14 August 2016
August 2016
It's become a bit of tradition, when we can get the kids together. Here's our growing clan: Lydia, Meaghan, David, Henry, Flynn, Cindi, yours truly, Opa (Dave), Lauren, Annabelle, Dean, Sawyer, Bekah, and Andy.
11 August 2016
Happy birthday, LEW!
Happy birthday to my oldest daughter, Lauren Elizabeth Herberts! She keeps trying to tell herself that she's only 25, but there's no shame in celebrating your LAST year in your 20's... Bwahaha.
And somehow I missed posting on oldest grandson's birthday: we celebrated Sawyer's birthday together last Saturday, a couple days early. And that young man is four. I think he had two full blast birthday parties and one unofficial one, and made off like a pirate (which was also the theme for one of his parties).
And somehow I missed posting on oldest grandson's birthday: we celebrated Sawyer's birthday together last Saturday, a couple days early. And that young man is four. I think he had two full blast birthday parties and one unofficial one, and made off like a pirate (which was also the theme for one of his parties).
10 August 2016
If the man is blest
08 August 2016
One more ongoing irritant eliminated
Since we moved into our home, one feature that I have detested? A very obnoxious sump pump that thumped loudly in the basement beneath the master bedroom, i.e., under my bed! We had some folks come in and install a better pump and actually close off the sump (before it had a plastic top that didn't like to stay on). Wow. Silence is golden. The company also said it would work better, allowing no standing water. I am looking forward to the next rain to see if we hear it at all. So far, though, nothing. Very, very nice. And it looks a thousand times better too.
05 August 2016
At Ease
A friend recently commented on another forum that he appreciated it when a man was "at ease" in the chancel. I think what he meant was "doesn't bumble around unsure of what he's doing" or "isn't ostentatiously parading himself around." But the lingo conjures up in my mind's eye the day I was horrified to see a pastor actually park his rear on the altar. I don't think "at ease" in the chancel is what anyone should ever desire.
Rather, focused upon the unseen but very present Thrice-Holy One. When the servants of the liturgy in the chancel are focused upon the One before whom they are gathered and whose spokesmen they are to be, they behave themselves in a way that bespeaks reverence and awe. It is true that the all-consuming fire has revealed Himself to us as our beloved Father and called us to sonship in Christ by His Spirit, but we never forget in the chancel that the One who has so called us remains the all-consuming fire.
A friend recently described the ministry as itself a "sign," that is, a pointer to something else. That's right on the money. When the folks in the chancel are confessing the unseen but present Blessed Trinity, the angels, and all the saints by their behavior and action, that quite literally draws the congregation in, not to look at those in the chancel, but to get a glimpse of what they are so utterly intent on. And what a blessed moment that is! When a room full of harried and distracted sinner/saints get a glimpse of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, reigning on His throne in infinite love. Why they might just break out singing:
Almighty Father, in Your Son
You loved us when not yet begun
Was this old earth's foundations!
Your Son has ransomed us in love
To live in Him here and above,
This is Your great salvation!
Now, not at ease, but at awe. Bowled over by love so amazing, so divine.
Rather, focused upon the unseen but very present Thrice-Holy One. When the servants of the liturgy in the chancel are focused upon the One before whom they are gathered and whose spokesmen they are to be, they behave themselves in a way that bespeaks reverence and awe. It is true that the all-consuming fire has revealed Himself to us as our beloved Father and called us to sonship in Christ by His Spirit, but we never forget in the chancel that the One who has so called us remains the all-consuming fire.
A friend recently described the ministry as itself a "sign," that is, a pointer to something else. That's right on the money. When the folks in the chancel are confessing the unseen but present Blessed Trinity, the angels, and all the saints by their behavior and action, that quite literally draws the congregation in, not to look at those in the chancel, but to get a glimpse of what they are so utterly intent on. And what a blessed moment that is! When a room full of harried and distracted sinner/saints get a glimpse of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, reigning on His throne in infinite love. Why they might just break out singing:
Almighty Father, in Your Son
You loved us when not yet begun
Was this old earth's foundations!
Your Son has ransomed us in love
To live in Him here and above,
This is Your great salvation!
Now, not at ease, but at awe. Bowled over by love so amazing, so divine.
Well, it may have been nutso
But I did it anyway. My little honda civic has 217K on it. It needed 3K worth of maintenance work. To get rid of it and get a new car? What a hassle. The mechanic assured me that she'd be puttering along at 317K with very little additional maintenance (except oil changes, of course) if I got it all done (and to be fair, I'd not done the stuff you're supposed to do at 100K—you're supposed to do stuff at 100K? Who knew???). Decisions. Decisions.
I kept it. I love my little car. It's old. It's not pretty. But it has never one time broken down on me. And it's small. I really dislike driving larger vehicles. And, when I picked it up this morning, wow. I could tell a huge difference! Nutso I may be, but I still have my little black car.
