The Saganaga Experience

Religion and the workplace

2006-07-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

Todd's post here is something that I want to comment on:

as a practicing Christian there is no doubt that part of my faith is to try and bring others to the faith- if you believe that faith in Jesus, and the works of Jesus, are the keys to eternal life and resurrection, then of course you are going to want to make sure that everyone gets a shot at that brass ring.

having said that, there is no point in being an ass about it.

maybe the best analogy I can give is sports fandom- you don't get someone to cheer with you for your team by approaching them at the mall, and telling them that they will never find happiness through their current course. rather, you interact with them on a friendly basis, and then maybe you invite them over to watch a game or two and with any luck you get them to begin to understand why you are a fan, and then they can develop their own fandom.
there can be fine line between discussion and harassment. to me the key is to be at least as sensitive to what the other person is saying as to the point you are trying to make. in the work conversations I've had about religion/church stuff, it is usually pretty easy to tell if the person is comfortable talking about these issues or not.

as the song goes- "they will know we are Christians by our love" not by cornering people and telling them they are going to hell...

I guess my point is that I believe that religion has a place in the work environment, but that we all need to tread carefully- you are going to catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I don't know anyone who responds well to being pushed into something.

Shorter Katherine Kersten

2006-07-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Careless Freedom is doing anything that I disapprove of...

not to mention the fact that Johnny Depp is actually something of a role model- the guy lives with his family in a small town in France so that they do not have to put up with all of the crap involved with "Hollywood" living. you know, so his kids can grow up as normal people instead of spoiled brats.

so it boils down to the fact that Kersten just doesn't like the fact that the character of a pirate is not a role model. why is she employed exactly?

A Public Voice

2006-07-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

One of the ongoing discussions at my church is how do we, as Christians, bring our voice to the public arena? the idea is not to become knee-jerk ideologues for either the "right" or "left" in this country, as our faith is bigger than political labels, but rather to try to find a way to authentically articulate our beliefs.

in the past year, as part of this process, Westwood sponsored a study revolving around the book "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis, and a forum/seminar, sponsored by ISAIAH about the "minding the gap" report, as sponsored by the Itasca project. Going forward we are working with Isaiah to sponsor a forum for state legislative candidates in september, and a summer bible study based on the book "American Destiny and the Calling of the Church" by Paul Wee.

I did not get to take the bible study, but did attend the first form, will be attending the bible study, and am involved with the planning group for the candidate's forum. what appeals to me about Isaiah is their approach to political issues. they take a three simple, and broad articles of faith, and then apply those to our political concerns.

Isaiah articulates that as people of faith, we are people who believe in hope, not fear. we believe in the value of the community as a whole and we believe that God has provided us with an abundant world. The idea is to take these basic tenets and use them, along with all relevant facts, to approach policy problems and lobby for change for the better. it is my belief that this approach should keep Isaiah from getting locked into one specific policy, or one specific issue.

would that more people would take this approach...

Fun Time waster

2006-06-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

This site is one of those cool things about the Intarweb that I really, really love. you can type in your favorite author, band, or movie, and they will show you a 'map' of of other music that people with similar tastes also liked. for example- people who like J.R.R. Tolkien, are likely to also read the work of stephen king, douglas, adams, terry pratchett and Orson Scott Card.

The idea is that maybe you can find other writers (or movies, or music) that you would like, that you haven't heard of before. also, it is just cool.

hat tip to Marginal Revolution

book recommendations

2006-06-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished "the Armies of Memory" by John Barnes, and wanted to recommend the whole series- "A Million open doors" "Earth Made of Glass" and "Merchants of Souls" While these are science fiction books, I would recommend them to anyone- the "science" is really an aside to the characters, and the interactions between people of wildly different cultural backgrounds. Without being preachy Barnes looks at how people from different cultures interact, and what does it mean to be human, and what is love?

his other books are also quite good too, but this series in particular has been a favorite of mine.

how sad

2006-06-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

Darwin's Tortise is dead.
I didn't even know she was alive, and now I find that is no longer true.
It is pretty awesome to think that there is/was an animal alive until now, that had "seen" Charles Darwin- what an amazing link to the past.

arbitrary but fun Friday- worst restroom

2006-06-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

this is a cool idea of Michael Berube's post a random, fun topic for discussion.
as I was visiting the almost aggressively clean restroom at work today, the thought crossed my mind of the worst public restrooms I have ever visited. I haven't made it to the worst WC in Scotland, but i've seen two memorably bad situations, both here in Minnesota.

the lowest of the low is the overglorified outhouse in the city park in Milan (pronounced My-lawn) MN. stinky, filthy, the whole works. The worst indoor flush restroom i've ever visited was in Madelia, MN (just southwest of Mankato) this was one of those outside of the gas station deals where you have to ask the clerk for the key... the station was in the middle of town (off the highway, which otherwise bypasses town) and was pretty seedy looking, but I was at a stage where beggars couldn't be choosers. lets just say I was glad that the only thing I had to touch was the door handle. I felt cleaner for NOT washing my hands. just thinking about the experience still makes me shudder.

Marriage is that important?

2006-06-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

this article by Debra Saunders and this article by Katherin Kersten both beat the same drum that somehow "Bradgelina" are bad people for not getting married, even though they have chosen to have a child- or more to the point they are setting a bad example.

I would suggest the opposite is true. in fact, I believe that they are setting a very good example- by showing that they each love and cherish the child, and that they intend to both be involved in being good parents to their child. taking this to the extreme of traveling halfway around the world to avoid the otherwise omnipresent papparazzi so that the child can come into the world in a more or less normal way. would it be more ideal if they had gotten married? probably so- but I think an argument can be made that perhaps part of the reason they have not chosen to get married is out of respect for the feelings and concerns of prior spouses (I am, of course, thinking of Jennifer Aniston here)

look, I don't really want to spend too much time analyzing the lifestyle choices of the rich and famous- but I do want to suggest that, regardless of one's views of family and marriage, it is rather foolish to condemn the choices of people who obviously care about oneanother, care about people outside of just the two of them, and care about the welfare of their children- after all, conservative or liberal, isn't that exactly the sort of behavior we should be commending?

Humiliations Galore

2006-06-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

actually the title has nothing to do with the thrust of the post, I just felt like quoting "The Princess Bride."

I was reading this post by Todd, who is suddenly blogging up a storm, and thought I would put my own thoughts down in response to his final concerns- how do we find a way between certitude and the need to question, between hope and fear, the positive and the negative.

I know that like Todd, I frequently oscillate between the two extremes- often too far for my own liking. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself ill, or anything like that, but it does sometimes seem like I spend all of my time on a high, or in a low, and not too much in the muddle between.

To a certain degree I think it is a matter of choice- we can choose to look for the silver lining, or the glimmer of hope, or we can choose to see the glass as half empty, or to let our inner voices of fear take charge. but there is more to it than that. certainly sometimes you are just going to be sad, or angry, or happy- for example at a funeral, or wedding or through the birth of a child- so it is also situational. some people also argue that it is just chemical- but as Ezra Klein points out, it is all chemical, so that sort of description is rather useless.

so how do we pick our way through the emotional minefields? for me it is trying to find a blend between faith, or certitude if you like, and doubt, or a desire to question if you prefer. I find that in today's world, I have to take a lot of things on faith, and that doesn't necessarily mean there is no "proof" of those things, but rather that I simply don't have the time to confirm the research myself. for example, my knowledge of physics more advanced than many, but in truth, I don't understand very much- I would put myself at an advanced High School knowledge level- so I have only the vaguest idea how most modern appliances work- but i obviously have faith that so long as the electricity is flowing my computer, TV, Refrigerator, etc... will all work just fine. only when things don't seem to work right do I begin to question the reason why.

