One thought that I received during yesterday’s sermon:
The world says:
Be fearful
Worry
Blame
They are wrong and we are right!
Be angry
The faithful say:
Rejoice
Be happy
Celebrate
Be at peace
The angels say, “Fear not”
Philippians 4: 1-9 reminds us to focus on what is true, what is honorable, what is just, excellence
The faithful remind us that when one thinks that there is not enough, that there is always enough to share.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
My EV and politics
“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine…”
Courage came to me when a magazine publisher, Jack Love, in his trade magazine, Internet Retailer, October 4, 2008, wrote, “In 40 years of publishing, I have not supported a candidate in print.”
http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=27946
I have been driving electric vehicles (two) since the year 2000. After 25 years of talking about converting a car to run on electricity I finally did it in the millennial year. My ’81 VW rabbit pickup is my second conversion. It is my daily commuter vehicle that uses only battery power that I plug in to my home electrical power each evening much like you would plug in an outdoor barbeque or space heater.
A few weeks ago I made and attached to the rear bumper three bumper stickers. One states, “Driving better electrically.”
A major motivation for converting a gasoline-burning vehicle to electricity was my miniscule effort toward reducing our dependence on oil from other countries. It is somewhat like choosing to eat locally produced food. Seattle City Light, the source of my EV’s fuel states (2007) our electricity comes from: Hydro—90.6%, Nuclear—4.8%, Wind—3.3%, Coal—0.8%, and Other—0.5%.
We are on the brink of the release of several new electric vehicles. Within the next two or three years you will see several major automakers, and several relatively unknown startup car companies, offering reasonably priced electric vehicles (not hybrids) with the new lithium ion battery technologies.
Since my first EV conversion in 2000 I have learned the dire situation our planet is in due to global warming. Ninety percent of the world’s scientists who have studied global warming agree that human activities are the major cause, hence the reason for my first bumper sticker, “No more dependence on carbon-based fuels.” We must drastically reduce our use of carbon-based fuels in all its forms, for all of its uses in order to assure the continuation of life as we know it on this planet.
Politics: Senator McCain’s energy policy, from what I have learned, includes significant oil drilling, off shore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, major research into creating “clean coal” and building many more nuclear power plants. The first three will do nothing to slow or reverse global warming. And, as for nuclear power, the half-life of uranium is about 4.5 billion years. In order for it to be safe we must absolutely guarantee that wherever we store the spent nuclear material it will be kept away from human beings of at least that long, and best, twice that long. Until we can insure that guarantee, in my humble opinion, we have no right to be using nuclear power.
Senator Obama’s stated energy policy includes a massive effort to increase solar, biomass, and geothermal energy to create electricity and stopping our dependence on foreign oil within ten years. He also has recently given in to accepting some limited national oil drilling as well as increasing the construction of nuclear power plants.
I have deep concerns for the healthy future of our country. I have deeper concerns for the health of life on our planet due to the effects of global warming. From this position you may see that my third bumper sticker on my electric vehicle, my daily commuter car, reads, “Obama, of course!”
Yes, both McCain and Obama tell lies in order to get elected. Who can know for sure what either one of them will do once they are the President. We certainly did not expect what we got from the current President. During his first campaign he was the one who was going to finally bring high morals to the White House.
Certainly the country’s and the world’s economy is the elephant in the living room that we all must deal with. There are many other issues to consider. For the topic of global warming and several others, but not all other issues, I am convinced that Obama might be better for the country and the world in the long run.
Courage came to me when a magazine publisher, Jack Love, in his trade magazine, Internet Retailer, October 4, 2008, wrote, “In 40 years of publishing, I have not supported a candidate in print.”
http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=27946
I have been driving electric vehicles (two) since the year 2000. After 25 years of talking about converting a car to run on electricity I finally did it in the millennial year. My ’81 VW rabbit pickup is my second conversion. It is my daily commuter vehicle that uses only battery power that I plug in to my home electrical power each evening much like you would plug in an outdoor barbeque or space heater.
A few weeks ago I made and attached to the rear bumper three bumper stickers. One states, “Driving better electrically.”
A major motivation for converting a gasoline-burning vehicle to electricity was my miniscule effort toward reducing our dependence on oil from other countries. It is somewhat like choosing to eat locally produced food. Seattle City Light, the source of my EV’s fuel states (2007) our electricity comes from: Hydro—90.6%, Nuclear—4.8%, Wind—3.3%, Coal—0.8%, and Other—0.5%.
We are on the brink of the release of several new electric vehicles. Within the next two or three years you will see several major automakers, and several relatively unknown startup car companies, offering reasonably priced electric vehicles (not hybrids) with the new lithium ion battery technologies.
