Movie update

I continue to check out the wonders delivered to my door by Netflix!

"Little Miss Sunshine" - I would LOVE to use this as a youth group movie, but the language is just too much. This is a wonderful story about a very weird family dealing with some very real family problems. I'm not saying their solutions are optimal but the results work. Primarily they start actually paying attention to one another. Bizarrely it happens mostly through the agency of their foul mouthed, drug using grandfather. Through his completely inappropriate suggestions and example he gets the family where it needs to be. Caring for one another and putting aside some really stupid preconceptions. I really enjoyed this movie.

Then there's "The Weather Man" which proves that a good director and a fine cast can't save a wretched script. It's just a dumb movie. It's "solutions" to the family problems in this one are stupid and simplistic. The language issue in this one is different. The movie rolls along without much objectionable language and then it's as if the scriptwriter thought "Oh, I need more obscenity". At which point he dumps a whole scene of pointless and unnecessary swearing in. For no apparent reason. This is the second movie I got because Nick Cage was in it and the second that was just dreadful. Don't waste your time.

Finally, on my daughter's recommendation we watched "Memento" Wow. What an amazing movie. It's the story of a man who suffered a brain injury and can no longer make new memories. Stuff from before the injury is fine but after a relatively short period of time (we're talking 15-20 minutes max) everything fades away and he has to start all over again. They do a great job of leading you through the challenges of the injury and the hero's rather innovative way of dealing with it. The story telling technique is in bursts, moving backward. So if you're looking for an easy, no thinking movie, this ISN'T it. Plus it's the kind of movie that leaves you plenty to discuss at the end. Really liked this. Good call by the kid!

Peace

Paul got Punk'd

I was sitting at a youth service this week listening to the story of Saul on the road to Damascus when the thought hit me.

Jesus punk'd Paul.

In case you're not familiar with the concept it comes from a TV show on MTV called "Punk'd". Basically it was just a practical joke show. The victim was some reasonably well known pop personality who is led to believe that something is going on (usually something bad), drawn deeply into the situation and then given the old "April Fools!" routine. For this generation that's now referred to as getting punk'd.

And that's basically what happens to Saul/Paul. Saul is sure he knows what's going on. These terrible people (Christians) are running around causing upset, spreading heresy and they need some serious smack down. And Saul is the smack down artist supreme. He's got official permission to start seeking out and laying some whoop a$$ on not only folks where he lives but can even start branching out. Like the victims of the show he is full sail into the middle of it all. Just like those folks this is not going to turn out the way he expected.

Saul is so certain he's right, so certain that he's got it down, so certain that he is the living image of a godly man. So Jesus takes it all away from him. Being blind back in that time was a very bad thing. So he's kind of stuck, folks don't want to be around him much.

Then, SURPRISE!!! All those bad people? That's Jesus. Ooopsy. All that stuff you were SO certain about? Yeah, got that wrong too. In fact the first thing we're going to do is have one of "those" people to bring you back and make you right.

In the TV show the victims usually set themselves up a bit. Paul set himself up big time. The big difference is that the goal of the TV show is to make people look stupid. God's goal is to make see. Like the scales that fell away God in our own lives should allow us to see the world a little more clearly, with a little more love and caring. Those first couple days with the disciples in Damascus must have been pretty humbling for Paul. Really understanding what our lives should look like can be pretty humbling for us all.

Paul got punk'd.

Peace

Letter to the Younger Brothers and Sisters pt 2

I started this year intending to continue this sort of long correspondence with my younger brothers and sisters in faith. It got derailed for a couple reasons, none of which are important or really significant.

If this were intended to be Profound Theology then maybe the concerns would be worth noting. Think of this rather as words of advice from someone you met along the way who has been walking for a while. It'll be worth every penny you pay for it.

Having just finished reading Tony Campolo's book "Letters to a Young Evangelical" I suppose I feel a little derivative too. I can only offer that my inspiration were Paul's letters, not Tony's. So I guess I'm derivative either way. I recommend both sets of letters for your consideration.

So what's this letter going to be about? How about not being too quick to jump on board the latest passing faith train? There's one thing I've noticed about young people (both now and back in the day). That's the tendency to be hyper focused on the "now". Right now. This instant. Down the road, the future? To be honest when you're young you don't think much about it. Seems like it'll probably take care of itself. What matters is what's happening RIGHT NOW!

The problem is that we tend to make quick decisions under those circumstances. We don't want to miss the chance so there's a tendency to grab at what's right in front of us. History shows the track record for that kind of decision making is pretty poor. It's amazing how often the slick, snazzy looking offer turns out to be really low grade crap in the long run. And that can be shattering in your faith life.

