Donato's and The Simpsons

1) Donato's now serves Pepsi products. This includes Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Sierra Mist, and other stuff. If your local Donato's doesn't have Pepsi, they will soon. It's a chain-wide switch.

FYI, the location near St. Stephen's already switched.

2) Actress Nancy Cartwright, the voice behind cartoon character Bart Simpson, has been awarded Scientology's Patron Laureate Award after she donated $10 million to the faith in 2007.

Apparently she left a voicemail as Bart Simpson talking about Scientology. It's probably on the internet.

I like this comment:
" The voice of Homer Simpson donated 49 cents and a donut with a bite out of it, he got the CheapAss Bastard Award."


And here's the link to the news article.

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.