Since my first EV conversion in 2000 I have learned the dire situation our planet is in due to global warming. Ninety percent of the world’s scientists who have studied global warming agree that human activities are the major cause, hence the reason for my first bumper sticker, “No more dependence on carbon-based fuels.” We must drastically reduce our use of carbon-based fuels in all its forms, for all of its uses in order to assure the continuation of life as we know it on this planet.
Politics: Senator McCain’s energy policy, from what I have learned, includes significant oil drilling, off shore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, major research into creating “clean coal” and building many more nuclear power plants. The first three will do nothing to slow or reverse global warming. And, as for nuclear power, the half-life of uranium is about 4.5 billion years. In order for it to be safe we must absolutely guarantee that wherever we store the spent nuclear material it will be kept away from human beings of at least that long, and best, twice that long. Until we can insure that guarantee, in my humble opinion, we have no right to be using nuclear power.
Senator Obama’s stated energy policy includes a massive effort to increase solar, biomass, and geothermal energy to create electricity and stopping our dependence on foreign oil within ten years. He also has recently given in to accepting some limited national oil drilling as well as increasing the construction of nuclear power plants.
I have deep concerns for the healthy future of our country. I have deeper concerns for the health of life on our planet due to the effects of global warming. From this position you may see that my third bumper sticker on my electric vehicle, my daily commuter car, reads, “Obama, of course!”
Yes, both McCain and Obama tell lies in order to get elected. Who can know for sure what either one of them will do once they are the President. We certainly did not expect what we got from the current President. During his first campaign he was the one who was going to finally bring high morals to the White House.
Certainly the country’s and the world’s economy is the elephant in the living room that we all must deal with. There are many other issues to consider. For the topic of global warming and several others, but not all other issues, I am convinced that Obama might be better for the country and the world in the long run.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Website growing pains
Our store and our website are in a kind of growing pains situation that is good while also inconvenient. We have been developing our new, much improved website this summer. It is almost ready to launch to the World Wide Web. All of the products from the “old” current site have been transferred to the new site to help us with formatting and fine-tuning.
At the same time there are many new book titles that we have received in our store. Do we add them to our old site, put them on the new site, or both? The amount of work involved indicates that adding them to both sites is too much. As a result I have been adding them to the new site. And that has been very instructive itself! But woe to the poor website visitor. You are missing out on viewing the new titles immediately.
Like all growth and changes, this transition time will soon be over. When the new site goes “live” you will be able to view many new books, as well as all of the other attributes of the new site.
At the same time there are many new book titles that we have received in our store. Do we add them to our old site, put them on the new site, or both? The amount of work involved indicates that adding them to both sites is too much. As a result I have been adding them to the new site. And that has been very instructive itself! But woe to the poor website visitor. You are missing out on viewing the new titles immediately.
Like all growth and changes, this transition time will soon be over. When the new site goes “live” you will be able to view many new books, as well as all of the other attributes of the new site.
The Words of Jesus
I’ve enjoyed Phyllis Tickle’s books. One of her recent books is The Words of Jesus, published in February of this year.
In The Words of Jesus Tickle describes a third way of knowing Scripture. "That in addition to the approaches of the literal and the metaphorical camps there is a third way of knowing Scriptures. There is--for want of a better word--actualness." (Emphasis is the authors), page 38. It is taking Tickle pages to describe the meaning and fullness of her term “actualness.” I don't have a full grasp of it yet. It seems to be a "yes-and," yes to literalism, yes to metaphorical understandings, and yes to this third actualness.
I have more reading to do in the book, then a lot of chewing on it, letting it rattle around inside me while my introverted self tries to assimilate it.
This book is divided into two parts. The first fifty pages or so consists of the author’s reflection on how the recorded words that Jesus said fit within the descriptions of his actions in the Gospels. The remainder of the book consists of the words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels without the Story that contains them. Tickle combines Jesus’ words in groupings that compliment each other. Her reflections at the beginning make a good, thoughtful book by on its own. And the Words of Jesus can stand on their own as well.
Once again Phyllis Tickle puts together good, as well as important, information.
In The Words of Jesus Tickle describes a third way of knowing Scripture. "That in addition to the approaches of the literal and the metaphorical camps there is a third way of knowing Scriptures. There is--for want of a better word--actualness." (Emphasis is the authors), page 38. It is taking Tickle pages to describe the meaning and fullness of her term “actualness.” I don't have a full grasp of it yet. It seems to be a "yes-and," yes to literalism, yes to metaphorical understandings, and yes to this third actualness.
I have more reading to do in the book, then a lot of chewing on it, letting it rattle around inside me while my introverted self tries to assimilate it.