So here's advice from the traveler at the side of the road (Hmmm, maybe that'll be the new title. Won't feel so derivative) Take a deep breath. Take some time to live with it for a while. Be suspicious of folks who press for instant commitment. What are they trying to keep you from seeing? Be suspicious of folks who have secrets. Things that they'll share with you only if you commit first. What are they trying to keep the world from seeing? A decision on what to have for dinner tonight can be made in minutes. The decision on who you are and what path God has laid before you should take years. In fact I'm a firm believer that you never get AN answer to that question. The answer is an ongoing process that stretches from this moment RIGHT NOW into the undetermined future.

What should you do while you're making that decision? Keep going to church. Keep praying. In my next pauses along the way I'll tell you why I think that is important. Quite simply you need to stay involved in the process of making the decision. Take a look at where you are and what you believe. It astounds me at the number of people who never think about what they "believe". Ask questions. Don't be put off by folks who don't want to answer. How they choose to answer will tell you a lot about them. Maybe more than their answers themselves.

But take your time. There's still a lot of road ahead of you.
I'll see you along the way.

Peace

Quick Movie and reading update

I've seen three movies recently and enjoyed them all in their own ways.


A Mighty Wind This is from the folks who brought you "Spinal Tap", "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman". As someone who grew up listening to folk music this felt like meeting old friends. It's a wonderful, gentle send up of the folk music scene and some of its pretensions and peculiarities. I know some folks rap it because it is such a gentle even loving view of it's subjects. I really enjoyed it.

X-men 3 The Last Stand - Yeah sometimes I just wanna watch escapist silliness. This certainly fills the bill. There are the usual plot holes you could fly the X-jet through but who cares. This isn't about plot, it's barely about character, it's mostly about spectacle. Hearing Kelsey Grammar's oh so sophisticated tones emerging from the big furry blue face of the Beast is just fun. The violence level is strictly comic book as are the sexy bits. Plus for those of more perverse points of view you can have fun watching Star Trek's Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart who places Dr. X) get blown into tiny little motes of dust (or is he?). Strictly check your brains at the door fun.

And now for something Completely Different:

No, not Monty Python.

Life Tastes Good I caught this on IFC and was just sucked in by it. How to describe it? It borders on film noir actually. There are dream like bits, and erotic tensions and ambiguity and strange which are four of the classic elements of noir (the fifth is cruelty and an argument can even be made for that). It's also strangely touching and rather funny in several places. The cast is entirely Asian Americans and the film budget was obviously very small (the killer uses his index finger. Why or how it works - he just sticks you in the chest with it - is never really explained. The director notes that he couldn't afford stage guns and so he improvised. Gotta love it!) It's a crime story, a story of family, several love stories, a murder mystery and more. It involves lemons, police detectives who still wear hats (Don't ask me, I have no clue) and a hand held tape recorder full of dreams or memories. I heartily recommend it.

I just finished reading (finally) Tony Campolo's book "Letters to a Young Evangelical". It took me a while to read even though it's a very short book, only 280 pages, but I stopped several times to think about what I'd read. It's a great book for non-evangelical Christians because it can give you a whole different view of that branch of our faith family. Campolo notes that "evangelical" and "religious right" have become synonymous for most people. He argues very clearly why that shouldn't be so, now or in the future. Campolo is persona non grata in some evangelical circles because he's not a member of the religious right and he's not a literalist. Yet he remains true to the core of historic evangelicalism. I don't think his point of view about mainline denominations (like mine) is always right but he draws those conclusions from a solid basis. And he does make some very accurate criticisms of the mainlines. This is an easy read and a wonderful thought starter for anyone of faith, even those of us neither young nor evangelical.

Peace

Kurt Vonnegut, R.I.P.

One of the great authors of the last 50 years died yesterday. Kurt Vonnegut was 84. His work has had an important influence on writing and culture. Among all his work my two favorites were shorter pieces. "Who Am I This Time" and "The Manned Missiles" are both from "Welcome to the Monkey House". Each have special places in my heart.

I got to meet Vonnegut once when he spoke at Chautauqua Institution here in western New York. I was on the announcing staff at a local radio station and no one from the news department was particularly jazzed about covering him. With a well deserved reputation as a book addict they asked if I wanted to go do the coverage. I think I was out the door before they finished asking the question. Vonnegut spoke at the outdoor Amphitheater then went to the house where he was staying for the press conference. By the time I got there the only space available was kneeling right next to his chair. I crouched there with tape recorder in hand listening to the conversation. Finally it was my turn to ask a question. He had spoken of the resistance by the older generation of authors to his generations new style and approach to literature. So I asked him, now that he was one of the older generation, his thoughts on the new generation of "young turks". Vonnegut took a look at me as if surprised that I'd actually listened to the lecture and said:

"That's a good question."

