SMELLS LIKE SUMMER

It's been quite nice in Chicago-land these last few days. People are out running, biking, walking; the sun is out and it's warming up.

I walked into the bedroom early in the morning, the sun was up and radiating warmth through the bedroom window. It was warm, but not hot and gave the room that slightly stuffy but not oppressive smell that made me want to just flop on the bed and pretend I was a cat.

I love summer Saturdays.

GODLY HUMOR

My mom sent this to me this morning (man, she's up EARLY).

God is sitting in Heaven when a scientist prays to Him.

"God, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing - in other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning."

"Oh, is that so? Tell Me..." replies God.

"Well," says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man."

"Well, that's very interesting... show Me."

So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil into the shape of a man.

"No, no, no..." interrupts God, "Get your own dirt."

LIVE, FROM THE KENNEL IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON

Okay, I'm not there, but I'll be watching. Tonight at 8 pm CST on ESPN2, the Gonzaga Bulldogs (currently #4 in the nation) play their final home game in the Kennel.

If any here on the block are so inclined, stop by, watch the game, and get your Girl Scout cookies out of my living room!!

Peace

MORE THAN ENOUGH??

I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday, but here are some post-Thursday thoughts.

Is it possible to have too much communion? I made a home visit yesterday morning and celebrated eucharist (pre-blessed, of course). Thursday being the day after Ash Wednesday, I intermingled several pieces of that liturgy with the "special circumstances" liturgy that I like to use in homes.

I made a home visit yesterday afternoon, also intermingling Ash Wednesday with the usual fare.

I attended Thursday night's Community Eucharist in the chapel.

It's no wonder that we clergy types run the risk of losing the mystery, the passion, the enjoyment of celebrating the eucharist.

God help me from ever losing that.

TOO CONCISE?

I had my weekly meeting with my rector today. We talked about my sermon. He said it was very good. He said it was too short. He said I could have expanded some points more.

I wonder why he thinks I'm too direct?

GAY MARRIAGE?

I am having trouble with the gay marriage thing. Gay unions . . . okay, fine. But in some respects President Bush is right in that marriage is between a man and a woman. I'm not sure what word we could use for same sex unions to differentiate them from heterosexual unions, maybe we don't want to.

If anything this SHOULD cause men and women to examine their marriage more closely and see how they can strenghten it. It SHOULD cause men and women to treat marriage with more respect than it often gets at the moment. It should, but I don't know if it will.

Mayor Daly correctly stated the counterpoint to Bush, the religious right, "family values" organizations, and others who support the Constitutional ammendment defining marriage (and I'm probably paraphrasing here because I caught this snippet in the rush of the morning) -- "Gays don't have anything to do with marriage. The problem with marriage in this country is not gays." The implication being that the problem with marriage is something deeper, something less superficial.

It's that "something deeper" aspect that I'm interested in pursuing as a soon-to-be priest.

Peace

MORE ON THE JOB FRONT

I found out recently that a person I attend church with has a sister who is the Canon of (or to) Parish Development in a "southern" diocese. So I sent an e-mail to her with my resume and references. I have a phone conversation scheduled for March 5.

We'll see what happens with that. I still find it extremely humorous that all of a sudden these connections are popping out of nowhere.

And I think next week I'll check into another diocese -- I think I'll call this one 360.

You might be asking why I don't mention the diocese by its real name. Well, too much information can be bad. I'm trying to work on that confidentiality thing. It's good for my imagination. Whatever. Once I get called to a parish, then I'll name names and it will all make sense.

Right now though, I'm clicking my heels as hard and fast as I can, "I WILL get a job, I WILL get a job."

Peace

A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT

Someone mentioned we (seniors) have 14 weeks left at SWTS. That's a scary thought. Especially since I don't know where I will go after this. If I don't get a job, I may be doing homeless ministry.

This whole "leaving" thing would be much easier to deal with if I had that "job" thing figured out.

Speaking of jobs, BSC should have my resume by now. I'll give them a good two weeks before I pester them about it. I figure it should take about that long to review it, talk with some of the parishes, maybe do a reference check or two. It also reminds me that I'm really not in charge of the outcome.

