Music Shuffle
Jane shuffled her collection of music and came up with the top ten. I did the same and got:
Priere (frere Roger) - Taize
Circe mea pectora - Carl Orf - Carmina Burana
Quia fecit mihi magna - Requiem and Magnificat
She's Actual Size - TMBG
Suite No. 1 in F (Allegro) - Handel's Water Music
Britten: 4 Sea Interlides
Petite Fantasie
Ducke of Marlborough (U.S. AF Band of the Rockies)
Fantasia and Imitation in B Minor, J.S. Bach
Black - Sarah McLachlan
What do you get?
Catching up… Langauge…
Well, I am way overdue for some blogging... I've been to Indiana for an ordination, Oil City to preach, Grove City for a confirmation... And more! But that will come, I hope, later. For now, some fun that I found on AKMA's blog:
Your Linguistic Profile: |
| 60% General American English |
| 20% Yankee |
| 10% Dixie |
| 10% Upper Midwestern |
| 0% Midwestern |
The new market for tobacco?
I think I have found the new market the tobacco companies have been looking for. See this article.
They can't sue, right? Perfect!
(Thanks, Micah for the link.)
Spring…
...has sprung in the Shenango valley!
...cleaning has begun. I've been doing quite a lot of that today. My morning shopping rounds took me first to Lowes, where I got two packs of vacuum bags for my indoor carpet cleaner. I tend not to change that often enough, and am overdue yet again. Then I went to the car wash, where I got the car nice and clean. I then went to the feed and seed store for sunflower hearts (less mess) for the birds. The next stop was the vacuum store where I ordered a new brush for my indoor sweeper. The old on is in good shape, but last year I used it a lot on the balcony and would just prefer to start fresh.
While I was there I made an impulse buy, a new "stick" vacuum by Eureka. It happened while the gentleman was looking up a price for the brush I started looking at the new vacuums. My thought was it would be nice to have one to use on the balcony when the indoor/outdoor carpet out there was dry. When it is wet and caked with seed I have to use my small shop vac. But when it is dry I had been, as noted earlier, using my regular vacuum. I wasn't entirely pleased with this notion since the balcony has bird seed, leaves, and other yucky unmentionables... Which I'd rather not then bring into the house. The small stick vacuum has no brush, but it has as much power as many full-size uprights, and I can dedicate it to the balcony.
Once I got it home and assembled I found that it worked beautifully on the balcony which, as you can see is much cleaner. (Two weeks ago it was disgusting. Imagine all the bird seed, shells, leaves from fall, and other things that have been compressed between and under layers of snow all winter revealed once the snow melted. Y U C K).
After the vacuum shop I stopped at Auto Zone for car cleaning products. You can see the tire cleaner in the balcony shot above, and one very clean tire near the top of the photo (yes, that's my car).
I then moved on to Kraynaks where I looked for pansies and did not find any. I did, however, find some nice pansies at K-Mart. I brought everything back home and proceeded to CLEAN! First I potted up the pansies. Then I started with the balcony, which you have already seen. That took the new vacuum, a broom, gloves, and a large bag. I finally tossed my Christmas tree out (it had been out there for months providing perches for the birds, but it was time). The leaves have been picked up, the seed swept up, and all tossed. I finally got rid of two hanging pots that weren't in good shape anymore, too.
After all that was done I stopped for lunch. Phew. After lunch I moved on from the balcony to the car. I've cleaned the floormats and interior surfaces, and armorall'ed them. The front and rear windows have been cleaned, along with the mirrors. I threw out a ton of junk, and organized things a bit. I need to run the vacuum in there, too, but don't have any way at home to get power that far (without a really long extension cord). I'll either find someone's house to do that at or wait until the next time I visit my parents and use their garage. The car looks to be in good shape for a while (see: here, here, here, here, and here).
I even put the spring/summer wiper blades back on the car. The winter ones have more life left in them but I still engaged in a long debate about whether to keep or toss them. (Those that know what else is going on with me will understand.) I decided to keep them.
The car's so clean I think I'll have to cancel any upcoming road trips... Wouldn't want to get bugs on it!
With the car clean and my 10th trip to the dumpster accomplished, I drove back to Kraynaks for plant food and a birdbath (see balcony photo above). I just figured it was time to water as well as feed the birds. They have yet to demonstrate that they know what it is.