That pretty much made my day. I had managed to ask a question that had, in some small way, managed to impress "the great man". His answer was that he didn't see it as his place to pass judgement. So the question turned out to be better than the answer.

I assume that some portion of the press conference ran on the news that day. There's no memory of that at all. I do remember crouching next to an author I greatly respected and asking a question that he thought was pretty good.

And now he's gone.

So it goes.

Peace

Final thought on Imus

Well it appears that my prediction that his career might not be salvaegable looks prescient. A sad final note to his career.

Equally sad is his ongoing attempt to "explain" this all away. Two things struck me. A comment by Imus saying he wants to explain the "context" of the statement. I'm still working on the context where this kind of comment would be acceptable for someone in Imus's position. The second is saying that the racist term was originated in African American culture. There is an old saw in comedy about always being able to rip on your own. Meaning that as a white middle aged American I'm pretty much free to take as many shots at white middle aged American guys as I like (and let's face it, that is a rich vein for humor). Don Imus of course is NOT an African American female college athlete so that doesn't qualify here. Beyond that a growing number of leaders in the African American community are pointing out that they don't much care for that term coming from anyone's lips.

Don, a word from a former admirer. Shut up. Take your lumps. Admit to terminal stupidity without out any mitigating circumstances. Wear your sack cloth and ash. You might just survive. Otherwise, mount up and ride off into the sunset on the ranch.

Peace

And more of the same

It's interesting that the Don Imus thing has blown up just days after my last post.

First I need to be honest about something. I was a radio DJ for 19.5 years. If you ask me who were my professional heroes I would have listed Jack Bogut, long time morning man at KDKA Pittsburgh, Dr. Johnny Fever, fictional morning man at the equally fictional WKRP in Cincinnati, and Don Imus, then morning man at W-ENNNNNNNNN-BC in New York. I appreciated the irreverence, and take no prisoners attitude towards the famous and powerful. He could often be rude (which was not my personal style) but he consistently punctured pretension.

Today I need to distance myself from my former hero. His statements (which I will not repeat here. The image of way too many middle aged white announcers repeating those words while they "report" the story is making me ill) are despicable. What is worse to my ear is Imus's repeated reference to this as a "mistake". Don Imus has been on the air in big time radio for over 30 years. At his level you don't get to make "mistakes" like this. This is the kind of open- mouth-insert-foot stupidity that a rookie makes, not a long time veteran of center stage. "Mistake" is an excuse. Imus needs to come out and say "I thought I was being clever, and funny. My brain simply stopped working for that instant. I have no excuse. I was wrong. It's indefensible." He still may lose his job because the sponsors may want to dump him. That's what happens. I'm not sure there's anyway he can redeem himself professionally.

Following my last post I received several nice notes, both on and off the blog, and I thank everyone for them. This event ties in with what Dr. Dyson is talking about with the deeply ingrained racism of our culture and institutions. When a reasonably intelligent man(and he is, you don't sustain the level of success he's had for decades and be an idiot) can look at a group of college women and use racist and misogynistic terms for them and even think it's funny there's something deeply wrong here. Someone on ESPN pointed out that female college athletes are very different as a rule from their male counterparts. There's no illusion that they can jump off to the "pros" after a year or two. Mike Wilbon said this on PTI, that as a rule the women tend to be more articulate and better students. BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE! So we discover an even bigger disconnect from the reality of the basketball team and Imus's "mistake".

It's too easy when you're a member of the ruling elite (unruffle your feathers. If you don't believe that white men still make up the ruling elite then you are not paying attention) it's far too easy to say "Well, come on. Look how far we've come, it's much better than it was". Absolutely true. And equally absolutely irrelevant. The racism is still there, buried deeply in us all. As people of faith we can not, we must not, ever accept it. This is truly a case where good enough isn't good enough.

I wish I had an answer for how we achieve this. There's part of me that thinks maybe it's not possible to completely erase it but we still need to try. I'm a big believer in the "talking solution". We need to talk openly and honestly about ourselves and each other. We need to hear each other openly and honestly about ourselves and each other. We need to acknowledge what has failed in the past and look for what will work in the future.

We need to think before we speak. If only Imus had.

Peace

I laughed while he told me I'm a racist

I have made an uncomfortable discovery about myself.

I'm a racist.

Please know I'm not at all happy about that revelation. As a political and theological liberal racism is anathema to me. I thought that I had shed it like an unwanted skin as I grew up (even while I knew that some small taint of it lingered. I assumed that it had no more bearing on how I dealt with the world than a hang nail or an appendix).

