conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

anniversary

Today is our first anniversary!
Ah, how I love my wife.

le guin

She has a book out called Gifts. I have been browsing it here at the housesitting house. I like this passages best of all so far.

To see that your life is a story while you're in the middle of living it may be a help to living it well. It's unwise, though, to think that you know how it's going to go, or how it's going to end. That's to be known only when it's over.

And even when it is over, even when it is somebody else's life, somebody who lived a hundred years ago, whose story I've heard time and again, while I'm hearing it I hope and fear as if I didn't know how it would end; and so live the story and it lives in me. That's as good a way as I know to outwit death. Stories are what death thinks he puts an end to. He can't understand that they end in him, but not with him.

meme

Brooke, Susie and Beth have done this. Thus, so must I.

1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

"Am I cool or what?"
link

So, there you have it. Your turn.

rockin' the casbah

You Are an Indie Rocker!

You are in it for the love of the music... And you couldn't care less about being signed by a big label. You're all about loving and supporting music - not commercial success. You may not have the fame and glory, but you have complete control of your career.

another day, another...heck, I dunno!

Well, this has been a most unproductive week. Fortunately, next week will be better. I have some catering lined up starting Wednesday.

Oh! Come to the Glenwood Art Festival on October 1st. Sean and I will be playing...a little One of the Girls "Lite." It should be a good time. We are playing at the family stage, so we will pull out some kid-friendly stuff to augment our usual selection. We go on stage at 4pm. Come one! Come all!

This weekend Trish and I will be house sitting once again. Huzzah! This means income. This means cable. This means internet.

I have to admit that I have been in a bit of a funk this week. This lack of focus/activity has proven draining. I will try to accomp[lish some stuff today. Larry and I are meeting to discuss Reconciler things over lunch. We have a meeting planned for October 15th. We have invited people representing the three resident traditions (plus a few others) to discuss the present state and future direction of the congregation. Keep us in your prayers.

And I will try to get a couple of other things done as well. Trish and I did get up this morning to exercise. That went well. We took a long brisk walk and did a little yoga. Boy howdy am I out of shape. Yikes! Well, one foot in front of the other...right?

Sunday is the anniversary. I think we are going to Bridgeman. That is where we had our honeymoon. Some friends are staying in a house there and we have been invited to crash with them for a day. So, we may take the dog (House sitting duties never end.) over there for the day. That should prove interesting. I have no idea how the little guy does in a car. We may find out! Ha!

Okay, I am off to run an errand or two. I will see you all later on.

still looking - blogging from a highpriced internet cafe...not pause

I am still looking for work. Keep me in your prayers.

I think that the interview went well on Monday, but I am not convinced I am what they are looking for. I did, I believe, present myself accurately. That's a good thing. We shall see what happens. And the church that I have applied to is sending yet more stuff. Who knew?

Reconciler is doing well. Rev Dr Dan Prechtel presided last Sunday. He is a great guy. This weekend my wife and I will be celebrating our first anniversary. So, I have Sunday off! Wahoo!

Well, that is all I have for now. I need to buy my love a gift.

Paper...sure, that's cool.

again from pause cafe

Hey y'all.

I hope this find you well.

I have been a busy boy lately. Catering, laying pavers for a sidewalk, building a fence...you know,the usual pastoral enterprises...have kept me hopping. I actually do need to get cracking on a few things. I have a project I am heading up for the Disseminary. Then there are yet more applications I am filling out. There is an interview on Monday for a position at a local street ministry that could be good. I also have been told that another grant has been submitted at the hospital. I knew this was going to be a possibility but did not want to say anything until I knew for certain. It is for another year-long position, but the focus would be trauma and disaster work.

Oh, yeah, I am still in Chicago. I never made it down to NO or any of the other gulf area towns that need so much help right now. Sadly, my own "unemployment" means that I cannot leave Trish to shoulder the rent alone. I have to work. Volunteering for three weeks is not possible right now.

I am singing again at North Shore Baptist Church. This weekend is the 100th Anniversary of the congregation. It should be quite the occasion. The service begins at 11am. Come on by. I am hopeful that we will have a lot of visitors. If you like to sing, this is the service for you. I am one of the hired ringers in the bass section. We could use your voice!

