular" sources. For instance, this from the August 2004 issue, p. 108:

What we think of as life on this planet is only the surface layer of a vast undiscovered world. The great majority of Earth's species are bacteria and other microorganisms. They form the bottom of the food chain and orchestrate the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients through the ecosystem. They are the dark matter of life. They may also hold the key to generating a near-infinite amount of energy, developing powerful pharmaceuticals, and cleaning up the ecological messes our species has made.

Long before I was a Christian I had given up on "evolution" as totally implausible. And if I weren't a believer in a Creator, this kind of a paragraph would send me searching for Truth.

147 Dunker Journal

I was surprised to come across a blog titled, Dunker Journal. It is sponsored by the Brethren Revival Fellowship (BRF), a renewal movement in the Church of the Brethren. "Dunker" was the slang for the German Baptists, who were also called Dunkards, Tunkers and Taufers. It comes from the three times, face-forward, in the water baptism, which remains the tradition today in the Church of the Brethren.

146 About our freedoms

Shots Across the Bow has an interesting comment on Michael Moore's film flim flam:

"I'm proud to live in a country where a man can make a movie like this and not wind up in a gulag, or live in fear of a midnight knock on the door, followed by torture and murder. I'm proud that, all protests from liberal democrats aside, freedom of speech still rules in America, that Michael Moore, can stand up and spout his lies and distortions, and not only remian a free man, but make a very nice living doing so. It's almost oxymoronic; the very fact that Moore could make Farenheit 911 discredits one of Moore's central theses, that we no longer live in a free society."

However, he wonders about those of you who swallowed that nonsense. To read the rest, go here.

145 No easy transitions

Pastor Barbara said this morning during her transition from the sermon to communion, as the microphone wouldn't unclip and then the clips fell on the deck, as the wind whipped her notes and hair, "Each week I prepare a smooth transition from sermon to communion. . ." and the wind took the rest of her words. But informal church on the lakefront singing camp songs is wonderful. Today we sang "Hallelu, Hallelujah!," "Down in my Heart," and "This is the Day." Gwen at the electric keyboard is always joyful and led us in rounds. And it was a glorious day, overcast perhaps, but the mighty Erie was singing God's glory with white caps and a bit of spray baptizing our efforts to outsing her.

No easy transitions. A staff member died on the same high-way I was driving last Sunday. We prayed for his widow, children and grandchildren. It was a shock to all our little community, but not to Jesus, who was waiting with open arms for his child who had served him many years. It will be a difficult transition for his family, but it was effortless for him.

Jesus has done it all, as the hymn says. He has lived the perfect life and paid for our sins on the cross so we can confidently make that transition as though we had lived without sin. And make an effortless, smooth transition when our time here is over.

144 Two with no mayo

This has been all over blogdom, but started in The New York Times Magazine. I heard it read on the radio, and almost couldn't believe my ears, considering the people I know who are flying to the Ukraine, India and China to adopt babies (usually girls since boys are more valued).

After deciding with her boyfriend that it was time to start a family, she was surprised by the diagnosis of triplets. So she aborted the twin boys and kept the single. Her boyfriend started to balk when he saw the 3 heartbeats on the sonogram, but wimped out. If he's smart he'll walk out on the woman who killed his sons.

Her income would take a significant hit. "There was a part of me that was sure I could work around that," she allowed. "But it was a matter of, Do I want to?"

Her answer was no. There were health risks. Moreover, "I'll have to start shopping only at Costco and buying big jars of mayonnaise." So it was off to the specialist who would shoot potassium chloride into the hearts of two of the babies.

One version here, but it is all over the place.

We believe that every human life (born and unborn) is precious, being created in the image of God. Because Jesus Christ chose to die for us, every person is loved by God. Since life is sacred, abortion is not pleasing to God and Christians are called to value life as God does. Our worth is determined by God’s view of us which is demonstrated in Jesus, not by our own self-estimation. (Genesis 1:27; John 3:16; Psalm 136; Psalm 139:13-16) Statement “What we believe” [about] Human Worth, Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, Columbus, OH.

