conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

al jazeera - the arabic incredible hulk

Did that get your attention?

This ad got mine.

The link goes here.

the great balloon conspiracy

Last night, just when Democrats though that they had conducted the perfect convention a crack troop of Libertarian Secret Service agents got in and gummed up the balloon works. It is just one more sign of how divided this country is that.

Be warned. The "stage manager" was very angry at the Libertarians. They would not free the balloons. Props to Ross and, it would seem, Wolf Blitzer.

mp3

kerry steps up and uses english!

Surprising many political pundits, the Democratic National Convention reveals that it has monopolized speech writers in the United States. With money from White Water and its own Enron stocks, the DNC pulled out all the stops and found speech writers that dangled little and allowed their candidates to sound as if they were more informed than the American public.

*ahem*

Kerry's speech
Al Jazeera article
Oliver Willis
David Weinberger
Aggregated Glee
Convention Bloggers

senators and soldiers

Thanks to Micah and Susie for their heads up about this. I am a pacifist. But I want to underscore the responsibility I believe we have to care for the people who enforce or are called into action to fulfill the decisions made by our Federal government. Like the war and its related policies or not, I am responsible for the well-being of our sons and daughters in the military.

These are links to two stories in the Tribune. You will need a free registration to view them.
Marine, state senator's nephew, killed in Iraq

The Senate debate Saturday about whether to provide benefits to survivors of 41 Illinois soldiers killed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suddenly turned very personal when Sen. David Sullivan (R-Park Ridge) received a telephone call.

Sullivan's brother, Michael Sullivan of Western Springs, informed the senator that his nephew, a 22-year-old Marine, had been killed Friday in Iraq.

Lawmaker loses nephew in Iraq This is the AP story.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A state senator learned his nephew had been killed in Iraq as the Illinois Senate debated death benefits for military personnel during a special budget session.

This is the legislation.

Yeah, that about covers it for me too. I try to keep this in mind as I call "W" a goober. The thing about political debate for me is holding the extremes in tension...the extremes in views and in emotional responses to those views. Politics is not the realm of ideas alone. Far from it. We owe it our passion, focused on the realities that our ideas have consequences. Keep that in mind as we piss one another off this election season.

benediction at the dnc

I was surprised by this, but Cliff says I should not be.

His Excellency Archbishop Demetrios
Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America
New York, New York

The Archbishop gave the benediction at the DNC tonight. I am stunned. I guess my perception of the EOC has been formed primarily by the converts like Huw and Karl and the "proto-dox" like my friend Cliff. Maybe I should peek again. I am sure that his Excellency will find me heretical even if he likes my politics. Ha! Then again, this makes me think that they are not the most liberal of Dems. But who can say? I will peek around and see if I can find his benediction to the Convention. It is important to note that the Archbishop was also in attendance at the funeral of Regan. So, perhaps he shows no partisanship. This could be a very good thing after all.

bluebottle art gallery and store

rest for the weary?

Here is another collection of links if you are interested in reading the texts of three of the speeches from last night. I agree with Oliver Willis (Who is this guy?) that Obama rocked the house. Heinz-Kerry was outstanding as well. When she made a couple of points about "opinionated women" I honestly could hear cheers up and down my street. It has been cool enough for windows to be open here in the Windy City. At least, I hope that their windows were open. Ha! And Ron Reagan's speech ended up being very political in spite of his desire to not let it be political. I was a little disappointed in his tone, but then again he has always had a sardonic bite to him. No surprises there. I wonder if he will get the opportunity to speak to the issue of stem cell research at the Republican convention.

insomnia

wikipedia defines it this way: Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterised by an inability to sleep and/or to remain asleep for a reasonable period during the night. Sufferers typically complain of being unable to close their eyes for more than a few minutes at a time, or of 'tossing and turning' through the night.

Yeah...that's about right. Luckily it is not a long term thing...just once a week or so when stressed. Otherwise every blue moon.

So, as an insomniac for the night I have done a couple of relatively interesting things that will seem quite dull come the dawn I am sure. I emailed Dave Weinberger with an idea I have for his convention blog. Some bloggists have been critical of the convention bloggers. I have been as well. It is really not the bloggists fault. Blogs work best when chaos reigns supreme and there is none in their rafter-based center of operations. So, I suggested that Dave needs to find a volunteer or someone in attendance as a delegate to write. Perhaps there is a delegate who blogs who is blogging about all this right now. Does anyone know this person? Is anyone willing to share the link?

I played a little Kingdom of Loathing. I got my ass handed to me by a giant pair of tweezers. God how I love this game.

I read Todd's most recent sermon. It was quite nice. You should read it.

And in the spirit of the sermon, I give you this hymn. Pray the text if you will.

Joy dawned again on Easter Day;
The sun shone out with fairer ray,
When to their longing eyes restored,
Th'apostles saw their risen Lord.

O Jesus, King of gentleness,
Do Thou our inmost hearts posess;
And we to Thee will ever raise
The tribute of our grateful praise.

All praise, O risen Lord we give
To Thee, who, dead, again dost live;
To God the Father equal praise,
And God the Holy Ghost, we raise.

Amen.

Puer Nobis Nascitur
tune: Michael Praetorius, 1609
authorship uncertain
translation by Rev. John M. Neale 1852
from The Hymnal for Christian Worship The John Knox Press, Richmond, VA 1940

And with the dawn comes hope and one can only pray that before the dawn comes rest...a deep sleep.

Thanks to AKMA for the photo.

rev alston

Props to Ralph...whoever you are!

Here's a link to Rev Alston's speech. Lemme know what you think.

The full text is posted below.

Huzzah!

Good evening.

My name is David Alston, and I am a minister from Columbia, South Carolina. I join you here tonight in Boston-birthplace of the American Revolution-to celebrate the bedrock ideals on which our nation was founded- freedom, equality, and democracy.