This book is divided into two parts. The first fifty pages or so consists of the author’s reflection on how the recorded words that Jesus said fit within the descriptions of his actions in the Gospels. The remainder of the book consists of the words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels without the Story that contains them. Tickle combines Jesus’ words in groupings that compliment each other. Her reflections at the beginning make a good, thoughtful book by on its own. And the Words of Jesus can stand on their own as well.
Once again Phyllis Tickle puts together good, as well as important, information.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Pilgrim's Progress and the prodigal son
As a biology major in college I missed out on reading many of the classics. I’ve been behind since then. This week I finally read John Bunyan’s Pilgrim Progress in a revised edition in contemporary English (not yet available in our store) retold by Gary Schmidt (Wm Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2008). I see why it is a classic and it describes part of my life today.
The main character in Pilgrim’s Progress is “Christian.” He ventures forth from his home in City of Destruction toward Celestial City. Along the way Christian encounters many temptations and takes numerous diversions. I feel like Christian in my travels to Home Church this summer.
My faith home for several years is too far from home. It takes two gallons of gas to attend church. I am not able to attend evening weekday activities due to the time and distance. “There must be a congregation nearer home that I can attend” I told myself and my friends at church. For the months of summer I have tried other congregations to no avail.
Author Phyllis Tickle visited our store a few weeks ago. In conversation she described three kinds of liturgies in Episcopal congregations. There are those that are reverting back to a better time. They use an older liturgy where God is “He” and we speak in old English thee and thou. There are other congregations whose liturgy continues the tradition and remains the same as it has been for decades. They include the reciting of the Nicene Creed that our church fathers developed in the fourth century and the older form of the Lord’s Prayer, for example. And, there are those congregations that keep pushing at the liturgy to make it more meaningful to today’s world, today’s view of Reality that includes quantum mechanics, an expanding universe, string theory, and contemporary interpersonal relationship modes. Phyllis Tickle named this last category as the emerging church or emergent church model some of which name themselves emergent and others are just working at making their liturgies meaningful today.
Yesterday I felt like the Prodigal son as I returned to my home congregation of many years. Like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress I tried other paths, other congregations and for me they all came up lacking the worship that feeds my soul at this time. It is in the emerging church expression but does not refer to itself by that term. Thankfully my home congregation welcomed me home (yes, with open arms, but not by killing that fatted calf). For me there was more meaningful worship of God in yesterday’s liturgy of music, words, and actions than I had encountered this summer. It was Wonderful to be home! And like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz I don’t intend to stray again, but being human I suppose at some point I will.
The main character in Pilgrim’s Progress is “Christian.” He ventures forth from his home in City of Destruction toward Celestial City. Along the way Christian encounters many temptations and takes numerous diversions. I feel like Christian in my travels to Home Church this summer.
My faith home for several years is too far from home. It takes two gallons of gas to attend church. I am not able to attend evening weekday activities due to the time and distance. “There must be a congregation nearer home that I can attend” I told myself and my friends at church. For the months of summer I have tried other congregations to no avail.
Author Phyllis Tickle visited our store a few weeks ago. In conversation she described three kinds of liturgies in Episcopal congregations. There are those that are reverting back to a better time. They use an older liturgy where God is “He” and we speak in old English thee and thou. There are other congregations whose liturgy continues the tradition and remains the same as it has been for decades. They include the reciting of the Nicene Creed that our church fathers developed in the fourth century and the older form of the Lord’s Prayer, for example. And, there are those congregations that keep pushing at the liturgy to make it more meaningful to today’s world, today’s view of Reality that includes quantum mechanics, an expanding universe, string theory, and contemporary interpersonal relationship modes. Phyllis Tickle named this last category as the emerging church or emergent church model some of which name themselves emergent and others are just working at making their liturgies meaningful today.
Yesterday I felt like the Prodigal son as I returned to my home congregation of many years. Like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress I tried other paths, other congregations and for me they all came up lacking the worship that feeds my soul at this time. It is in the emerging church expression but does not refer to itself by that term. Thankfully my home congregation welcomed me home (yes, with open arms, but not by killing that fatted calf). For me there was more meaningful worship of God in yesterday’s liturgy of music, words, and actions than I had encountered this summer. It was Wonderful to be home! And like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz I don’t intend to stray again, but being human I suppose at some point I will.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Beginning of All Things
The Beginning of All Things: Science and Religion, by Hans Kung is very interesting and challenging. The interesting part includes the topics that are so often kept apart. To many descriptions of science and religion, whether it is the topic of evolution, creation/Big Bang, or other topics that combine contemporary science with the Christian tradition or Scripture my usual reaction is that it is both bad science and bad religion. This is not the case with Hans Kung and The Beginning of All Things.