I've also started two new hanging baskets, one with tomatoes and one with butterfly attracting plants. Both are in the oven germinating. More photos when those begin to produce shoots and flowers and such.
Hard to believe that the area looked like this, this, and this just 6 days ago! Here's one for comparison.
It is now after 1600 EDT and I needed a break... So I'm blogging! But, alas, I am nearly done with that and must return to my cleaning efforts. All this going and coming has left a trail of dirt through the house, and I'm overdue for my weekly vacuum anyhow, so I'd best change the bag and do that now. Sigh. Maybe some dishes will magically get clean, too (looks like it!)...
Sermon for 2 Easter – 3 April 2005
See the readings here. I also make heavy reference to this resolution.
Once again, this one was done without a manuscript, as was the whole of Holy Week. So I'm recreating this as best as I can.
This is another one of those special Sundays that I look forward to every year. It isn't Easter, certainly, or Christmas. But it is the Sunday when we read about Thomas. Doubting Thomas. I love his story. He's not willing to buy into the whole "Christ is Risen" thing until he has a chance to see Jesus in the flesh, touch his wounds, and so on. He reminds me a lot of me, and probably reminds us all of ourselves from time to time. We all have our doubts, our fears, times when our faith just doesn't seem to rise to the occasion.
There are all sorts of little examples of this that I could mention. But this year I have one big example in mind. It is something that has been on my mind a lot over the past few weeks: Death.
Unless you haven't watched TV or read a newspaper in a few weeks you probably know the name Terri Schiavo. She's the woman in Florida who had a heart attack 15 years ago. Her brain was deprived of oxygen for four minutes and she lapsed into a coma or a vegetative state. She's been that way for 15 years. She's in the news because her husband has been trying, for the third time to have the feeding tube--the only thing keeping her alive--removed. He feels it is past time for her to move on. Her family, most notably her parents, feel that she could still recover and don't want to let go, and feel she should remain on the tube for as long as needed.
If you've been watching the TV you would get the impression that all Christians side with her parents. It would seem that if you are Christian you believe that taking her tube out would be the same as murder, a violation of the sanctity of life.
I'm here to tell you the exact opposite. Keeping someone alive beyond the point where they are capable of recovery isn't murder. It means trusting in the promise of Christ. It means recognition that death isn't an end but a continuation.
This morning I am going to do something I rarely do: I'm going to read from a non-biblical source. I have here a resolution of General Convention 1991. This is proof that I do not speak on my own in this. A resolution in the Episcopal Church is not a proclamation by one or even a few people--nothing like when the Pope says this or that. It starts with a committee. They do prayerful work and research to create the resolution. Then it goes to General Convention, where representatives from the clergy and laity debate, modify, and eventually vote it into official being. This means that this resolution represents the belief and teaching of this Episcopal Church.
It reads as follows... [I read the resolution in pieces, taking time to translate it into English from resolution-speak. I also emphasized some points:
- The difference between euthanasia and the termination of life-sustaining treatment. The latter is valid if and only if the patient is unconscious with no hope of recovery. This determination is not arbitrary, but usually requires the certification of two or more doctors.
- The importance of the individual's own wishes being carried out. It is impossible unless those wishes are communicated: In writing, verbally with family and friends, and even more importantly with your pastor or priest. Since he or she should be a part of the end of your life, who better to help the family when such decisions are made (and to put them in the Christian context).]
Terri Schiavo died this week. God was finally able to work healing for her... For healing does not always mean a discharge from the hospital and a restoration to fullness of health. Sometimes it means, as we said in CPE, a spiritual discharge to that place where there is no pain or grief, no illness. A true healing.
Terri wasn't the only one who brought death to mind this week. The Pope has also been in the news. He died yesterday morning. The news this morning said that Roman Catholics the world over were in mourning. I say, however, that they should be rejoicing! Why? Because he had a full life, a full ministry, and now he is at rest. Why? Because he has the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ, the same as do we.
That's the good news in all of this. We have a promise: Christ died. Christ rose again. All this in order to secure for us eternal life. That's our promise. Death is not final. It is not something to be feared. But we do. Like Thomas we have our doubts. We cling to life for all it is worth, sometimes long after--like in Terri's case--there really is any life. All because of our doubts.
On this second Sunday of Easter, my sisters and brothers, do not doubt. Have trust in God's promise. Have trust in Christ's saving deeds. Have faith, and do not fear.