Previous month:
March 2006
Next month:
May 2006

41 posts from April 2006

Maundy Thursday service at church, should I go?

Tonight we have a Maundy Thursday service at our church. It's always been part of the Easter celebration in our denomination, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  It's another one of those services that blurs into the events of Holy Week.

In the Biblical account, today is the celebration of when Jesus had the Last Supper with the disciples.

For me, it's so easy to be distracted from the real significance of what this all means for today and for the future, for me and for everybody else. 

  • Are these celebrations on the Christian church calendar just antiquated habits from the past? 
  • Are they outdated? 
  • Have they lost their meaning?
  • How could they be made more relevant?

Tags: , , , ,

Powered by Qumana


Meeting with guys from church about "Abbas Child" by Brennan Manning

One of the guys from my church invited me yesterday to join a small group for breakfast and some discussion about Brennan Manning's book Abbas Child.    He told me that the group covers a couple of pages each time it gets together.  They usually get sidetracked by discussion.  Sounds good to me.  More later.

Tags: , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Holy Week: Chicago Trib's Charles Madigan says Bible is approved version of what happened, not necessarily the reality

As we move through Holy Week this year, I see this column from Charles Madigan of the Chicago Tribune who comments about the Gospel of Judas and Holy Week:

  • "The early Christian church was a cauldron of myths and stories, politics and competitions, as I understand it.
    What evolved is an approved version of events, not necessarily the real version of events."

Is that worth a letter to the editor or some other kind of response?

Tags: , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


University of Akron gets $500,000 from federal government to teach course on difficulty of cutting federal budget

If this money wasn't coming from the pockets of the U.S. taxpyers, it would be funny, a good joke for Jay Leno in his nightly standup.  Glenn Reynolds in Instapundit, shares a link about how the U.S. Congress has appropriated $500,000 in earmarked funds for the University of Akron to teach a course about the difficulty of cutting the federal budget.

Our people in Congress need to explain and justify this whole earmarking thing.

Tags: , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


GM employee buyouts not a good deal after paying federal taxes

When General Motors announced plans to offer buyouts to get employees to leave, it sounded like a sweet deal, a golden parachute of sorts, if you will.

But, there's the reality of taxes, particularly the ones we pay to the feds.  The following example is an argument for the Republican Party unless you like giving your money to the government.

The Flint Journal with its GM and Delphi plants writes about how hourly employees at all levels would be affected. Take Brian Kaufmann who works at the Flint Truck Assembly Plant who would receive $70,000 from GM under the buyout offer.

But with the bite from the federal tax man, it goes down to $44,000.  That makes a statement.  Taxes kill incentive and motivation.  Read the other examples and the point becomes very clear.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


My identity comes from my father; wait, I mean my Father

Growing up without my father really affected my identity.  When I was a year-and-a-half old, he just skipped out and never came back.  Now this was in 1948. 

There was a gaping hole in one-half or more of my identity.  This feeling colored everything I ever did in life.  I really looked and looked for validation from an older man and I never found it, not once.  A black hole, an abyss where there was ignorance about my background, filled by heart. 

My mom was extraordinary.  She knew how to love unconditionally.  That was great.  When I found my dad when I was in my late twenties, he totally rejected me.  Even though I tried to cover it up, I hid a lot of bitterness and anger at being rejected.

Why do I bring this up?  My son, Justin, and what he wrote in his blog, the Confessions of an Undercover Geek.    He talks about being a college student trying to sort out his role in the world.  He's tall, dark and handsome and really good at what he does.  I bet you could see his name on one or more books about some aspect of his field.  He's getting ready to launch for life after college.

The source of his real identity is clear to him, especially as we approach Easter.  It's not me.  It's not his mom.  It's not IT.  It's his other Father. 

He's got it.  But, it's easy to get distracted, especially as you move on in life. The cycle started by my earthly father has been broken and a new one has been started by my Heavenly Father.

If you ever struggle with these sorts of issues, then I would encourage you to review the Easter Story, the one found in the Bible and not in the DaVinci Code.  This is Holy Week and I'm looking forward to each day of it.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Newley Purnell, travel blogger, meets Lee and Sachi in Thailand

I have been following the travels of Lee and Sachi for sometime as they chronicle their trip around the world in a feat of cutting-edge travel and moblogging.  As they travel, they about their experiences, as well as pics taken with their Palm Treos 650.

Along the way and in their blog, they ask for input about who to meet and what to see.  Now they meet Newley Purnell, another travel blogger going around the world. 

Having just gotten back from West Africa, I see the potential here.  It's great reading.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Dollar Stores--where the rich and famous shop

I take it all back, everything I said about all the Dollar Stores locating on the southside of Michigan's capital city, Lansing.  We have Logan Squre, at the intersection of MLK/Logan and Holmes Rd. and it has become Dollar Store heaven.

My fear has been that this would label our area as forgotten and as a place to locate the poor.  Not so says the Sa Luis Obispo Tribune. 

The dollar stores are where the big income folks shop and it's starting to be felt by the big retailers.  No kidding.  Check it out.  Here I thought we needed, at least, a Beaners at Logan Square.  Well, we do.