I kept it. I love my little car. It's old. It's not pretty. But it has never one time broken down on me. And it's small. I really dislike driving larger vehicles. And, when I picked it up this morning, wow. I could tell a huge difference! Nutso I may be, but I still have my little black car.
04 August 2016
I have always appreciated
this little bit from Loehe's Three Books on the Church, particularly the parts I've bolded:
From its knowledge of human nature it knows that men will sooner open their hearts to the truth when it is gladly but sparingly imparted than when they hear its voice speaking constantly. Therefore it understands how to give people enough of its means but not too much. It does not consider it an insult, nor is it eager to interpret it as an insult, when someone says, “This pastor thinks it is enough if he preaches, catechizes, administers the sacraments, hears confessions, and comforts the sick!” It knows that even the most faithful pastors do not do enough of this. It has little use for multiplying pastoral duties but treasures those which are commanded in the Scriptures and have been recognized since ancient times. To many people it is something novel that a man should not be a jack of many trades but a master of the few precious means, yet this is what the church has always thought. In a word, it accomplishes much through a few means. …
It is enough, and more than enough, if a man just carries out the ancient duties of a pastor. Superfluous and even a hindrance is the officiousness of modern pastors. Here the slogan should be, “Not many, but much.” The poverty of our fathers is richer than the wealth of their opponents. It is through alternating periods of withdrawal and public appearance, stillness and publicity, through persistent use of Word and sacrament, through giving of a quiet but full measure, through modesty and steadfastness that the Lutheran church attains its goals.
Pastors need to be encouraged in this regard, because there are always voices suggesting that they're wasting their time if they are not doing X, and X signifies something OTHER than working on sermons or instruction, administering the sacraments, hearing confessions and visiting the sick and homebound. Parishes that have a pastor that devotes himself to those duties know what a blessing from God they have received; but it doesn't hurt to remind your pastor that you are blessed that he focuses on what God has given him to do and doesn't make up other busyness of his own or accept other busyness from busybodies.
From its knowledge of human nature it knows that men will sooner open their hearts to the truth when it is gladly but sparingly imparted than when they hear its voice speaking constantly. Therefore it understands how to give people enough of its means but not too much. It does not consider it an insult, nor is it eager to interpret it as an insult, when someone says, “This pastor thinks it is enough if he preaches, catechizes, administers the sacraments, hears confessions, and comforts the sick!” It knows that even the most faithful pastors do not do enough of this. It has little use for multiplying pastoral duties but treasures those which are commanded in the Scriptures and have been recognized since ancient times. To many people it is something novel that a man should not be a jack of many trades but a master of the few precious means, yet this is what the church has always thought. In a word, it accomplishes much through a few means. …
It is enough, and more than enough, if a man just carries out the ancient duties of a pastor. Superfluous and even a hindrance is the officiousness of modern pastors. Here the slogan should be, “Not many, but much.” The poverty of our fathers is richer than the wealth of their opponents. It is through alternating periods of withdrawal and public appearance, stillness and publicity, through persistent use of Word and sacrament, through giving of a quiet but full measure, through modesty and steadfastness that the Lutheran church attains its goals.
Pastors need to be encouraged in this regard, because there are always voices suggesting that they're wasting their time if they are not doing X, and X signifies something OTHER than working on sermons or instruction, administering the sacraments, hearing confessions and visiting the sick and homebound. Parishes that have a pastor that devotes himself to those duties know what a blessing from God they have received; but it doesn't hurt to remind your pastor that you are blessed that he focuses on what God has given him to do and doesn't make up other busyness of his own or accept other busyness from busybodies.
"I Thank You, God..."
"If the Pharisee hadn't been so arrogant, but in humility had offered his gifts to God and said, Lord you have shown me much mercy in that you have so graciously have kept me from this and other sins; this is a gift from you and I will rejoice in it; I will not be presumptuous because of it, nor despise anyone, for you could recall the gift if you wished. If he had reacted thus, God would have from day to day bestowed greater gifts and would not have been inimical toward him."
