Jesus Christ Superstar back in Columbus

Monday, February 23rd, and Tuesday, February 24th. Both shows at 7:30 PM.

Any interest in trying to go? I'd recommend the Mezzanine level, which is rows 4-15 of the upper level. It's the middle price level ($53 + about $10 in service fees) so it's honestly the best deal. Anything cheaper and you're stuck way in the back. Anything on the lower level, and the view really isn't all that good since you're below the stage. (Balcony seats are $30.)

Any interest? I have no idea if group rates exist (probably not), but maybe we could reach out to the rest of St. Stephen's and have a larger group go? Maybe even reach out to the other University Area congregations as well.

Camp Coast Care, Thursday 12/18/2008

One week before Christmas Day. Here on the Gulf Coast, the temperature feels moderate to us, birds sing through out the day, and we are enveloped by thick pea soup fog morning and night. Most of our group has been working in Picayune on a house renovation. I've been working with a small group of young women from Mount St Aloyisus College in Pennsylvania. We have been working on 2 hoses in WaveLand. One was a "re-build" that is nearly complete. We met the owner, who is excited about his new home and anxious to move out of the trailer where he has been living for the past 3 years. At this house we have been doing the final construction cleanup before he moves in. The second house where we are working is belongs to an elderly woman. We have been working on her kitchen. We've "sheet rocked", mudded, sanded in a small space that will be her kitichen. Both of the owners are hoping to have the work done by Christmas .... or at least have Christmas dinner in their homes.

This morning campers from Indiana U of Pennsylvania left after 3 days of work here. Tomorrow the Mount St. Aloyisus group will leave, so the St Stephen's group will be the only volunteers here and working. We hope to accomplish much that will help the homeowners ave a joyful Christmas.

Peace.
Pam

CCC - Tuesday

Hi all,

Today most of us were at the smith house, which is about 45 minutes ENE of our camp. The eye of the katrina passed over the site, and the couple's roof got ripped off. They have got about half of the house fixed up. We're working on finishing the final half, 2 bathrooms, a hall, and a bedroom. The sheetrock was already hung, but it needed sanded and some more mud. So that was most of monday. Today, we continued that and got most of it in primer. Others touched up paint in the living room. Tm we shd be able to get color on the walls, in addition to putting popcorn texture on the ceiling. Oh, and all the doors need painted too. Hopefully most of the house will be ready for cmas.

take care,
matt

From Camp Coast Care, Dec. 15, 2008 -- Monday

Thank You to those who came to see us off on Saturday morning! We drove to Brentwood, TN, south of Nashville on Saturday, and on into Mississippi on Sunday, arriving a Camp Coast Care about 5:30 pm, CST. We checked in, then went to the Lookout 49er Restaurant for supper, since they don't serve food here on weekends. The 49er is a local business in Gulfport, one that is recommended by the CCC staff. Most of our group had a local fish dish, and found it very tasteful and well prepared.

To those who sent tools and supplies to Long Beach with us, the Maintenance Foreman (who handles the tool shed operation) asked my to convey his Thank YOU! to the donors. Everything you sent will be used.

Today it is warm (70 degrees), cloudy and muggy. Most of the St Stephen's group is working on a house in Bay St. Louis, about 30 miles or so west of here. They are laying hardwood flooring and tile. Douglas and I are back at camp, on the Kitchen 'n Cleanup Crew. Other groups are here this week from Mount Aloyisus College in Central Pennsylavani and also Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Our total number of Volunteers this week is smaller than when we came in June, but enough people, mostly college students, to have a crew at each of 3 houses, so three households are being helped.

Those going to Bay St. Louis drove there along US Rte 90 (NOT I-90), which runs beside the beach from here to New Orleans. They will see a lot of devastated areas that have not yet begun to re-build. The estimate that we heard today is that a minimum 20% of Long Beach residents before the storm will never come back here to live. Developers are buying up the waterfront lots and building Very Expensive houses and condos that former residents can not afford to purchase.

In the neighborhood of CCC, not a lot of visible change since June, though a condo development a block or so north of the Camp which was under construction last summer now has the For Sale signs out. We drove along Rte. 10 east on the way to supper last night, but it was too dark to see much except the Casino and the Chiquita Banana port terminal.

More later from Long Beach MS.
Deacon Pam

This quarter I've been taking Comp. Studies 725 from Professor Hugh Urban, and if any of you are interested in the field of Religious Studies from a comparative perspective you should take this class or his undergraduate class. One Hugh is a great teacher. Two the material is fascinating. We have studied most of the primary religious theorists as well as topics such as feminism, sexuality, practice, environmentalism, fundamentalism, and terrorism as they exist in a religious context.