I also come here tonight to honor a friend of mine, a man of courage and conviction who has fought for these ideals his entire life: John Kerry. Many of you in this hall already know John Kerry well. Others across this land are still learning about his long and distinguished record of public service.

I know him from a small boat in Vietnam, where we fought and bled together, serving our country. There were six of us aboard PCF-94, a 50-foot, twin-engine craft known as a "Swift Boat." We all came from different walks of life, but all of us-including our skipper, John Kerry-volunteered for combat duty. And combat is what we got.

We usually patrolled the narrow waterways of the Mekong delta, flanked on both sides by thick jungle. As our crewmate Gene Thorson put it, we were a traveling bulls-eye. And we often came under sudden attack from the enemy, hidden in the shadows. Machine-gun fire, rocket-propelled grenades, it all came fast and furious, and Lieutenant Kerry had to make quick, life-or-death decisions for the entire boat.

You have to realize, a Swift Boat isn't armored. The hull is aluminum, about as thick as two nickels. And in the middle of a narrow river or canal, with no cover at all, even small-caliber bullets could punch right through it -- and often did.

Manning the deck guns, most of us got wounded sooner or later, including Lieutenant Kerry. It would have been easiest, in an ambush, to simply rake the shore with return fire and roar on down the river to safety. But Lieutenant Kerry was known for taking the fight straight to the enemy. I can still see him now, standing in the doorway of the pilothouse, firing his M-16, shouting orders through the smoke and chaos.

Once, he even directed the helmsman to beach the boat, right into the teeth of an ambush, and pursued our attackers on foot, into the jungle. In the toughest of situations, Lieutenant Kerry showed judgment, loyalty and courage. Even wounded, or confronting sights no man should ever have to see, he never lost his cool.

And when the shooting stopped, he was always there too, with a caring hand on my shoulder asking, "Gunner, are you OK?" I was only 21, running on fear and adrenaline. Lieutenant Kerry always took the time to calm us down, to bring us back to reality, to give us hope, to show us what we truly had within ourselves. I came to love and respect him as a man I could trust with life itself.

I am a man of faith, and I did not come here tonight to glorify what we did. I came here to share my personal knowledge of a young naval officer who rose to the challenges and responsibilities of leadership, and who has always shown the courage to speak truth to power.

The 27th Psalm tells us, "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear. Though war break out against me, even then I will be confident" I stand before you tonight alive, while many of our brothers never made it home. I am grateful to have lived to enjoy my children, to see them grow up. But I stand here before you only because almighty God saw our boat safely through those rivers of death and destruction, by giving us a brave, wise, and decisive leader named John Kerry.

Today, 30 years after Vietnam, American soldiers are once again fighting and dying on distant battlefields, at war with an elusive enemy. We pray for these brave men and women. They are our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones. Their loss brings all of us sadness beyond measure.

In a few short months, we will choose our next President. I believe we need to elect a man of faith, experience, and wisdom. A man who knows that defending America means defending our most fundamental rights. A man who knows that leadership is not just about telling others what to do, but inspiring them to do it. A man who knows the true meaning of freedom, equality, and democracy. And that man is my former skipper, my friend, and our next commander-in-chief, John Kerry.

Friends, here in this city more than two centuries ago, patriots launched a revolution that changed history. Generations since have marched, fought, and died to defend the sacred ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness-and to make these ideals a reality for every American.

It is now our turn to defend these ideals. It is our time to speak out. It is our duty to exercise our most precious right as Americans: the right to vote.

So come November 2nd, join me in casting your ballot for a new, principled, and courageous leader-America's next president-John Kerry.

Thank you.

trish is famous?

Almost famous.

She is in a show with First Folio...Midsummernight's Dream. This is a great thing. It is an Equity production, so it pays. And she was cast today in Cinderella. Emerald City is putting on a musical version of their own composition. I am thrilled for Trish. It is exciting news...and gives me a chance to try this cool flickr function.

speeches

Here is Carter's Speech.
Here is Rev David Alston's speech. (still looking!)
Here is Clinton's speech. I do not like some of his politics or personal habits, but damn can he work a crowd. Ya have to give it to him.

dnc

Here is the link to Weinberger's blogging about the Convention's first day or so. I was hoping for a little more insight, but he has been posting links to other bloggers and search engines that are bringing democrat/republican blogs together. Interesting in that sense. A little disappointing otherwise.

Convention Bloggers
Technorati
Dave Weiner

I had a link to the speech textx for Clinton and Carter, but they are gone. Also, a former soldier now pastor spoke on Kerry's behalf. Does anyone have the link to the text of his speech? It was an interesting thing to witness.

Have fun in these links.

emails

I have lately gotten some interesting emails form people. Here is one that was quite touching.

Tripp:

Rob Fox said that he met you recently while recruiting for the seminary. I have known your grandparents well and visited with them on several occasions. Let me know if we can be of help in getting you placed in Virginia. I have appreciated your grandparents help through the years. It would only be fair to offer my help to you.

In Friendship,

Tom Graves
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond

Trish is looking at a Master's program in Virginia. I had spoken to Mr. Fox over the summer about the seminary's placement services. This is one of the ways we baptists find jobs. Anyway, Dr. Graves is the President of the Seminary. He was when I was a student there ten years ago. His memory of me and of my grandparents is generous to say the very least. So, he will certainly get my resume and my gratitude. I was deeply touched by this.

not boston...maybe journey?

Whenever I hear that the DNC is in Boston, I get tunes from the band Boston running through my head...sometimes conflated with tunes by Europe (link?!), but there you go. I think that they were probably the same band anyway.

In some related news, Dave Weinberger of JOHO fame will be blogging the convention. You will be able to get to his posts at the Boston Globe site or his own weblog. Way cool. Also, Luke Shaefer of CYSI Oline will be in attendance as well. This is a cool day of the University of Blogaria, both the mother campus and we in the outter orbit.

More will come today, including a bit about how Barth was not a humanist, but Calvin sure as heck was.