I guess the best way to describe my attitude towards most anything is "trust, but verify" -- I'll take just about anything on face value, but am always willing to review my options. I don't know that this is the best approach, but it seems to work for me so far.

sweet romance

2006-06-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

in another half-baked post, i've been thinking about modern romance- how do men and women go about finding one another. it seems to me that our current system is pretty inadequate to the task at hand. I suppose dating works out well while one is in school- there is a good pool of available candidates with at least some overlapping interests- but once you hit the work world how do you find someone compatable?

I'm sure that this difficulty in finding the proverbial needle in the haystack is the source of much of the growth of internet dating services- find the "real" person, all in the comfort of your own pajamas!

while popular culture usually shows the "good" guy getting the girl in the end (or vice-versa) it also shows that there are a lot of people who feel the need to act other than themselves just to speak with their target audience, and too often the "bad boy" gets the girl, at least for a while. why is it that so many men choose to act like disrespectful, sexist jerks, and why do so many otherwise intelligent, attractive women choose to go for that act?

I have no answers, but would love to hear some feed back

Travelogue-Boston

2006-06-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

UPDATE BELOW--
so I went to Boston this past weekend to visit my good friend Reed. As is usual when we get together, we had a pretty good time. We went to Fenway Park on Saturday night to see the Red Sox take on the Devil Rays. Fenway, and the whole area was very interesting to me. for starters, as a baseball fan I knew that the Boston faithful took their team seriously, but I wasn't really prepared for the degree of hardcoredness (hardcoredom?) everyone, and i mean everyone, was wearing some sort of Red sox gear- a hat, or replica jersey, or t-shirt, etc... The fans cheered when the team took the field, everytime there were two strikes on a batter, or two outs in an inning, and of course for all of their heros as they batted. the level of collective baseball knowledge was fairly impressive. and yet, there were aspects of the crowd behavior that I didn't understand- there was a constant stream of people moving up and down the aisles towards concessions and the restrooms, seemingly regardless of the game situation. certainly there did not seem to be any sort of effort made to move only during switchovers. some of that probably had to do with the lack of beer being sold by in-aisle vendors, but it was still a surprise given the level of committment by fans to their team.

on Sunday we were unabashed tourists- saw the Aquarium, and walked much of the freedom trail, starting at Fauniel Hall, and ending at the USS Constitution. Fauniel Hall was disappointing as the entire first floor is just a shopping mall for tourists- book stores, T-shirt shops and food vendors. somehow, it just doesn't seem right to go to the trouble of having saved such an important historic icon, and then turned it into a place to buy fudge and salt water taffy. The Constitution was interesting because it is still an officially commissioned warship of the US Navy, and as such all visitors have to go through airport style security to enter, and the ship is entirely staffed by active duty sailors. we ended our night by taking the T towards boston common, and seeing a movie.

Monday was a trip to the Peabody-Essex museum in Salem, Mass. I would highly recommend the museum for anyone interested in the maritime history of the Boston area. their collection of maritime artifacts is both large and interesting- figureheads, exact model ships, sextants, etc...

Finally, I want to comment a little bit on Airports, as a traveller. Because of weather and scheduling snafu's I ended up going to Boston via Chicago O'hare, and coming back by way of Dallas-Fort Worth. Of the Four Airports I was in, Boston was the worst- not because of the travel issues, but rather because unlike MSP, DFW or ORD, the secured areas are small and oriented to specific airlines. in otherwords, there was very limited room to roam once through security, and the shopping options were highly limited. I am not one to go wild in the airport gift shop, but when i've got time to burn, and no-where to go, it is nice to be able to browse, and also to have options of food to buy. in Dallas, Chicago and Minneapolis, the security area is all linked up, so whether you are flying the dominant carrier, or someone with only a one gate presence, you still have the full range of options offered, which can be nice if you have an aversion to Taco Bell, or Mc Donalds. the downside is that it can be quite a hike from the gate to the exit those sorts of airports-but for me, that is a trade worth having.

UPDATE: no I didn't follow up with the Finbergs. I have no excuse beyond my own scatter-brainedness. I feel terrible about forgetting- but now have extra incentive to get back as soon as possible...

Temping is the BEST!

2006-05-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

here's what I've learned about temp work-
1) work slow. if you finish up early, you get sent home.
2) don't work too slow- you are being watched to make sure you aren't a slacker.
3) be prepared to accept that anything you touch will be done wrong according to the person you are "helping" never mind that your "training" was a half day sitting in with a completely different person, and never mind that the person you are 'helping' would be hopelessly far behind without your work.

I don't mind temping- it isn't nearly as bad as I've made it sound, but it is good to go into the work with eyes open.

Christianism

2006-05-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

by popular request- or at least a request, here are my thoughts on the recent work of Andrew Sullivan regarding what he calls "Christianism."

Christianism is the effort by "conservative" or "right wing" to codify their religious beliefs into law, based solely on their interpretion of the Bible. Sullivan explicity compares these efforts to the efforts of some Muslims to impose Sharia in Muslim dominant countries. His argument is that while there everything right with faith informing our views as to how we want our law and society organized, there is something wrong with trying to impose the views of one religious interpretation to the exclusion of all other religions and/or religious interpretations. He argues that we need to recognize that we live in a world of many religions, and many faith interpretations, and that our law should be neutral amongst religions.

For Example, Christians and Jews both believe that there should be a day of rest in the workweek, but do not agree on what exactly constitutes the sabbath. as a result, we do not have a legally codified day of rest- business can be done on any day of the week.

so what do I think? I think Sullivan is right on. there is nothing wrong with having your faith inform your political view- in fact, that is one issue where I struggle early and often. but you also have to let the facts speak as well. and the facts have to take precedent over beliefs- I can argue until I'm blue in the face that the sun revolves around the earth, but that doesn't make me right.

Also, it is imperative that we at least respect the difference of opinion inherent in making faith-based arguments because by definition, matters of faith cannot be proven. The abortion debate is a great example of this. those who favor legalized abortion cannot admit that their opponents truly and honestly believe (and with reasonable cause) that a new life begins at the moment of conception, and that as a result of that belife the opposition is horrified at the thought of cutting that life short before it even gets a chance to begin. on the flip side, those who oppose legalized abortion cannot admit that there is at least a legitimate argument regarding the viability of the fetus, and that the health and welfare interests of the mother should have heavy weight too=- not all babies are wanted, and for the pro-abortion side to force carrying an unwanted (or dangerous) pregnancy to term is nothing less than a form of sexual slavery. Both sides have degrees of truth favoring their position- but there will be no hope of finding a middle ground until both sides can admit that the other may have some points in their favor, and are more than short-sighted religious zealots or baby-killers.

Finally, I would argue that it is important to see that the historical record has shown that yoking religion to the state does not produce good outcomes by and large. You either end up with a populace that at best has a watered down religious sensibility (see post WWII Europe) or you end up with straitlaced, backwards societies that no-one is really hapy with, and that simply are not able to adjust to any sort of changes (think the Puritans in early America)

Hostile and Abusive?

