Tuesday, December 4, 2007

thankfulness at the Communion table

So, as a seminary student, I spend time in a local church. Sometimes I do simple things like teach Confirmation class. Other times I deal with out of control 10-year-olds and try to keep them from killing each other. Other times I assist with worship ... Sunday was an assisting with worship day.

I have to say, it went pretty well. I sang the Kyrie (one of my favorite liturgical settings, Marty Haugen's Now the Feast and Celebration) though the accompanist played it a little slower than I would like, it went well (I don't normally sing in public mind you, especially not into a microphone as a solo). The service carried on and we got to Communion where I assisted by distributing the bread.

I've had a lot of experience assisting in communion and often I find it to be a meaningful experience. This time was no exception. As I walked around the altar sharing the bread, I noticed how different people reacted to receiving the bread. Some would look me in the eye as I shared the words "the body of Christ, broken for you" and I could see a little twinkle in their eye. Others would keep their heads bowed down, almost as if to say, "I'm not worthy of this gift." Still others had blank stares that made me wonder if they really find any meaning in the ritual of communion or if they simply do it because everyone else is.
I project these thoughts on these people because I myself have been in all of these positions at one time or another. Different seasons in life bring on different responses. But there was one response that I wasn't quite ready for ...
I approached a family and started handing the bread and I saw a 10 year old boy, one who was in that class that I had to keep from killing each other a few weeks back. When I handed him the bread, he said "Thank You" and my heart melted. What a wonderful response. Whether the response is to me or to Jesus, I don't know, but I stopped for a second to think that "Thank you" really is the correct response when we take Communion. We should be thankful for what Christ has done for us.
I've been thinking a lot lately about our reaction to God's gifts to us. I feel like often my reaction is not what it should be. It's not that it has to be complex, in most cases the simpler the response the better. Still, I seem to fail, because I fail to see the meaning in the simplicity. For me, this 10-year-old boy understood what I have spent a lifetime trying to understand ... that Christ gives us a gift at the Communion table and for that gift we should be thankful.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Adiaphora

So, here we are in Thanksgiving Week and life continues to roll forward. I have to say I've had some interesting experiences in the last week or so. On Friday night I ventured out with some friends to San Francisco. We visited the neighborhoods known as "Little Italy" or "North Beach" and Chinatown. It was a grand evening ... I tasted things that I never knew I could find. I even ate a "Phily Cheesesteak" and ordered it with the "traditional" CheezWiz. (I confirmed with my friend Scott who is from Pennsylvania that indeed the "true" Phily Cheese is made with CheezWiz, not that provolone that I was introduced to in my Midwestern version of the sandwich).

So, today I got an interesting email from my mom asking if I could site any kind of theological standing for having natural plants in the altar area of a worship space. Oh, my. Now, that's the kind of thing that we should be studying here at seminary! See, the topic came up because apparently her church got a letter from the Fire Marshall reminding them of a law that states that churches cannot have live trees with lights on them (something to do with unattended buildings and fire hazards ... makes sense) so apparently there is a grand discussion happening that surrounds the issue. I guess the debate must be "Live Tree vs. Lights on Tree" and apparently people are camping on both sides. So, my final comment in my response to my mom was, I guess the real question is "which is more important, arguing about adiaphora or doing the work that Christ has called us to do?" Of course, the question got me thinking, so if anyone can come up with a solid theological reasoning for live plants/trees in altar areas, let me know. The best I could arrive at was that we could draw a metaphor between the "living plant" and the "Living Word" but I admit, that was quite a stretch ... I also commented that I'm pretty sure it was not something Luther ever wrote about in his 53 volumes now cataloged as Luther's Works, but I have to admit, I haven't read every page.

Well, in researching the topic, I came across a quiz that seemed fun ... it at least reminded me that I am Lutheran in my stance on the Eucharist ...




Eucharistic theology
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Luther

You are Martin Luther. You'll stick with the words of Scripture, and defend this with earthy expressions. You believe this is a necessary consequence of an orthodox Christology. You believe that the bread and wine are the Body and Blood of Christ, but aren't too sure about where he goes after the meal, and so you don't accept reservation of the Blessed Sacrament or Eucharistic devotions.


Luther


88%

Calvin


81%

Orthodox


75%

Zwingli


69%

Catholic


25%

Unitarian


13%

Well, I reckon that this post has certainly been enough adiaphora for now ... maybe more later in the week after I have thanked God for the many blessings showered on me and recovered from my early morning flight tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Another step forward ...

Well, friends. For those of you that are keeping score, I have made it one step closer to becoming a pastor. I'm sure most of you don't realize how many steps there are in this process. From the outside, it would seem like you make a decision to become a pastor, you get the degree, do the internship, and voila you start looking for that first call. Well, 'taint quite that easy. Along the way, there are several "checkpoints" where I get to write some essays in response to various theological questions (and some questions about my personal life) then I get to meet with some fine folks who have read the essay and they ask me questions and look for me to expand on ideas. I know, this all sounds confusing, if you want to get the real sense of the process, ask me privately and I'll give you all the details in enough detail to make sense.

The point of all of this is that I had my "Endorsement Interview" yesterday and it went quite well. The panel of three folks that spoke with me were in agreement that I should keep going in this process toward become a pastor. Their recommendation now goes to the full committee in January who will likely Endorse me. Yeah! That means I can move on to internship next year as planned.

In other fun and adventure lately, I had the opportunity to preach to my Teaching Parish this past Sunday. I have to admit, I wasn't thrilled about the text that I drew (Luke 20, story of the widow and 7 brothers) but I think I managed pretty well. Sadly, I left my stuffed animal (object of the children's sermon) at the church ... I hope she isn't too scared being there all alone. I'll pick her up and love her tomorrow when I am there for Education day.

I wish I could think of something deep and profound to add to my blog, but alas, my thoughts these days are consumed by classes and figuring out how to manage my time between reading, reading, going to class, reading, reading, attending and occasional meeting, reading, cleaning, reading, cooking, reading, and trying to stay sane. If you didn't catch the drift, there's a lot of reading going on right now. But I guess it's good for me.
I do have to offer my mid-season update of the Packers ... for those of you that haven't been following my favorite football team, now is the time to start. At 8-1 they are looking good. Now, I'm guessing my commenting in such a public way as this blog will surely jinx them and they will find ways to lose several games before the end of the season ... but I'm going to go with the confidence that they will keep winning ... all the way to the Super Bowl (I don't care if they win it, I would just like them to go ... thus making watching the game worth my while).
Other news will come in the next post or two ... there are some exciting things going on in the "house" but I want to hold you in suspense and give you a reason to keep reading. Maybe we'll even add a Jaguar to the family ... but that's only if it's a good runner!