Here is a tangent. It is an error message.

why liturgy?

The work of the people...the people's work. This is liturgy.

This person did this work today:

Walked the dog.
Fed same.
Spent all of the available quality time with The Fiance.
Cleaned up.
Spoke to a young missionary about music. I think we will continue this conversation even when he is back home in Central America.
Prayed.
Walked.
Fed the cats.
Put together a new fan.
Made music.
Made Eucharist.
Anointed a traveler...a good friend bound for California.
Anointed someone in need of healing.

There is still much to be done. I am not a very good priest.

I still lose my temper.
I still leave important things undone or incomplete.
I can still alienate people with my absolutism.
I need to be more patient than I am.
I need to make meetings.
I need to be more caring of myself.
And I need to rejoice in my day.

Lord, may we be wakeful at sunrise to begin a new day for you;
Cheerful at sunset for having don our work for you;
Thankful at moonrise and under starshine for the beauty of your universe;
And may we add what little may be in us to add to your great world.
Amen. -The Abbot of Greve

All is liturgy. Life is the sacrament...One Sacrament...entirely complete.

sunday dogs

Walked Texas this morning.

He's a small dog.

I like taking him for his morning walk. The old men from Little Vietnam are all out for their morning constitutional. "Morning thank you!" They are all quite friendly and they like Texas. What's not to like, really? He's a good dog.

It is a cool morning in Chicago. I am glad for it.

noodle neophyte

It is all his fault.

Still. I am a level three noodlemancer...a noodle neophyte, if you will. These are important distinctions to make in life in The Kingdom of Loathing.

This is me.

These are my pants. They are goblin pants. Very cool and quite flattering.

I whack people with my spooky stick when they get outta line. This is an important pastoral skill. I think it looks a little like a crozier.

Ah...my hat. It is quite becomming of a rising noodlemancer.

Finally, the thing I wonder if I will ever understand...continuum transfunctioner. There must be something of the calvinist in my character. This seems very calvinist to me. How else do the spiritual and the present physical come together? There is a little of the papist hooie as well, but I am trying to ignore it.

Have a good weekend. The house sitting continues anon.

calvin and barth

I have been tippy-toeing through my final paper of late. I need to finish. I am struggling to get the pieces together for the initial draft. The pieces are there, but the struggle continues nonetheless.

So, I openend up Barth's exploration into John Calvin's theology and the chapter on "the order of the church" is thrilling. Really! This is how I know I am a church nerd.

Barth has an interesting read of Calvin. I am perhaps too charitable, but he reads Calvin to be quite harsh.

The question of frequent administration, however, was not Calvin's main concern. The "principal order" that ought to be introduced was as follows. The institution of the Lord's Supper had its aim the uniting of the members of Christ to their Head and their uniting among themselves as one body and spirit. [Here is where Barth reads harshness into Calvin or I read his humanism into him.] But thsi union must not be stained or besmirched by the participation of those whose evil lives declare that they do not belong to Jesus.

Barth reminds us of Calvin's interpretation of 1 Cor. 11:17-34 and Matthew 18:15-18. And, as much as I cannot believe I am saying this, Barth is missing out on something improtant about Calvin. He is not allowing Calvin to rest in the midst of his humanist roots.

I'll write about that next time.

uh oh

Um...we have 326 people on our invitation list. The church holds 175. Hmm.

So, yeah, maybe not so much. If you receive a pink slip in the mail, try not to take it personally.

muggy morning

Here I sit. I am waiting for it to rain. Do you know what I mean? When the sky is gray and heavy but just will not let go of the rain that hovers overhead. I am not sure that the rain will improve the weather here...It is too muggy for that. It will just get more humid if it rains. I like rain. I even like some kinds of humidity. Chicago is so much less humid than some of the other parts of the country I have lived in. Daytona...now that is humid. They call it sub-tropical. Richmond was built on swampland. That gets a mite muggy from time to time.

Everyone got home late last night. Trish had a rehearsal. Robyn worked late. I was in bed before they both arrived home. Thus, I am up now. I will go and snuggle with Trish in just a few minutes. That is always a good way to start the day.

I posted a couple of new links. In the Arminian and Yet Reformed Seminary you will find a link to Real Live Preacher. I have been reading him off and on for a while. He is an inspiration of sorts. Baptist. Candid. Thoughtful. I do like it. Also, in the Graduate School, you will find a link to Catherine M. Wallace. She was the writer in residence at SWTS while I was there. I like her. AKMA mentioned her in his most recent Ekklesia Conference post. I have been meaning to link to her site. She does not blog that I am aware of, but her publications are interesting. I commend both of these sites to you.

Well, I am having coffee with my favorite cranky Lutheran pietist this morning. We are meeting at Kopi. This is a great thing. I like Larry and his pietism. We seldom get to just hang out. He and I are in league with Jane Ellen in the creation of a congregation in the Roger's Park neighborhood. As detals come, I will share them. We have been worshiping together fairly regularly now. There are 6-8 people who come. There will hopefully be more. Pray for us.

is it love?

Yes, it may be love. Then again, wiser heads may prevail and my fantasy will be dashed to nothingness.

Hotrod Honeys

Cat Tastrophe...she is my favorite.

Someone needs to get me away from the computer and ordain me before it is too late.

'tis done

Well, yesterday was a good day. I made crabcakes, and a chicken satay. I stuck fruit on little skewers (mmm pineapple). I roasted a tenderloin. It is a fun diversion, this catering thing. It always has been. Some day, maybe when I retire, I will work in a bed an breakfast. I would like that for a few years, I think.

Trish and I had our last pre-marital counseling session last night. It was good. We looked through the service order and talked about some of the details. One that was brought to my attention is that Trish and I are not saying our vows. As it stands the officiant will ask "Do you, Tripp, take Trish to be your skullery wench? Yada. Yada. Yada." I will say. "You bet!" THe Officiant will then say, "Do you, Trish, take Tripp to be an above average roomate? Yada. Yada. Yada." She will say, "Well, since we are all here and my parents have killed the fatted calf...yeah. I guess." We do not actuall say our vows. We simply agree to them. Randall found this curious.