Driving to pick up my daughter for Easter break from college I was listening to the radio. I was in the mood for some interesting discussion but it was too early for the local NPR station, they were still in music. I tried sports talk but the uber cool, intellect free zone of the host and the sycophant sheeple of his audience weren't offering the cerebral nurture I wanted.

Then I found Michael Eric Dyson. Dyson is a Professor in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a brilliant speaker, ranging between a wide variety of character's voices, white and black, rich and poor. I found myself being challenged, and amused (some of his stuff was laugh-so-hard-I-may-wreck-the-damn-car funny). How good is Dyson? This is what Ann Coulter has to say about him: As always, Dyson is fiercely honest, controversial, engaging, funny, and brimming with arguments and ideas. The speech was presented before the Commonwealth Club of California and it was talking about the subject of his latest book Debating Race with Michael Eric Dyson. It's one of the best speeches I've ever heard, ever, by anybody on any subject. He spoke passionately and with great compassion. There was also an unyielding light shown upon all of us, white and black, when it came to the subject at hand.

I found myself, good liberal that I am, nodding along with each point. Yes, there is still much institutional racism. Yes, yes, yes, all those OTHER bad people should really get their butts into the racism free zone, where alla God's children hold hands and strive together for a better world. I should have known that when I start getting that feeling I'm setting myself up for a fall. Then Dyson took me out.

He was talking about Michael Jordan as part of a larger point about the world being a better place when people are accepted because of their skills. In part he talked about Jordan as the greatest player the game has ever seen and how (this is my phrasing of what I heard not a quote) a world of Larry Birds and Bob Cousys is just fine but the world with Michael Jordan is so much better.

And I'm ashamed to admit that my first thought was "Whoa, wait a minute there are a lot of fine white players and why are we just going to shunt them to the side?" My second thought was "Man, did he just make his point or what?". I'm not a huge hoops fan, in fact let's be honest, I am NOT a basketball fan at all. In our society today it's hard not to know a little something about the game however. And the clear consensus is that MJ stands at the pinnacle of the sport, all time. Others may be argued to be on a par, but none above him. And my objection to Dyson's statement was based entirely upon race. I couldn't just say "This is the greatest player of all time". In my head it had been "This is the greatest BLACK player of all time right up there with some white guy". This is something about which I care damn little. This is something that can be measured quantifiably pretty well. This is something that intellectually I agree should fall into the celebration of human excellence.

Is it a small point in the world of racism? Yes. The fact that the point still exists, that a white middle aged guy like me finds it so easy to fall back into that mode of thought makes my skin crawl. Like so many movie situations I find myself looking at someone I thought I knew and now know they have deep, ugly secrets.

But the institutional racism had pushed itself pretty deeply into my psyche. It's there and it needs to be confronted. At the very end the host asked Dr. Dyson for a 15 second response to two one word questions. Solutions? Hope? Dyson laughed, and said there was no way to answer them in only 15 seconds and that we should listen to the speech and read the books. And so I will. Because by the end of the speech what I wanted to hear is that there is something I can do to fight this in myself and in the society around me. It seems obvious that the first thing is to shed the liberal, middle class complacency that has over taken me. The fight is not over, at home or in the world. In this case at least I bear the stain of the sins of the fathers passed along to the sons.

I'm going to go look for his books, I'll go back and listen to that speech again. I will not accept where I am or where we are as a society.

There's still a lot of work to do.

Peace

What to talk about?

I've got several ideas I want to develop a little more deeply in the works. So I've been thinking about several little things:

Movies I've bee watching:

Calender Girls - cute funny movie. We enjoyed it a lot. There's a lot of "near nakedness" in this one, all of middle aged and older women. If you don't know the story a group of English ladies decided to raise money for their local hospital by doing a cheesecake calender. They're nude but with carefully place items in the frame so you can't really see anything. Based on a true story. Wonderful statement on beauty at all ages.

Lord of War - I'm a big Nick Cage fan and was looking forward to this one. The DVD glitched about 45 minutes into the movie and I was perfectly happy to turn it off. Probably won't get a new copy to finish it. Incredibly slow.

Waking Ned Devine - This one's an Irish film about a village that tries to claim a winning lottery ticket after it's owner dies (from the shock of winning!) There's a really cheesy bit right at the end that resolves the only hurdle to them pulling it off that's borderline terrible. Otherwise a funny warm film.

Been reading lots of things. Among those I've liked (I'll spare you the ones that I didn't like):

Green Shadows and White Whale by Ray Bradbury. A Bradbury that I'd never heard of, written about his time in Ireland working on a Moby Dick script with director John Huston. Huston doesn't come off very well (to no surprise if you know anything about him) but Ireland gets an absolute love poem written to it. Not bad, but very Bradbury.

Letters to a Young Evangelical by Tony Campolo Not finished with this yet but I'm liking it. Campolo has made me think, even when I don't agree with him. First one of his books I've ever read.