Friday, November 2, 2007

Symbols from my youth ...

I happened to be thinking the other day about some of the symbols from my youth. Yes, some of these might date me a little bit, but hey, it is what it is. I was thinking about characters like this Mr. Yuk who seemed to be everywhere, maybe they really weren't everywhere, maybe it just seemed like it because they were parts of my education. Mr. Yuk is older than me, though not by much. It's funny how much information you can learn about things via the internet if you really take the time in the midst of the day to do so. I learned that Mr. Yuk is actually a trademark of a hospital in Pittsburgh, and here all along I thought it was some National Poison Control symbol. Oh, well.

Now, here's one that I haven't thought of in a while. Woodsy Owl. Woodsy's famous slogan (at least during my era) was "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute" Good slogan, seemed to put the message into my head. Though, I have to admit I've been a lot of places lately where they could use that slogan.


When I was in New York a few weeks ago, we walked along a roadside that seemed to be the collection place for all kinds of trash. Woodsy would have been very sad to see that roadside. It got me wondering if Woodsy is still "alive" at it seems that Woodsy is indeed readily available to visit your school or other organizational meeting. Click Here to learn more.
What I have found just a little ironic is a web page that talks about how to dispose of your old Woodsy Owl costumes. I didn't do enough research to find out if the problem is that the old costumes don't portray the right Woodsy anymore or if the problem is that they are tattered, but apparently the appropriate thing to do, According to the USDA Forest Service is to "1. Incinerate the complete costume with the oversight of an official USDA Forest Service law enforcement officer*.2. The entire Woodsy Owl costume including each of the separate pieces is to be destroyed beyond recognition." Now, am I crazy or does it seem like incinerating Woodsy Owl flies in the face of everything that Woodsy stands for?



Lately here in California there has been much discussion about Forest Fires. Let's face it, we haven't done real well with forest management lately. As I type, the fires are still burning in Southern California, though they are getting "under control". But this brings to mind one of my favorite characters from the past, and that is Smokey Bear.

I was actually thinking if I could find a Ranger hat that I would try to dress as Smokey for Halloween ... afterall, it's an easy costume, a pair of jeans, a ranger hat, and a shovel (I guess some boots, too). But then I thought that maybe it would be a bit too frightening if I were walking about with no shirt on, afterall, I do look a bit too much like Smokey (he doesn't have a 6-pack).



I think Smokey is probably one of the more commonly known characters from my past. I mean, who doesn't love a bear who tells you that "Only YOU can prevent forest fires?" That's partly a lot of responsibility, but partly a chance to do good. Hey, I haven't started any forest fires, so I'm at least living up to Smokey's expectations for my life.
One of my favorite memories about Smokey was being in First Grade and learning the "Smokey the Bear" song during Fire Prevention Week. I even found a copy of the song so that you can sing along (you may need to click on the image so it's large enough to read).

A little known fact is that prior to the song, Smokey's name was simply "Smokey Bear" but the songwriter needed an extra syllable, so the "the" was added in the middle. Since the song was so popular, people quickly came to know Smokey as "Smokey THE Bear" ... oh, well. What's in a name anyway?

All this bear talk got me thinking about another bear icon from my youth. The Hamm's Beer Bear. I haven't seen Hamm's beer on the shelf of a store in a long time (I think I bought it once when I was in college simply because of the nostalgia factor) it seems it is still sold, but only in select markets (I'm sure northern Minnesota is one of them).
I do have to say, though, that Hamm's is not nostaligic to me for the beer (yes, my Dad drank it and I'm sure I stole my share of "sips" from his bottle or can as a child) but what really makes it nostaligic is the commercials that they ran.
Thanks to YouTube I was able to relive a bunch of those memories. Seeing one or two of these makes it clear that outside of the current "ban on cartoons advertising alcohol" that some of these are less than politically correct, but they are nostalgic pieces of history and very much a part of my childhood. The Bud Light "Real Man of Genius" commercials have nothing on the Hamm's Beer Bear!

Friday, October 26, 2007

When did Customer Service stop Serving the Customer?

Alright, I admit it. I am one to complain when things don't go the way I think they should go. Some will say that this comes from being the youngest sibling, I say it has to do with just wanting things to go the way they should and being willing to say something if they don't.
I spent today writing a lot of letters of complaint. Not because a lot of things went wrong today, but because today when one thing went wrong, it reminded of three other letters of complaint that I meant to write at the beginning of the month but didn't get around to. Hey, who says you have to complain right when the injustice is done? Sometimes time will give you perspective on a situation and remind you that some things aren't work complaining about. Other times, time will allow something to brew to the point where you point out every nit-picky little thing that went wrong and use that as fuel to ask for some really good compensation.
So, here's the story. Today I was booking flights for the Christmas holiday on my favorite airline. I received a certificate for $50 off my flight a few weeks ago and thought it was nice timing that I receive something like that when I can actually use it (usually I get those things and they expire the month before I would actually use them). So, I go online to book my flight (and one for my wife as well, since we would be traveling together it made sense to book us both together on the same flights) and when I enter the certificate information, the website says "no flights match that itinerary." Bull Crap! I looked just moments before and found the exact flight I wanted. So, I started reading the fine print on the certificate figuring there was something I was missing. Nothing! All of the seemingly exclusionary details didn't apply to the flight I wanted, black-out dates, flight class, price, everything seemed right.

Feeling somewhat defeated, I decided to go ahead and book the tickets and figured I could fit the battle with Customer Service. Surely they would see the error of the website and help me out. Well, I was pleased that Customer Service responded quickly to my concern (usually it takes 24-hours for an email to be returned, but this site said it would happen in less than 2 ... and it was more like 30 minutes!) but the response was anything but helpful (well, it was, just not the helpful I wanted). I was told the reason the certificate didn't work was that I could only book tickets individually with the certificate! That is STUPID! Why should I have to book tickets separately just because I'm using a certificate? I never did get an answer to THAT question! Well, I figured I could get Customer Service to serve me and "bend" the rules this once and just give me a refund of the $50 I over-spent ... no such luck. They were happy to tell me what I did wrong and how to fix the problem, but they were in no mood to actually resolve the situation for me. I mean, let's be honest here ... isn't it more work for me to have to cancel my purchase and re-purchase than for them to simply issue a credit for $50? Apparently not.