Let the truth be known. I have no desire to stand in front of all those people and demonstrate my inability to speak and cry at the same time. I am the Girly Man. I am serious. I simply would be incapable of it. So, I will simply say "I will." Trish can deliver a Shakespearean monologue if she wants. Wondrous keen! But for me, the simple response will do.

We also spoke about sex and money. Well, Randall did. I agree with him. Essentially they reveal the same things in a relationship. They need constant management and attention. One can never assume that there is never something deeper at work when managing them. Work, brothers and sisters. They take work. Trish and I spent dinner afterward talking about money. Ha!

Here is a question for the peanut gallery. If you are married/partnered etc, how do you have your bank accounts set up? Is there just one shared account? Do you both get your own private stash and there is a shared account for bills? How does that work?

Right now, Trish and I are looking at having a shared account that is for bills like the rent and car payments and the like. We will each have our personal accounts where our "allowance" lives and we have full financial autonomy. This way I can buy guitar strings from Wales and Trish can buy dress patterns from Paris without having to clear it with the other. There will be some sort of plain ol' vanilla savings account in this system somewhere, but we are not certain yet.

What has worked for you? What mistakes have you made?

Yesterday was a banner day for counseling. I also had my second of many meetings with an LCSW to comply with my ordination requirements. Yay. Fun. Sigh. I was advised to enjoy it. I will endeavor to do so. That may be a challenge of its own.

I will keep my eyes peeled for Ekklesia updates. I am interested in what is being said. AKMA posted yesterday. It appears that Geoff is indeed smarter than your average bear. Is this the future of evangelical American protestantism? Lord, I hope so. This is from AKMA.

The session on �Ekklesia and Emergent Church� is being led by Scott Bader-Saye of the University of Scranton, and blogger Geoff Holsclaw of up/Rooted and Life on the Vine Christian Community. Scott and Geoff are devoting some of the workshop time to defining the emergent church (�the emerging church conversation,� as Geoff emphasizes). He sets the emergent church in the context of varying generations of evangelicalism and its instrumentalist outlook, and in the context of the church�s relation to temporality (where evangelicalism has tended toward an atemporal �me and Jesus� worldview, where many mainstream traditions have succumbed to the weight of their traditions).

Today: catering till 1pm. After that, receptioning at the church. Huzzah!

evening prayer

A little something for my friends at the Ekklesia Conference...(AKMA has written his first instalment.)

I end this day
as the Son of Mary would end it.
The grace of God be on this place
And on all whom
God has given me.
Who keeps watch
over us this night?
Who but the Christ of Love.

Monday

The Ekklesia Project gathering begins today. AKMA has said as much. Jennifer has said as much and Geoff is presenting. I hope that they get a chance to blog as I do not have the cash resourse to go. I like what the Ekklesia Project is tinkering with. It should be a fun conference.

I am off to the caterer's today. I have many things to chop. Perchance I will blog tonight.

Oh! I saw Hamlet this weekend. It is a First Folio production. My. It was good.

Perchance to blog, indeed.

gitali 100

Where my progress comes to a halt at last,
there Endlessness opens its own door.

Where my song comes to a close,
there is the silent Sea-of-songs.

Where my eyes are covered by darkness,
there the Unseen World's light shines.

Out-of-doors a flower blooms,
then dies in the dust;
IN its heart nectar-fruit is produced.

When activity becomes extensive
and carries everything along with it,
then work and activity get
extensive leisure.

When my 'I' ceases to exist,
then I'll be found in You.

selected shorts

Today is Friday. I have spent much of this week blogging about things that make my head hurt. Some of it has been here. Some has been at other sites. So, in celebration of the day, and the current lack of cornfuzzlement, I offer to you these brief passage of literary foolery.

From Troll, A Love Story:

If the Lord willn't grant my will,
And lets me be alone,
Then grant me thou my will,
Old man behind the hill,
Old man behind the stone!

and this...

"Ive no idea what kind of food to give a changeling," she told her husband. "It won't eat anything I put in front of it."
"Well, that's no surprise, is it?" he said. "Haven't you heard? Trolls don't eat anything but frogs and mice."
"But surely you're not going to ask me to go fishing in the pond for frogs?"
"Of course not. Best let it die of hunger."

Troll is an odd little book, but I very much enjoyed reading it. It is a modern fairie tale...very cool.

From A Pilgrim's Journey, The Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola:

His condition grew much worse; he was unable to eat and, in addition, he had the usual signs indicating the approach of death. On St. John's feast the physicians, not expecting him to pull through, advised him to make his confession. He received the sacraments, and on the vigil of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul the physicians informed him that if he did not feel better by midnight, he could count himself a dead man. Now, the sick man was devoted to Saint Peter, and our Lord thus desired that his recovery begin that very midnight. His improvement progressed so well that after a few days he was pronounced to be out of danger of death.

I love stories of the earliest instances of CPE gone haywire...and yet the Spirit moves none the less. Heh. Finally, here is some stuff by Michel Quoist. He's a French poet and religious writer. I think he writes some of the best prayers around. I only wish I could read the original French and not the translation.

The Subway

The last one squeezes in.
The door rolls shut.
The subway rumbles off.
I can't move;
I am no longer an individual but a crowd,
A crowd that moves in one piece like jellied soup in its can.

A nameless and indifferent crowd, probably far from you, Lord.
I am one with the crowd, and I see what it is sometimes hard for me to rise higher.
This crowd is heavy - leaden soles on my feet, my slow feet - a crowd too large for this overburdened skiff.
Yet, Lord, I have no right to overburden these people; they are my brothers,
And I cannot save myself alone.

Lord, since you wish it, I shall head for heaven "in the subway."