143 Don't preach outside the YMCA

A Christian had his family’s membership revoked at the East Cobb, GA, YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) for witnessing to two high school seniors outside the building. Did the Y own the sidewalk? The air? The right to speak? Can it tell members what to say and to whom?

Story here, and it certainly sounds odd. No one claims that the YM or YW are Christian organizations anymore, but they are supposed to reflect “Christian principles.” Well, chalk that up for one more reason not to contribute to United Way type organizations and send your money where you know what people stand for.

142 Christians and the Internet, a code of ethics

The code of ethics I drafted for Upper Arlington Lutheran Church on use of computers and the Internet, is now available for viewing and comment at the church's web site, http://www.ualc.org. The references to parents is to make it inclusive for our members who are young people and children. You can comment here or at the church web site. Linked references were checked in May, 2004.

141 Maybe it's their strength

Donald Cranksahw at "Back of the Envelope" blog writes:

I believe that the Democratic party is on the verge of collapse. The reason I think this is that the party doesn't have any sort of unified vision, but is instead cobbled together from dozens of special interest groups who have no fundamental common ground. The gay rights' lobby, the working class, the unions, the ethnic minorities, the abortion rights' lobby, the transnationalists, etc. The core of the Democratic party used to be the working class and the unions, which formed a natural alliance with the ethnic minorities, since most of them were working class. This is what led to the big Democratic initiatives of the past, such as The New Deal and The Great Society. It wasn't a perfect fit, but it worked for a time. However, these groups have no natural affinity for the likes of the gay rights' lobby, the abortion rights' lobby, the anti-war transnationalists, etc. More and more, the Democratic party seems under the power of these latter groups, whose values are not only alien, but oftentimes anti-thetical to the old core of the party.

They could still elect a president even if they wouldn't go to dinner with each other.

140 This can't be real!

"This has got to be the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I’m doing this on the day I gave birth to my first child, so it will always be a day I’ll never forget. I love you even though I know in my heart I can’t keep you, but the memory of you will make me strong. I know your spirit is in a better place. Each tear I cry will help me erase the memory of this day, but not of you. You will always be a part of me even though you are not here with me. All my love, the mom you’ll never meet, but I’m sure you know who I am."

Sort of sounds like something you might write to a child placed for adoption, but no, it is to an aborted baby from "mom." I think I liked it better when women pretended a fetus was just a blob of tissue and not a human being. Seen at Letters from Babylon. I'm hoping this is as phoney as MM's F 9/11, because I really don't want to believe a woman could feel this and then destroy the baby.

139 The travel writing genre

Lakeside, from which I’m writing, is a Chautauqua community and offers classes and programming on many topics--and there was a travel writer on the program list this week. I didn’t go for two reasons, I don’t travel much, and I’m not interested in publication (usually a topic within writing classes). Actually, three reasons; I don’t read travel literature. But I thought this observation about Evelyn Waugh’s newly reissued travel writing was interesting at First Things. Waugh Abroad: Collected Travel Writing

“For the most part, Waugh’s books are not really about travel at all. True travel writers work upon the assumption that their task is, primarily, to see and to describe, and where possible to enter into as profound a sympathy for their subjects as they can; Waugh proceeds upon the (subversive) assumption that his business is to evaluate and to comment, and to avoid sympathy as assiduously as circumstances and good taste permit. For all his considerable prowess as a stylist, in these books he rarely troubles to convey any image or experience with appreciable vividness or pungency (except where an opportunity for mockery presents itself). Any reader of his novels knows that he was quite capable of painting pictures with words when necessary; but his genius lay elsewhere. His prose is urbane, unsentimental, and economical, hospitable to moments of purple abandon but at its best when its controlled and even flow allows him to pass from delicacy to savagery and back again without any visible effort. It is, in short, a prose of personality, not of scenery; of irony, not of anecdotes. And so it is in these books.”