2006-05-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

as an alumni of William and Mary I find myself of conflicted opinion about the NCAA and their review of mascots with native american origins. as with so many issues, I can see and understand the opinions of the various players, and don't know that I have an answer that will cut the Gordian knot.

In favor of keeping the mascots are issues of tradition and history, as well as the fact that clearly the idea of the mascot is to be a positive unifying factor. No one chooses a mascot because they do not like the connotations implied- no one picks "cowards" or "pacifists" rather we are the Braves, or the Warriors.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that much of the imagery used in support of the mascots does perpetuate some of the worst stereotypes of Native Americans. furthermore it cannot be denied that many Native American communities cry foul when they are effectively shut out of the institutions that purport to be honoring them through the mascot name.

It seems to me that the current NCAA program of having mascot names be subject to the approval of the closest native american community to the school in question leaves something to be desired- it makes the approval or disapproval of the mascot hostage to local politics. For example, to my non-partisan eye, the university of North Dakota Fighting Sioux are just as offensive as the Florida State Seminoles, yet FSU is going to be allowed to keep their name, while UND is being pressured to change, because the leadership of the respective tribes have differing opinions.

In William and Mary's case, we have been allowed to keep the name "Tribe" which we had adopted after abandoning "Indians" some years ago, but the NCAA wants us to cease use of the logo, which features an interlocing W and M with a couple of feathers sticking out. obviously i'm partisan, but it is hard to see how two feathers can be considered Hostile or abusive. It is my understanding that the school does also have the support of what native americans that still reside in Virginia...

so how do we move forward? I think the key is to find a way to bring the sides together- there must be a way for Colleges to honor the positive traits of the Native American community without perpetuating harmful stereotypes, but the only way for that to work is for the native americans to admit that that sense of honor is the idea beyond the mascot, and for the colleges to admit that having some drunk frat guy dress up in an "indian" costume is not the best way to express that sense of honor. There is middle ground to be had, if people want it.

Success?

2006-05-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

i've been thinking a lot recently about what constitutes "success" much of this comes from my work situation, where I had had some upward mobility, but became increasingly unhappy with the nature of the job, the subsequent unemployment to take care of the baby, and now working as a temp in what is a fairly dead-end position (understandably for a temp job.) so needless to say when it comes to the employment world i find myself to be far from a success. Especaily because I know so many people who are seemingly in jobs that they find to be interesting and challenging. Certainly my parents in some senses have inadvertently set an impossibly high bar- both had jobs that they more or less enjoyed, and they were able to have long term careers with one employer. meanwhile I have ripped through two careers, and three employers in 12 years, and still am completely unsure what I want to do with myself.

yet really with the exception of work/employment, I think I have led a very successful life- married, fatherhood, homeowner, and very happy with all of those choices.

anyhow, it too often seems to me that I (and many people) too often define success by employment statuts, and happiness with-in our employment. so how do I either 1) learn to like what I do, no matter what it may be 2) find a job that is naturally 'fulfilling' or 3) learn to let the stress on employment as a measure of success drop to the bottom of the list???

The Great Transformation

2006-05-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

I've also been reading Karen Armstrong's new book "the Great Transformation" where she details how four different cultures, in a roughly simultaneous time period, all begin to reach out for a new definition of the divine. In India, China, Greece and Jewish Palestine, the seekers/priests all come to realize that the "ultimate reality" or "God" is something "ineffable, indescribable, and incomprehensable" to humans, yet at the same time us humans CAN directly experience the godhead.

The Greeks, through Plato and Aristotle then moved away from the idea that God could touched by anyone, but rather decided that god could be "proved" and that one had to have exactly the right set of beliefs in order to reach God. Although Armstrong doesn't make this point explicitly I would argue that this turn by the Greeks has been incredibly destructive as it was disseminated into the religions of Palestine (Islam and Christianity especially) and elsewhere. This Platonic/Aristotilean view can be most strongly seen in radical islam, and "conservative" christianity where people are not "allowed" to have their own opinion, rather they are expected to adhere to a particular interpretation of received wisdom, and that is that.

She believes, and I would heartily endorse that the key to any religious understanding is that by His very nature, God cannot be 'owned' or contained by humanity. As the prophets of the earlier age realized, God can be encountered but not contained. It would do us all good to remember that as we interact with one another- that we don't have a monoply on God, and that we cannot ever fully understand God.

Gospel of John

2006-05-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

i'm in a bible study at church based on the Gospel of John. I've found the reading of the gospel very interesting. On the one hand the book has all these wonderfully evocotive passages and stories that Christians hold dear- the woman at the well, Nicodemus, passages 3:16 and 3:17, Lazarus... but on the other hand the book is filled with a lot of passages that are viciously critical of the Jewish people. much of chapters 5-10 is filled with Jesus coming to an area, the Jews listening and being amazed, and then hunting him down to kill him. Jesus is able to use his super-secret ninja skills to avoid the mob, and the cycle starts over.

I was surprised by the viturpation that John uses towards the "jews" as a people. it is clear that the priestly leadership is leading the charge, but there is also no doubt that John wants to indict the whole community as complicit. It is the sort of thing that I think is only noticeable when the book is read as a whole- when heard in church, amidst other readings, etc... the anger and hatred that John evokes tend to get lost. It is easy to see how European Christians were able to use this Gospel to justify their treatment of the Jewish population of Europe.

Space Opera

2006-05-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am a pretty big fan of Science Fiction/Fantasy- most of my pleasure reading is in that genre. While I generally prefer a well crafted story that also manages to obey the laws of physics as we understand them, I am also often entertained by a good space opera. You know, the ones where Our Hero saves the day against impossible odds using his wits, the contents of his pockets, some talcum powder, and the X-14 space modulator that he just happened to discover two pages ago.

I have been partial to the Honor Harrington series of David Weber, and have also been recently reading the Lt. Leary series by David Drake. What has interested me about both of these series especially is that both authors are basically retelling the history of the Napoleonic wars, from the point of view of the British navy. Neither author is subtle about this either- David Weber is to my mind a little more 'readable' but he is also more heavy handed- he has a character called Rob S. Pierre for cripes sake.

Both writers characterize the battle as one of Good (The English) vs. Bad (The French) where the Good is characterized by "free men" fighting against authoritarian tyrrany. yet at the same time, the main characters are "gentlemen" who have no part in the life of the lower classes of the "free" country. I would suggest that this approach to the life of the "common man" in both countries is disingenous at best, especially taking actual history into play. The truth is that it is but by the grace of God that the revolution occurred in France and not England. Furthermore, the "tyrant" Napoleon was wildly popular in France. It also needs to be said that fictionalization of the Napoleonic wars, and the navy's role in each was much better approached in the works of Patrick O'Brien, who kept his "opera" on the high seas.

I think it would be interesting to see a space opera, or actual historical fictionalization, based on the Napoleonic Era from the point of view of the French, or at least some writing that presents the Revolution as something besides an unmitigated evil. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed both series, especially Weber's; I just think it is important to see the shortcomings for what they are.

the end of Confirmation

2006-04-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

so Confirmation is wrapping up for another year- next week is our grand finale, and while it has been a fairly good year, I am more than ready to move on to summer.