In an unusual move for a coach, Iowa State's basketball coach admitted that he didn't know a rule. ISU was given two free throws, the first missed, was rebounded by Kansas, who then scored a three point basket. Then ISU was given the ball to shoot the 2nd free throw. Sounds odd. Sounds like the officials got it wrong. ISU's coach is sending a tape to the Big12 for review. What impressed me was that he didn't blame the officials for the loss, admitted he didn't know the rule, but was more concerned about how ODD that was and wanted to prevent any future bugaboos.

In good news about basketball, my beloved Zags are now ranked 4 in the nation. That means they are on the verge of gaining a #1 seed in the tournament. Wow. Hopefully, come tournament time, they won't let the pressure get to them, play like they've been playing, and make a great showing. In other words, dance with the one that brung ya'. Yeah, they could've gone far last year, but were beaten in the first round by Arizona. That still smarts, but at least it was a great game. Maybe they won't have to say that this year.

And in Christianity Today, there's an interview with Mel Gibson about "The Passion of the Christ." I find it amusing that this strongly conservative Roman is being supported by Evangelicals for a movie that Gibson labels as "Marian." I'm not sure if that is proof that this whole Christian unity thing can work, or if it's poetic justice.

And finally, Girl Scout cookies are in. The Kid "sold" 278 boxes. I use that term sold loosely. I personally think she only sold two dozen, max. The other 254 boxes were based on the cuteness factor. A little young for sex appeal, but it's the same thing. But 278 is 278, and now Mrs. Ref and I have the job of getting them out of our living room.

Peace

WORDS AND PEOPLE

I stopped in at the Kid's school today to watch a puppet show. Mildly entertaining, but it was nice to be asked to go. So I'm home for an early, long lunch and thought I would check out the blogiverse.

Tracy is sponsoring another contest, which I participated in, but withdrew my name for consideration on actually winning the award. Afterall, is this something I can put on my resume? Junior and senior class convenor, co-winner of the theological paper award, director of children's chapel, and two-time Shiny Things Award Winner. Mmmm, I think not. Thanks anyway Tracy, it's always fun.

I was also perusing Mumcat, and she has a post about homosexuality and the church (like we all haven't discussed that, and continue to discuss that), as well as the word "Myth" and how that is perceived when discussing the Bible ("Sticks and Stones"). She also points out that people will revile anyone who uses "myth" as anti-Christian, but those same people will use words such as "pervert" to describe gays and/or lesbians. She says, "It's a very strange world where it isn't okay to be critical of words but it is okay to be critical of people."

When did the translated and written word of God become so set in stone that it becomes an idol? Isn't this what Jesus argued with the Pharisees about? Yes, the words are important, but how we live out those words is even more important.

In an odd way, this describes my sermons. I know what I want to say, and sometimes (oftentimes) I use different words in the early service than I do in the later service. If someone were to actually read a text of the sermon, they might say, "This isn't how you said it." They're right. It's not the surface "How," but the deeper "What" that is important.

Love God. Love your neighbor.

And here's a throwaway thought: When the First Free Evangelical Church of the Open Bible (or any other church for that matter) advertises "Everyone Welcome" on their reader board in 500 point lettering, a) do they really mean it, and b) do they really know what they are saying?

Peace

OKAY, I BIT

Tripp had this quiz on his blog and I thought: why not, I'm not doing anything important tonight.

I wonder if my results have anything to do with the state of Anglicanism at the moment??

You're Siddhartha!

by Hermann Hesse

You simply don't know what to believe, but you're willing to try
anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you've spent
some time in every camp. But you still don't have any idea what camp you belong in.
This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It's
time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in
ferries.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

The previously mentioned hurricane has wandered out to sea and dissipated. Although, as with any hurricane, damage was evident and life never really returns to "normal." There has been a realization that something major just happened, but the Kid isn't quite sure what to do with that yet. There is a knowing look in her eye our relationship has changed, but she isn't sure if it's for the better. I asked her last night if she still hated me. Her response, "Not today." I can live with that.