The author did list some travel writers he enjoys and did cite the redeeming qualities in Waugh’s books--always about the author, not the travel. For example:

“[British Guiana] If there is any more unprepossessing expanse of earth upon the globe, one cannot imagine where. This book is an unremitting account of misery, privation, and pointlessness in a world of dun landscapes, tormenting insects, malnutrition, and cultural stagnancy. What makes it fascinating, though, is the almost demented composure of the author; it demonstrates with remarkable poignancy how, in its way, British equanimity can constitute a kind of emotional extremism.”

138 The high cost of FDA approval

I took a beta blocker for about 6 years. Somewhere I read that 100,000 people had died who could have been saved by that class of drugs waiting for it to make its way through FDA approval. From drug discovery to approval for distribution and sale, here is a handy chart. This process typically takes seven to ten years and can cost upwards of $900 million dollars per drug.

Alexander Coombs explains why we will tolerate the death of thousands rather than risk the death of someone from an unsafe drug. It's in our brain function, according to MRIs.

When television programs such as 60 Minutes show people suffering from unintended effects of a drug, we feel enraged and disgusted. We wonder how such tragedies are permitted. Those who suffer and die because of drugs that will never be available to them receive no television coverage; no headlines decry the injustice. They simply pass away untreated, unrecognized victims of an irrational policy.

See his article, "Two Track Mind: How Irrational Policy Endures" June 7, 2004.

137 The Politics of Partisan Neutrality

"Americans who want to understand conflicts between Democrats and Republicans during the election season have received precious little help from the media. While reporters usually recognize that there is some sort of problem about “values” and about “faith-based” principles, and that the Democrats and Republicans are often on opposite sides, writers and editors tend to publish news and analysis as if the situation were as follows: The Christian right, having infiltrated the Republican Party, is importing its divisive religious ideas into our public life, whereas the Democratic Party is the neutral camp of tolerant and pluralistic Americans.

This way of framing the matter predominates, not only because it reflects the personal beliefs of many journalists, but also because it draws upon a long American tradition of suspicion and fear of committed Catholics and evangelical Protestants. (In the elite newspapers and magazines, the number of journalists in either of those groups is tiny.) It is thus comfortable for journalists to conceive of religiously based political conflict in terms of an aggressive Christian right advancing upon a beleaguered neutral and pluralistic center and left.

What the journalists leave out of their accounts is the fact that the nonreligious have also become aggressive actors on the political stage and that they possess and promote, in fact, an overarching religious worldview of their own—one that can fairly be called secularism."

Complete article at First Things, May 2004

136 Making church members feel good about themselves

The blog Ecumentical Insanity questions some of the marketing techniques being used by churches. See Latest Panacea, July 11, 2004

135 On Wearing the Pants

During prayer requests at the worship service on the Lakefront, someone requested prayers for the safe return of our troops. Another chimed in for safe return of all troops. I assume she was including the Moslems who think she is an infidel, and not worthy of life.

The following excerpt makes wearing a hood or women’s lingerie while in prison look like a birthday party, doesn’t it?

“We tied the infidel [a Briton] by one leg [behind the car]. . . . Everyone watched the infidel being dragged. . . . The infidel's clothing was torn to shreds, and he was naked in the street. The street was full of people, as this was during work hours, and everyone watched the infidel being dragged, praise and gratitude be to Allah. . . .

We entered one of the companies' [offices], and found there an American infidel who looked like a director of one of the companies. I went into his office and called him. When he turned to me, I shot him in the head, and his head exploded. We entered another office and found one infidel from South Africa, and our brother Hussein slit his throat. We asked Allah to accept [these acts of devotion] from us, and from him. . . .

At the same time, we found a Swedish infidel. Brother Nimr cut off his head, and put it at the gate so that it would be seen by all those entering and exiting. We continued in the search for the infidels, and we slit the throats of those we found among them. . . .