I have a paper due tomorrow, but when it is done I plan to post some excerpts from it here. I'm writing about the Medieval mystics and their practices. Hope you all find the material interesting.

Peace.. Joe

Redistribution of Wealth (AKA: "If I mention 'Struhar' or 'Yates' in the subject line, will they come?)

In a local restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.
When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.
I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

What kind of liturgy do young adults like?

There was an interesting article posted on the Daily Episcopalian blog last week entitled "Yes, young people do like traditional liturgy." I encourage you to read it, if you have a chance, and maybe some of the comments that follow it. I've often wondered if St. Stephen's could attract more students to its regular worship services if they had a more traditional liturgy. I have heard that mentioned as an issue by some former students, but then I wonder how much of a difference that really makes. What do you think?

Interestingly, St. Stephen's has started a new Sunday evening worship service focused around a lectio divina study of scripture. Having attended the first one this past Sunday evening when I was back in town, I found it very enjoyable and a good way to get into the scripture passage read and think about how it applies to my own life. This could certainly be considered a contemporary liturgy (vs. a traditional one), though I would call it a contemplative liturgy. I have also heard that young adults like contemplative worship.

At Virginia Theological Seminary, where I attend, we have a service of Evening Prayer each weeknight at 5:30pm. Each day of the week has a different flavor of Evening Prayer: Monday uses the Evening Prayer service from the New Zealand Prayer Book, Tuesday's service is a chanted Evensong, Wednesday is Evening Prayer read from the 1979 Prayer Book, Thursday is an Evening Prayer service with contemporary praise music, and Friday is spoken Evening Prayer, sometimes in a foreign language (Spanish or French). There is no required attendance for these services. The two services that have the most regular attendance are the Tuesday Evensong service (which could be considered 'traditional') and the Thursday Evening Prayer & Praise service (which could be considered 'contemporary'). About half of the student body at VTS is under 35 years old. Both of the two services mentioned usually each get about 20 attendees, most in the under-35 age group, and I think I'm the only student that regularly attends both of these Evening Prayer services.

Do college students and/or young adults prefer traditional or contemporary worship? Does it depend on their background, what they grew up with? Or does it depend on the quality of the worship? If the worship is authentic and well-done (not boring, sloppy, or joyless), is that what makes it more attractive to young people? What do you think?

Lightning Crashes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD8DvkVB7rk

Lightning crashes a new mother cries
Her placenta falls to the floor
The angel opens her eyes
The confusion sets in
Before the doctor can even close the door

Lightning crashes an old mother dies
Her intentions fall to the floor
The angel closes her eyes
The confusion that was hers
Belongs now to the baby down the hall

Oh now feel it, comin' back again
Like a rollin', thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from
The center of the earth again
I can feel it.

Lightning crashes a new mother cries
This moment she's been waiting for
The angel opens her eyes
Pale blue colored iris
Presents the circle
And puts the glory out to hide, hide

Oh now feel it, comin' back again
Like a rollin', thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from
The center of the earth again
I can feel it.

Oh now feel it, comin' back again
Like a rollin', thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from
The center of the earth again
I can feel it.


Is anyone else reminded about abortion when they hear this song?


Unfortunately, according to Wikipedia, those who do are not correct:

The band dedicated the song to Barbara Lewis, a 19 year-old friend of the band who was killed in 1993 by a drunk driver who was fleeing from the police after a robbery in York, Pennsylvania. Barbara had many of her organs donated including a liver to a 10 month old baby, and the song lyrics reflect how her death enabled others to continue living. After the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, Ed Kowalczyk would frequently dedicate the song to the victims at live shows.

Just a few thoughts...

One thing I love about St. Stephens' is the stress we place on economic justice. I wouldn't call it "liberation theology" or anything like that. I wouldn't even describe it as inherently political (although BREAD does engage in political activity). Pursuing economic justice is simply part of the church's mission. People shouldn't have to be outcasted by society simply for being poor, nor should people suffer the greed of others.

So, while I am studying the financial crisis and writing about it and think it is a huge deal, I have a few sobering thoughts. 20 percent of American children were impovershed before this crisis, and once the crisis is resolved, I'm sure 20 percent of American children will still be impovershed. Homeowners may regain their homes, but many people who have never had homes will still be without homes. Millions of Americans still won't have access to health care.