So, there I sat at my computer cancelling one set of tickets to simply re-book the SAME EXACT TICKETS minutes later. I even requested (and received) the same seats on the plane! But, I realized, 30 minutes of my time costs the airline nothing ... 30 minutes of their Customer Service Rep's time costs them something!
This then reminded me of the bad experience I had when I flew back to Oakland after having been in New York for an extended weekend. Arriving at the airport we were early (though I don't count it early when you hit the runway early, I count it early when you can actually get off the plane early) and there we sat on the tarmac for 30 minutes (now in my book, we were officially late at this point ... but I think the airline still counted us early ... afterall, the plane was on the ground in Oakland). We sat and waited ... and waited ... and waited. Finally we pulled up to the gate and we got off ... headed to baggage claim (which I am remembering is a fiasco at the Oakland airport) and there we stood and waited, and waited, and waited for our luggage. We waited for an hour with announcement of our luggage arriving. The LCD screens gave information on a variety of flights, but not ours! Finally, we ventured to the Customer Service desk (which in this part of the airport deals primarily with people who have lost baggage, so these are not happy people). I asked politely whether our luggage had arrived yet ... the woman looked at me and deadpan said, "that flight landed over an hour ago" ... No kidding? I was on that plane, that's why I'm asking. She then proceeded to tell me that the bags should have been delivered on the carousel but there may have been a delay due to the "security shutdown" ... what security shutdown? (I learned later the airport had been evacuated hours earlier due to a bomb scare ... a favorite pastime at the Oakland Airport). Well, I finally found our luggage ... no thanks to the Customer Service people who seemed to have all of the answers but didn't bother to share that information with any of the customers (who, like me, were standing confused waiting for their luggage).

Of course all of this was topped by the terrible experience we had at the Radisson hotel in New York. Now, I am pretty tolerant when it comes to hotels. I don't expect to get the Ritz on a Motel 6 budget, but when I pay over $100 per night for a hotel room, I have certain expectations of the type of room, safety, cleanliness, and service that I will be getting. Well, needless to say, the Radisson disappointed in most of those categories. Yeah, the place was clean (which does give it one star in my book) but beyond that, there was little to be excited about. The room was tiny. The "Sleep Number" beds were worse than camping with an air mattress. Housekeeping couldn't seem to get their job right (no clean glasses, incomplete towel sets, no refills on the shampoo, they didn't even vacuum the floor!) Service at the restaurant was worse ... when you walk into a restaurant and see 5 empty tables covered in dirty dishes, it should be a sign ... when you are ushered to the buffet without even a hint there is a menu, it should be a sign ... when you can't find a waiter to take your money, it's time to leave and never come back! Then to top things off, the hotel couldn't even provide a folio of charges at the end of our stay. They claimed that their computer was "running a report" and couldn't provide a statement. In the last 10 years I have never stayed at a hotel that didn't slip the statement under your door in the morning or provide it for you upon checkout ... something seemed fishy! Well, add to that the ride to the airport from the hotel shuttle where the driver seemed to enjoy the accelerator-to-the-floor-then-slam-on-the-brakes style of driving, I was about to lose my over-priced breakfast!

Alright, so you notice that I didn't mention the airline names in my ranting ... that's because overall, I still like the airlines that I flew. One more than the other, but I still like them. The Radisson, though, I don't recommend that to my enemies. I have to say that I've stayed at a handful of Radisson's in the last 5 years and they always seem to fall into that same category of "used to be nice, haven't been updated and now are over-priced with poor service" hotels that I would really rather not stay in!
So, what does all this have to do with Customer Service? Everything! Having once worked in that industry, I realize that it's not an easy job, but it's essential to any business. I realize that the point of customer service is to encourage people to continue to spend money with a company. So, how does a company do that? They listen to their customers. They make the customer's transactions simple. And if something is wrong, they endeavor to fix it, and hopefully without making the customer be the one to fix the problem.
Maybe I just expect too much from businesses, but I don't think so. I think businesses expect customers to put-up with too much poor service!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Is there anybody out there?

O.K. As you may have read in my last post, I am feeling a bit of a slacker for not posting more regularly. Thankfully I didn't say I would try to do better, because I would have failed miserably and simply had to say again that I would try to do better ... so here I am typing those thoughts anyway, maybe that's what a blog is for, to type the thoughts you don't have to type. Hmmm ... ponder that a moment.
I realize that in the grand scope of blogging there are two pretty essential elements. The first is that I, the blogger, would post things of interest often enough that you, the reader, will read them. More than that, I would hope you would find my thoughts interesting enough that you will stop by regularly to see what new thoughts I might have. This does assume some level of arrogance I guess that I would have enough to say or enough interesting things to say that you would want to take precious time from your day to read them. Hmmm ... ponder that a moment.

Alright, so besides studying ... you might be wondering what I've been doing lately. Well, I won't bore you with all the details, but I will highlight that I've been keeping an on a television show that our good friends Jason and Danae got us hooked on ... it's Heroes. Have you seen it? If not, I suggest you only check it out if you have a lot of time on your hands. We ended up watching something like 15 hours of last season's shows on DVD prior to the season premiere. Now at first this doesn't sound so bad, but I also failed to mention those 15 hours were watched in two days! Yes, that's called obsessive, but the show is that compelling (either that we're that weak when it comes to saying, "no, I won't watch 15 hours of television"). If you are already obsessed, like me, then you can waste further hours taking quizzes like this one ...

Which Heroes Character are you?
Your Result: Issac Mendez

Isaac is very confused and upset about his powers in the beginning, but he eventually comes to terms with them as well as with his destiny. He provides a strong moral base that all the heroes can rely on. Isaac can paint the future.

Niki Sanders
Hiro Nakamura
Claire Bennet
Peter Petrelli
Nathan Petrelli
Matt Parkman
Jessica Sanders
Which Heroes Character are you?
Make a Quiz

In other less than earth shattering news, I can't say I've been up to much. The usual reading, writing a paper or two. I did submit my application for internship which was quite a process. I've been working on the application for a few weeks now, answering a question or two as I had time and needed a distraction from other more important things. It's nice to have it done so I don't have to sweat the deadline for that.

I'm sure there are important things I could be writing about. Like the Green Bay Packers and their stellar season! It will probably be the last season in which I can write about Brett Favre and his athletic ability ... but then I've said that for a year or two now. I really think this will be the last season though, he's pretty much broken every record out there at this point and if this year's team doesn't win a Supper Bowl (which I'm not counting on, but wouldn't be upset if they did) then next year's won't be enough more likely that he should want to keep playing.

In my email inbox I've been saving a bunch of emails as thought starters for blogs, but I've now saved them for so long that I've forgotten what the thoughts are that they were supposed to start, so let me just say, so much for keeping notes!