We found Filipino Christians. We cut their throats and dedicated them to our brothers the Mujahideen in the Philippines. [Likewise], we found Hindu engineers and we cut their throats too, Allah be praised. That same day, we purged Muhammad's land of many Christians and polytheists. . . .” Special Dispatch, no. 731, Middle East Media Research Institute

134 John Kerry and Holy Communion

“Recently 48 Catholic members of Congress signed a letter to Theodore Cardinal McCarrick declaring that "We firmly believe that it would be wrong for a bishop to deny the sacrament of holy communion to an individual on the basis of his voting record ... We do not believe it is our role to legislate the teachings of the Catholic Church. For any of us to be singled out by any bishop by the refusal of communion (because of a pro-choice position) is deeply hurtful." Seen in Brent Bozell’s column July 7, 2004

I’m not a Catholic, but a group of Catholics using their positions as U.S. congress people to try to get the Catholic church to change its position on abortion sounds really odd to me. The Supreme Court decided that the unborn aren’t human beings worthy of life and as a result millions of babies have died. The Church has applied Canon Law to those, who like John Kerry, go against Church teaching. If I had to decide who had a direct line to God about morality, I’d choose the Catholic Church over the Supreme Court any day--given only two choices.

George Weigel states in his column of June 21, “. . . the members misrepresent canon law and the purpose of canonical penalties. Canon 915 states that those who "obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion." The application of this canon to present circumstances is being vigorously debated throughout the United States (and in Rome) right now. The debate would be a wiser one if everyone understood (as the forty-eight members of Congress evidently do not) that canonical penalties have a different aim than penalties in civil and criminal law. The purpose of canonical penalties is remedial, even medicinal: imposing a penalty is intended, not so much as a punishment, but as a prod to conversion. The aim is not retribution, but change of heart and mind.”

133 Lutheran Chautauqua

The Lutherans have two weeks at Lakeside, a summer Chautauqua community owned by the Methodists where we have a summer cottage. This year is their 83rd, and I believe at one time at least one group of Lutherans had services there in German. The Pastor of the week is Rev. Henry J. Langknecht, Professor of Homiletics & Christian Communication at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. I rarely attend services at Hoover Auditorium in the summer, having been burned by too many liberal preachers who had us praying to "mother-father God" and mouthing all sorts of creedal blather about environmentalism, AIDS, and women's rights during the service. Instead, we attend the informal service on the lakefront, where camp songs and praise choruses make sense, considering the metal chairs, strong winds off the lake, and people wearing athletic shoes and shorts.

However, I thought, it being Lutheran week, maybe I'd hear some good music and catch a gospel centered sermon. There was a nice choir from Zion Lutheran Church in Sandusky and we did sing "This is my Father's World" and say the Apostles' Creed. (Do any Lutherans have liturgy anymore?) The sermon had a political theme, it being July 4, so I don't begrudge Rev. Langknecht that opportunity to bring in civil and women's rights into his theme of the week, "There is Nothing 'Self-Evident' About 'These Truths are. . .'" He even closed with something about Jesus and our sins--don't recall the exact wording, but it was a strong nod to why Christians even gather on Sunday.

Pastor Ted Stellhorn of Marblehead was the worship leader. He had a closing prayer that really left me with something to think about all week. If I'm not mistaken, I think he asked God for something like "fair wages" or "equitable wages" for workers--I don't think he said "living wage." I was so startled, I missed the rest of the prayer. I got to wondering about fair wages for pastors, for librarians, for architects. What would be fair? Should pastors make more than their secretaries? More than surgeons? What about the organist? What is fair wages for a church organist? Or the janitor? Like I say, gave me something to think about, but mostly I'm thinking it definitely didn't belong in a worship prayer.

132 Welcoming home our troops

A beautiful story about the chaplain who welcomes home our dead soldiers. Washington Post, July 4, 2004.