GOE scores have come back. I haven't had the chance to really talk to anyone about them (not that I'm into comparing scores or anything, because we all know that they have a way of disappearing over time). Hopefully all of the SWTS seniors did well. And if they scored low, hopefully they won't receive too much grief about it. I managed to pull three 3's and four 4's. Not a bad result overall.

And finally, I heard back from the d.o. of the BSC diocese. It seems that my resume and reference e-mail attachments were not able to be read by her computer. So, I hustled my fanny down to the post office and said, "How fast can you get this to BSC?" I was told that I could pay $13.50 and get it there for sure in two days. "I'll take it." So I plopped down my money, assured in the knowledge that neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor dark of night nor whatever else they say will keep my resume from reaching BSC in two days.

Oh, did I mention that today is THURSDAY and nobody will be in the diocesan office in two days because that will be SATURDAY??? Okay, I didn't think that one through, and now I'm out $13.50. Moral of the story: evaluate all options before making a decision.

Peace

IT FINALLY HAPPENED

I guess I was kidding myself all along. I thought I would be immune to the inevetible. I thought I was better than "everyone" else. I guess, ultimately, I thought my relationship with her was strong enough to withstand the gales of change.

Apparently I was wrong.

As of tonight, my daughter officially hates me.

Had we stayed home, she would never have had the problems she's having in school. Had we stayed home, she would never be without her friends. Had we stayed home, life would be fine.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring. This could be just some pre-teen hormonal imbalance that will all be forgotten in the morning. On the other hand, I could now be without one of my best friends for the next ten years.

Peace

FOR THE MOMENT, A STEADY GIG

I was originally going to title this Real Live Preacher Dude, but there's another (and original RLP) out there and I didn't want to take his title.

Anyway, I'm in the midst of a steady diet of preaching. This past Sunday it was Galena (see below) and I dealt with Luke's version of the Beatitudes. Even though it didn't feel quite right on Saturday night, it preached well Sunday morning. And the bit where I moved from the pulpit to sitting on the floor of the main aisle worked well.

This Sunday I'm preaching at St. A's. It's Last Epiphany, so I'm preaching on the Transfiguration. This is one of those that, after a few years, you wonder how to keep fresh. Honestly, how many times can you tell people you can't stay on the mountain top? But this one will not be your average Transfiguration Sunday sermon. First, I'm preaching it. Can you ever know what's coming when I have a history of sitting on altars, floors and using baseball bats?

Second, St. A's is in the middle of a Spiritual and Strategic Planning Process. If there was ever a time to deliver a "get your fanny out of the pews" sermon, this is it. So, if you're in the neighborhood of St. A's on Sunday, 2/22, drop in. I'd love to see you.

And then on Friday of next week, I'm preaching at the 7 am Eucharist. The saint du jour is George Herbert. I'm thinking about how I can incorporate "My Sweet Lord" into the sermon, but I haven't got that one figured out just yet.

And finally, the final installment of the Gonzaga portion of "The Season" airs tonight on ESPN2 at 10:30 CST. Check it out -- GU clinched the WCC title over the weekend.

Peace

BACK FROM GALENA

We made it back safe and sound. Our hosts, Rev. Bob and Karen North, were/are wonderful. Great hospitality, great food, etc. etc.

Saturday evening they took us out to a Rotary dinner for Valentine's Day. It was pretty good food. Although, being the introvert that I am, I had a hard time sitting around a table with four other couples trying to make small talk. Ouch. But the food was good and they had a magician/hypnotist for the entertainment. His magic was better than the hypnosis in my opinion. It'd be too hard to tell you everything, but one trick was to take someone's $100 bill (apparently the Rotary circle is a little more well-off than I), have someone sign it, burn it, cut open a grapefruit, and the same signed $100 bill is in the grapefruit. Wow.

The best one was the guy he got to pose like Arnold Schwartzeneggar (sp). No, it wasn't me; and no, I didn't volunteer.

Our daughter had the chance to spend some time with another 10 year old girl from Galena, and they hit it off rather well. So well that they asked us if she could spend the night at our place with the Kid.