Tomorrow, Andrew and Hope are getting married. They are friends from my seminary days. Andrew is from New Orleans. His family and friends are safe...displaced, but safe. And they are grateful for an opportunity to celebrate something. It is indeed a great gift. Trish and I will be there to celebrate as well. And, wondrous as well, Susie is staying with us for the wedding. She is singing in the service. It is great to see her.

Finally, things at Reconciler are looking good. We have moved into our new space at Immanuel Lutheran. They have a great side chapel that we rent and a most reasonable rate! It is a good place, generous and helpful. The sexton greeted us last Sunday afternoon with a "Welcome to your home!" Incredible. So, if you would like to pray and "make eucharist" on Sunday evenings with an ecumenical gathering, please do come by. We would love to see you there.

I will write again when I can. I am supposed to call the cable company today or Monday to set up a time for someone to come out and install tv/internet service for us. This will be the end of any semblance of productivity in the house, of course, but I don't mind. Maybe I'll even i-chat from time to time!

Peace!

blogging from pause

Nadia has posted pictures of One of the Girls! Huzzah!

house sitting all done

Trish and I are done with the house sitting for a while. Once again I must step into the internet netherworlds of cyber cafes, wandering, free range wifi.

Here are a couple of links for your enjoyment.

The first is a silly flash bit that someone spent too much time on.

The second is an article on difference between genders and races. It supports claims that Cliff and others made eons ago on this blog...but from a Darwinist perspective, which sort of underscores my point. I am not a creationist, but I do think that sin exists in all order...including the theory of Darwinism. If there is an evolutionary distinctiveness between genders that is to benefit the survival of the species, then we have to live with the possibility that such diversity is both a sign of the Fall and a sign of God's love for us to keep us around. Tensions and nuances abound.

bruderhoff on katrina

After the Hurricane
Johann Christoph Arnold

In the wake of Katrina, one could say plenty regarding our government's response (or lack thereof), and about how many more lives could have been saved if those in power had been more on the ball. But this is not the time to point fingers: we have been struck, unprepared, by a mammoth refugee crisis, widespread lawlessness, martial law, and a degree of public panic that has never been associated with life in the United States.

Not surprisingly, the news media is obsessed with the economic consequences of Katrina: the skyrocketing cost of gas, the instability of the real estate market, and the weakening of the dollar, to name just a few. As usual, it seems that the financial and material aspects of the disaster are of paramount importance to us. For many people, the biggest question seems to be, "How long will it be before the price of gas goes down again, and I can return to life-as-usual?"

Very few people seem to be asking what sort of a spiritual impact this disaster will have, and whether we are going to let it affect our consciences and our collective soul.

So what sort of question should we be asking?

rehnquist dies

September 4, 2005
Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies of Cancer
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:44 a.m. ET

Read the article by following either the extended link or the embedded link.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening of cancer, ending a 33-year Supreme Court career during which he oversaw the court's conservative shift, presided over an impeachment trial and helped decide a presidential election. His death creates a rare second vacancy on the nation's highest court.

Rehnquist, 80, was surrounded by his three children when he died at his home in suburban Arlington. His wife died in 1991.

''The Chief Justice battled thyroid cancer since being diagnosed last October and continued to perform his duties on the court until a precipitous decline in his health the last couple of days,'' said court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.

Rehnquist was appointed to the Supreme Court as an associate justice in 1971 by President Nixon and took his seat on Jan. 7, 1972. He was elevated to chief justice by President Reagan in 1986.

The death leaves President Bush with his second court opening within four months and sets up what's expected to be an even more bruising Senate confirmation battle than that of John Roberts.

It was not immediately clear what impact Rehnquist's death would have on confirmation hearings for Roberts, scheduled to begin Tuesday.

The last time there were simultaneous vacancies at the court was 1971, when Justices Hugo Black and John Marshall Harlan retired in September, about a week apart. Rehnquist, then a Justice Department lawyer, urged the Nixon administration to move fast in replacing them and wound up being appointed to Harlan's seat himself.

Rehnquist presided over President Clinton's impeachment trial in 1999, helped settle the 2000 presidential election in Bush's favor, and fashioned decisions over the years that diluted the powers of the federal government while strengthening those of the states.