First, it takes most of my brain cells and my science education to keep up with the author. This is an unusual and interesting challenge. Second, the science that he presents appears to me to be an accurate description of contemporary information on reports about the ever accelerating and expanding universe to subatomic string theory. Third, he accurately describes the huge gulf between present day scientists and their distrust of anything religious and many in the religious community that distrust or dismiss science when it does not fit with their literal interpretation of Scripture.
This volume contains solid science and solid, contemporary, thoughtful theology. As a customer who reads voraciously asks when he is in our store, “What is new and juicy?” “I’m looking for some good juicy reading.” This work by Hans Kung is just juicy enough for me. My bookmark is getting well used as I stop to ponder some aspects for a while before I delve into it again.
First, it takes most of my brain cells and my science education to keep up with the author. This is an unusual and interesting challenge. Second, the science that he presents appears to me to be an accurate description of contemporary information on reports about the ever accelerating and expanding universe to subatomic string theory. Third, he accurately describes the huge gulf between present day scientists and their distrust of anything religious and many in the religious community that distrust or dismiss science when it does not fit with their literal interpretation of Scripture.
This volume contains solid science and solid, contemporary, thoughtful theology. As a customer who reads voraciously asks when he is in our store, “What is new and juicy?” “I’m looking for some good juicy reading.” This work by Hans Kung is just juicy enough for me. My bookmark is getting well used as I stop to ponder some aspects for a while before I delve into it again.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Mural Moment
A couple of weeks ago a Ryan Henry Ward entered our store for the first time. He introduced himself by stating that he was a painter and has been painting murals in surrounding neighborhoods. He had noticed a wall of our building and offered to paint a mural on it, for free. He went on to say that he is painting murals at no charge for two reasons: to gain name recognition and to decrease the frequency of graffiti. The south wall of our building shows rectangles of newer paint that are characteristic signs of graffiti removal. That wall gets tagged a couple of times a year. 
“Can we see some of your other murals?” we asked. Ryan eagerly gave us their locations and described them. His enthusiasm demonstrated his love of his work.
That evening after work we drove around and viewed a couple of Ryan’s civic murals. The next day we contacted our landlord and asked his opinion about a mural on the wall of his building. He viewed some of Ryan’s work and being an artist himself enthusiastically agreed.
We negotiated with Ryan about the subject of the mural and it’s general layout and size. It was to be an expression of the monk St. Francis of Assisi with his hand on one animal. The scene fits our store’s message well. It is whimsical enough to be an addition to the neighborhood, will discourage graffiti artists, and has special spiritual meaning to Ryan. It would be a good fit all around.
Two evenings ago Ryan came to the store and began painting the mural. He began in the evening after the store was closed. He worked straight through the night and stopped at 5:00 AM. The base coat is in acrylic and it needed to dry for a few hours before he added the characters in oil on top of the base layer. Ryan returned to his mural when we opened at 9:30 and worked until it was completed a few hours later. He told me that he was so pumped up by the painting that he hardly slept during the few hours that he was away.
The mural is finished. We think it looks terrific and brightens the commercial portion of our street. We love the image of St. Francis with his hand affectionately holding the deer. And it is obvious that this mural has deep meaning for Ryan.
It has been one of those moments. It has seemed right. From the beginning to completion this mural project has been special to all of us involved in it. This informs me that the Holy Spirit has been part of the project. This has been one of those delights of life that make life so much more than just living day after day.
“Can we see some of your other murals?” we asked. Ryan eagerly gave us their locations and described them. His enthusiasm demonstrated his love of his work.
That evening after work we drove around and viewed a couple of Ryan’s civic murals. The next day we contacted our landlord and asked his opinion about a mural on the wall of his building. He viewed some of Ryan’s work and being an artist himself enthusiastically agreed.
We negotiated with Ryan about the subject of the mural and it’s general layout and size. It was to be an expression of the monk St. Francis of Assisi with his hand on one animal. The scene fits our store’s message well. It is whimsical enough to be an addition to the neighborhood, will discourage graffiti artists, and has special spiritual meaning to Ryan. It would be a good fit all around.
Two evenings ago Ryan came to the store and began painting the mural. He began in the evening after the store was closed. He worked straight through the night and stopped at 5:00 AM. The base coat is in acrylic and it needed to dry for a few hours before he added the characters in oil on top of the base layer. Ryan returned to his mural when we opened at 9:30 and worked until it was completed a few hours later. He told me that he was so pumped up by the painting that he hardly slept during the few hours that he was away.
The mural is finished. We think it looks terrific and brightens the commercial portion of our street. We love the image of St. Francis with his hand affectionately holding the deer. And it is obvious that this mural has deep meaning for Ryan.
It has been one of those moments. It has seemed right. From the beginning to completion this mural project has been special to all of us involved in it. This informs me that the Holy Spirit has been part of the project. This has been one of those delights of life that make life so much more than just living day after day.
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