I'm sorry for not posting last night. I went to bed at an hour most of the preschoolers at church would consider early. I beat almost everyone even here in Sun City. I'm so ashamed I'm not even going to tell you what time it was.
I felt tired driving in for church and figured it was the effects of three hours out in the sun during Saturday's picnic. I drank extra water once I got there and then had coffee in between hours. All to no avail. By the time I finished 18 holes of golf with the guys from church it was almost 5:30 (we started about 1:30) and I was wasted. Actually, I was wasted by the 16th hole, which explains, at least in part, the explosion that was my score for the last three holes. There's an expression often used in golf, "The wheels came off." In my case the only thing that didn't come off was the radiator cap.
So much going on in my head. I can't put it in this post or we'd both be bored to tears. So here are some snippets. (strange word, snippets)
The Roman Catholic Church continues to provide us with discussion fodder. Last week the Pope said the most serious threat to the church is from sin within. Uhm...what does he mean by "the church"? Is he saying (as R.C. dogma teaches) that they are the only true church? Did he just diss the rest of us? Or does he assume we know to supply the "Roman Catholic" part?
Over the weekend a news story broke here. A couple of months ago a woman who was 11 weeks pregnant had a therapeutic abortion performed at St. Joseph's Hospital downtown because she had a very rare and serious condition that would have meant her death had she continued the pregnancy. When faced with this scenario the hospital staff, incl. the nun who is the hospital administrator, met and authorized the abortion to save her life.
The bishop of the diocese of Phoenix learned recently of that decision and the abortion that then took place. He issued a statement that, significantly, does not dispute the facts of the case. But he does explain that the abortion violates canon law and, as a result, the nun who is the hospital administrator has been excommunicated - an automatic response to such action on her part.
Agree/Disagree?
Before you decide, go read his statement.
I can't find now where I read it this morning, (here's an earlier article) but the Vatican today said that as part of its actions to dismiss a suit over abuse in Kentucky it will argue that bishops who failed to report abuse are not under the supervision of the Vatican because they're not employees of the Vatican. As such, any legal actions can go no higher than the local bishop; the Vatican itself cannot be summoned, deposed or included in any lawsuit.
Outside the R.C. Church...
yesterday was also the reunion of the class of 1962 of Daniel Webster Elementary School in Seattle, my beloved alma mater. Actually, I hated school because I was a total misfit and the whoopin' boy for every bully in the neighborhood. The walk to school felt like my personal gauntlet, recess was for cowering in a corner of the playground and PE class (Jr. Hi) my worst nightmare come to life. Nonetheless, I wish I could have attended the event at the home of one of my classmates who was also one of my neighbors. Here is a pic of the assembled group now and the photo from 1962 below it. Specifically note Knut Harjo and Paul Kenner. They took particular pleasure from harassing me verbally and physically, on through Jr. High.
I admit it, I have often imagined revenge for their abuse which, at one point, resulted in them smashing my cello as I carried it home from school. (Yes, I know that sentence is pathetic on many levels.) So, how would I have responded to them if I'd been at Shelly's house yesterday?
Thankfully, we'll never know.
The weekend included a sermon the preach wishes he could do over, golf shots that would have convinced any normal person to take up oil painting and a dozen chores left undone that would have been a much more productive use of my time. But (and this is the most significant part) it also included opportunities for ministry outside the "walls" of the church. I've been praying all day about those, one in particular.
"Lord, by your grace use that as a step, a seed sown (or watered) that will result in the miracle of new birth at some point in the future."
OK, enough for this post. But here's the thing: tonight I pack for the second trip up to Seattle. This time it's to help with the estate sale of my folks' things, at least the huge amount that can't go over to their new home at the Ida Culver House. I leave in the morning and don't return until the following Tuesday. Scott, my older brother, and I will be staying at the house so we can start work early and end late. The problem is that there is now no internet connection at the house. So unless I can convince my brother that we need b'fast at a wi-fi spot every morning I don't know how I'm going to post.
If you don't hear from me for a week you'll know nothing is wrong; I just don't have access to the internet. That said, I expect I'll be able to post most days. We do, after all, have to eat.
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