In my final paragraph today, I would just like to ask the question from the title of this blog which hopefully is one that is near and dear to your hearts. Is there anybody out there? Does anyone actually read the wild ravings and crazy thoughts of this blog? I often wonder that and haven't really put any effort into finding any kind of tracking software to see what the answer to that question is (who knows, maybe it would be easier to track than I think). Are there topic you would like to see me rant about? Are there topics you would like to see me avoid all together (maybe like why I haven't written in a while, blah, blah, blah). I'm open to feedback, money, criticism, money, ideas, money, thoughts, money, travel vouchers, money ... have I mentioned that if you want to send me money for sharing my thoughts, I'm happy to take it ... or if you just want to send me money, that's o.k. too?

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

It's been far too long...

I admit it, it has been way too long since my last post. I could give all kind of reasons for why I haven't posted a fresh blog in over a month, but alas it just hasn't been a priority of mine. I could even go on to say that I resolve to be better in the future, but I doubt that will be the case with my current slate of things to do.

In the last month I have made two trips to the East Coast. One for a retreat to Atlanta and a nice visit with a friend there. The other to New York for a wedding where we got to see lots of family, enjoy great food, and relax a tiny bit. In the last month I have also celebrated with friends, studied hard, written papers, taught Confirmation class, ate a lot of food, drank some drinks, washed clothes, led worship, and a bunch of other stuff I probably can't even think of but certainly will as soon as I click "post".
It is interesting how time seems to fly by at some points of the year. I was doing so well at posting thoughts and ideas for a while, but lately it just hasn't been on my mind. Maybe it's a good thing since I've had plenty of "important" things to do. Maybe I should be using this outlet for my thoughts and relaxation. I don't really know, but I know that it feels good to type some thoughts right now.
I wish I had more to say, something that matters, something that is deep and ponderous, but alas all I can say is, "it's been far too long since I last posted anything."
Now, it's time to watch Top Chef reunion (hey, we all have our vices).

Saturday, September 8, 2007

The Unofficial End of Summer, and more

Well, we all know that Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. Usually after the Labor Day holiday everyone heads back to school, the weather in most places begins to (if it hasn't already) turn toward autumn, and the days have noticeably less daylight.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the pace of my summer. I enjoyed the experiences that I had at Napa State Hospital. But I am glad to be moving into the autumn season. I do wish I had had another week to transition from "summer" into "autumn" but that's life I guess. I've found myself plunged into the world of academia and I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it, but here I go again with a lot of reading. At least this semester I am excited about my classes. I've not yet had a class that after the first meeting I don't look forward to going to the next meeting, now doing some of the assignments might be another issue altogether, but again, that's life.

Here in my world it has been interesting to mark time with many new neighbors moving in. One of the interesting things about life at a Lutheran Seminary is that each year brings a whole new mix of people. The only people I get to spend time with for more than one year are my classmates ... the people in the class one year ahead of me are off to internship (though this year, many of them are still living in the apartments because of spouses that are working in the area) the people that were on their internship last year are returning, but they've never met any of the people on campus now (except a few students who are staying a 5th year to work on another degree program). So here we are with a whole new dynamic, a whole new mindset on life, and after this year, that mindset and dynamic will not be the same again, the cycle continues, much like the seasons.

Even though summer leads to autumn every year, the transition is at a different time, a different intensity, and different memories are formed each year. As it's been said many times, the one thing that is constant in life is change. We have a choice then to embrace change, help drive it, be energized by it or we can stick our heads in the sand and ignore change, believe that things are as they always were, or simply say "it's not like the good ol' days." I choose the former with its optimism, its wonder and its possibilities. Summer may be over and the days may be getting shorter but the future is bright.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Get To Know Me ... Before You Judge Me

Well, the summer is progressing rather rapidly. It's hard to believe that we are in the second half of August already. I've spent the last 8 weeks at Napa State Hospital enjoying a variety of experiences and learning an awful lot about myself in the process. My most recent learning experience is really something that I've been thinking about for most of the summer. It's the simple concept that is enclosed in the title of this blog, get to know me before you judge me.

The idea started back in the fall when my wife experienced Berkeley's "Critical Mass" when she was driving our Chevy Trailblazer through the city and was unable to proceed through an intersection because 50 bicyclists militantly took over the intersection yelling "park your car and ride a bike" and her response was, "I can't very well ride my bike 40 miles each day to where I work."

It seems like a simple and obvious comment, but the reality is that we don't practice it, any of us. I admit that I might be one of the worst offenders of this concept, but it is something that I'm working on. When I commute the 38 miles from Berkeley to Napa I find plenty of drivers that bring out my rage and my judgement of "you don't know how to drive!" But what do I know? Maybe if I got to understand who they are and what their issues are I would not curse them out for driving 55 mph in the left lane of the 65 mph freeway.

The reality of the statement however is this, we tend to assume we know about people from just seeing them. In other words, we judge the book by its cover. We have preconceived notions about people, how they should act and what they should do, because of limited information that we have about them.

Where this really came home for me was last week when I was talking with one of the individuals at Napa State, we were talking about his acclimating to Napa State and in the conversation he shared with me that he is working on his anti-relapse plan. In that discussion he shared how he prays regularly for his victims, he prays that God will heal them and allow them to live a "normal" life and be able to get beyond the fact that he sexually abused them.

I could sense in our conversation that this was a man who was remorseful for what he had done and was willing to pay his price to society. But, I sensed that there was more going on. What I sensed was his need for reassurance that God loves him and forgives him for what he did. At that point, I realized what Christ's love is really about ...

Christ calls us to look into the eyes of someone who sexually molested his nieces and say, "God forgives you and God Loves you. And because God loves you, I love you." It's not easy, but it's what we are called to do, not to judge people, but to love them.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Can't we all just get along?

In combination between my summer at Napa State Hospital and my recent reading of my friend Jonathan's blog I have something to say to the world!

Why can't we all just get along?

It seems to me that we live in a society that is doing everything it can to separate itself and divide itself and find more and more excuses to say, "this is why I'm not like you." Even in my devotion this morning, the topic surrounded this idea of how we have this tendency to find ways to exclude the people around us.

Here's an example from my week at Napa State Hospital. I wear a badge that clearly identifies me as a "Chaplain Intern" so often the first question that I get when I talk to people is, "are you from the Protestant or Catholic chapel?" (I think they assume I'm not Jewish for a multitude of reasons). I always politely answer their question, but lately I have learned there is a follow-up quesiton that comes, "So, what's the difference between Protestants and Catholics?"

My answer has quickly become, "I prefer to focus on how we're similar rather than how we're different, afterall God doesn't care what we call our faith tradition." In most cases that will make the questioner say, "you make a good point" and that will be the end of that line of questioning.

I don't think we even know we're doing it, but we're asking quesitons like this to establish whether or not someone fits our "mold" and is similar enough to us for us to spend time with them. The darkly comedic (I can't use funny, though that was my first thought of a word to use) thing about this is that if we are the one being excluded, we get up in arms and chant "that's not fair, you shouldn't exclude me!" But too often we turn right around and do it to others.