"Lord God, we stand humbly before these valiant Marines," he said in a recent service aboard the plane. "It is our deep and sacred honor to welcome them home once again. . . . Bless their fellow Marines with whom they served. Protect and guard them. May the bravery of these Marines strengthen our resolve in the difficult work of laying the foundation for peace in our time." Father Robert Cannon

131 Daily Devotions on the Net

Daily Devotions is a feature of ChristianBook.com. A different book is featured each day (for sale, of course), but the passage featured fits that calendar day. Today's selection (June 21, 2004) is from the book Light for the Path by Selwyn Hughes. Tomorrow's selection is from Experiencing God Day by Day Devotional by Henry and Richard Blackaby.

130 A tip for Tampico

I've been through Tampico, Il many times--especially before the interstate was finished we now use to return to my home town in Illinois. Noticed this item in last week's Time:

The streaking 747 was so far ahead of schedule that a swing over Tampico, Ill., Reagan's birthplace, was wedged into the flight plan. The pilot dipped the plane's wings, and Nancy called out, "Quick, get Ron and Patti to take a look." They gazed silently out the windows. The tiny cluster of buildings on a land-sea of vivid green summer corn quickly slid beyond view. "A lot of corn," said Nancy.

129 The Father's Day Card

Picking out appropriate cards for a no nonsense, tough old bird like my dad was never easy--didn't golf, or fish, was never gushy or lovey-dovey, didn't do any of the stuff that Hallmark Dads did year after year in muted masculine colors. But this last Father's Day card, (selected on the day and hour he died) without giving credit, superimposed a Bible passage over a newspaper stock report, "spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge." I recognize that this passage refers to the Spirit of the Lord resting on the shoot from the stem of Jesse in Isaiah 11 because it is repeated in baptism in the Lutheran service. Still, it seemed to fit--particularly since I saw him many times pouring over the newspaper business section or working cross word puzzles. The words and art. I took the card along to Illinois and slipped it into the casket.

Most of us are "adult children" of our parents for many more years than we are "minor children," therefore it is never too late to be a good parent, or a grateful child. As a child I yearned for a dad that would give me a hug or attend my school functions or praise me for good grades (although I don't think I knew any fathers like that). Although I noticed he worked 12 hour days, visited his parents every Sunday, never missed church, and treated my mother with respect and love, it doesn't mean a whole lot when you are a typical, self-centered, moody adolescent. As an adult, it gives you strength and comfort.

It never occurred to me in the 1950s that he probably didn't enjoy driving a car-load of screaming teen-age girls to the roller rink on his only day off, or that he didn't have to let me pasture a horse in our back yard (which he personally rode home from the farm where I purchased him to be sure he was safe). And having my mother be the primary parent means I still remember the occasional ice cream treats he'd bring home, or that he would drive us 40 miles to see a movie once in awhile. But the memory that brings the tears is Dad with my sister Carol: first, carrying her out of our quarantined house to be admitted to the hospital for polio in 1949, and then standing beside her hospital bed to support her own children as the life support was removed after a stroke in 1996.

No, it is never too late to be a good parent or a grateful child.

128 Music Conservation--a New Movement?

Peggy Noonan wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, June 17, about President Reagan’s funeral:

One of the things not sufficiently remarked upon the past week: The music, from California to Washington and back to California again, was old music, old American music, and it was beautiful. We have abandoned so much of the core of American music. And then a state funeral comes and the death of a president, and suddenly we are allowed to hear the old songs. "Going Home," the hymn they played for FDR as they took him from Warm Springs, Ga., to Washington. All the stanzas of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"--"In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea." "The Navy Hymn," also known as "Eternal Father Strong to Save." "Abide With Me." "Ave Maria"--a great song of the Catholic Church, and yet they don't play it unless it's a special person's wedding or a special person's funeral.

This music is part of our patrimony, every bit as much as the trees and mountains. Our children, in our civic life, have for a generation been denied these songs. The moral and artistic equivalent of river polluters have decided we need to hear--I don't know, what songs do they play now in school, at events? "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"?
We need a new environmental movement--a musical conservation movement aimed at saving and preserving the old songs. The rivers and mountains and plains are so beautiful and need saving. But what have you lost if you lose the sound of your ancestors' souls singing? Even more, I think.”