Y'all have a great day. I'll be Trish's sub at the church again. Copying. Copying. Copying.

civil gay union marriages

You know. Sometimes it is just more complicated than that.

So, Kerry says: "I will be a president for all Americans."

But when Donaldson asked him about if he supported gay marriage, Kerry stumbled before saying, "I do not support marriage itself," because he said that "marriage is viewed as a union between men and women." Kerry said there was no distinction between what he proposes -- equal rights bestowed upon civil unions -- and the rights in marriage.

So, in response, we have this whatsit thing.

Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, said the candidates stumbled on the issue of marriage versus civil union because most of them think the difference "is too difficult to explain to the American people."

Throughout history, she said, the interpretation of marriage is that "it has always been a religious, sacred ritual, holy matrimony, blessed by the church and the synagogue." But the top candidates support "a secular contract that has nothing whatsoever to do with religion. It's a hard distinction for Americans to make, and for politicians to make, and so they struggle with it."

It is a confuzing issue. Can you tell? Kerry thinks so, at least. And perhaps there is good reason.

Here are some pole results.

Polls Shows Americans Opposed To Gay Marriage Amendment
Reuters, March 26, 2004

``Americans don't like gay marriage 2-1,'' said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. ``They also oppose by a smaller margin John Kerry's position in favor of same-sex civil unions.

``But by almost the same margin, they oppose President Bush's call to amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage,'' Carroll said.

Here is a second set of stats from polling sourses.

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Internet and American Life Project survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. March 17-21, 2004. N=1,703 adults nationwide. MoE � 3.

"Do you strongly favor, favor, oppose, or strongly oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally?"

3/04
Favor 32%
Oppose 59%
Don'tKnow 9%

2/04
Favor 30%
Oppose 62%
Don't Know 8%

(same breakdown)

11/03 - 30, 62, 8
10/03 - 30, 58, 12

"Do you strongly favor, favor, oppose, or strongly oppose allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into legal agreements with each other that would give them many of the same rights as married couples?"

% Favor Oppose Don't Know
3/04 - 49, 44, 7
10/03 - 45, 47, 8

There must be an easier way to type that in! Here is a link to some other confusing numbers.

The Gallup Organization has been polling the public since 1996 about same-sex marriages and civil unions. For most polls, they asked the question: "Suppose that on election day this year you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Please tell me whether you would vote for or against each one of the following propositions. Would you vote...For or against a law that would allow homosexual couples to legally form civil unions, giving them some of the legal rights of married couples." In 2001 they asked a slightly different question: "Would you favor or oppose a law that would allow homosexual couples to legally form civil unions, giving them some of the legal rights of married couples?" Their 2003 survey involved 1,005 randomly selected adults. The margin of error was within 3 percentage points. Results were:

This is my favorite quote.

By early 2003-MAY, the country was equally divided between those favoring and those opposing civil unions for gays and lesbians. This is a legislators' nightmare; no matter what they do -- or if they do nothing -- they will have massive numbers of voters angry at them. The momentum clearly was in the direction of a clear majority of American adults favoring unions in the near future. Further, the percentage of adults with no opinion has steadily dropped.

Yeah. That about sums it up. Ya gotta get elected. A majority gets you elected. Good thing a single issue seldom does. But this is interesting.

Thanks to Susie for all the help!

oh...my

Here is some funny stuff!

Turn up the sound if you are at work.

toozdaie - a university of blogaria newsletter

Morning. This is the University of Blogaria, Sjlbvdnzv Campus. This is the July newsletter. I realize that there have been few of these of late, I am trying to work on that.

So, let us begin!

At the Disseminary

AKMA reports on an almost-legal action that the University almost suffered through!

Trevor is looking to move. This is geographical alone, I hope.

Church and State

There has been a lot of conversation regarding the separation of church and state lately. You can find it at AngloBaptist, Scandalofparticularity, and This is Life. To say the least, we are not in total agreement with one another on this issue. It is not whether or not there is such a separation, but in what ways does it play out that are both appropriate to the Constitution and the to the Christian faith. It is an important conversation, especially during a Presidential election year. Take a gander.

Sermons

Three pulpit pounders from the Phillips Brooks Seminary, a full subsidiary of UofBSC, preached this past Sunday about people lying in ditches and what to do when they are discovered. 1, 2, 3. All three preachers have been spending a lot of time in their cars lately, so a parable of a samaritan on the road is more than fitting.

Faculty News (some belated, some on time)

The Ref is in Montana (props to Wes). We miss him here in Illinois, but we understand that we are weird and The Ref needed to go west (young man!).
The Sacristan is in Mississippi.
Susie Shaefer is suggesting a curriculum change.
Geoff Holsclaw is posting again!
Rich Miller is researching the wine country of Washington state. I am sure this preserves his tenure somehow. I am just not yet certain how that works.
Sarah of Fiendish Plot celebrated a birthday! Happy Birthday!
CYS Online celebrates six months of internet bliss.

music news

Links to the musicians in residence at the UofBSC have been added in the left column. Huzzah!

This ends this edition of the newsletter. Click around. Enjoy the sites.

camassia

She rocks my world. Yes, she does.

She sent me the patch for my template stylesheet. Huzzah!

So, no more latteral scrolling for you...or me.

gay marriage

I know this is Cliff's favorite news source, but the Times reported this today.

Even with the strong backing of President Bush, the measure could have trouble attracting a simple majority of the Senate, GOP leaders acknowledge, let alone the two-thirds "super majority" needed to adopt a constitutional amendment. Yet GOP strategists hope the issue will help them in selected regions, and with crucial conservative voters, this fall.

cont...

"It's a difficult issue," said Sen. Robert F. Bennett (Utah), chief deputy whip for Senate Republicans. There is a "widespread feeling among some Democrats as well as Republicans that traditional marriage is under attack," he said, but members "don't want to be seen as gay bashers."

cont...

Many Republicans and their allies among Christian groups said they hope to turn a certain legislative loss into a political gain in this fall's elections by using the issue to mobilize conservative voters to turn out for Bush and congressional candidates in critical races.