I don't recall Jesus ever separating people into categories. When he was teaching and someone asked a question he didn't say, "now, you're a Levite, right? I can't answer that question for you." Nor did Jesus say, "I'll feed the 5000 as long as there are no Pharisees or tax collectors in the group." It sounds silly, but that's what we do.

Yes, there are things that make us different, but shouldn't we celebrate our diversity? Yes, we have similarities that make instant connections with some, but does that mean we will never get along with others? I even recall some guy named Paul who said something like, "there is no distinction any longer" (my paraphrase)

Friday, July 27, 2007

Man In the Mirror


I'm sure if you are anything like me, you've looked at your image in the mirror thousands of times. Most of us stand in front of the mirror each morning and marvel at just how "bad" we look as we wipe the sleep from our eyes and try to get ourselves ready for whatever the day holds.

If we let the world's standards get a hold of us we worry about the pimple on our nose, the gray hair that appeared overnight, the sag in our cheeks. If it is a full-length mirror we focus on how fat we are and how we just don't look like we wished we looked (usually based on some model that we saw in a magazine or star that we saw on television).
I'm guessing that sometimes (maybe most times) we have a tendency to look in that mirror and look right past what we really see and instead focus on the image that we think we see. The same can be true when we look at our character. We often are looking in the fun house mirror that distorts our image of ourselves. We see the flaws exaggerated and the strengths minimized.

Part of my summer experience is self-evaluation and self-realization. I spend an hour each week with my supervisor talking about what I think I've learned in the past week (sometimes I am more accurate than other times). It is very unnatural for us to look at ourselves in this way, but it is also a good practice.

In this past week I realized that I don't always see myself the way others see me. I had one of the social workers ask my advice on how to handle a tough group that she was working with. What could I offer to her? Certainly she had been at this longer than I had. My supervisor pointed out that she felt she could trust me, that I would be, at the least, a sounding board for her. Hmmm ... I never thought of that. I always thought of trust as something that would come after a greater amount of time, I've maybe been in the same part of the Hospital as this social worker for 3 hours!

I also had the experience of meeting with an older gentleman who told me, "I get to know people by reading their faces." So I asked him what he read in mine and he replied, "You're a gentle, caring person who isn't going to take shit from anyone." Hmmm ... all of that came through my face, huh? Maybe he was just shining me on, but I want to think that he is pretty accurate.

When I look in the mirror, these are not the things I see. I see the receding hairline, the need for a shave, maybe a pimple that appeared over night, lines that are starting to form around my eyes (I guess they will become wrinkles at some point), but I don't see the trust or the love that others see. Maybe that's why we surround ourselves with other people, so they can show us what we don't see in ourselves.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Tour de Fat


So, yesterday I experienced a first in my life. I rode in a bike event ... Tour de Fat. I call it an event because I'm frankly not quite sure what it really should be called. It is most definitely not a race (I was near the front of the pack the entire time, that would not be the case in a race, even a short one), I guess it was a benefit since money was being raised for two local bike organizations, I guess it was also an awareness event since there was a lot of discussion about eco-friendliness (or as they call it now "Green"). Nonetheless I rode in it, have the t-shirt to prove, and now am not afraid of doing something like that again (assuming it's not a race).

I found some photos from the event to post, but none really of the ride itself which I can't quite figure out there was no shortage of cameras (or interesting things to take photos of for that matter). I of course was negligent in bringing my own camera, but in my defense a clunky 35mm SLR is not the right camera to carry on a bike ride (so if you're thinking about a Christmas gift for me, oh, sorry shameless plugs come later).

Aside from being a good excuse to get out and ride my bike (because there was a beer tent at the end of the ride, thanks New Belgium Brewery) it was a good day of entertainment. As the website for the event describes it, "2 parts bike rodeo, 1 part circus" the circus part came in an afternoon of side-show style entertainment. There was a goofy trio that did juggling acts (including a chain-saw, bowling ball and egg routine), then there was a really great band called the Asylum Street Spankers that really rocked the park! (they were perfect for San Francisco since their music included drug references, anti-establishment references, and a country-bluegrass-rap feel to it). At this point I wisely decided that the sun had gotten enough of me and I should head home (I have the burn to prove that, too ... but I don't plan to document it through pictures or anything).

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

WWJD ... trite, but right


I have to admit, I never jumped on the WWJD bandwagon in the early 90's when "everyone" was wearing these multi-colored bracelets and touting "What Would Jesus Do" as the answer to all of the problems in the world, but I think there is something powerful if we really take this message to heart.
For the past two days I have been in attendance at a Marginalized Ministry Conference. The attendees all are involved in some ministry to marginalized populations (go figure from the title). Some are involved in prisons, others mental hospitals, others homeless shelters. Part of the event is more-or-less group therapy for those that are in attendance. A chance to blow-off steam about their frustrations, to hear others empathize with their pain, and know they aren't alone in their struggles to care for those on the margins of society.
As you might expect there is some conversation about "how to make things better" and much of that conversation has centered around the concept of abolition of the current prison system. Frankly it's not working, there is a ridiculously high recidivism rate, the number of inmates keeps climbing, the costs are prohibitive, and even for the staff at such facilities life isn't good (one attendee mentioned that the average prison guard draws pension for 18 months ... that's not a long life-span after retirement).
As we discussed abolition of the current system one concept kept coming up: to love others. Why does love make such a difference? Think about it, if you love someone you want the best for them. If you love someone, you can forgive a lot more of the things they do. If you love someone, you see them as an individual not as a description (murderer, rapist, drug-addict). Certainly to love someone is easier said than done or is it?
A friend of mine always ends his sermons with the same line, "cling to your faith in the crucified and risen Christ. God loves you, and so do I." I always thought that was a great message, but I could never use it because I couldn't own it. I knew there were people that I couldn't bring myself to love, people that I just didn't like, people that rubbed me the wrong way.
I have spent a few weeks at Napa State Hospital when I arrive in the morning and park my car I say a prayer, "God you have brought me to this place at this time to love the people I encounter. Help me love them." In the few weeks I have been there I have met sex offenders and murderers and I can honestly say, I have loved them. I have put aside my prejudices and labels and sat with them and talked to them. I have learned they are humans in need of love, just like those of us who reside outside the walls of that facility.
I realized that my inability to love some people was really my fear, fear of what they would do to me if I loved them. Well, I have learned what happens when you love people, it softens your heart and provides room for more of God's love.
This past Sunday I preached on the story of the Good Samaritan and had an insight, the story of the Good Samaritan is set-up when one of Jesus' followers asks him, "what must I do to inherit eternal life" and Jesus responds, "love the lord your God with all [you are] ... and love your neighbor as yourself" then the man asks, "but who is my neighbor." This is where Jesus shares the story, but in doing so answers not the question of "who is my neighbor" but "how do I love with all that I am."
So we are faced with the question every day ... What Would Jesus Do? If we are to answer the question honestly we have to say simply, love. If we love, then we don't need the prisons and other institutions that are temples of our fear.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Extravagant Love


I have now been at Napa State Hospital for my CPE program for three weeks. I'm feeling like I am getting into a bit of a groove there, although it seems like there is always something that is coming in the way of really getting into a routine (Independence Day, Conferences, etc). But that has not stopped me from having some really great experiences of insight into myself, my pastoral identity, and into the human race.