Oh, to be able to sing from a hymn book again and not look at just the impoverished words thrown on a screen.

127 Is the United States a Christian Nation?

Yes, says Samuel P. Huntington in a Wall Street Journal opinion article today. And he doesn’t see things changing soon.

“The increases in the membership of some non-Christian religions have not, to put it mildly, had any significant effect on America's Christian identity. As a result of assimilation, low birth rates, and intermarriage, the proportion of Jews dropped from 4% in the 1920s to 3% in the '50s to slightly over 2% in 1997. If the absolute numbers claimed by their spokesmen are correct, by 1997 about 1.5% of Americans were Muslim, while Hindus and Buddhists were each less than 1%. The numbers of non-Christian, non-Jewish believers undoubtedly will continue to grow, but for years to come they will remain extremely small. Some increases in the membership of non-Christian religions come from conversions, but the largest share is from immigration and high birthrates. The immigrants of these religions, however, are far outnumbered by immigrants from Latin America, almost all of whom are Catholic and also have high birthrates. Latin American immigrants are also converting to evangelical Protestantism. In addition, Christians in Asia and the Middle East have been more likely than non-Christians to migrate to America. As of 1990, a majority of Asian-Americans were Christian rather than Buddhist or Hindu, and about two-thirds of Arab-Americans have been Christian rather than Muslim, although Arab Muslim immigrants have become much more numerous. While a precise judgment is impossible, at the start of the 21st century the U.S. was probably becoming more rather than less Christian in its religious composition.”

Complete article here.

126 A Service for Blessing the Animals

I answered a lot of odd questions when I was the Librarian of the Veterinary Medicine Library at Ohio State University, and I comforted many grieving pet owners who'd lost a pet or received bad news. However, I was never asked to direct anyone to a liturgy or service for animals. But there is one at a sermon resource page on the internet.

"Each year on or near the Feast Day of St. Francis, which falls on October 4th, there are requests for a liturgy of blessing for animals. The Rev. Robert P. Morrison of the Episcopal Parish of St. James in Lincoln City, Oregon responded to these requests in 1998 by posting a liturgy to those subscribed to Propertalk." His liturgy is reproduced at Sermon and Lectionary Resources with permission.

It includes some program suggestions: "A brief homily can follow upon the reading of the Lessons. Let the mood of the animals be a guide to length. Something appropriately Franciscan and short might be ventured. After all the animals are not going to be impressed by even the most eloquent of preachers. The two hymns chosen here are, of course, by St. Francis.

You may wish to have some form of meal at the Church afterwards for the humans. Beforehand, you might go to local pet stores whose owners, usually, are more than happy to give "sample" packs of dog, cat and bird food, so the animals get treats also. (Give them verbal credit as you pass out the treats at the end of the blessing.)"

125 Living with Eternity in View

The Coming Day is an on-line magazine published by Searchlight Ministries to study the prophetic subjects of the Bible. The authors believe that much of the confusion among Christians is that much of the current literature on prophecy is caught up with events and speculations rather than concentrating on the Scriptures. To do this, the editors provide us with a selection of studies of various portions of prophetic Scriptures, some which may conflict with each other. For some of the older, pre-20th century articles, the editors supply helpful clarification.

There are 16 issues on the web with most topics focusing on Revelation.

124 The President's Funeral, Solemn and Tasteful

It was surprisingly pleasant to "attend" a funeral that wasn't slappy and clappy, rocking with music that resembles camp songs. Yes, funerals are victory celebrations for Christians, but they are also worship of a mighty God. The last thing Ronald Reagan gave us was beautiful music, familiar hymns, wonderful scripture, and homilies that proclaimed the gospel to millions watching.

