Bad Times and God talk

I hear a lot of God talk, and have done some in my life. We make statements that help us to help us interpret what's going on. "God was ready for him to come home".

While bad times get our spiritual attention, I resist saying "God did this because we failed to do this", or "we are being judged".

My reasoning, the new covenant love of Christ, the inequities in world economies that make all our complaints about financial hard times look rediculous when compared to world poverty and world standard of living.

I am thinking of three parallel ideas. What should we (I) be learning during this time? Will you guide us out of this? "Thank you Lord, for my daily bread."

Bad Times

Hardworking, skilled, experienced people are being laid off all around the nation. My son was the last hired and first laid off at the French Restaurant that pays his bills in Manhattan. I am thinking about how to think, live, and have faith during this trial. Most of my seniors have been through hard times. I am learning from them. The noise from living in a 24 hr a day news environment is not helping. The rants of the right against the new majority is not helping. The rhetoric of our new young president is not helping. I will let you know if I have any insights.

A visit to the Lanes

My father loved bowling. I have memories of hanging around the Lanes when I was a kid, searching under the lockers and in the machines for coins. The atmosphere of a Bowling Alley brings back those memories.

As a Youth Director, a night of Bowling was always standard fare. I used to buy cokes for the kids that could beat me. It was always a safe bet. It is really hard to get good unless you bowl regularly. So today I was beaten soundly by Senior citizens who bowl regularly. One of my new friends had a 246. I started with a 131 and went down each game. I don't feel the same passion and joy as I do with golf, so this will remain an occasional hobby.

Here is a snap of me cleaning up a spare. If you invite me I will go bowling. It was fun.

Flickr moments

When you have more than one hobby you find yourself spending more time in one than another in your moments of free time. The commitment to have a camera with me at all times is a pleasure because you are looking for things that a physically beautiful, or odd, or memorable. Driving home from a Dental Visit, mouth numb, I drove through a Catholic Cemetery in Gilbert and shot these icons.

Flickr and the other picture sites help you enjoy what others are seeing. The creativity and awesome majesty of nature, the moments of humanity, families capturing their celebrations. It's very life affirming for me.

Jazz up your life

Our choir director suggested a Dixieland Music Day last year. Everyone is in kind of an up mood with Super Bowl Fever. This year it was so powerful. America's unique art form consists of an ensemble group carrying a rhythm with individual instrument improvise upon that music with their individual talents, the improvisation was called "jazzing it up" and it spead from New Orleans to Memphis, Chicago, and New York in the first decade of the last century.

When applied to a hymn it can raised the emotions and envelope you in the drama of the song. We did Softly and Tenderly, Nearer my God to Thee, and of Course When the Saint and Battle Hymns. Our musicians were very talented and very innovative. The choir pieces celebrated a number of negro spirituals and southern gospel greats.

I mentioned that jazz celebrates the hope that sustains us through trial and suffering and that we are responsible to discover the joy unspeakable that is ours in Christ, to give our own unique voice to the problems we face and the way we respond.

It was a great game!

I was proud of the way the Cards made it a game and almost pulled off a win. What is it about the last two minutes of football that creates those comeback opportunities?

It seemed as if the Steelers were the team of destiny this year, and I am happy for them, although in recognition of their win I am taking my official Ground Hog prediction from Unadilla, Nebraska, where Unadilla Bill, a stuffed Ground Hog that sits atop the coke machine in the town of 300s cafeteria. Each year with great fanfare they take the statue out to the street and observe the shadow or lack thereoff at 7:30 am. I think they do that somewhere else, but I have forgotten where??????

Great weekend, we had DixieLand Jazz Sunday.

Excuse me while I play the Fan

Today, after we gather for worship, excuse me if I join my fellow transplanted Arizona Cardinals, in forgetting about the sad economy, the duties of the Christian life, the cares of this world, so I can enjoy watching our Cinderella team give a shot at the Super Bowl title. Either way, it's a memory I will cherish.