C'est la vie, perhaps. It's easy to stammer on economic fairness during a real crisis - and this is a real crisis - but we as Christians have a responsibility to speak up about injustice at all times. Especially when nobody else will.

Trouble the water

I got this in my e-mail today:


"Trouble The Water," a unique & incredible documentary about the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, is opening this weekend in a few select theaters in New York & Los Angeles, and will be in theaters coast to coast very soon.

Kimberly Rivers Roberts is turns her video camera on herself and her 9th Ward neighbors trapped in the city. “It’s going to be a day to remember,” Kim says excitedly into her new camera as the storm is brewing. It’s her first time shooting video and it’s rough, and jumpy, but dense with reality. Kim’s playful home-grown newscast tone grinds against the audience’s knowledge that hell is just hours away. There is no way for the audience to warn her. And for New Orleans’ poor, there is nowhere to run.
As the hurricane begins to rage and the floodwaters fill their world and the screen, Kim and her husband Scott continue to film, documenting their harrowing voyage to higher ground and dramatic rescues of friends and neighbors.

tickets to New York screenings:
The IFC Center & Imagenation
http://www.movietickets.com/house_detail.asp?house_id=9598

tickets to Los Angeles screenings:
The Laemmle Sunset 5
http://laemmle.com/viewtheatre.php?thid=2

This is a must-see. The documentary won the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, and its premiere was described as "one of those electrifying, emotional, unforgettable experiences that captures Sundance at its very best."

Manohla Darghis of The New York Times called the film "one of the best American documentaries in recent memory."

"Trouble The Water" is directed and produced by Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine producers Tia Lessin & Carl Deal, and was funded by my pals David Alcaro & Todd Olson.

Please support this film. It'll shake you down to your toes.

The trailer can be viewed at:

http:www.troublethewaterfilm.com

The flyer for the film can be seen at:
http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/troublethewater/troublethewater_flyer_ny.pdf

If anyone is around...

Hello? Anyone alive?

When: Saturday, July 26th from 1-6 PM
Where: 6835 Caine Rd (Near the area of Sawmill Rd, I-270, and Snouffer Rd.)
Why: Help support Central Ohio Crime Stoppers find missing adults.

Because this is a fundraiser, a $5 donation will be taken at the door.

http://pearljam.dreamhosters.com/Flannagons.pdf

I plan on attending, and just thought i'd pass the information along. (Randy Shaffer is the father of Brian Shaffer, the OSU student who was last seen in the University Gateway District in the spring of 2006.)

Yesterday was the Last Day

My team finished the living room yesterday, and with the exception of the bathroom, the house is almost completely dry-walled. We won the day and celebrated appropriately (I perhaps celebrated a little too appropriately).

We are now in Nashville, staying at a hotel, and I smell a euchre game.

So many thoughts and emotions are running together and against one another that I cannot really comprehensively explain what this week has meant to all of us. Be sure to ask us about this experience when we get back.

This is the last post regarding the Mississippi trip. I write this from Nashville with love.

Peace. Goodnight. Good Luck!

Tomorrow is the Last Day

And my group will finish sheeting the living room!

Things are coming along great at the Davis home, and the food at the camp has been excellent. A few of us (not me) went to a blues concert at a local coffee shop.

I, however, remained at camp and read more of John Dower's Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II. If you are interested in the Pacific War, Japan, or if you are Matt Yates, read this book.

Also, if you are Matt Yates, I'm sorry to say this, but you're bald. ;)

Thanks to Brian and Peter for being really super cool and leaving comments.

Work Days 2 & 3

Trudy's husband's name is Ed, not John, by the way. My mistake.

We have been really productive the past two days. I have personally gotten to know a fellow named Keith, a career Air Force officer and Vietnam veteran. He and another man named Howard are from the Diocese of Florida, and they are volunteering this week with us. Their guidance has been crucial to our success in rebuilding the Davis' house.

I should say something about the others here. There are almost 100 people at camp this week, over sixty of whom are in a high school church group from Illinois. A few others are from Wyoming, and a few of the leaders here are AmeriCorps volunteers. The actual on-sight leaders are Camp Coast Care staff. We have worked with two such staff: Doug and Jim. They have done an excellent job.

Last evening we walked on the beach, which was fun. Tonight the Illinois group is having a cook-out on the beach, and the rest of us will be eating burgers, hot dogs, or vegetarian alternatives here at camp.