Tags: , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Mission Network News: A site to satisfy curiosity about Christian missionaries

On my way home from taking my wife to work this morning, I was listening to WUGN-FM, a Family Life radio station in Midland, MI.  I heard a report from a program called Mission Network News.  This program contained reports about Christian mission happenings around the world.

This is relevant to me because of a recent short-term mission trip I recently took to Mali in West Africa.  When I left, I had a full load of questions about mission work there and around the world.

I'm still trying to sort out my impressions and conclusions from the trip.  Did I contribute anything by going there?  How can I help to nourish this and other efforts like it?  I'm not sure I have any answers right now, but I'm working on it.

Tags: , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


DaVinci Code: You can trust what it says about Jesus

Author Dan Brown says his story in the DaVinci Code gives the straight scoop about Jesus and Mary Magdalene.  That means there's a whole line of people out there who are physical descendants of Jesus.

Could this be true?

Here's a good piece from Focus on the Family's Breakaway magazine that provides some insights into the story with a whole lot of context about the controversy.  If you're trying to understand all the upcoming brouhaha over this story or if you want another point of view, it's worth checking out.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Michigan lawmakers: Take a hint from Upper Peninsula prison disturbance

I noticed this item in today's Detroit News about a disturbance at a state prison in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  It's in a little place called Marenisco, just a few miles from the Wisconsin border.  Some inmates refused to leave a dayroom and that led to a scuffle with the guards.

Why is this important?

There are about 30 corrections officers at the facility on any given shift to look after more than 1,000 felons.  Not very many.  The Michigan Legislature has been whittling away at the state's correction budget.

 Is this a sign that our state's prisons don't have enough guards to keep people inside and outside safe?

In what seems to be another lifetime, I spent a long weekend at Marenisco as an in-prison seminar leader for Prison Fellowship.  It's in probably one of the most beautiful parts of the state and one of the least populated. 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Palm Sunday: Lansing (MI) State Journal carries two nice stories about Holy Week and Palm Sunday

Day two of Holy Week is here and it's worthy of note how our local newspaper, the Lansing State Journal covered this important observance in today's paper:

Yesterday, I wrote about escaping the sameness of the Easter Celebration.  I've been going to church all my life, almost six decades.  I want to really "see" Jesus during this special season.  I might pull out my copy of the Mel Gibson movie, the Passion and watch it.  It's focus and I want to keep that in the right place.

Tags: , , , , ,   Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Palm Sunday in Lansing, MI: Pastor David Maier of Our Savior Lutheran Church points to the donkey

Earlier today, I blogged about the upcoming, later in the morning Palm Sunday service at our church.  For me, it's easy for Easter Week to become just another humdrum holiday period.  And, I know that with Christmas and Easter, we have the whole reason for existence.

So, what did I find this morning at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Lansing, MI? 

Some of it was pretty predictable and could have been taken out of my past 60 Palm Sundays.  Palm fronds are passed out and people are supposed to wave them around in a joyful sort of way.  I really didn't get into that, nor did I see it with others.

The music spoke to my heart and so did the message by Pastor David Maier.  It was contemporary Christian music.  Well, at least, kind of contemporary.  But, the message was clear and its application was kind of clear.  I guess its implementation is the challenge.

The world is challenging Jesus Christ and who he is and what he did.  Look at the DaVinci Code, both the book and the movie.  Check my bookmarks about this from my list in Blinklist.com.

But, Pastor Maier using a text from the Gospel of Mark about Jesus coming into Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover.  And, he focuses on the donkey and how Jesus knew everything that was to happen.  It was all under his control.

So, is everything happening today.  Audio of the sermon should be available on the Our Savior website tomorrow.

Tags: , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


Delphi workers: They face dilemma of staying in the plants or accepting buyout

Detroit News today has a good package of stories about dilemma facing Delphi workers. Should they accept the GM buyout and get a big lump sum or should they take the risk and stay? 

Are they being given a golden parachute that's not given to other workers?  Sounds that way to me.  Nice deal compared to others in a similar situation.

Tags: , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


President Bush: Sen. Specter says he needs to explain his CIA leak role

As a Republican, I want to like President Bush, but he needs to heed the advice of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.

The Pennsylvania Republican says that both Bush and Cheney need to be open about their involvement in the leak of the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame to the news media over the Iraq and weapons of mass destruction controversy. 

By sitting back, Bush is greatly contributing to the distrust that Americans have of their government and of him.  It's getting harder and harder to defend him.  The consequences of his silence are many.  We are losing confidence in our governmental institutions.

We need to know the truth!

Tags: , , , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana


High school dropout rate: Shelbyville, Indiana High School featured on Time cover

I'm still not in the shower to get ready for church.  What distracted me was Time's cover story this week on the rising high school dropout rate. 

It features Shelbyville High School in Indiana. There are a ton of issues here, but what attracted my attention was that my "fav" daughter's former roommate teaches at the school.

 I will read this later today.

Tags: , , , ,

Ads by AdGenta.com

Powered by Qumana