Our final segment of lessons has been focusing on Christian ethics- "what would Jesus do" sort of stuff, with the classes intended to be (in this order) poverty/homelessness issues, substance abuse (parents night) and sexuality.

because of a snafu surrounding the poverty lesson, we have had to move things around, so that we did substance abuse first, then poverty, and moved the parents night to the sex lesson. I really, really wish that that last bit hadn't happened. The kids were pretty involved with the substance abuse and poverty classes- taking the issues seriously and with a surprising degree of thoughtfulness- there were actual discussions and questions. It looks like the lesson plan will revolve wholly around a large group format with the pastor/leader, running the show. even so, I fear that the kids will just close up out of a mix of embarrasment from having their parents present, and from being talked to, instead of having an opportuinty to hash out some of these issues on their own- and not just their own personal sexual relationships, but also "societal" issues such as the current debates about marriage and divorce, and what constitutes the same.

on the flip side, I suspect the parents will be just fine with a 'lecture' and limited opportunities for the kids to express themselves- the parents, by and large, probably want this to be a recitatation of rules, and not an opportunity for exploration. (I can't imagine why)

This should triple my readership too- sex and religion, I should have figured out a way to get politics in, and gone for the trifecta...

Where the Lutherans live

2006-04-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

this is a great map. I love breakdowns of census data.
http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/pics/geo200/religion/lutheran.gif

for other groups here is the master list.

note also from the master list, the map of overall religious adherents. The 'bible Belt' seems to run north-south along the high plains, not east-west through the "south." Not surprisingly to me as a native of the upper midwest, we stand out strongly as having lots of people who are professing one faith or another (mostly Lutheran and Catholic- imagine that)

I would say that I am most surprised by the weak showing in West Virginia- there's a state where it seems so much of the mythos surrounding their population is that of people of faith (think the Sago mine disaster) yet, they are clearly one of the least religious states. I'm also a little surprised by how religious Massachussets seems to me. It appears I also have been sold on the garbage line that because of their urban liberalism they can't possibly be religious too. Maybe the line should be that because of their religiousity they are liberal...

Michelle Bachman

2006-04-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Ms. Bachman is the MN state senator who is the primary sponsor of a bill proposing to amend the state constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage (this on top of the fact that we already have a regular law on the books banning the practice.)

There was a hearing on her bill yesterday, which brought out the usual suspects on both sides of the issue. What intrigued me was that the new had interview clips with both Sen. Bachman and her step-sister, who is a lesbian, and who is opposed to the bill. The step sister stated that she was (not surprisingly) unhappy about the bill, and how hurtful it was to her personally to have it championed by a member of her own family. Sen. Bachman just stated that "this was an issue where we disagree"-- like it is a disagreement about wether the Vikings should have traded Daunte Culpepper or not.

to me, one of the most disappointing things about the discussion on same-sex marriage is that too often those opposed to SSM seem unwilling to talk about the issue, and the people it affects, as though the are people- it isn't about people, it is just a topic of discussion. On the flip side, I think that proponents of expanding civil marriage tend to make it a little too personal. Like too many issues, the sides talk past each other- opponents talk about the issue like it is just a run of the mill political issue, and proponents talk about the issue like it is a concerted personal attack. both are right, in part, buteveryone would be better served if we all took a little more time to listen and to acknowledge the points of the other side instead of just pressing ahead with our own arguments.

Why Hollywood is liberal...

2006-04-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

I was flipping channels tonight, and caught a bit of Natalie Portman (mmmmm) on "Inside the Actors Studio." I didn't hear the question, but flipped into her answer. She said that while she didn't want to put anyone down she felt it was important to note that the art of acting was the art of taking your imagination to put yourself into someone else's situation. She said that it is pretty much impossible to do that for a role, if you aren't willing to be able to use that imagination to view real people as well.

I think that explains a lot of Hollywood's liberalism- yes there is a lot of money sloshing around, but there are also a lot of people who see the hurts and the struggles of people in all walks of life, and there is a natural urge for those of us who can see the struggles of other to reach out a helping hand. Yes, what that means to me is that a large part of what passes for "conservatism" in this country is actually a certain blindness to what it is like to walk in someone else's shoes.

frakking telemarketers

2006-03-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

This week has been bad for people calling to hit me up for money, and i'm not talking political campaigns (yet) so far i've been called by the lupus foundation, and representatives for the police, fire and paramedics.

it could be worse, but at least I have signed up for the Minnesota state do not call list, which has dramatically curtailed the calls that I get- that I've gotten four this week is far above average. having said that, it is still really annoying to be called by someone asking for "the man or woman of the house" or asking for my wife but then not wanting to reveal their identity, or referring to their business as a "courtesy call" since as a matter of fact it is not at all courteous to call during mealtime asking for money.

usually I just hang up, but occasionally it gets to me and I am fairly rude to the caller. I went through a stretch where my telephone company called regularly looking to sign me up for additional services (allowed under the law as we have a pre-existing relationship) after requesting a couple times that I not be called I resorted to a sharp conversation- advising them that I expected not to be called ever again about "new services" and that if I was so called, I would immediately change my service to another provider.

again today to the lupus foundation caller I used short words to advise that I was not interested, had never been interested, and never would be interested and that I again would like to be taken off their calling list.

I hate having to be rude to these people, as I know that most of the callers are volunteers truly wanting to expand their chosen charity, or people just doing their job, but on the other hand they have intruded into my space, in a method known to be incredibly annoying. I guess I usually try to save the vitriol for those groups that call again and again (lupus foundation I'm looking at you) and don't seem to take the hint of being hung up on.

are there other tactics, short of delisting my number, that might be effective?

Naked Britney Spears

2006-03-29T07:42:00.001-08:00

how's that for a post title!
the deal is that a sculptor has produced an idealized statue of Britney giving birth (link here) that he apparently believes will further the anti-abortion cause.

I have no idea how he expects that to work, and I think he is mostly just hoping to spark conversation (and he has in spades.) for me though, I just don't understand. If the idea is to show "the miracle of birth" in an idealized sense, at least keep it within the realm of reality. no-one kneels on a bearskin rug with a happy face on. Trust me, I've been at a child birth. It may be a miracle, but it is also painful, messy and dangerous- there is a LOT of stress on both the child and the mother. The miracle, if there is one, is that most participants survive without lingering effects.

Naked Britney Spears

2006-03-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

Lenten Update

2006-03-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

I've been doing quite well on my avoidance of sweets until this past weekend. We were at my parent's house visiting with some family, and i unthinkingly dug into my dessert at the end of dinner (angel food cake layered with sherbert- yum!) I got about half-way before it was pointed out to me that I am not eating desserts right now. I decided to finish eating the cake though.

I am disappointed, but not unduly so- I have only had the one lapse, and this one was accidental, so by and large I have been able to avoid the temptations. also by and large I find that I don't really miss desserts. I don't see myself having any trouble going the distance, and hopefully beyond.

Minnesota Governor's race

2006-03-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

as a Democrat, I have been closely following the race for the party endorsement for governor- while I haven't completely made my decision, I am getting pretty close to it. Here is how I have looked to decide- I have been closely perusing the websites of the various candidates- Kelly Doran, Mike Hatch, Steve Kelley and Beckey Lourey for their thoughts on the various issues facing Minnesota today. in no particular order I am interested in Transportation, Education, professional sports stadiums, tax/spending issues and general economy issues (job creation, etc...)

here is what I have found. Mike Hatch is rightfully very proud of his work as the attorney general in taking on medical/health issues to help ensure that care is accessable, and of high quality. He also has a detailed position paper regarding education. however he does not address the other issues listed above. Also, I strongly disagree with Hatch's choice to essentially ignore the endorsement process as irrelevant. If you want to be a member of the party, then you need to accept the decision of the party.