The Gulf of Mexico is one of the more peaceful bodies of water in which I have set foot. Looking out at the scenic view, I would turn around and see probably irreparable damage done by Hurricane Katrina. In his poem "The Tyger," William Blake asks the evil, opportunistic subject, "Did he who make the lamb also make thee?" If God is responsible for the beautiful ocean, then is S/He also responsible for Katrina? Nobody is qualified to answer that question with any certainty or confidence, I think.

Work Day 1

Today, we installed insulation and dry-wall at a home of a woman named Trudy Davis. She lives with her husband, whose name I cannot remember at the moment (John, I think). It was an incredibly humbling yet life-affirming experience for all of us. Elizabeth found her inner-carpenter! She and a new friend from Casper, Wyoming were installing insulation at a gruelling and unstoppable pace! Chris and I were unable to keep up.

Afterward, there was a meeting of all the volunteers, a small worship service (I missed this part because I had to deal with financial aid issues over the internet -- thank you, Ohio State -- but thank you Camp Coast Care for providing wireless so I can deal with these issues all the way in Mississippi), and then us in the St. Stephen's group had a small meeting in which we discussed our general impressions from the day and the trip thus far. I was happy that the intellectual character of our Thursday night meetings carried over all the way to Mississippi.

It seems that an Ohio State group was already at Camp Coast Care, perhaps for an alternative spring break.


Farewell, and peace!

P.S.

Tara did NOT eat seafood last night.

Arrival at Camp Coast Care, Eating Seafood, and Walking on the Pier

After a long day of driving, we made it to Camp Coast Care in Long Beach, Mississippi at around 4 PM this afternoon. Orientation was short and informative (the best news was that there was free, high speed wireless internet). We then ate at a local seafood eatery called Lookout 49, "where all the cowboys and cowgirls gather for a fun meal" (Tara's words). Afterword, we hung out on the beach and then returned to camp at around 8:15 PM.

Our group consists not only of members of St. Stephen's, but friends from different places. J.J. and Tara, who many of you probably know, are Lutheran seminarians who have been married for a few years now. Laura, whose family recently moved to Ohio from upstate New York, is an Ohio State student majoring in art education. We have had great fun getting to know one another on this wonderful trip.

Matt Yates' absence has not kept me from profusely discussing history, ideas, politics, etc.

Take care and God bless!

Our Journey to Mississippi

We reached our hotel for the evening safely in Athens, Alabama. On the way, we passed through Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN. It has been a fun trip filled with reading, sleeping, and interesting discussions.

That is all for tonight.

Krispy Kreme Situation

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=78499&in_page_id=2

I dedicate this blog entry to anyone who thought I was making this up.


This paragraph makes it sound like they just had to make a quick stop as part of a regular patrol. (Maybe it's just me, but I thought that helicopter use was "reserved" for specific missions.)

The officer and the civilian pilot were on night patrol over the city
in a Kiowa OH-58 helicopter when they landed in a vacant lot next to a
Krispy Kreme doughnut store around 1 a.m. on Thursday morning.

http://lists.jammed.com/ISN/2001/10/0073.html

Noah

Here's a revelant story i ran into tonight on howstuffworks.com

http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/noahs-ark.htm

matt

Free Pizza!

Story at Dispatch.com


Well, ok, it's not truly free, but it is a good discount.


Hey, at least you don't have to go dressed like a pizza. (Take THAT, Chipotle!)

California goes gay-friendly

Hopefully this link works for you.

Google News

Various news articles about California going gay-friendly at that link. Hopefully Ohio will join suit.

My Choice Ohio

I just grabbed this off http://www.mychoiceohio.com/

Payday loans are a useful financial tool for many Ohioans who experience an occasional crunch in between paychecks. Sometimes, the utility bills are higher than usual, or expensive school books are needed, or urgent medical care for a child can’t wait until the next paycheck. A payday loan is far less expensive than a bounced check, a utility bill late fee, or a credit card cash advance, and banks and credit unions won’t make small, short-term loans. I, along with all Ohioans, should be able to choose which financial products to use. The government should not take away that choice. Hardworking Ohioans should not be forced to take out an internet loan or pawn off a valuable possession in order to cover a short-term financial bind if they prefer the payday loan product. Please protect my financial choices and the choices of all Ohioans and keep payday loans available in Ohio.

It'll be interesting to see. I've been fairly neutral on the whole BREAD thing, so maybe I can see both sides of the issue. Yes, I do smell the scare tactics on their side, but at the same time, it would be interesting to see what happens if the interest rate is lowered. Will these people lose their jobs? Will it add to Ohio's already crummy economy?