Sunday was a good day also. I preached a decent sermon that somehow still didn't feel finished even up to Saturday night. Grace Church does a children's program all during the service, so there are no kids at all in church. The Kid went with her new friend to this program, and at coffee hour informed me that I would have to preach my sermon to her since she didn't hear it. I wonder if I'm creating a homiletic version of Gene Siskel.

After church we took the girls out to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, IA. It's pretty cool, and the price of admission is less than $10 for adults. If you're ever passing through Dubuque, I highly recommend it.

Then on Monday we slept late, had a great breakfast, took the new friend home, and spent several hours wandering around Galena.

The trip home was uneventful. Everyone at Grace was glad to see and hear me again and several people actually liked the sermon. If you ever get the chance, go. Galena has some serious elevation (for Illinois standards), the church is beautiful, and it's just a nice place to be.

Peace

GETTING READY FOR GALENA

I'm trying to put the finishing touches on my sermon for my gig at Grace Church in Galena this weekend. To date, I've written about four of these buggers and none of them seem to be coming together. Somehow I need to intertwine my seminary experience in with the Gospel for the day (Luke's version of the Beatitudes). Hmmm. This is one of those Gospels that work well in your own congregation.

I practiced my semi-final version at work today. It held together well, but needs some touching up.

Every Friday morning we have a Eucharist at 7. I must be getting old, because that's getting rough even for me. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm also the security dude at SWTS, which means I NEVER get to bed early. Anyway . . . after service the gang goes out for breakfast at the local Pinerra's just down the street. As we were leaving, one of the group says, "I'm going to Galena this weekend so I won't see you Sunday." Great.

So not only do I have to preach a "specialized" sermon for the Galena group, but there's going to be a St. A's spy in the seats. Oh well. I'll have to ask her what she thought of it.

In case you thought otherwise, I am looking forward to this trip. Galena is a cute little town, and the rector and his wife are WONDERFUL hosts; very hospitable. And Galena has hills!!!! Mrs. Ref & I enjoyed our trip last year very much, and this year we are taking the Kid.

I'm sure there was something important I wanted to say, but don't know what. It'll come later.

Peace

CONNECTIONS

So I've sent my resume and stuff off to BSC. It turns out that the d.o. knows my bishop -- how fortunate. I also e-mailed my bishop and told him I was pursuing opportunities in BSC.

Today was the full field ed group, supervisors and seminarians. On the way to the meeting I told the facilitator of the group, who rode up with me and my supervisor, that I was looking into BSC. It turns out that he knows the d.o. there and thought that there were some good opportunities. I told him to put in a good word for me.

We had a good discussion around the issue of money. Is it ever appropriate to accept gifts from parishioners? One priest was given a pair of red boxer shorts for Pentecost. Not appropriate. One priest was given $2500 for continuing ed and a sabbatical. Appropriate but uncomfortable. One priest receives a Christmas bonus based on the budget. Appropriate. One priest will take all cash donations and put them into the discretionary fund. Another priest will accept all gifts.

It appears that each person needs to figure out for themselves what is or is not appropriate. Any thoughts from the readers?

We also talked about pledges. Do you know who pledges what? Does that cause problems? How can you get people to increase their pledges. All kinds of thoughts on that one too. I got some good ideas and lots to think about.

I got home and checked my e-mail. My bishop responded. It turns out that he also knows the d.o. of DSC, is a good friend of their (new) bishop and preached at his consecration service. He also had nothing but good things to say. This whole thing might come down to who I know. You have no idea how ironic that is.

Peace

CLERGY CONFERENCE

I went to a clergy conference today that was billed as a pre-Lenten seminar. Martin Marty was the keynote speaker and did a great job. He didn't really say anything that we didn't already know, but sometimes it's nice to hear someone with more brains than I have talk about common sense issues.

The theme of the day was hospitality and how we can be hospitable to those we disagree with without compromising our values. The key here is that you can't compare your gospel of love with their gospel of hate. You need to compare your gospel of love with their gospel of love, as well as examine their gospel of hate with your gospel of hate.