Arberg said plans regarding funeral arrangements would be forthcoming.

Bush was notified of Rehnquist's death shortly before 11 p.m. EDT.

''President Bush and Mrs. Bush are deeply saddened by the news,'' said White House counselor Dan Bartlett. ''It's a tremendous loss for our nation.'' The president was expected to make a personal statement about Rehnquist on Sunday.

The chief justice passed up a chance to step down over the summer, which would have given the Senate a chance to confirm his successor while the court was out of session, and instead Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement to spend time with her ill husband. Bush chose Roberts, a former Rehnquist clerk and friend, to replace O'Connor.

Rehnquist said on July 14 that he wanted to stay on the bench as long as his health would allow.

The president could elevate to chief justice one of the court's conservatives, such as Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas, but it's more likely he will choose someone from outside the court.

Possible replacements include Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and federal courts of appeals judges J. Michael Luttig, Edith Clement, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Michael McConnell, Emilio Garza, and James Harvie Wilkinson III. Others mentioned are former Solicitor General Theodore Olson, lawyer Miguel Estrada and former deputy attorney general Larry Thompson.

Rehnquist announced last October that he had thyroid cancer. He had a trachea tube inserted to help him breathe and underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Details of the chief justice's illness and his plans had been tightly guarded. He looked frail at Bush's inauguration in January and missed five months of court sessions before returning to the bench in March.

On the court's final meeting day of the last term, June 27, Rehnquist appeared gaunt and had difficulty as he announced the last decision of the term -- an opinion he wrote upholding a Ten Commandments display in Texas. His breathing was labored, and he kept the explanation short.

He had no public appearances over the summer, although he was filmed by television crews in July as he left the hospital following two nights for treatment of a fever.

Rehnquist had an extraordinary career, with many historic milestones.

In 1999, he presided over Clinton's impeachment trial from the presiding officer's chair seat in the Senate, something only one other chief justice had done. A year later he was one of five Republican-nominated justices who voted to stop presidential ballot recounts in Florida, effectively deciding the election for Bush over Democrat Al Gore.

''The Supreme Court of Florida ordered recounts of tens of thousands of so-called `undervotes' spread through 64 of the state's 67 counties. This was done in a search for elusive -- perhaps delusive -- certainty as to the exact count of 6 million votes,'' he wrote.

Rehnquist, who championed states' rights and helped speed up executions, is the only member still on the court who voted on Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion. He opposed that decision, writing: ''Even today, when society's views on abortion are changing, the very existence of the debate is evidence that the `right' to an abortion is not so universally accepted as (Roe) would have us believe.''

He believed there was a place for some religion in government. He wrote the 5-4 decision in 2002 that said parents may use public tax money to send their children to religious schools. Two years later, he was distressed when the court passed up a chance to declare that the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is constitutional.

''The phrase 'under God' in the pledge seems, as a historical matter, to sum up the attitude of the nation's leaders, and to manifest itself in many of our public observances,'' he wrote.

Rehnquist leaves without accomplishing the legal revolution he had hoped for as the nation's 16th chief justice. As Rehnquist read it, the Constitution lets states outlaw abortion and sponsor prayers in public schools but bars them from giving special, affirmative-action preferences to racial minorities and women. The court he led disagreed.

In 2003, for example, the court preserved affirmative action in college admissions and issued a landmark gay rights ruling that struck down laws criminalizing gay sex, both over Rehnquist's objections. And last year, Rehnquist disagreed when the court ruled that the government cannot indefinitely detain terrorism suspects and deny them access to courts

Rehnquist was somewhat of a surprise choice when Nixon nominated him to the court in 1971. He was a 47-year-old Justice Department lawyer with a reputation for brilliance and unbending conservative ideology when he was chosen to fill the seat of retiring Justice John Marshall Harlan. Rehnquist, who practiced law in Phoenix before moving to Washington, was the court's youngest member.

For years he was known as the ''Lone Ranger'' for his many dissents on a then-liberal court that left him ideologically isolated on the far right. Succeeding appointments of conservative justices and Rehnquist's elevation by President Reagan to the federal judiciary's top job in 1986 transformed his role into one of leading and nurturing an increasingly conservative Supreme Court.