Under this win-by-losing strategy, GOP leaders hope to reassure

conservatives that the party stands with them without angering moderates who are reluctant to amend the Constitution or target gays. Use of the issue would be confined to areas where it would do the most good.

"This is just the beginning of the process," said Gary Cass, of the Center for Reclaiming America, an advocacy group founded by the Rev. D. James Kennedy, a Florida evangelist. "We need to know who's with us and who's against us."

And, honestly, I am not in the least surprised. The voting public is divided on the issue. There is simply not that strong of a majority at hand to pass the Ammendment. So, a little political posturing from both sides, and maybe we can move on from this thing for the rest of the week or so. We'll hear more about it as November approaches to be certain, but this has taken too much of our attention.

Here is a new conversation about the separation of church and state that you might find interesting. Also, here is an interesting link to some talk about the "defeated" Ammendment.

sudan update

Hey there, gang. The email is up! And since we never how long this will last, I thought I'd share one with the class this morning. Father Abraham emailed again.

Helloo, Tripp,

Thank you very much for your reply, I have got your message and thank you
for the new address. It is always my pleasure to keep in touch with the
friends who were once so dear to me.

The people of Sudan are now expecting the final peace agreement this year,
but on the one hand, the Islamic government in Khartoum, is still working
against the church:

Our bible school is demolished by the government, claiming that a high way
which is now being constructed for the first time in the south since the
creation of the world, is passing through the bible school compass, as the
government claims also that it will rebuild the school in a new compass,
which is not taking place now.

Secondly, the same government sided with an episcopal Church bishop, who was removed from his post by the episcopal council because he is cooperating
with the government against the Church. This bishop helped by the government, has sole the Church guesthouse which was also being used by the
Church as the Head Quaters. Now the case is being followed up by the Church
advocates.

Well, thank you my brother Tripp, I will write to you again when I am back
to Khartoum from the south, you may know that there are no good
communications in the southern Sudan, thus there is no any internet service
in the whole south, it is when I am back in Khartoum that I am able to use a
computor in the market, and I pay equevelen to $ 1.00 ( one US dollars per
one hour ), which is big money in Sudanese money.

May God bless you very richly in your new posiition as a priest when the
time come for you to be ordained, I am sure you will do well!

Abraham.

So, it goes.

I hope Abraham continues to email when he can. It is an interestingthing to get these emails from him.

film short

This rocks!

Go, Spiderman!

heh.

wedding music and stuff

So, last night Trish and I sat down and hammered out most of the details in our wedding service. It should be fun. I get to process!

Here are the tunes that you will either hear or sing when you make your way to Huddleston this autumn.

Processional Hymn: "All Creatures That On Earth Do Dwell"
Solo: "Maybe I'm Amazed"
Hymn of Response: "Breathe on Me Breath of God"
Communion Hymn: "One Bread, One Body"
Another solo?!: "Two of Us" (Actually, it is a duet. Trev and Bont are gonna sing it.)
Recessional Hymn: "Ode to Joy"

In the postlude, one of the pieces will be Ice Cream" by Sarah McLaughlin. Welcome to a Tripp and Trish enhitchment. Jesus and the Beatles. Who knew?

Righ. Don't forget Shakespeare, the ultimate dead white guy. He is our favourite.

Sonnet 116
-Bill S.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

another church and state conversation

Here is an article from the Christain Century about religious freedom in this country. it highlights where Cliff and I were in disagreement the other day, I think.

Being a religious majority in the country does not allow you to pass legislation that limits the religious practices of another tradition. That is using the government as an instrument of religious authority. That is co-opting state authority. It is unconstitutional. Now, as Cliff said, there is such a thing as legislating morality. But the article is not so much about morality as it is about the free practice of religious disciplines.

And the author of the Century article finds an interesting challenge in it for Christians. Does anyone recall why church bells used to ring? When a church bell rings, we are called to contemplation and prayer. Once, they were not just loverly and entertaining ways to mark the end of a work day.

obituary

Below is the text for my grandfather's obituary and the text of an article published in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Dr. Paul B. Watlington Jr.

Dr. Paul B. Watlington Jr., 89, of Richmond, formerly of Norfolk, Va., departed this life July 5, 2004. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lelia Carson Watlington; two daughters, Julia W. Hudgins and her husband, George, Ann W. Watlington and her daughter, Carson Shuchang Watlington, all of Richmond, Va.; two sons, Paul B. Watlington III and his wife, Kazue of Alexandria, Va. and Samuel A. Watlington of Richmond, Va.; grandchildren, Tripp Hudgins of Chicago, Ill., and Chuck Hudgins of Salt Lake City, Utah. He was preceded in death by his sister, Bette Watlington. Before his retirement, he had served as pastor of Park Place Baptist Church in Norfolk since 1970. He also served churches in Charleston W.Va., Orange, Hamilton, Round Hill and Purcellville, Va. Dr. Watlington graduated from University of Richmond and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond. He received Honorary Doctorates of Divinity from Alderson-Broaddus College in West Virginia and the University of Richmond. While attending Union Theological Seminary, he was an announcer at WRVA and often performed live broadcasts from area dance clubs. He was a lifelong fan of baseball and loved cheering for the Norfolk Tides with his church members. The family would like to thank the nursing staff at University Park and Hospice of Central Virginia for their care and compassion. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. in the Parham Chapel Woody Funeral Home, 1771 Parham Rd. A private graveside service will be held Friday at 11 a.m. in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk. A memorial service will follow at Park Place Baptist Church in Norfolk at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, Va. 23173 or the Alzheimer's Association 4600 Cox Rd., Suite 130, Glen Allen, Va. 23060. Funeral arrangements incomplete at this time.

Here is the text of a brief article that also ran in the Richmond paper.