Interesting article in the new Rolling Stone about the JFK murder. Supposedly Nixon era White House "plumber" E. Howard Hunt spilled the beans on his death bed to his son. Don't know if I believe it or not (LBJ was behind it all, sez he). What Hunt did teach me back in the day when I was just becoming politically aware is not to trust anything he says. Hunt was a con man and perfectly comfortable making up whatever he felt was "best". Makes interesting reading. So does the story on Pink Floyd. More ego driven dysfunctional rockers.

Other than that it's been quiet here. Which is good during Holy week. Take some time to pray this week. Attend a Holy week service either at your own church or somewhere else. I find the Maundy Thursday service particularly compelling.

Peace

And we're back, again

I've been on vacation for the last week, and promised myself no job/ministry related stuff at all. If I'm TOTALLY honest I was about 98% good. I did check e-mail just to make sure nothing vital got skipped. Sorry if you e-mailed me and it didn't make it to the vital level. But I needed this break. Oh, boy did I need this break! I feel much better now.

Here's something to chew on from Marko's blog. It's a great reminder of why I love working with young people.

Peace

And there was much rejoicing!

Penguins to stay for 30 years

I don't often tout my sports allegiances but they're currently the best pro sports team in my home town. It would have been a crime to lose them.

Let's go Pens!

Spamming God

(This is my column for the March issue of our diocesan newspaper)

I hate spam. I mean the useless junk e-mail, I actually love the meat in a can. Every day I get tons of it(e-mail spam) for things I don't want, don't need and usually don't want to think about. But it keeps rolling in. Over the years I've found ways to help slow down the spam and to filter it out quickly so I can find the stuff that's really important.

I'm not quite sure how that led me to think about God but it did. I began to think about all the things that people pray for, some good, some bad. And I wondered if God ever thought of it as spam? Are we wasting the divine bandwidth with a lot of nonsense, a lot of selfish stuff? Is His inbox just overflowing with offers, requests, deals, and demands that He's just NOT interested in?

The more I thought about it the more my thoughts began to change on the subject. My first thought was “Yes, we all spam God with junk and we ought to stop”. I know in my own case some of what I pray for is pretty “poor, poor pitiful me” kinds of whining. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. But the longer I thought about it the more I thought “Are you really going to write a column telling people to pray less, to censor their talks with God? Do you really think WE should be deciding what is or isn't a waste of HIS time?”

So upon further reflection I've decided that God has the bandwidth to handle whatever we decide to send his way. His inbox has no upper limit on his storage space. There is no spam in the prayer life that exists between us and God. That's not to say that some of what we send out isn't whiny and selfish and not what is best for us. I keep remembering a line from the 1970's movie “Oh God” where the character of God is asked if he answers every prayer. He answers “Yes, and sometimes the answer is no.” God reads every e-mail we send him, spam or not. He considers our needs, our real needs, not just what we think our needs are. And every e-mail gets an answer. In real life the experts tell us not to respond to spam because you'll just insure that you get more spam. You let the other person know that there really is someone there and they'll keep sending you more and more and more.

I think that's just fine with God. Every request, no matter how important or trivial is a place for you and God to continue to talk. I think that's the goal. Just keep the lines of communication open, knowing that sometimes the answer will be no.

So keep on spamming.

Peace

So what's new with you?

Been a busy week around here. So just some random thoughts:

I have a new office. It's at the other end of the hall from my OLD office but it's lots bigger. It's also a major league mess right now since I haven't found the places for everything just yet. But it looks a little better with each passing day. I'll be helping people move into my old office in the next week. Then help folks move into THEIR old office shortly after that. Beyond that there may be some more moving but it's a bit unclear at the moment.

Latest movie updates - Watched "Thank You for Smoking" which we liked. I thought the actor playing the main character did a nice job bringing some dimension to a character that would have been REAL easy to play as a cardboard cut out. Great place to talk about the choices and compromises we sometimes make in our lives. It is rated R so keep that in mind (language and some sexual content)

Also saw two older movies - Phenomenon and Fried Green Tomatoes and we liked both of them too.

I'm thinking I'll use Phenomenon at Senior High this year since we're discussing "Be Transformed". John Travolta's character goes through a rather amazing transformation and that transforms the people around him. I've seen bits and pieces of this movie on TV over the years but this was the first time I'd seen it all. Good stuff.

Fried Green Tomatoes is one of those movies I can't believe I've never seen. Yes, you can mark it off as one of the top three "Ultimate Chick Flicks" but you'd be missing a GREAT movie. This is an amazing cast of ladies and it's a neat story.

These two are PG-13 and PG respectively.