Recently I had a conversation with a man (I'll call him Jim to protect his identity, and thus keeping with HIPAA requirements) who is new to the facility. One of the reasons I was talking with Jim was that he learned that as he was being transported to Napa State his mother passed away. He said, "It's okay. Now we're both in a better place." Still, that doesn't put an end to his grief.

As Jim talked about his feelings and his grief over the loss of his mother and his sadness about his inability to attend the funeral (due to his commitment to Napa State) he started sharing a story about his mother. What follows is my recollection of that story, I hope I do it justice.
My mother was a kind and loving woman. I always knew love growing
up. I know that the reason I am here is because of choices I made, not
because of the home I grew up in. My mother was an artist and she used to
love to do watercolors of nature scenes. She loved nature and she always
seemed to notice the things that no one else noticed.


Our yard, when I was growing up, had huge trees in the backyard.
Our neighbor had these Palm trees put in that were full grown. One of
those trees must have dropped a seed near our trees and one day when I was out
marveling at how large our trees were my mom noticed this little palm tree
sapling in the ground. Most people would have trod over it and never
noticed it, but my mother not only noticed it, she nurtured it and took care of
it. As it got bigger she transplanted it to another area of the yard so
that it could get the sun that it needed and survive.


My mother did that with me, too. See, I am adopted. My
parents could not have children of their own so they looked for a child to
adopt. I don't know the story of my birth-mother, nor do I need to,
because my mom and dad found me, a little child not more than 6-months old and
took me into their home, cared for me, and loved me, and gave me the love that I
needed to grow up and be a good person.

Jim's mom really seemed to understand the extravagant love that Christ modeled for us. Jesus didn't discriminate when he died on the cross. He didn't discriminate in his ministry. In fact it was to the "least of these" that he focused his ministry. How often do we overlook the little saplings all around us in life focusing on the bigger, more impressive, mature trees? How often do we overlook the people that God is calling us to serve saying, "surely that is not the person, Lord."

As I spend my summer at Napa State Hospital, I see people that society has named as thief, murderer, and sex-offender. These descriptions are true of one aspect of who they are (or were), but I see in them the face of Christ. These are children of God, heirs of the heavenly promise, forgiven of their sins. These are the saplings that we are called to nurture and guide to maturity.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Privilege

I've been spending my days at the place pictured above. Well, I have to admit, I haven't actually been in that building, but I know where it is on the campus of Napa State Hospital (no, it no longer carries the "for the insane" tag that you might read at the top of the photo). I will spend a total of 10 weeks there doing my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) basically, I am a chaplain for the summer.

A little background on Napa State Hospital. It is what they call a "Forensic Psychiatric Facility" in a nutshell, there are two parts to the facility, one where people are wards of the state and being treated for mental illness and the other for people who have either been found Not Guilty by reason of Mental Disease or Incompetent to Stand Trial. I spend some time with both groups.

On Monday, while I was eating my lunch (which is provided by the facility) I was realizing how many privileges that I have that I take for granted. My lunch consisted of a Turkey sandwich (over-processed turkey lunch meat, way too much mayonnaise, white bread), potato salad, and cucumber and onion salad. As things went, I couldn't bring myself to eat most of the sandwich, it was just too processed and coated with too much mayo. At that point I realized that I have the privilege to be picky about what I eat. Most of the individuals at Napa State do not have that same privilege (some do have money available that they can buy food from the canteen) and therefore have to eat what is put in front of them. Similarly there are plenty of people who are homeless or can't afford to put food on their tables that would have loved to eat what I had. And there I sat with the privilege to be picky about what I ate.

I know I complain from time to time about my lack of money to do the things I want to do (I think we all do), I complain about the inconvenience to me because I have to do extra work to get something I want, I complain that I have "nothing to wear", or I complain that "everyone" has it better than I do. Hopefully the next time I think of complaining this experience will be a good reminder to me that I really don't have it so bad. I can come and go as I please. I can wear whatever I want (the individuals in the secured section of the facility have lost that privilege and must dress in clothes that are all khaki).

I am reminded however of a privilege that is still afforded to the individuals at Napa State. That is, as the hymn tells us, the "privilege to carry everything to God in prayer." I think I might preach on this very subject when I have the opportunity to lead worship at Napa State. It is a wonderful piece of hope that exists in a place where many don't see much hope in their situation. The sad reality however is that many of us tend to take this privilege (or maybe gift is a better word) for granted too. We, as the hymn says, "forfeit our peace" and "bear needless pain" simply because we don't utilize the gift given to us.

The beautiful thing about the privilege of prayer is that God will never take it away.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Computer Dependent

I would hate to think that this could ever happen to my computer. I treat my computer well, I run the proper maintenance programs, I even dust it periodically. Still, I found myself about ready to throw my computer out the window last week when the operating system became "compromised". I don't know exactly how such things happen, but it happened.

So, there I sat staring at my computer, wondering what to do, knowing full well that my usual "computer repair person" is gone for the summer. There is little more frustrating than staring at a computer with really no idea of what to do to fix it.

This brings to mind the idea of how dependent I've become on computers. I realized over this last week how much of my time is spent on a computer. I realize how often I turn to my computer to get information (I'll just google it) or turn to my computer for communication (yes, email is my communication medium) or turn for entertainment (hours of fun with EA Sports NHL).

The good thing in all of this is that the weather has been decent the last week so I've been able to get outside and get a good bike ride in on many days. Of course that comes with its own computer. I recently stopped by the bike shop to pick-up a "cyclocomputer" in order to better know how far I'm traveling and at what pace. Computers are all around us.

Think about an average day, computers are in everything. We drive cars that are operated by computers. We listen to radios that are nothing more than super-computers tuned to a specific use. We operate our microwave oven (ours has certain settings that you push one button and the microwave has a sensor in it that does the rest). We have remote controls for everything (we just bought a fan that has a remote control for it).