Beckey Loury and Kelly Doran both address broader issues on their sites, but in both cases their sites are guided by general principles, and seem to be a little short on actual detailed plans. Mr. Doran gets huge points from me however for providing links to the other campaign websites to allow for comparisons. However he loses some points by addressing the Iraq occupation- and as the first item on the issues page. If he cares that much about the issue then he should run for a national office- not state level.

to my mind, Steve Kelly offers the best designed website- general talking points/statements of principle backed with specific proposals to advance those ideas.

so what does that mean for my opinion? I think that I most agree with Kelly Doran and Steve Kelley. I like Kelley's strong stance on the issue of gay marriage and against school vouchers, but disagree with him on stadiums-I don't like the idea of public funding for private sports teams. On the other hand, I agree with Doran about stadiums and disagree about gay marriage- he believes in 'civil unions' but not state sanctioned marriage.

on the balance my vote is for Steve Kelley- I believe that he is a more viable candidate that Doran. but, decide for your self- here's the websites.

Kelley
Doran
Lourey
Hatch

more on Kirby

2006-03-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

The radio hit it right today- playing "Centerfield" by John Fogerty, with a simple comment- Thanks for the memories.

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.
A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.

Chorus:
Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Well, I spent some time in the mudville nine, watchin’ it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the mighty casey struck out.
So say hey willie, tell ty cobb and joe dimaggio;
Don’t say "it ain’t so", you know the time is now.

Chorus

Yeah! I got it, I got it!

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) it’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

Kirby Puckett

2006-03-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

I was really saddened by the death of Kirby Puckett yesterday. As a child of the 80s he was my first real sports hero- like most kids I completely identified with his love of life, and his love of the game.

My memories of the '91 series are that I was at school for the first weekend, and the midweek games before being able to be back in Minneapolis for games 6 and 7. The first five games were hard because I was clearly in a Braves fanshed, and by game 2 I was already sick of hearing about Mark Lemke, the tomahawk chop, and the worst to first crap (as the Twins had also done)

I sat in the same spot on the same couch to watch games 6 and 7 as I had for the '87 series- silly superstition at its best. I can still remember the feeling of my heart in my throat throughout all of both of those games- and the elation when Kirby hit the home run- wanting to believe it would clear the plexiglass, but doubting it had enough carry, and then delirious joy when the ball hit the fans hands. There was no doubt in my mind at that point that the braves were D-U-N, done. Nevertheless, game seven was another rollercoaster.

I can't speak much to the post career questions- certainly I suspect that Kirby was not a complete saint, but I believe that given his background he did more with his life, and with more class, than just about anyone could have hoped for.

Kirby- we loved you, and hope that your rest is a peaceful one.

My Favorite sound in the world

2006-03-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

is a baby's giggle.

just so you know

Fat Tuesday

2006-02-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

Lent begins tomorrow, and I've been thinking about what I would like to give up this year for lent. Although that tradition of 'fasting' is not strong in the Lutheran church where I grew up, it has become more important to me over the years. I think that Lent is something that I just didn't get as a kid- to me it was a pain because it was one more time I was dragged to church, and then because of the 'dark' feel to the services. Now however, I would say that it is probably the favorite time of year for me- a whole season dedicated to thoughtful reflecton.

I think that this year I would like to both add and subtract from my life in an effort to get closer to God. What I would like to add is finding concrete ways to reach out to those that disagree with me about matters of faith and community- and hopefully spark transformative conversations for both parties. I'm not sure about subtraction yet- it will probably revolve around food, but I am not quite sold on that.

And some of the words are theirs

2006-02-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about being a stay-at-home dad is that you get to catch any TV that is on during the day. While I stay away from the soaps, I have been enjoying the olympic coverage- probably a little too much- and this morning got to catch the last 45 minutes or so of "a River runs Through it"

Even though I own the film, and have seen it a good 10-12 times now, it is one of those films that i will always stop to watch. I can't say that I understand fly fishing any more that I did before, but I do understand family a little more. For me, the point of the tale is at the end, when the Reverend Mclean is preaching about love and reaching out to help others. We may not ever be able to understand completely, or even to be able to help, but we can love completely, and maybe that will be enough. May it be so.

26 Years

2006-02-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

on this day, in 1980 the USA olympic hockey team pulled what is arguably the biggest upset in all of sports history- beating the USSR 4-3.

I don't know if I watched the game when it aired or not- I really cannot remember. certainly if I did, I did not understand the signifigance of what transpired. What I do remember is that I have been a hockey fan all my life, probably because of that game. What I can also say is that every time I see the clip of the last seconds of the game I end up getting misty eyed.

So thank you to USA hockey, and thank you to those kids, and that team, for bringing something special to my life.

The Pit of Despair

2006-02-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling very tired and frustrated today- for a variety of reasons (bronze for US women's hockey is off by two colors) but perhaps most of all because I've been following the news, and the blogosphere too closely. What has really gotten me going, again, is the general lack of civility involved. IT seems that it isn't enough to disagree, but more importantly people seem to feel a need to be incendiary and hateful in their comments- both left and right.

As someone who fairly proudly wears the liberal label, I have some serious questions for my compatriots on the right, for which I would appreciate thoughtful answers. I don't lay any claim to omniscience, and i would like to believe that I have an open mind in that I am willing to examine my own opinions. Certainly I am always willing to listen to someone who is willign to have a rational discussion.

so here's what I want to know, in no particular order:
1) What government programs do you consider unnecessary, and why?
2) Do you think that our federal government should strive to have a balanced budget? If you do, does that mean that you are willing to accept higher taxes in order to pay for the things that we ask our government to do? If you think taxes are already too high, how do you propose to pay for additional cuts in the tax rate?
3) Did you initally support the invasion of Iraq? do you currently support the occupation of that country? If your opinions have changed over time- why? if not, why not?
4) Is it OK for our forces to mistreat prisoners in any way? If some level of "coercive" tactic is legitimate to use in interrogation- how far can we go/how far is too far?
5) do you believe that the president, at least on occasion, should face audiences that may not fully agree with his programs/thoughts? (is it OK to bar people from public presidential appearances simply because they may disagree with the president?)
6) in general terms what do you think our energy policy should be? are we OK, should we put more money into alternative research?
7)What about education policy? What, if anything, is wrong with our schools today? How do you think we can resolve the problems that you percieve?
8) What do you think about environmental regulations? Is it OK to protect animal species that may be endangered, or should economic concerns always override?
9) What is the purpose (purposes?) of the criminal judicial system? What are your views on the death penalty and why? What do you think about rehabilitative programs (educational programs) for inmates?
10) what are your views on our current health care system? What do you think about some sort of national healthcare system- pros? cons?
11) do you think government should provide subsidies to businesses? what about eminent domain takings to benefit private firms?
12) do you believe abortion should be legal? why or why not?

I realize there is a lot there, and that there are also a lot of topics that didn't get addressed, but at least it is a start. again, the idea is open, respectful, conversation.

more politics- how can we do this?