"When God has blessed a person with money or possessions, he certainly ought not foolishly think of himself as a poor beggar. If we have helped the needy with good counsel or gifts, we certainly should not deny that this by saying that we have done nothing good. No, that would not be true. One should recognize God's gifts, praise him for receiving them, and do it gratefully. But in addition one should humble say, My God, it is yours and not mine; you have given it; I thank you for the same. That would the right and humble way to receive them. We must not consider God's gifts insignificant or of little value, but recognize them and esteem them, never becoming arrogant and despising others. Rather, as we have said repeatedly, one should say, Dear God, it is your gift which you have given me; if another person does not have the same, that is of no count, for he has the same gracious God as I; so why should I despise him?" HP II:393
02 August 2016
A Different Workout
Cindi had to work this morning, so I decided to split my push-ups between household chores. Worked great! By the time Cindi got back:
Candlesticks cleaned and put in curio
Candlestand by door taken downstairs
Kitchen cleaned
Coffee made for tomorrow
Garage Swept
Kitchen swept, dry and wet swiffled
Cleaned stove top
Dining Room Blinds washed
Trash taken out
Then she and I enjoyed a stroll around the neighborhood. She had some errands to run in town and the fireplace had been bugging me, so:
Fireplace cleaned out
Living room and hall vacuumed
And all while some two pots of French press coffee were enjoyed. Oh, and I also read Luther's great homily in the House Postils for Trinity XI. How much I've missed studying his homilies! I think even when I get back to work, that needs to have a regular place in my reading. The great quote from this morning came at the tale end of the homily:
"Therefore, let everyone humble himself before God, be caring toward his neighbor, and not despise him, serve and work faithfully to earn his living, eat and drink; let him take care not to become proud and puffed up, as he sees that he, too, has unclean hands. To these God gives his grace; but those who do not obey will be cast out. For God cannot endure pride, as Mary recounts in her hymn of praise, 'He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts; he hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.'"
Candlesticks cleaned and put in curio
Candlestand by door taken downstairs
Kitchen cleaned
Coffee made for tomorrow
Garage Swept
Kitchen swept, dry and wet swiffled
Cleaned stove top
Dining Room Blinds washed
Trash taken out
Then she and I enjoyed a stroll around the neighborhood. She had some errands to run in town and the fireplace had been bugging me, so:
Fireplace cleaned out
Living room and hall vacuumed
And all while some two pots of French press coffee were enjoyed. Oh, and I also read Luther's great homily in the House Postils for Trinity XI. How much I've missed studying his homilies! I think even when I get back to work, that needs to have a regular place in my reading. The great quote from this morning came at the tale end of the homily:
"Therefore, let everyone humble himself before God, be caring toward his neighbor, and not despise him, serve and work faithfully to earn his living, eat and drink; let him take care not to become proud and puffed up, as he sees that he, too, has unclean hands. To these God gives his grace; but those who do not obey will be cast out. For God cannot endure pride, as Mary recounts in her hymn of praise, 'He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts; he hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.'"
Over this morning's coffee
Cindi and I were chatting. Today's first Tuesday so we get the senior discount at Walgreens. Time to stock up on cosmetics and such. For me that amounts to my crew gel and deodorant. Cindi (for a woman) doesn't use much more either. She observed: "We live a kind of simple life" and indeed we do. From there the conversation moved to clothes. She opined that she has too many, though I dare say she has a fraction of the usual for the fair sex. I have a very sparse wardrobe. Exactly five pairs of shoes (black, dockers, sandals, sneakers, and snow boots) in my closet. She has a few more.
It called my mind back to my parent's closet. And once more the realization hit how much I have ended up like my father. He had a uniform he wore every single work day, and often he just wore it on the weekends. Green khakis and a green shirt, mostly short sleeved but not always. He might wear a green sweater in the winter. My uniform is a different color, but most work days I wear a black cleric (almost always short sleeved) and black pants. The uniform eliminates a decision for each work day. Just walk into the closet and don it. He almost always wore loafers; me too. He tended to wear the same hair cut (though I see from pictures he did experiment a bit more when he was younger); me too. And that hair gel? A different gel, but yes, he used gel in his hair and combed it into place each day. A morning without coffee was unthinkable. He took his with cream and sugar. He finished a pot each morning, because he was the only one in the house who drank it. He and mom always ate their breakfast together (Cindi and I do likewise, though she's picked up the coffee habit from me). He didn't particularly enjoy "going." To him the joy was all at home. Me too.
It makes me wonder how many other things are like my father that I don't even begin to realize. He's been gone for 36 years so some of the memories get a bit fuzzy. Odd thoughts for the morning, and all started by this Walgreen's senior discount day....
It called my mind back to my parent's closet. And once more the realization hit how much I have ended up like my father. He had a uniform he wore every single work day, and often he just wore it on the weekends. Green khakis and a green shirt, mostly short sleeved but not always. He might wear a green sweater in the winter. My uniform is a different color, but most work days I wear a black cleric (almost always short sleeved) and black pants. The uniform eliminates a decision for each work day. Just walk into the closet and don it. He almost always wore loafers; me too. He tended to wear the same hair cut (though I see from pictures he did experiment a bit more when he was younger); me too. And that hair gel? A different gel, but yes, he used gel in his hair and combed it into place each day. A morning without coffee was unthinkable. He took his with cream and sugar. He finished a pot each morning, because he was the only one in the house who drank it. He and mom always ate their breakfast together (Cindi and I do likewise, though she's picked up the coffee habit from me). He didn't particularly enjoy "going." To him the joy was all at home. Me too.
It makes me wonder how many other things are like my father that I don't even begin to realize. He's been gone for 36 years so some of the memories get a bit fuzzy. Odd thoughts for the morning, and all started by this Walgreen's senior discount day....
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