123 Saying Good-bye to the President

I watched with interest the almost wall-to-wall coverage of the Reagan events this Monday on Fox cable news. That’s because I was a Democrat during Reagan’s presidency and pretty much believed everything we were told in the media about that dumb cowboy-actor who didn’t know how to negotiate with Russians and wanted to give tax breaks to his rich friends.

I was very moved by the interview with his son Michael who, with tears streaming down his cheeks, told about deciding that his dad wasn’t going to hug him and tell him he loved him, so one day he took the initiative, hugged his father and said, “Dad, I love you.” From then on, both men did it--but someone had to be first. Michael said that even when dementia had stolen his father’s ability to say his name or recognize him as family, he remembered that Michael was the man who hugged, and would stretch out his arms when he saw him.

From all the problems President Reagan had with his children, I suspect he probably wasn’t the world’s greatest parent. He and Nancy seemed so devoted to each other that they shut out the kids, Ron and Patty. Likewise, they failed in honoring their parents and tried to pretend the parents didn’t matter. And Nancy, good caregiver that she was, especially during his final disease, never seemed to give his two children from his first marriage, Maureen and Michael, even a kind look.

His enemies are out in full force now, especially on the internet. Even those assigned to do a puff piece for the regular media, like Martin Kasindorf of USAToday for Monday June 7 got tangled up in a web of words, as he could only find positive things to say by quoting the Republican faithful, and even then slipping in snide remarks like “echoing his paid speeches for GE. . .,” “wringing emotion from public symbols.”

I don’t know who Tacitus is, but he pretty well sums it up in his closing paragraph about what Reagan meant to him, from the time he watched the first inauguration on his dad’s shoulders, to the funeral:

“So many hate Ronald Reagan, and in coming days and weeks, you will see them out in full force: unable or unwilling to deride a dying man, they will assault a dead one. They will do so by bleating about the gap between rhetoric and reality (Reagan was human); they will do so by denouncing starkness of moral vision and the inadequacy of simple truths (Reagan was common); they will do so by advancing a mechanistic, deterministic thesis of history in which inevitability is the iron law and heroes are mere spectacle (Reagan was irrelevant). Remember this -- and it is all you need to know about them -- these men and their prejudices would have left those hundreds of millions, and their children, and their grandchildren, in chains. Ronald Reagan did not. Ronald Reagan dreamed heroic dreams.” Tacitus. http://www.tacitus.org/story/2004/6/5/161120/5684

122 Descendants of slaves are settling in Columbus, Ohio.

The Bantu of Somalia were stolen from the shores of Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania and carried on Arab slave ships to Somalia two centuries ago. They were enslaved and persecuted until Somalia's civil war scattered them to refugee camps in the 1990's. Now many have been resettled in Columbus, Ohio.

In Somalia, the lighter-skinned majority rejected the Bantu, for their slave origins and dark skin and wide features. Even after they were freed from bondage, the Bantu were denied meaningful political representation and rights to land ownership. During the Somali civil war, they were disproportionately victims of rapes and killings. The discrimination and violence continued in the refugee camps, where the Bantu were often attacked and dismissed as Mushungulis, which means slave people. Health Beat of the Columbus Health Department explains some of the problems the new immigrants have.

Of all groups resettled in the United States in the last 25 years, this group faces the greatest challenges and will need the most assistance. And as with refugees and immigrants of earlier generations, it is the churches and synagogues that the government turns to for help.

121 The Lutheran Service Confessions, 1958 and 1978

I think I prefer the Confession in the green hymnal, "Lutheran Book of Worship," rather than the 1958 red hymnal, "Service Book and Hymnal." I don't have a copy of the black hymnal which I used as a child, but it is my recollection that it was similar to the red hymnal. When I first heard the service in 1974 after over 20 years of not attending a Lutheran service, it sounded very familiar.

The LBW reads:

We confess we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.
We have sinned against you in thought word and deed
by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.
Forgive us.
Renew us and lead us,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways
to the glory of your holy name.