Also been watching a wonderful Canadian TV show called "Slings and Arrows". Be warned the language can be raw and there's some TV sex scenes. As someone who loves the theater it's like old home week for me. Just hysterically funny stuff. Think WKRP for the theater.

Watched the tail end of the "Jesus' tomb" special and a good chunk of the discussion afterwards on Discovery. You are free to believe what you will but color me unimpressed (honestly I think it's rubbish). I'm seeing people starting right away with the "Christians are rejecting anything that challenges the established belief system". I think that's rubbish. It's fairly clear that the SCIENCE holding up this theory is very flimsy. The movie makers (or are they journalists? They flip flopped on that a lot last night)are drawing conclusions that might be true but it's not very likely. There is nothing here that passes for good science or good research. A huge number of people who worked on the project at one time or another have pulled back from the conclusions drawn. Thanks to Revref for the link to this post that takes a more in depth look at some of the claims. Make up your own mind.

Well, the weather is absolutely howling outside my new windows. Even making the storm windows rattle. Such fun.

Peace

Thoughts about...A process?

My office has serious mood swings.

Not me mind you but the office itself.

I go from reasonably orderly to disaster then back again. (Of course it does all this without any input from me naturally!) There are two primary problems for me when things get a total disaster. First I find it very depressing to try and get any work done. Second I know that I can't find everything that I have. In fact I'll be lucky if I remember everything I have because I haven't seen it in so long!

All of this comes up this time because the office is a disaster and I'm looking at being moved to a different office. Which means I have to pack and move. And I don't want to have to pack and move things that as I unpack them I'll think "This is junk, why did I keep this?". So I've been trying to bring some order.

Along the way I came across a piece I wrote at a seminar of some kind in the last year or so. I remember vaguely being asked to describe the process of my work. As I re-read it I realize that I haven't made much in the way of changes from then. It still rings true to me. And perhaps to you as well. So I'm sharing it here:

What is the process? More importantly am I looking for THE process or A process? In my heart I believe that it is A process, specifically MY process. My mind keeps casting for a definitive process, the surefire, can't miss way that will allow me to produce from moment one. Of course the ongoing search allows me to delay the beginning of any project. The question arises that if I allow myself to delay past the point of no return (defined as the point when I am no longer capable of beginning) can I live with the "what-ifs"? It strikes me that I begin too many things without finishing them, fiddle with too many things without discovering if I could master them. My life is already dominated by too many projects that didn't so much end as they just stopped. Too many ideas never explored. Too many opportunities never pursued.

So I think the question answers itself. I must begin a process, some process, perhaps even ANY process. Beyond that I think I need to focus that process on projects that already exist. There the process can be fine tuned on ideas that already have some form. This can help me succeed, grow confident and prepare me for the totally new future projects. The siren's song calling me to newer, more alluring concepts must be resisted. It is one thing to take notes in preparation for the "next" but it cannot seduce my attention away from the "now"."

I have projects that I began six years ago that aren't finished yet. I have projects sitting on my desk that need to be done now that languished while I wrote this post. I have notes from meetings going back several years that have ideas I wanted to remember lying in a pile of torn pages.

The work day is almost over. I have two more days this week to be constructive.

What is my process?

The day after I wrote this I found myself spending a fair bit of time on "new projects". I pulled up short, went back to my to do list (which is part of my process) and worked on some things that had been sitting there for a while. Those meeting notes? Sorted sifted and consolidated into usable form! Three items completely finished on the list and two more with serious dents in them! Hallelujah! Whoops, it's lent I'm not supposed to say that, lol.

Peace

Thoughts on Ash Wednesday

I'm walking around with whatever is left of my Ash Wednesday smudge. I went to the 12:05 service here at the church. I like the Ash Wednesday service because it's a good start for Lent for me. Gets my brain headed in the right direction.

But as I sat in the pew listening to the reading from Matthew I started to think about the smudge. There's a discussion in some circles about whether we should let our ash mark stay on our foreheads after we leave the service. Traditionally you leave it there till it washes (or wears) off. In fact it's considered rather bad form in some places to even accidentally erase it before the day is over.

On the other hand Jesus tells us NOT to make a show of our prayer and alms giving (Mother Susan pointed out the interesting "dispute" between the Gospel reading and the reading in Joel which call on us to sound the horn and make a public display of our fasting). Let's face it you stand out in a crowd these days if you have a smudge on your forehead, people notice. Then you have to explain. My favorites are the people who feel the need to clean it off for you. Hands to yourself, please.