What I was really excited about, though, was seeing a whole bunch of clergy people that I actually knew. George and Fran and Pam and Chris, all former SWTS people, were there, as well as several clergy from my field ed group and several other clergy that I've met at deanery meetings. This cave-dwelling introvert actually enjoyed that.

After Dr. Marty spoke we celebrated a eucharist and then I had to skeedaddle back to St. A's for the women's bible study. Since I'm preaching next week up in Galena, the rector thought it would be a good idea for me to lead this session. It went relatively well, although it's surprising how quickly the group can move from Luke's version of the beatitudes to the sanctity of marriage. But I managed to reel them back in and keep them on the topic at hand.

I then headed home and made a call to the deployment officer of BSC (the "other" diocese I've mentioned, but abbreviating this way saves time and actually makes sense once you know where I'm looking). Anyway, she discussed several possibilities that we might consider together. All three locations are yoked, one position consisting of three locations. I'm trying to avoid flashbacks to Columbus. But then I remind myself, "Nothing else is like Columbus."

There are a lot of things to consider: location, schools for the kid, employment options for Mrs. Ref, involvement of the laity, past situations and the willingness to move forward, etc. etc. etc. So I'm putting together a letter of interest and forwarding that, along with my resume and references to the d.o.

That about gets me up to date. Tonight is episode 2 of Gonzaga basketball on ESPN2. Don't forget.

Peace

THIS IS WHY I DON'T BET, PART II

For those of you paying attention, I picked all the wrong teams throughout the playoffs. I picked the wrong team in the Superbowl. I didn't even pick the right team for the Pro-Bowl. And furthermore, on my last post I said, "He mentioned that there were several 'interesting' opportunities . . ."

Turns out he is a she.

Hopefully I can discern about jobs better than I can predict the outcome of sporting events or the gender of an unknown person.

THE OTHER DIOCESE

Must be a busy day for deployment officers/search committees. I received an e-mail from the d.o. of that other diocese this afternoon. He mentioned that there were several "interesting" opportunities in that diocese and would like to talk with me about them next week.

How about that.

So, my Monday schedule will include getting everyone off to school/work, a student government meeting, lunch with Mrs. Ref, and a phone call to diocese #2. In all honesty, this is where I would rather be area-wise, so hopefully something will work out.

Peace

JOBS, OR THE LACK THEREOF

Well, I officially heard from the first parish to receive my resume today. They have decided that they need someone with more experience to watch over their (essentially) three congregations -- ECUSA, ELCA & the Native American mission.

Can't say as I blame them, and I pretty much expected that was going to be the decision. But now I know, and that's better than not knowing.

My sights now turn to the other diocese with openings. I still haven't heard from their deployment officer. I think I'll call next week.

Peace

THE GROUP RESPONDS

Wednesday was my seminarian group meeting. I gave them the rundown on what happened (see Light Day), and the general consensus was that I screwed up. By having A contact Mrs. Ref, I allowed myself to be triangulated in a mess that I didn't need to be in. The question becomes, "Because it is apparent that you know both sides of the story, are people going to wonder what they can and can't tell you?"

The conclusion of the group was that I should have insisted Mrs. Ref contact A on her own. HMMM

I guess I still don't buy that. Maybe the next time a similar situation comes up I will ask Mrs. Ref if she wants me to arrange that the two of them meet; something like, "Do you want me to corner A and make sure she doesn't get out of here without seeing you?"

The meeting yesterday between Mrs. Ref and A went okay, from my wife's side. I didn't see A today. I'll have to pay attention and see what happens tomorrow.

ZAG HIGHLIGHTS

Okay, for those of you who wonder why I am so enamored with the Gonzaga University Bulldogs, here's your chance.

1) They are from my home town
2) They are good
3) They run a clean program

Tonight, February 3, and for the next two Tuesdays, February 10 & 17, ESPN2 will highlight GU on their series "The Season." It airs these three Tuesdays at 11:30 ET, 10:30 CT, 9:30 MT and 8:30 PT. Go here for a preview.