Rehnquist was the force behind the court's push for greater states' rights. The chief justice has been the leader of five conservatives, sometimes called ''the Rehnquist five,'' who generally advocate limited federal government interference.

Those five -- Rehnquist and O'Connor, Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Thomas -- have voted together to strike down federal laws intended to protect female victims of violent crime and keep guns away from schools, on grounds that those issues were better dealt with at the local level. They split, however, in a recent decision upholding the federal government's right to ban sick people from smoking marijuana even in states that have laws allowing the treatment.

The Rehnquist five were together in the Bush v. Gore decision, which critics predicted would tarnish the court's hard-won luster. The closing paragraph of a book Rehnquist wrote on the court's history may stand as his answer to criticism.

Rehnquist noted that the court makes ''demonstrable errors'' from time to time, but he added, ''It and the country have survived these mistakes and the court as an institution has steadily grown in authority and prestige.''

He had deflected criticism about his views on race during his 1971 confirmation, and the one 15 years later when he became chief justice. As a law clerk to Justice Robert Jackson, Rehnquist wrote memos in 1952 that appeared to suggest Jackson should oppose Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark ruling that declared public school segregation unconstitutional.

As chief justice, Rehnquist drew complaints when he led a group of lawyers and judges in a rendition of ''Dixie'' at a conference in Virginia in 1999. He did not respond to a black lawyers' organization that called the song an offensive ''symbol of slavery and oppression.''

Rehnquist, a widower since 1991, dodged questions about his legacy in a March 2004 interview. He said that he tried to keep the court running smoothly and keep the peace among the justices.

''To get everybody working harmoniously together is not a small feat,'' he said on PBS's ''The Charlie Rose Show.'' ''You have to have a very high boiling point.''

Within the court, Rehnquist was a far more popular chief justice than his predecessor, Warren Burger. Liberal Justice John Paul Stevens said in 2002 that Rehnquist brought ''efficiency, good humor and absolute impartiality'' to the job. Some justices complained that Burger was heavy-handed and pompous.

Rehnquist's grandparents emigrated to the United States from Sweden in 1880 and settled in Chicago. His grandfather was a tailor, his grandmother a school teacher. Rehnquist grew up in Wisconsin, the son of paper salesman and a translator.

He at first had planned to be a college professor, but a test showed him suited to the legal field. In 1952, he graduated first in his class at Stanford University's law school, where he briefly dated O'Connor, the high court's first female justice.

Rehnquist caused great amusement when he departed from tradition by adding four shiny gold stripes to each sleeve of his black robe in 1995. The flourish was inspired by a costume in a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta.

A close student of the Supreme Court's traditions and history, he was a stickler for decorum. He frequently admonished hapless lawyers who did not show what Rehnquist regarded as proper courtesy in the courtroom. His gravelly monotone silenced any who kept talking past their allotted time.

He was the enthusiastic host of an annual, old-fashioned employee Christmas party at the court. At a time when many schools, government offices and private businesses quietly did away with overtly Christian holiday symbols, Rehnquist led the singing of traditional Christmas carols.

Rehnquist has led a quiet social life outside the court. Until recently, he walked daily, as tonic for a chronic bad back, and played tennis with his law clerks. He enjoyed bridge, spending time with his eight grandchildren, charades and a monthly poker game with Scalia and a revolving cast of powerful Washington men. He liked beer, and smoked in private.

The only chief justice older than Rehnquist was Roger Taney, who presided over the high court in the mid-1800s until his death at 87. Rehnquist was also closing in on the record for longest-serving justice. Only four men were on the court 34 years or longer.

do I stay or do I go now...

David's church and home are gone. He is one of far to many to count. I am glad he is safe. I have been praying and fretting for him.

Sunni is so mad she could spit. And, to be honest, I have to say that I feel a mite bit sorry for W. He's in a bind now...there is no good way to get through a crisis like this. "It's hard work," as they say, and the work will only get more difficult. Sunni is not the only one who is peeved.

Megan is trying to decide on a response. This is a good post...and worthy of reflection.

So, here I sit, unemployed...trained in trauma work...a nigh unto board certified chaplain. What the heck am I doing here? Should I go south or help some friends adopt a family? We have a spare bedroom. We could take a family of three.

Trish and I are not sure what to do.

Ideas? Call me.