2006-02-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

I am really trying to keep my thoughts upbeat and constructive, but it sure is hard when stuff like this report comes across the radar screen. it is a video clip of more photos from Abu Ghraib, and perhaps most disturbingly a short video clip in the middle where a prisoner is apparently trying to commit suicide by ramming his head against the door of his cell- he is unable to make any other movements because he is handcuffed to the door. the rest of the shots show prisoners naked and with obvious injuries.

actions speak louder than words. the United States is countenancing the torture of people in our custody. This is an absolute wrong. There are no BS smoking gun issues here- we are simply allowing our basest instincts to rule us. I thought that my country was better than this. I'm sad to see that I am wrong.

Olympic Spirit

2006-02-14T18:02:00.000-08:00

I've had the opportunity to watch a lot of the Winter Olympic Games so far and have come to realize that I am totally hooked. I consider myself a fairly big sports fan- but I'll watch almost anything when it comes to the olympic games. As I was watching Joey Cheeks try to maintain his composure today I realized why it was that I found these games so compelling.

it is because despite all the commercialism, and the increasing professionalism of the athletes, the fact still remains that they play the games for the love of the games and for pride of self and country.

Seeing pure joy (or agony) on the face of an elite athlete is something that we don't get to see enough of anymore. our athletes are too jaded by the experience- and too often run down by the long season. Watching some of these athletes make their goals is something that I am honored to be a part of- even if it is only voyeuristically. it isn't just watching the favorite celebrate a gold, or an upstart celebrate a medal, but even smaller accomplishments that are something to behold. I caught a little of the Italy-Russia Women's hockey game today- Italy is not a good team, and they had stated before the competition began that they were not playing to win, but rather just to score a goal, once, in any game. They have had fabulous home team fan support-- cheering anything good that happens to the team, even if it is just clearing the defensive zone. when they scored today, the rink erupted as though they had just won the gold- players and coaches on the bench were jumping up and down, high-fiving and smiling the goofiest grins. the fans were on there feet, yelling and clapping at the top of their lungs. Where else are you going to see that, but at the Olympics. and that spirit is why the games are played- and why I think that other than basic safety issues, any country should be able to enter competetors in any sport. Who cares if they win- the competition and the experience are the point.

extra, extra- college students drink to excess!

2006-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Star-Tribune breaks this news here. The story alleges that binge alcohol consumption is up because access is easy, and alcohol is cheap, despite "concerted" efforts to crackdown on alcohol use.

May I suggest that perhaps part of the problem is the effots to crack down. Let's face it- alcohol is legal in this country for people 21 and older. that age falls right in the middle of the college experience. Demonizing the experience- raising penalties and what not- can cause people to go overboard when they feel the are going to be able to get away with the experience. Perhaps if the culture at the university was one that emphasised social alcohol consumption we would find more college kids conforming to that idea, and only having a couple drinks at at time- instead of throwing back a bunch of shots as soon as the RA has left the floor...

Lutheranism for me.

2006-02-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

OK- now that i've covered the basics of the faith, I want to get into the aspects that speak to me positively, before discussing my doubts and concerns.

I think that the single aspect that speaks most to me is that we are incomplete people, living in an incomplete world. One look around shows the truth of that. I know that we cannot make everything better, but I am thrilled by the idea that faith and adherence to the teachings of the church can move things in the right direction. I also think that the gift of grace is very powerful- again we are broken and unworthy, no matter how hard we try to be good we are always going to fall short. yet despite our failings God has reached out to us. We are never alone- no matter what the challenge, God has committed that he will be by our side.

Finally, it speaks to me that our actions are to be guided by our beliefs- if we believe that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, then it is incumbent on us to put that belief into action and reach out to our neighbors if they find themselves in need.

Lutheranism, nuts and bolts

2006-02-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, so by definition- what is a Lutheran? a Lutheran, as I understand it is a protestant Christian. we base our belief structure on the teachings and insights of Martin Luther. Specifically we believe that salvation lies only through our belief and faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot earn/buy our way to Heaven, but rather God/Jesus will accept us into the fold just because we believe. It can even be argued that all people are saved to have eternal life because of the Sacrifice of God, in the form of his son, Jesus. It is It is God's grace- his gift to us- that is the source of salvation.

This is an essential difference from Catholocism- my understanding of Catholocism is that you are saved as long as you follow the rules, and have specifically been forgiven your sins at the time you die. As a little history- the kickoff to the reformation came at a time when the Catholic church was selling "indulgences" as a money maker. The ideas was that you could pay for the partial (or whole) forgiveness of the sins of yourself, or another by purchasing a special forgiveness from the pope. Luther felt that this was a perversion of faith- and began to examine the whole idea that one's deeds were the key to heaven.

It is also essential to Lutheranism to understand that we live in a "broken" world. This is NOT the garden of eden- nor anything close to it.

this link has more detail (straight from the horses mouth, as it were)

A new Direction, or What am I doing here?

2006-02-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted recently, not because I don't have things to say, but because more often than not, someone else says it better then I could have.

I am going to stay from politics for a while- and focus more on family and religion. there are plenty of talented political writers out there, all of whom can dissect events far more thoroughly than I would even want to, and focusing on politics just makes me mad...

so, On to religion- I'm guaranteed not to offend any one this way... :-)

I have been in a bible study through church, based off the book of Acts where we are discussing what it means to be a Lutheran in this time and place. The focus of the discussion however is more on how our church, as a community, can reach out to the larger community here in suburban Minneapolis.

I think that for me, the mre interesting question is what does it mean personally to be a Lutheran? Maybe better questions would be- Why Lutheranism? what makes Lutheranism "special"? What are my beliefs/faith and how am I falling short in "walking the walk"??

I hope to explore these issues in the next few posts over the next week or so-- any mistakes or deviations I make in representing "official" Lutheranism are my own.

pictures for you

2006-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple pic's of da baby...

more thoughts on torture

2006-01-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

Why couldn't I have come up with this

Bush & his defenders just don't get it

2006-01-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

This article in today's Strib really gets me going. Mr. Goldberg does a good job of trying to confuse the issue regarding the illegal wiretap program run out of the oval office by suggesting that we should just trust the White House- clearly they aren't just wiretapping anyone, and since congress has authorized the president to prosecute the war on terror we can be sure that the president is doing only that.

what a load of bull.

the issue is simple- the president exceeded his authority and broke the law. Congress did not authorize the president to disobey laws (they don't have the authority to do so- and he had the responsiblity to ignore any such instructions even had they occurred) second, we don't know that this program was only focused on international terrorism- the information we do have indicates that several of the wiretaps were ones that couldn't get past the FISA court- if the president can't convince the rubberstamp court that the wiretaps were necessary, why should we believe him. Also, the idea that we should trust the president because he does a good job of setting his jaw and giving a steely-eyed gaze into the camera is just ridiculous.

My question for Mr. Goldberg is when should the president be held accountable for breaking the law of the land? If the fourth amendment is too weak to be a concern of our highest civil officer are there any laws that he has to protect and defend?

More on Prayer

2006-01-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

this article in the Strib also got me going. There has been something of a cause celebre regarding the Navy Chaplain who has alleged that the Navy has forbid him from praying in the name of Jesus. The Navy has indicated that their guidelines do nothing of the sort- all they ASK is that their chaplains show respect to those of other faiths at public gatherings- and especially so at goverment sponsored gatherings. "private" worship services are to be conducted according to the tenets of ones faith.

our hapless copy editor feels that since the vast majority of American's are Christian then all prayers should be to Christ. After all she has attended hundred of services in Christian Churches and all of their prayers are to Christ. But what of the Muslim or Jew or Hindu or Taoist or Buddhist, etc... who is present at public gatherings such as the opening of a session of the state legislature? What of the first amendment?

