A Nice Treat

Last night, one of my parishioners came over and cooked dinner for me and my family. Actually, that statement doesn't do justice to what she did! She made a virtually gourmet dinner for us, with many courses. She came and basically took over the kitchen - bringing the food and wine, preparing it, serving us, and then cleaning everything up, and not letting us help at all. It was such a nice thing to do, and very, very delicious - including some new foods I had never had before. After dinner, with dessert, we also played a game called Rummikub - which I had never played before. It was fun and I am looking forward to a rematch, now that I know how to play.

So, if any of you out there wonder what nice thing you might do for your pastor, I would recommend this! My only regret is that I was so tired and had a headache and so wasn't as good company as I wished I could have been.

But yesterday I got over a big hump at school (that's why I was so tired). I presented and handed in my big research paper. The professor will now tear it up so I can revise it and hand it in again in a few weeks for my final grade. The presentation went fairly well, except that Microsoft bit me in the butt! How? Well, I made a Mac-version-of-Powerpoint presentation to use and exported it from Mac format into Powerpoint format, to use on the PC in the classroom. Well, Mac exported it into PP 2003 format, but the PC had PP 2007 on it, and guess what? Microsoft software is not upward compatible! So, half the slides didn't come out right and were basically unusable! Argh! Next time I will remember to bring an adapter and just plug my Mac in. Fortunately, I had also made a handout for the class, so for much of the information that didn't come out on the slides I was able to refer the class to that.

Overall, school has been good - I have learned a lot. It has been hard keeping up and trying not to let it interfere with my church schedule, but on those days I am tired and don't feel like pushing on, I keep reminding myself what a great opportunity God has given to me to pursue these studies, what a great church He has entrusted to my unworthy care, what wonderful parishioners He has surrounded me with, and what a wonderful, forgiving, and understanding family I have. How richly blessed I am.

Already??

A radio station here in Washington, DC has started playing "holiday music" 24/7 . . . TODAY! That's just not right.

~Scrooge

A Cool Picture (and Blog!)

This is a nice blog to go and read when you have the time. This pastor has consistently been posting some pretty good stuff! But the reason I am bringing it up today is this picture - this is a baptismal font! Does it not look like this man is being brought up out of the tomb? Is that not what happens in baptism? We are given a new birth to a new life through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead to whom we now are joined. Just great. If we ever get to have our own church building, I am going to push for a font like this! :-)

What Was That?

Yes, I'm still alive! Sorry (once again) for my long delay in posting anything. I have good intentions, but so precious little time these days. I am not complaining, though. I keep reminding myself that God has blessed me with so many opportunities. I am very fortunate.

Yesterday in church, we had a little furry visitor. I had actually seen him in the building before, I believe, quite some time ago at a Bible Class. Yesterday, however, he decided to make his presence known during the sermon and the prayers! I got a bit distracted, but continued. Some folks managed to get him out the door without too much disruption before the Lord's Supper began - I was going to stop the service and take care of him before trying to distribute the Supper! But gratefully, I didn't have to.

But what was this little critter? He was not a chipmunk, for he had a tail like a squirrel. But at the same time, he did not look like a squirrel either. His markings were different and his eyes too big. I had thought (when I saw him before) that he was someone's pet who had escaped. I still think so. So, I did a quick Google search for "pet rodents" and found this:

He is called a "Sugar Glider" and his description certainly seems to fit the little guy I saw yesterday! The information also said it is often mistaken for a flying squirrel, which many in my congregation thought it was after he launched himself off my pew near the pulpit! If it was this guy (and I'm certainly not sure!), he is an Australian marsupial and most certainly was someone's pet. I don't know if we'll ever see him again, but if so, perhaps we should try to catch him in a box instead of shooing him out the door and get him a good home.

Anyway, if this *was* him, it makes Dr. Veith's post on the day (read it here) even more amazing! For, to top off all that he wrote, his family brought along a visitor to church yesterday from . . . can you guess where . . . Australia! Things that make you go hmmmm. :-)

First Paper In

Well, yesterday I turned in my first real paper for grad school. (I say real because I've turned in a number of short reflection papers.) It is a great relief. I think I did a good job on it and my presentation of it went well in class. We'll see when I get it back if what I think is a good job and what the professor thinks is a good job are the same thing! I did enjoy doing it, and am enjoying being back in the academic environment. Now it's on to my next paper, which is longer still . . .

Great Words

Great words today from Dietrich Bonhoeffer is the Treasury of Daily Prayer (p. 840-1) in speaking of Christ as the one who builds His church:

"It is not we who build. [Christ] builds the church. No man builds the church but Christ alone. Whoever is minded to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it; for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it. We must confess - he builds. We must proclaim - He builds. We must pray to him - that he may build.

We do not know his plan. We cannot see whether he is building or pulling down. It may be that the times which by human standards are times of collapse are for him the great times of construction. It may be that the times which from a human point of view are great times for the church are times when it is pulled down.

It is a great comfort which Christ gives to his church: you confess, preach, bear witness to me and I alone will build where it pleases me. Do not meddle in what is my province. Do what is given you to do well and you have done enough. But do it well. Pay no heed to views and opinions. Don't ask for judgments. Don't always be calculating what will happen. Don't always be on the lookout for another refuge! Church, stay a church! But church, confess, confess, confess! Christ alone is your Lord; from his grace alone can you live as you are. Christ builds."

Sad Words

The following was overheard from an LCMS pastor recently: "A quia subscription to the Book of Concord? I let that subscription run out a long time ago."

If I were to put the best construction on that statement, it would be that it was said in jest. But not only do I seriously doubt it, I am saddened that one would think to make such a jest. The teaching and doctrine that we have in our church is a treasure and something to cling to, not "let run out." We should be encouraging our folks to read and study the Concordia, not make it the butt of jokes. We should be giving it out like candy instead of eating the latest pop-evangelical junk food and suffering from theological tooth decay. Are our confessions meaty? Yes, so let's chew on them and be fed!

And I'll put my money where my mouth is and make this offer to whoever may stumble across this post - if you need a copy of the Concordia, let me know and I'll send you one . . . if you promise to read it.