So upon further consideration of the Gospel I've decided to keep my smudge and let it go it's own road. I haven't looked but in the two hours since the service it may already be gone. I'm keeping it as an intentional sign of this specific day. My goal is to always wear my faith invisibly. Not because I'm ashamed of it but in line with Christ's teaching in today's Gospel. If I'm living my life right my faith should be evident to those who know what to look for. I don't believe that a life in faith (or patriotism for that matter) require big showy demonstrations. If I carry the cross in my heart why do I need it on my lapel? I don't need to carry my smudge with me all the time. Today however is a special day. A day that deserves, in my opinion, a slightly different attitude.

Today I'll carry my outward and visible sign. Not because I want everyone to know how pious I am, or what a good Christian I am. I'll carry it to remind myself of the challenges I still face, the brokenness I still live with and the grace that is offered to me.

I hope you have a blessed Lent.

Peace

All right if I don't blog soon I'll never catch up

It's been a busy couple of weeks here and I'm very much behind. So let me bring a quick update version of what's been going on:

Snow Lots and lots. Not in the same league as the folks in Oswego NY (where they are well past the 100 inch mark over the last, oh three weeks or so. Yes, 100 inches. And most of it inside a week's time. That's SNOW, baby!). We've had a lot of snow, as in several feet of the bothersome white stuff. As in I've run out of places for my snowblower to blow it. Eventually the piles get so high it just hits the side and then slithers back down into the drive way. Add the fact that my snow blower had its fuel line freeze and decided to throw a drive belt. Over and over and over. Temps are finally warming up and we should see some meltage soon.

Electrical problems We live in an all electric house. So when a baseboard heater in the kitchen and the water heater go within hours of one another it's a problem. Through various obstacles it took something like 9 days to get the electrician in to fix it all. No hot water while you're going through an exceptionally cold spell is no fun at all. I showered at the YMCA. But all is well now.

My birthday I turned 49. I got bifocals. Need I say more?

Add in several visits for youth ministry (oh yeah, THAT stuff) a trip to see the daughter in a one act play (had to drive back through white outs. What is it with the weather and her shows?!?!?!?), oh and just plain old life (my lady wife whacked the sideview mirror on her car and left it hanging by its cable. Thank God for our wonderful mechanic) it's been busy.

My office is at my home parish, rather than at D House and they've decided it's time to do some juggling of office space. I will take whatever they choose to give me because this congregation has been a wonderful support system for my ministry. In the end I'll have to accept...a LARGER office! I'll have a sometime roomie but as she's one of my favorite deacons in the whole wide world (I even liked her BEFORE she ascended to the diaconate!) that's not a real hard pill to swallow. Plus she's virtually NEVER in the office. Perfect roommate. When everyone else got what they needed the last office left is at the other end of my hall and is easily twice the size of this one. How small is my office? My rector refers to it as "Jay's closet". I can certainly use the space. It will feel weird to be somewhere else after 6+ years.

So there you go. I'm caught up. Time to go eat some Pancakes on this Mardi Gras!

Peace

Ok it's utterly pathetic that I would be gone this long and come back with this as my first post. Let me say that it's been a very busy time with lots of things I want to share but I'm completely overloaded and I saw this on Marko's blog. I've always liked Spidey so I'm cool with this. I also liked Green Lantern so even my #2 is cool. Yes I was a fairly major comics geek growing up. Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Batman, Iron Man and the like.

I promise more posts soon.
Peace


Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 75% Green Lantern 65% Iron Man 65% Superman 65% Supergirl 51% Hulk 50% Robin 48% The Flash 45% Catwoman 35% Wonder Woman 31% Batman 30%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Follow up

I went back this morning and looked at those comments again.

Dungy doesn't say that he and Smith were the "first" but it is said in context with comments about them being African American head coaches. They are the first two black head coaches to reach this level.

(edit : Here's the quote in full for clarity's sake: "I'm proud to be the first African-American coach to win this," Dungy said during the trophy ceremony. "But again, more than anything, Lovie Smith and I are not only African-American but also Christian coaches, showing you can do it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that."

But even without the use of the word first what is Dungy saying when he says that they showed that "...you can do it the Lord's way"? I think the implication is clear that this is something new for the Super Bowl, that no previous coach had done it the "Lord's way".

That smacks of a peculiar kind of arrogance. The arrogance of knowing the hearts of EVERY other head coach, nearly 80 men. The arrogance of saying that the Lord didn't bless any other way of coaching. God made Vince Lombardi. Who are we to say that Vince (a devout Catholic if memory serves) was not coaching as God intended him to coach? Would he not then be doing it the "Lord's way"?

I've never met Coach Dungy. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING I've heard about him speaks to his class, his humbleness and intelligence. So the assumption should probably be that the way I heard it was NOT the way he intended it.