Paul Watlington dies; longtime Baptist pastor
BY LEA SETEGN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Thursday, July 8, 2004

In his 55 years as a Baptist minister, Paul B. Watlington Jr. never gave a sermon that was longer than 15 minutes.

"He would have us time him," said Ann W. Watlington of Richmond, one of his daughters. "He believed that when you got up in front of a group, you should stand up, speak up and shut up. It worked for him."

Ann S. Archer, Mr. Watlington's secretary during his 27 years at Park Place Baptist Church in Norfolk, said that his brevity was part of what made him successful in the pulpit.

"When he ended, you got a message, and you left with a message," Archer said.

Mr. Watlington died Monday in Richmond after several years of declining health. He was 89.

"He married and buried hundreds of people, and met all their spiritual needs in between," Ann Watlington said. "He left the pulpit kicking and screaming. He didn't want to go, but he knew it was time."

Mr. Watlington had originally hoped for a career as a minor-league baseball player, his daughter said. But he changed his mind and followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a minister.

Mr. Watlington was ordained in 1942, after earning degrees from the University of Richmond and Union Theological Seminary. He also received honorary doctorates of divinity from the University of Richmond and Alderson-Broaddus College in West Virginia.

In addition to his years at Park Place Baptist, Mr. Watlington served churches in Orange, Hamilton, Round Hill and Purcellville, Va., and in Charleston, W.Va. He retired from Park Place Baptist in 1997.

While he was a seminary student, Mr. Watlington put his smooth, booming voice to work as an announcer for WRVA in Richmond. Mr. Watlington was also a jazz saxophonist and xylophone player who performed with Richmond-area big bands in the 1940s, Ann Watlington said.

Mr. Watlington's love of baseball stayed strong throughout his life, his daughter said. He was always ready to play a game in the neighborhood, and he would take church members to Norfolk Tides games.

"At one time . . . they called him 'Norfolk's pastor,'" Archer said. "A lot of people would call him for weddings and funerals. He was very popular - not that he thought that. It was just his personality."

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Watlington is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lelia Carson Watlington; another daughter, Julia W. Hudgins of Richmond; two sons, Paul B. Watlington III of Alexandria and Samuel A. Watlington of Richmond; and three grandchildren.

A private graveside service will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. A memorial service will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at Park Place Baptist.

Memorial donations may be made to the Virginia Baptist Historical Society or the Alzheimer's Association.

satreday poste

So, we are up. Splitter trouble that they can monitor on their end. Hmmm.

But, of course, I cannot get http://anglobaptist.org to come up...and that includes all email. This is oft a temporary setback, but I should call them again and make them fix the problem they said that they were going to fix.

RCN...

Hmm...

I am not quite sure what to do or say about them.

hiatus?

I will be speaking to the RCN people today. They have some ideas about our internet woes. So do I, for that matter. Nevertheless, if there is a magical reappearance of internet happiness this weekend, this blog will reflect that. If not, well, the same can be said.

In the meanwhile, here is a Thomas Merton quote for you. Props to Bob for the reminder.

The worst of it is that even apparently holy conceptions are consumed along with the rest. It is a terrible breaking and burning of idols, a purification of the sanctuary, so that no graven thing may occupy the place that God has commanded to be left empty: the center, the existential altar which simply "is." In the end the contemplative suffers the anguish of realizing that he no longer knows what God is.

Have a good weekend, sister sun and brother moon. God protect you all.

male "rolemoodle?"*

* This will help the title make sense.

I dunno how many of you recall the debate had here about being male and needing male rolemodels, but this is an interesting point that serves to support what Cliff was saying. In the interest of fair representation, I link you here.

I can relate to this guy's thinking but then again, I believe he takes it too far...Cliff and I disagree, but I like the "androgyny* thang." And I believe that Paul was hopelessly shaped by his own culture in his argument. Paul reshapes the institution of slavery, ennobling it. I want to be rid of it. Paul reshapes the pater familias, again ennobling it. I wish to be rid of it. I think Paul figured, again, that these institutions did not need replacing as Jesus was going to show up next week. But this horse is long dead.

*changes subject*

Below is a song I wrote recently with the help of Rich. Let me know what you think.

*ed. lacks spelling skills in multiple dead languages

River's Bend

The sky burns brightly on a summer's day,
birds are sailing in the sky.
I think I'll take a walk down to the river's bend
and dream that I can fly,
and dream that I can fly.

They sun is playful down by the river's bend,
floating clouds circling high.
A child meets me down by the river's bend,
she says, "I wish that I could fly.
You know, I wish that I coud fly."

refrain
A woman's child and a holy kiss
An angel choir for a holy three
Circles of time, protected by grace
into life's redeeming stream
into this, the living spring...

She's skipping stones down by the river's bend,
rippling waves and sparkling eyes.
"I hear them singing down by the river's bend.
I can hear the angels' cry.
I can hear the angels' cry."

She reaches out over the river's bend,
whirling birds in a reflected sky.
Tiny arms held out over the river's bend,
It is a day for angels to fly.
It is a day for angels to fly.

refrain

I pull her close down by the river's bend,
smiling and watching the summer sky.
She sits on the bank down by the river's bend,
And the shadows creep lazily by,
And the shadows creep lazily by.

Some day I'll go back down to the river's bend,
looking for those twinkling eyes.
You see, it's peaceful down by the river's bend,
where I spread my wings and fly
where I spread my wings and fly

refrain

freydey poste

Here is something fun(props to Jane). I hope you all enjoy it...well, I know some of you will not. Some of you will find it an unfounded and scathing political critique that is meant to entertain and not inform. My response to that attitude is as follows:

thipppppppppt!!

So, with that being said, let me attempt to say something informative if not useful. Hmm. That begs a question. Is all information useful? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Anyway! This is the day when I have to print up the church cervice bulletins. This is not rocket science, and yet I am oddly intimidated. There is this big duplicator that we use here at NSBC. It uses real ink and not a big old toner cartridge. Oy! The dangers of technology! Will I cover the church office in ink? Will I simply cover myself in ink? One thing is certain; everyone misses Trish when I am here.