Yes, computers are all around us. It is fortunate that computers don't break-down more than they do. I remember back to Y2K and all of the hype around that, I keep thinking about what really would have happened had all of our computers come to a screeching halt, I'm pretty sure the world would have stopped! Ah well.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Google Thyself

So it would seem that one of the greatest pieces of advice being shelled out to applicants of various types (job, internship, scholarship, university, etc) is to "google thyself". It seems that this is something that many admissions staff are doing as well as potential employers. Interesting stuff.

Have you ever googled yourself? I have. I probably google myself about once every 6 months, maybe a bit more often, just to see what the world is learning about me. I admit, one of the reasons that I have used a "pen name" for my blog is to make it a greater challenge for people who google me by my real name to find my writings. Not that I am in any way ashamed of what I write, I just figure it's best to leave a little bit of separation there.

In my most recent effort to google myself, I decided I should not only look into my real name, but also my pen-name. I was pleased to find that when I enter my pen-name RevDrum, I am in the top 8 items that are listed (and I haven't even by trying to maximize my Google exposure). Interestingly Google enquires whether I intended to type "rev drum" which with a space brings up a whole different list of items that are completely unrelated to me. I wish Google offered the option to say "nope, I know what I'm typing" but they don't, so life goes on without a sarcastic response to the computer.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I googled my real name (left out of this article for reasons mentioned above) that I didn't find "me" until 3 or 4 pages into the listings. Most of the listings are from quotes I have left somewhere on the Internet, in some cases quotes that I left years ago. I'm also listed on a few alumni lists in various places. Nothing really of substance, but then in Google's defense, I haven't really been doing anything of substance lately. I googled a few friends just to see what presence they have on the web. In some cases I found nothing and in other cases I discovered that my friends (or their children) are more famous than I thought!

I guess when it comes right down to it, I'm o.k. with my fairly anonymous existence in the world. Those that need to find me no where I am, those that want to find me usually can, and those that I am trying to avoid have hopefully been lost along the trail. When I do apply for jobs again, there's nothing tainting anyone's view of who I am or what I am about, that's good. I am sure that I will continue to google myself and others in the future, if nothing else so that the word google can remain a verb in the English language.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Is it the destination or the Journey?

I have to admit that as I watched the Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup last night I realized that they were the better team. Having watched the last few games of the Semi-Finals and the last two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, they just seemed better prepared and stronger. So I (reluctantly) tip my hat to the Ducks. I would have liked to see the Senators win, but alas it is best that the better team win, after all that is the point of such a championship battle.

As I pondered this Stanley Cup experience I got to thinking about the accomplishments that we attain in life, for example my recent vacation, and began to wonder if the goal is to be able to say "I've done it" or is the goal to love the journey along the way?

I think about my having traveled to a lot of different places and yes, it is fun to tell people some of the places I've been. But my purpose in travel has never been so that I can come home and add to my list, the purpose has been to experience those places.

I think this is the problem that we face when we are too busy trying to keep up with the Joneses. Too often we want more things, nicer things, newer things simply so that when we add up the score we can add our tally marks and end up with the biggest total in the end.

Well, this is exactly what Jesus was teaching against in his ministry. In Matthew 19:16-26, Jesus is approached by a rich young man and is questioned about what it takes to have eternal life. Most of us get caught in Jesus' instruction to sell everything and in the young man's grieved response. But I think the real key is at the tail end of verse 21 when Jesus says, "then come, follow me." For Jesus it seems to be about the journey. Finding the key to eternal life is not in obeying the commandments, it's not even in selling everything we own, it is in the journey that we are on when Jesus is leading.

I think for the Anaheim Ducks there is certainly joy in saying they are Stanley Cup Champions, but there is a greater joy in the journey that it took to get to that moment. The hours of practice, the bonding with teammates, learning from losses, experiencing wins.

Where are you in your journey? Are you busy looking for the next pinnacle to add to the list or are you enjoying where you are at along the way?

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Vacation Photos...

note: you can click on the images for bigger photos I admit it. I am still stuck in the "good ol' days" when it comes to taking pictures. 10 years ago when I was about to embark on a journey to Australia, I received a nice 35mm SLR camera for Christmas. It was a great gift and at the time the idea of digital photography was still on the horizon and the thought was, there is no way digital will replace film. Well, at the time the idea of a 1GB processor was also an absurd thought.

Well, I've continued to use my old standby 35mm SLR to take numerous photos. I even spent a chunk of money (enough to have bought a decent pocket digital) to get it repaired a year ago. Yes, I like my camera, its features, and like my blanket from my youth, I don't want to part with it just yet. In a recent trip I discovered some of the downsides to the 35mm SLR, the above photo is evidence to one of those downsides. That's a photo of Lake Ellery in Yosemite National Park, a photo I took in August of 2006 and just got developed now because I didn't finish the roll of film until my recent vacation.

What follow are photos from a recent trip to San Simeon, Monterey, and San Jose (all in California). I sort of jumped into the digital age and when I had my film developed I opted for the "digital photo CD" in addition to my prints. It's nice to have the digital option, but most of the photos weren't really worth it. A lot of the photos would have met the delete button on a digital camera for various reasons ... but here are some favorites ...

Above is Big Sur, California. I'm still a little unsure on exactly what the boundaries of Big Sur are. In different books I looked it the boundary ranged from a small town midway between Monterey and San Simeon to a general description of the area that is covered in that whole stretch. Either way, this gives you an idea of what the terrain is like, this photo was taken from a roadside stop on the very twisty, turny, Highway 1. Great fun for views, not so much fun when you're the driver (especially at night).

This next photo reveals one of my favorite "games" to play with a camera. Taking photos near still water and trying to capture the reflection to the point that you can't figure out which way is up or down unless you stare for quite a while at the photo. This happens to be a photo from the Hearst Castle in San Simeon of the Indoor Pool.

Of course there's a downside to this method of photography as well. Sometimes even I can't tell which way is supposed to be up and the place I took my film to have it developed didn't help much. When I opened the photo CD all of the images were turned upside down! The CD was supposed to have "photo editing software" with it, but the software they provided didn't allow me to save the photos after I modified them (I'm not sure what the software was good for) so I ended up downloading an Adobe Photo product and was able to at least turn the images the right direction before saving them. It shouldn't be this difficult!

On the day we visited Hearst Castle, it was a little foggy (a lot like the seminary campus most days) so we didn't get to see some of the amazing views, but we did get some interesting views like this one of the Hearst Tennis Court. Sometimes what you think is a bad thing (fog) turns out to be a good thing ...