Yet I feel the need to keep writing about it. Why? Because it bothers me that there is growing in our faith a need, it seems nearly to be an imperative, to flag wave our faith in everyone's face. Despite the fact that we are warned specifically AGAINST doing just that in the Gospels. Tony and Lovie's faith is well known. It's effect on their coaching styles (these two are pretty much the anti-Lombardis in coaching style) is also well known. Shouldn't that be enough? Live your life in faith, show the world how a person of faith lives, let them marvel at the peace and justice and mercy and love that characterize your life. Know that your reward is coming from God.

Pointing out your faith, making comparisons of your faith to others smacks of spiritual jersey popping. By your fruits shall they know you. Make sure your actions speak loudly enough that it doesn't require words.

Peace

Now back to real life...

Well it's over for another year.

The Super Bowl that is. Colts win. Peyton Manning can finally tell his critics to shut up.

I didn't really care which team won. So I could be happy either way.

Then the post game show rolled around. And Tony Dungy spoke. Tony, the former Pittsburgh Steeler. The quiet, classy, intelligent head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Did I really hear him say that he and Lovie Smith the Bear head coach were the first Christian head coaches at the Super Bowl?

Please tell me I heard him wrong. None of the previous coaches were Christians? Really?

Please tell me I heard him wrong.

This kind of thing always amazes me. Right along with the folks who are positive that God has favorites in sporting events. I believe that God gave as much support to the Bears as the Colts. Same for every other team in the league. He gave all those athletes and coaches talents and then expects them to use them. As long as they do the best they can with their talents I believe God is pleased.

I don't think God gives a hot patootie over who wins. Never has. Never will.

All too often we seem to miss the point of what God wants from us and what he wants to give us.

A theology that says God loves winners, God chooses winners, God blesses winners more than anyone else is one that is in direct contradiction of the Gospels. Jesus turned away the rich and powerful and raised up the poor and powerless. Not that He doesn't love the rich and powerful just that he expects more of them. And very often that doesn't match their plans.

Peace

Stupidity as a lifestyle

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." - Animal House 1978

It may be the greatest line from one of the ultimate American icon films. And yet no one seems to give it the tiniest bit of thought.

Fact is that here in these Yew-nited States we have made stupidity a lifestyle choice. Before you bury me in an avalanche of e-mails claiming that I don't love America please understand what I'm saying.

I am NOT saying that all or even most Americans are stupid, act stupid, think stupidly or have chosen to be stupid as a lifestyle.

We are however choosing to allow stupidity to become an accepted and acceptable way of going through life. Yes, we live in a free country and I will defend to my death the right for someone to choose to be stupid within the normal boundaries of our society.

I just don't see why we don't call being stupid, being stupid.

So what brings this to mind? Two items. One trivial the other serious.

First the trivial - Media day at the Super Bowl. This event now draws something around 5,000 "media" folks to interview the players, coaches and anyone else related to the Super Bowl teams. The vast majority of those folks are regular sports and culture reporters who are covering what is one of the central cultural events of our nation. Then there's the idiot who would ask the players if they knew the show "American Idol" and would they sing a song for him. This is part of who new range of "entertainers" who specialize in being stupid for a living. The only thing I find more disturbing than the existence of people who want to do this kind of stuff is the undeniable FACT that there are people who find this amusing.

If this is you think about this:

You like to laugh at stupid people. This is a form of entertainment for you.

Nice, very nice.

The second item is more serious.

Turner Broadcastings Cartoon Network put the entire city of Boston on edge yesterday by a really STUPID publicity stunt. (Story)

Quite simply they created 10 boxes,described as "...encased in dark plastic, consisted of blinking lights wired to an electronic circuit board..." and then left them on bridges and other public places.

To the surprise of only the idiots at Cartoon Network apparently, these set off traffic shutdowns and police mobilizations since people assumed they were bombs. Commuter trains were stopped, the Coast Guard shut down the Charles River, and the bomb squad had to be called in.

I want you to imagine the meeting where this was proposed and everyone there nodding their heads in agreement. "Great idea, we should do it". Black boxes with blinking lights left near medical centers, bridges and other public places.

Post 9/11.
During a war where IEDs, Improvised Explosive Devices, are a prominent feature. Boxes left on bridges and roadways or near buildings.

Stupid. No. STUPID.

Stupid is on the rise because we've come to believe that we're not responsible for the end result if that's not what we intended to happen. It doesn't matter how stupid we act or what stupidity rolls out of our mouths, as long as we were "just having fun". "I didn't mean to", "it was just a joke" "oh lighten up".

Sorry stupid is stupid. It shouldn't be encouraged. It should never have any appearance of acceptability. You ARE responsible for what you say and do. You are responsible for any reasonably expected outcome of those words or actions. You have every right to be stupid. I have every right to point that out and refuse to accept your stupidity.

Stupidity. Just say no.

Peace