I'm staying up for this.

LIGHT DAY

Had a light day at field ed. The rector and I did a little "play church" and we talked about stuff in general. My big issue right now is church politics and the wife.

Mrs. Ref is having some serious issues with a program that she is heavily involved in. So, naturally, she vented about it to me. She had requested a meeting with person A to go over these issues, but person A never contacted her to set that meeting up. At church last week I approached A and said, "I think you really need to talk with Mrs. Ref today, and make sure you have your calendar."

At home, Mrs. Ref said, "You didn't need to tell A to come see me." That led to a bigger discussion about our future together and her feelings that she couldn't talk to me if there was a problem in the church without me feeling like I needed to get in the middle of it and fix it.

Okay, first, I wasn't "fixing" the problem. I was making sure that Mrs. Ref and A connected so that 1) they could work on the problem together, and 2) I wouldn't have to keep hearing about how A doesn't care about meeting with me (Mrs. Ref).

And second, how are we going to deal with this issue once I'm in a parish? That was my question to my supervisor today.

Answer: Yeah, that's a tough one. The way he and his wife deal with it is that she will NOT be involved as a leader of any committee or program that the church offers. She is content to participate on a much lower level so that she doesn't get involved (or rarely gets involved) in just this type of situation. So, maybe it's back to the choir and altar guild for Mrs. Ref. Might not be a bad idea.

The other thing he mentioned was that it's helpful to try and find another clergy couple to develop a friendship with so that I don't have to become her priest. Also a good idea.

My seminarian group meets tomorrow. I think I'll bring this issue up there, and then again at our big group next week. I'd be interested in hearing how other clergy have dealt with this issue.

Then I left for lunch and a commencement meeting at SWTS.

Time spent at the office: 2 hours.

Peace

THE PAPER CHASE

I received the paperwork from my home parish endorsing me for the transitional diaconate. This means that one more piece of the paper trail has been completed. I'm going to forward that on to my COM contact (after making copies, of course).

For those of you who haven't yet had to forward stuff to your COM from here, make copies of EVERYTHING. Last year, about two days before I was to fly out for my candidacy interview, I received an e-mail that went something like this: "Where are forms B-1 & B-2? We don't have them." Sometimes I think this whole process is designed to intentionally rattle you and see how you deal with it. Point of the story, copy everything so they can't rattle you.

And speaking of paper chases, today I completed my paperwork for my final registration. Not just my final registration at SWTS, but my final registration EVER. I started this pursuit of the ordination thing back in 1996 -- had to start college from scratch. That means that I've been registering for classes every quarter since then (with the exception of 2000 - 2001 school year when I was finalizing my entrance to SWTS). So, woo hoo. I'm finally almost finished.

Of course, I'd be more excited about that if I had a job. But that'll come. Search Committee #1 meets this week, so that's a possibility. And as I've already stated, I requested some info from another western diocese. Hopefully I'll hear back this week on that one.

And my ads are back to normal. Yeah!!

Peace

THE STREAK CONTINUES

Today is Letdown Monday. The day when all football fans have to look forward are the Pro Bowl and the vast emptiness that looms until August.

For those wondering, I did in fact pick Carolina to win the game. And it was certainly looking like overtime after the Panthers tied it at 29. But then John Kasay made probably the biggest single mistake in Superbowl history (maybe even beating out Jackie Smith -- I think Jackie should call John and offer words of wisdom) by kicking the ball out of bounds, thereby allowing the Pats to start a drive at the 40.

I can't complain about the game though. It had everything. A great defensive struggle. A team managing to stay in it when they started almost every drive from inside the 15 and had -13 yards passing. Great offense. Great plays. Great officiating (I've known for a long time that Ed Hochuli runs a great game, and yesterday proved it). And another last-second field goal to win it. This is what Superbowls are supposed to be like.

What it didn't have was great commercials. What happened there? Most of the ones I saw had previously aired, and the new ones were totally uninspired. Kind of like the Bears offense the past few years.

And no, I didn't watch the halftime show. I NEVER watch halftime shows.

Pro-Bowl prediction: AFC