As we drove back toward home, we spent a bit of time in the Monterey area and ventured on to what is called the 17-mile drive. You pay $9 to drive around a prestigious neighborhood and you get to look at Pebble Beach Golf Course (more on that in a minute). There are some nice views, like this one of the famous "Lone Cypress". This is the tree that became the corporate symbol for Pebble Beach.
And what would a visit to this area be without a chance to look out onto the 18th green. The club house itself is fairly un-exciting, just a block building (oh, sure they had a jazz combo playing in the lounge, but that's nothing to blog about) but the view is certainly amazing. What amazed me even more was the level of play of this group of guys on the course. Pebble Beach is a public course so anyone is welcome to play. The even had open tee times, so I considered it. That is, until I discovered the price tag of $475 a round! At that price, you would think you would be a pretty good player to be willing to shell out the money, not so.

This group of guys were probably among the biggest hacks I've seen on any course. Dirt flying every which way (and I didn't see them replace their divots) and the ball only seemed to travel short distances, but I guess they can say they played Pebble Beach!

The next day we ventured up through San Jose and stopped at the Winchester Mansion. If you are ever in San Jose, you have to make time to visit this place, it's a trip. The photo below is one that my dad took (mine is still on a roll of film that will probably be developed some time in 2008), it looks like a fairly normal house from the front, but there are about 165 rooms, with all kinds of odd things going on in them.

As the story goes, Sarah Winchester (who married into the Winchester Rifle family) built this house and continued construction on it for 35+ years to ward off the evil spirits of the people killed with Winchester rifles. There is a stairs that goes directly into the ceiling, doors that lead to nowhere, windows in the floor, and the list goes on. Talk about your eccentric people!

Monday, June 4, 2007

How to waste time on a Monday

So, if you're looking to waste some time on Monday (or any day for that matter) here are a few links that can help you out ...

You Belong in San Francisco

You crave an eclectic, urban environment. You're half California, half NYC.
You're open minded, tolerant, and secretly think you're the best.
People may dismiss you as a hippie, but you're also progressive, interesting, and rich!


You Are 72% A Child of the 80s

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert.
You should be totally stoked!


Your Travel Personality Is: The Adventurer

For you, travel is how you learn about the world. And you like to learn the stuff that's not in guidebooks.
You truly have wanderlust. When you're not traveling, you're dreaming about where you'll go next.
And your travels are truly legendary - they leave you with stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life!


Star Wars Horoscope for Sagittarius

You are superbly wise and have been known to spread your wisdom widely.
You are impatient and pushy when people take your teachings too lightly.
And your philosophical side always peeks through.
Star wars character you are most like: Yoda


You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need.
You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law.
While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top.
You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!


Your Learning Style: Unconventional and Insightful

You are very intuitive and ingenious. You're attracted to any field of study that lets you break the rules.

You Should Study:

Art
Art history
Architecture
Comparative religions
Eastern religion
Education
Music
Philosophy


Weird Al Shares Your Taste in Music


See his whole playlist here (iTunes required)

Friday, June 1, 2007

Beer and Baseball ... summer must be near

I found myself looking for sports on television today. I thought the Stanley Cup Finals would be on, but alas, they are taking an extra day off, probably to assure a game to be played on a Saturday for higher television watching, I dunno. So, as I flipped through the channels I came across a college game with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. I felt a bit nostalgic for Minnesota and decided to leave the game on as I cleaned the house.

It seemed that I should have a beer in hand as I watched, something about beer and baseball that seem to go hand in hand. Maybe again its a nostalgia thing, not that I ever really spent a lot of time drinking beer when I watched baseball, but it seems to be the image that gets planted in my head.

I always wanted to be the guy flying through the air like the picture to the left. No, I never did get to make a catch like that and be the hero of a big game, but the dream still lives. Maybe if I ever find a softball team desperate enough for my lack of skill, I will once again have the chance to dive after a baseball (and hopefully not injure myself in the process).

I guess part of the problem with being the guy who dives after a ball like this is that you can't really do that with a beer in your hand (not without losing the beer anyway).

On the other hand, I feel like I have had the sensation that this player is experiencing. There's nothing quite like connecting with the sweet-spot of a ball and giving it a ride. I remember in 6th grade my team one first place in the league tournament due in part to me hitting a triple to win the game leading into the playoffs. No, I'm not exagerating, but likely no one else remembers the feeling of hitting that shoulder-high fastball down the left field line. Oh, well. I remember it and that's all that matters.

Then there was the time in college that I took Softball as a phy ed class. What a laugh, a class where you play softball for an hour and then at the end of the semester you take a "test" on the rules of the game. Yep, a good feeling when I stood in to the box and connected with that pitch. I really could feel that it was a home run when I hit it, there was simply something about the connection ... I watched the ball fly over the fence ... then I had to go get it!
O.K. So there's some connection that exists between baseball (softball) and beer. But I have to be honest, I've not seen too many people drinking good beer while playing softball. It usually ends up being one of the domestic-massed-produced-brews that ends up in the can held by ball players. Maybe it's partly because ball players choose cans over bottles and most good beers just don't come in cans.

Take for example my current favorite brew, the New Belgium Brewery 1554. It does not come in cans. I can't even find it in a 12-pack. It comes 6 bottles at a time and is worth the effort that it takes to carry more than one 6-pack into the house.

Another favorite brew is celebrating a birthday this year (well, I guess they celebrate a birthday every year, but this one is a bit more milestonish). Leinenkugel's Brewerey in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. I'm a bit bummed out that I won't be able to make the big celebration of the 140 years of brewing ... a big fun party with free brats! Yes, I miss the midwestern joy of grilling brats all summer and enjoying them with a good brew. There's something special about that experience, yes I can do the same here in California, but the good Johnsonville brats aren't available here (care package, please?)

O.K. speaking of summer traditions, baseball and beer. I've got one name that sums it all up, Harry Caray! He's been gone from this world a few years now, but he's not forgotten. As I was thinking about this wonderful match of beer and baseball, I recall many summer days of the Cubs on WGN and Harry Caray calling the games. There was something absolutely magic about the way he called a game. Maybe it was simply the fact that Harry cheered for the Cubs, Maybe it was the fact that he didn't take himself too seriously. I dunno, but I really enjoyed those games (much like I really enjoyed Minnesota Twins games with Herb Carneal who passed away this Spring)
Rumor has it that Harry enjoyed his share of brews. I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise when he did an ad for Budweiser, if you ever saw this ad, you'll never forget it. I just wish I could find a full version of the commercial somewhere.
And who could ever forget Harry singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at any Cubs home game. I remember going to Wrigley field back before the lights, seeing a Cubs game in the sunlight and being sure that I was in my seat during the Seventh Inning Stretch so that I could witness Harry's singing live, nope it wasn't great singing, but it was fun and that's what mattered.
That's what summer is really about, having fun. Enjoying the sun, and making memories!