Praying to Jesus is the essence of CHRISTIAN prayer- not the essence of all prayer. and as long as even one non-christian lives in this country we as a people are obligated to respect their faith and not put our personal religious preferences into public affairs- is that really so hard?

What Would Jesus Pray?

2006-01-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

My Confirmation class has begun a series study of the Lord's Prayer. Last night we covere the intro and the first petition. (our father in heaven, hallowed be your name) As part of the dicussion of the prayer we talked about why prayer is important for Christians, and some thoughts on how to pray- and agreed that if we are going to petition God for something, the idea is to petition for others, not for ourselves. We are all members of the body of Christ, and among other things prayer is an opportunity for us to remember all of our other brothers and sisters.

The question then came up "What would Jesus Pray?" Would he pray for victory in war? Would he pray for someone to win the lottery? Would he pray for blessings to flow to one city, state or nation only? Clearly Jesus did not pray for these things, nor would he have prayed for these things. Why then do we do so? The kids didn't really have an answer for that question.

My feeling is that we do so because we live in a broken world, and despite our best efforts we too often feel that we are somhow special in God's eyes. It is also hard to truly take the concerns of the whole world into account- Far easier is to ask for God's blessings on our immediate world. I think that we all would be better off focusing our prayers on the whole world rather than our parochial concerns.

The president and al-Qaida

2006-01-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I was reading Andrew Sullivan today and saw another expression of a common fallicy of the right (or at least those people who support GWB) : it is OK that the Mr. Bush has started a war in Iraq, and that he has expanded the powers of his office beyond all bounds because we have stopped al-qaida from making further attacks. I say BULLSHIT.

to remind those with short memory spans we have Bali, the shoe bomber and the "dirty bomb" and many, many bombings in Iraq to put the lie to that story. In addition- there have only been two successful attacks on US soil. the first assault on the WTC was a true surprise attack. The second attack on the WTC came after Mr. Bush willfully ignored the threats posed by al-quaida. President Clinton was able to forestall a second assault, but Bush, despite his expansive powers and secret plan for success hasn't been able to stop anything. We are less free than we were at the turn of the millenium, and we are also less safe- so I don't see the advantage allegedly posed by Mr. Bush.

more miracles

2006-01-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

After posting yesterdays thoughts on miracles and the presence of God, I went to bed last night thinking that I was going to have to eat my words. Not only had Penn State escaped 2 missed field goals to win the Orange bowl (by having FSU also miss 2 kicks) but more importantly all of the news networks were reporting that 12 of the trapped miners in W. Va were still alive. I may have to eat my words anyway, as there is no doubt that I prayed for a miracle myself.

I went to bed thinking that my pessimism and cynicism were misplaced, and woke up to find out the worst- the miners were dead, with only 1 survivor. It is clear that the inital reports were the results of garbled or miscommunication, and in retrospect the mine officials should have acted as early as possible to temper expectations rather than waiting for full confirmation.

Maybe that is a definition of faith-- hoping that our rational expectations and fears are wrong.

I cannot begin to imagine the additional pain incurred by the families of the dead because of the bad information. To go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows because someone talked out of turn is quite probably more than I could bear. My heart goes out to all the people of Tallmansville. My prayers are that the begrieved may find some sort of peace and that their faith will give them strength.

2006-01-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

So the Vikings are looking for a new coach. What sort of a coach would be adviseable? Jim Souhan of the Strib thinks that it would be good the the Vikings to get someone with talent teachign defense. I think that in addition to defense they also need someone who is serious about discipline- and obviously that would include off-the-field conduct as well. by this I mean a coach who sets clear standards and expectations for everyone, with clear rewards and penalties. This is management 101 but too often we see teams where players are unsure of what they are expected to do- and unafraid of any consequenses for failure. Teams that have been successful in the NFL don't just have talent, they have discipline and they are in a situation where everyone is on the same page with regards to the game plan and direction of the organization. it's that simple. avoid turmoil and win games.

2006-01-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

I was watching TV this weekend, and saw that it is time again for the publishers clearinghouse sweepstakes. this year's add shows a woman opening her door for the prize patrol, and exclaiming "god answered my prayers!" I thought to myself that things just don't work like that. If God answered our prayers in the positive then more people would have been saved from the world trade centers, the miners would have already been saved in West Virginia, there would be peace in the middle east and the Vikings would have won a Super bowl.

I was also watching as much football as I could over the weekend- mostly college- and I am continually surprised by the number of players who loudly and publiclly profess their faith- usually by pointing at the sky after a big play. It seems to me that many players and fans feel that their team's success is due to divine providence alone- not just god-given talents but the actual hand of god coming down and guiding the ball, or the players.

I guess I don't believe that God takes an active part in the world anymore- at least not in the miracle sense. God doesn't decide who wins the Sugar Bowl, God doesn't save people from mining accidents, and God doesn't stop humans from killing one another.

What God does do, is keep his end of the bargain- he has spoken the words that will allow humanity to someday break our chains of greed and hate and fear. he speaks to us all in many ways- trying to have us see that the only way to reach out to him is to first reach out to our fellow man.

Why Americans Don't Vote

2005-12-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

As I have been following the story of President Bush's admission that he has chosen to spy on American citizens without any sort of oversight process it came to me why we as a people tend not to be politically involved.

I think americans tune politics out because it is too draining emotionally. If you pay attention, then it follows that you care about what is going on- and it is hard to care becaues it quickly becomes all consuming. To take the "war on terror" as an example- those who support the President see this as a national security crisis. If we do not draw the line here and now, if we do not use every means at our disposal to win, then we will lose- radical Islamacism will kill thousands more Americans, a new caliphate will be established encompassing all of the Arab world, and Israel will be wiped off the map- radioactively if necessary. On the other hand, those who oppose the President's policies believe that we are creating enemies, both real and figuratively, in order to sustain the vast expansion in presidental power at the expense of our way of life- destroying America in order to save it. We are paying too high a price- the bill of rights- for "victory" and we are pursuing victory the wrong way. it is impossible to kill an idea by blowing up people. you have to engage the ideas and rehtoric of the enemy and demonstrate it to be false.

having intentionally kept away from presuing the rest of the blogosphere while the baby grew, and now starting to come back, I forgot how much happier I was not paying attention. Given my political leanings, I am really, really pissed off at the actions of this presidency- and the closer I follow politics the more pissed I get. The truth is I don't like to be pissed off, I rather prefer happiness.

I think that the easy answer for many Americans is that ignorance is bliss. Rather than tie up emotional energy into a debate that will never end, many of us just walk away from it all.

More Seasonal Thoughts

2005-12-21T07:54:00.000-08:00

After I posted my musings yesterday I began to realize that the flip side of the family focus during Christmas is that this time of year can also be very sad for a lot of people. Our losses are magnified as we gather together and it is easier for us all to see the holes in the tableau. I think that for people like me, who tend to be traditionalist when it comes to holidays, it can be even harder. If the holiday gathering is a 'set piece' then we know instantly when something is wrong.