The Red Book order of worship and liturgy weren't terribly different from the 19th century hymnals with thees and thous, so the green hymnal was the first to use modern English. But I think this confession is also a wonderful sermon outline. If every sermon included these elements, then used the last line as the jumping off place for the advice and teaching of the day--"walking in God's ways to the glory of his name"--it would just be so refreshing. Some like to quibble that it has bad baptismal or conflicting baptismal theology--but I don't think so. It is a good reminder that it is because of what Jesus has done we are free of this bondage.

Of course, it would be refreshing just to use it in a Lutheran service, too.

120 President Reagan

Many memorials and retrospectives today. Seems just a little odd on some of the mainstream media--people who couldn't find a good word to say in the 80s. But that's what time and being over 90 will do for you. My Dad played against the President in football in college. They were sort of neighbors--Dad in Pine Creek, Illinois and Reagan in Dixon, Illinois.

I never had a chance to vote for him--was a Democrat back then. I suppose I could've crossed party lines, but didn't until Clinton's second term. I noticed the following over at Volokh Conspiracy [June 5]:

When it comes to its infallible teaching on abortion, the Democratic Party is more than willing to exercise its power of excommunication and anathema for heretics and apostates. "I'm a good Democrat, but I'm against abortion" are the words of a Democrat not long for her party. And this hypothetical person would be drummed out, to switch metaphors, for what? For being intolerant, of course.

And that's quite right. You really can't be both a good Democrat and oppose abortion rights.

119 How Bush has changed in 40 months

"One thing that's changed about George W. Bush during his 40 White House months is his short list of presidents he admires. He's still a Reagan and a Lincoln fan, but he now talks more of Lincoln's role as a wartime president. New to his list is Franklin Roosevelt, because of FDR's growing awareness that Hitler had to be stopped: "In the face of another 'ism' he saw the problems clearly." No. 43 is also learning more about No. 1, and particularly George Washington's thinking during the troubled Articles of Confederation period of the 1780s. President Bush uses history to make contemporary practical applications: Americans who expect Iraq to have an elegant constitution in one year's time should look to our own difficult experience."

You can read the whole article in World, June 5, 2004, which discusses Bush's meeting with Christian journalists on May 26.

118 Religion in the voting booth

“Voters who say they go to church every week usually vote for Republicans. Those who go to church less often or not at all tend to vote Democratic.

Forget the gender gap. The "religion gap" is bigger, more powerful and growing. The divide isn't between Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Gentiles. Instead, on one side are those of many faiths who go to services, well, religiously: Catholics who attend Mass without fail, evangelical Christians and mainline Protestants who show up for church rain or shine, some Orthodox Jews. On the other side are those who attend religious services only occasionally or never.” USA Today, June 3, 2004

The studies cited in the USA Today article were done by Gallup and the University of Akron. However, Barna Group research shows very little difference, unfortunately, between the behavior of Christians and non-Christians, so there must be something else going on here other than faith.

“Jesus taught that Christians would be recognizable by their behavior – the way they love others and the ways in which their lives reflect their spiritual values and beliefs (i.e., the “fruit” of their transformation). Our current research report explores 19 lifestyle activities and compares people’s behavior in relation to their spiritual leanings. People’s faith does not make as much of as difference as might be expected – especially among non-evangelical born again Christians.”

117 A Chilling, but familiar description of a Mega-Church

"I was attracted to what New Life had to offer. At its base I felt like New Life was offering me security in itself. I want this. Immediately I am led to the question, "Is there anything wrong with a church that provides you with a sense of security?" Well no, but if I found myself at a church like New Life I would think that I would find more security in the fact that I went to New Life than I would in Christ being my savior."

The whole experience--the building complex, the booths, the power point sermons, the hip rock group with moussed hair, the sense that everything one needed was within the church building can be found here at Responsibility without Power (May 23).

116 Pro-Abortion Commencement Speakers

Here is a list of pro-abortion commencement speakers at Catholic institutions of higher learning. Seems a shame and an insult. And I'm not a Catholic.