I can't help to think of the smoking ban that passed a few elections ago. Anyone remember that? If you paid attention to the people against the ban, a lot of bars would have closed. I don't exactly see that happening.

That paragraph above mentions the government doing this and that. Are they really? Once again, it reminds me of the smoking ban. In that case, the government really didn't DO anything, they just basically did what the people told them to do.

I just hope that if people don't have enough money (and IF, a big IF, the payday loan places do shut down) that people won't resort to crime to get money that they need.

Where am I going with this? I'm not really sure...my cats are sleeping next to me and i'm watching Jay Leno. Did I just hear from him that John Edwards will endorse Barack Obama???

Sometimes it is interesting to see the other side of the story. (BREAD, not Jay Leno.)

BREAD

Just because I've been lobbying members of other student organizations about BREAD does not mean I've forgotten about the St. Stephen's folks! If you want to go to the annual BREAD meeting on May 5th to hear testimony and discussion about drug courts, let me know. I would love to get three people from St. Stephen's plus even more from outside the church.

Thank you, and remember... BREAD RISES!

What's in a name?

In today's Dispatch, there was an article on the recent resurgence of vinyl records. A lot of young people (in their 20's) are starting to buy new releases on vinyl. Some of the newer turntables come with built-in USB connectors, so the turntable can be connected to a computer, and thus, the songs can be copied onto an iPod.

What's more, is that a lot of the new vinyl records will include free mp3 downloads of songs, so that music fans don't have to go through all the trouble of copying the songs from their records onto their computers.

HOWEVER...here's the interesting bit:

Brian Turner Jr., 29, of Columbus owns at least 1,000 LPs, ranging from indie favorites the Shins and Times New Viking to classic jazz artists such as Count Basie and Miles Davis.

Turner is no Luddite: He piggybacks his vinyl with MP3s.

The combo allows him to take the music everywhere via his iTunes library but still "appreciate the band's artwork and sound" with vinyl.

"It's a great promotional tool for bands," he said, "and it's great for fans when you can have both things."

Talking with the Brian Turner we all know, he tells me that the name is actually a common name and that he was invited by a Brian Turner in DC to join a group for people of that name.


Oh well, I just found it interesting.

Remember, this Thursday is our last meeting of the quarter, and that if you missed the announcement, we may be sharing the Sacraments as well. Don't let the cold weather keep you from coming over.

Easter

This is interesting - cant guarentee that its 100% accurate


Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) than it will be this year (2008) but that is pretty rare.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early previously (95 years old or above!) And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:

1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than that

Going to repair Hurricane Katrina damage

For anyone interested in going to Mississippi to help deconstruct/construct housing, we are looking at going to Long Beach, MS through a group called Camp Coast Care. Here is their website, which is worth taking a look:

http://www.dioms.org/katrina/camp-coast.html

The dates we're looking at going are June 8th-14th (right after spring quarter), and if anyone knows they want to go, let me or Pam know.

Take care.

More randomness

Dubya can groove!

And here's a funny image for your Friday:

When is a Pope not just a Pope?

I recently came across this bit on the Wikipedia entry on Pope John Paul II.

"His title was: Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of Saint Peter, Head of the College of Bishops, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West (this title was recently removed from the papal list of titles by the reigning pope, Benedict XVI), Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, Servant of the Servants of God, Pope John Paul II."

Some of those titles do look familiar to me, but I never realized that was all one, full, official title (as Wikipedia makes it look like.) I always thought each title was a seperate entity, used depending on the situation.

On a sidenote, does the Pope get a paycheck, or does he just have "it taken care of." The Wikipedia article mentions that the Papal Apartments are quite simple, almost monastic in style, so I wouldn't expect a palace, but it would be fun to be Pope for a month. (I don't think I could be Pope Peter II though. -- Something tells me that the name "Pope Peter" is probably retired.)

I just thought i'd pass that interesting tidbit along.

Also:
Be sure to talk to Pam if you want (or anyone you know wants) to go to New Orleans to help the area recover from hurricane damage. Would we need any funding? If so, I wonder if we could set something up to raise funds one day after church. Myself, I do not see going, but I would not be opposed to giving a donation to help fund a good cause.

Matt (Limmer??), I hope you picked up your water bottle. You left it behind on Thursday, the 17th.

Free breakfast food in church on Sundays, starting about 9:30 AM until 10:30, and then again after the service. Free food, what else would you possibly want?