Have a good day and God bless America!

listening bar: John Denver, Greatest Country Hits...Annie's Song is playing now. I like Mr. Denver.

before

after

poopiness

I had lunch with Susie and was again exposed to my own general poopiness at this time.

I am frustrated. It happens. People dying, transition abounds, whining ensues...urggle. Damn thesis. Damn seminary graduation. Damn wedding planning. Damn summer weather. Bugger it all.

So, I make no promises any more. You may get a comment on your own blog that reads something like, "Peanuts have more intellectual fortitude than your average doctoral pickle. Then again, you may be a kiwi and I would then appear the fool. Have fun placating the masses."

It's just that kind of week. And I have an audition tomorrow. I would have posted about it two weeks ago, but my internet went down. I am now thinking that I do not want to go to this audition. I would rather stay home and mope. You know? Why work? Why aspire? Why give myself one more thing to fill the time even if that is a professional choir?

The director of said professional (Read: paying) choir called me up out of the blue and said (a paraphrase here) "I have heard that you are good. We need you to audition. Can you? We pay."

This, normally, would have me dancing in the aisles (or isles). It did lo those many internet-free days ago. But the last 72 hours have been less than stellar. I have not practiced my little Spanish art song. I have not practiced my vocal exercises (many octaves from which to choose. I love being a bass/baritone). I have not tinkered with the wee shape note song I usually use to demonstrate my ability to sing a cappella without losing or gaining pitch. This all bodes quite poorly.

Damn divine promise. Sure, fine, just fulfill that promise, God. Next time I'll include fine print about the timing thing. You are soooo funny with all your angels and everything. Ha. Ha. Ha.

*whine*

< /poopiness>

thirdsdey post

The blogosphere is a busy place.

Cliff (This is good, too.) and Justin have been blogging about religion and politics. It is an interesting romp.

Trish and I sat down with our callendars this morning...setting appointments with one another to talk through wedding stuff. Urggle. Somehow this is not the whimsical romp that I had hoped for. Ah well. Either way we will be hitched.

More secretary work for me today. We have been giving out loads of bag lunches this morning. We will be out of them shortly. That is a little startling. The word must be out.

listening bar: Short Trip Home Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush and Mike Marshall

Old Paul and questions of vocation...

Paul B. Watlington, Jr. was my step-grandfather. We called him Old Paul. I am really not up to eulogizing him online at this juncture. But thinking about him lately, it seems appropriate to say that he was a huge influence on my sense of vocation and how I imagine a pastor to be.

I remember seeing him preach once. I have said this before, he could equate just about any theological notion to a baseball player or statistic or something. That Sunday he spoke about Johnny Bench and what a catcher, especially a very skilled one, thinks about during a game and how they receive pitches...like we are to receive the Spirit. It was a funny and amazing sermon. There he was, squatting on the dias...his knees creaking, I am sure. I recall then wondering, just out of curiosity, what it would be like to give a sermon.

He stood there behind the pulpit in a white robe. It was a baptismal robe. I dunno the facts behind it, but the story is that Old Paul was trying to tell Baptists something about themselves.

Old Paul was a tall man. And in that robe, with his white hair, he was an imposing figure. My step-mother and her sister said he looked like an angel. I would agree...but it was that kind of angel that keep you out of a garden, and not the one that plays the harp. Paul wanted Baptists to know what it meant to be Baptist. He was furious over what he witnessed at the SBC convention in New Orleans in the 80's. He said that Baptists had forgotten that baptism is an invitation into the kingdom and not a final exam, a drivers test that, if you failed, kept you from God. Baptism is imposing, intimidating, transformative and an invitation. We, as Baptists, are about invitation. He preached in that white baptismal robe so that people knew what kind of Baptist he was.

He was the kind of Baptist who married a woman smarter than himself.
He was the kind of Baptist who preached in African American pulpits in the 50's.
He was the kind of Baptist who gave his misguided step-grandson a copy of Merton's Seven Story Mountain for his college graduation.
He would say "Don't swear, son. It sounds like hell."
He was a d.j. in college and seminary. He was the guy they sent out to the big band concerts for the live broadcasts. Somehow he always had a date for those things. Ha!
He read the newspaper every Sunday for a local public radio station. It was a service to the blind* in the community.

His children have his voice. I wonder if they know that.

He was far from perfect, but he was devoted.

And this is a eulogy after all.

My step-mother told me that I will receive his entire theological library. There is no one else who cares for it. She knows I will love it. I imagine it is large. He served one pulpit or another for almost 60 years. I expect to have to buy new bookshelves.

So, here I sit on the verge of ordination (All Saint's Day?) and think about his many years in ministry, the joy he brought, the mistakes he made. I wonder if they will bury him in that robe. They should.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God, we too might walk in newness of life.

* ed. This once read "deaf." The editor apologizes for his tried brain and appreciates the lone soul who not only discovered the error but brought it to his attention.

salutations

Hey all. Sorry to have been away so long. The internet continues to be a problem at home. Yay. Lucky me. But I am subbing for Trish at the church (ooo! our new website) the next three days and thus have internet access. Feel free to email if you have that information.

There is a lot of news to report.

My friend Scott came in from Richmond for a visit over the holiday weekend. It was a grand time...food, fireworks, Spiderman 2...I have to say that it was an almost perfect weekend.

We have purchased wedding invitations. This is a grand thing! They will be great fun to address as well...I purchased a pen especially for the job.

Also on the wedding front, a friend has generously purchased my suit. It is a wedding gift to me and Trish. Perhaps, it is more directly my gift, but as it saves copious bucks across the board, it is a gift to both Trish and myself. Huzzah!

Finally, some very sad news. My step-grandfather, the Rev Dr Paul B. Watlington Jr. passed away on Monday morning. He had been sick for a long while. I have to say that he was a tremendous man...not perfect, but tremendous.

I will miss him.