Christmas last year was hard, and Christmas this year will be hard too, with the loss of my great-uncle Roy. in some ways Roy was the odd one out in our family- he was fairly quiet (at least compared to the rest of us) and always seemed more at ease when the group was a little smaller. but at the same time he was steady- you could always depend on him to say the nice thing, and to be there to lend a hand. it sometimes seemed to me that he had a sixth sense about being helpful- he never stood and offered, he just stepped in right when someone was needed and got the job done.

guys like roy are rarer than they should be, and I miss him greatly.

Advent Thoughts

2005-12-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

As the last few days before Christmas roll away, I find myself thinking more and more of family. This is natural not only because of the gifts I have bought (that I hope they like) and because we are going to be able to get together this weekend, but because Christmas, at its heart, is about the start of a family. Joseph and Mary were a couple, but you can't really say they were a family when they travelled to Bethlehem all those years ago. To be a family there need to be parents and children. The arrival of Jesus cemented those bonds for Joseph and Mary- expanding their circle of love to include the new baby and to begin the building of something new for the three of them.

Allison's arrival has not only given me a new person to cherish and love, but has somehow made my love for all of my family members grow. not that I didn't love them before, but I now care for each one of them even more today than I did at this time last year. Maybe that's the miracle of Christmas- not the virgin birth, but that we are all reminded of the power and grace of family.

I hope everyone is able to express their love to their families this season- if not for Christmas (or Hannukah or what ever holiday you celebrate) then just because you can.

Bush must go...

2005-12-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't yet seen the rationale that his defenders will use, but as far as I am concerned- there is NO excuse for the president of the united states to countenance breaking the law. Mr. Bush has admitted that he authorized illegal surveillance by the NSA in this country. He should, as a matter of honor, now step down from his post. he cannot seriously claim to be protecting the rule of law, and the civil rights of all americans when he simultaneously is undermining the constitutional guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. That is why there needs to be oversight, and not the whim of the chief executive.

my question for those who would defend the president in this matter is this- if it is OK for him to break the law in this case, what instances, if any are too far out of bounds? can he arbitrarily dismiss congress? what about ordering a "state of emergency" and imposing nation wide martial law? Can he 'forget' to pay his taxes? is he allowed to have oral sex in the oval office?

the love boat

2005-12-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

the indictments have come down- 4 Vikings players, each charged with 3 misdemeanors involving sexual conduct out of the boat cruise on lake minnetonka a few months ago.

I guess I understand the sex bit (presumably these women were quite attractive) but what I don't quite get is the public nature of it all. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a chartered boat cruise on a lake is probably not the best place to get your freak on.

Is there a sense of entitlement amongst pro athletes that lets them think that they can do stuff like this without consequence? It seems that way- I just don't know.

Christmas Shopping

2005-12-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

I was shopping this week at my local "Christian" book store- looking for some gifts for people. I usually avoid this establishment, because it always makes me feel uncomfortable. This time I braved it because I had some specific religiously themed ideas in mind, and I figured that this would be the best place to look. silly me.

As I was looking at their gift selection this time, I realized why it was that I didn't like to shop there.

1- almost all of their ''gift" items are pretty garish. there is rarely something simple and tasteful. apparently if you want 'Christian' merchadise, you want it rococo, or "Crafty"

2-the store is not really for all Christians. It is for those people who are "conservative" in their outlook. most of the books on the display gift table were screeds attacking outsiders for doubting the Christian faith, or 12 steps to leading a godly lifestyle that will also make you a lot of money, or, worst of all, biographical profiles of those considered worthy. The most prominently displayed book in the whole store, directly inside the entry, was a hagiography of President Bush the junior.

Needless to say, it was clear that only a certain strain of Christianity was welcome- muscular, conservative, protestantism. Catholics and liberal Christians need not apply. I find that rather sad.

no Christmas?

2005-12-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

for all the fuss that we've been hearing about retailers using "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Christmas in their promotions, this story has gotten surprisingly little press.

churches, ostensably "Christian" churches, are doing away with Christmas day services all together. One church spokesperson said "If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning?" is it me, or isn't the joke about the unchurched, or underchurched that they only ever attend on Christmas and Easter???

I would suggest that those facilities that are not holding services on one of the two most important holy days in our religion are less interested in any sort of actual theology of Christianity, and more interested in providing a good lifestyle for their "pastoral" staff.

rivalry

2005-12-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

The Gopher hockey team played North Dakota this weekend- earning a sweep with a pair of 4-3 victories over the Sioux. While I would not necessarily call this the biggest rivalry in college hockey (probaby BU-BC is bigger) it is certainly a series that both teams are very interested in winning. The games were both well played- high speed, high energy with lots of hitting and scoring chances. between the two teams there are up to 4 players that will be playing in the World Junior Championships in a few weeks- testimony to the skills on display.

Looking at the games got me thinking about what makes for a good rivalry in sports, and i think that there are just a few elements. First the series has to be competetive- no team can have won more than 2/3 of the total games played. Next is geography. teams need to be physically close to one another. Longevity is also important- having a history is meaningful. Finally, to lift a rivalry to greatness is that it has to regularly have an impact on the standings of the overall sport.

bad things and good people

2005-12-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend's sermon- like most advent sermons- was about longing- looking ahead for something. yet in what seemed to be something of a throwaway line at the end, I caught what seems to be a partial answer to the question of bad things happening to good people.

Maybe, in this world of our which is no longer a perfect place, the best we can hope for is that there will be a final victory of good over evil. That suffering, pain and even death will not have the last word. That good people can rise above tragedy by having faith that good can prevail, and then acting on that faith.

I don't know that this answers the prior question for me of a God that too often appears to stand by, or to allow a lesser evil to occur, but it does give me some comfort. I want to believe that there is a reason for the universe- a purpose of good over evil- it is just sometimes so hard to see.

two of a kind

2005-12-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

in the past few days I've seen articles in the Strib from both the pro- and anti- war crowds each looking to crowd the opposing viewpoint out of their area. in this article from today we read about an Army recruitment office that is offended by a sign posting the number of american dead in a neighboring store front, and in this article the Hamline law school faculty is working to limit recruiting access on campus. the army recruiters are wrong, as are the college faculty.

as Americans, we are nothing if all we do is seek to squelch the opposing viewpoint. the law school faculty should trust that their students are intellegent enough to know the pros and cons of campus military recruitment, and the recruiters should have no problem with the acknowledgment that Army life can be very dangerous in this day and age. Both groups hold a sacred duty to defend and protect the constitution, and it is especially odious that both groups are trying to undermine the first amendment with their specious arguments.

Christmas

2005-12-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go to the Concordia (Moorhead) Christmas concert tonight at Orchestra Hall in Downtown Mpls.

it was my first trip, and it was truly fantastic. The Choirs and Orchestra were incredible, and yet my favorite parts were the sing-a-long hymns. not just because they were familiar greats (silent night, joy to the world and o come all ye faithful) but there is something about coming together with a large group of people for a single purpose.

immaculate conception

2005-12-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

today in history, by papal fiat all good roman catholics are directed to believe in the immaculate conception. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Immaculate+Conception the concept that MARY had to be preserved from original sin so that she could give birth to the Christ child.

However it seems to me that if God the Father wanted Jesus, his son to be without original sin (the sin of adam and eve that has been visited on all of us) then he would have just made it so without the rube goldberg mechanisim of removing the original sin bit one generation back. If God can concieve a child without going through the usual sex bit, he surely could have the child born without sin, don't cha think?

don't mess with my bear!

2005-12-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

i'm over at wil wheaton's webside (excellent reading- wil can WRITE!) and I see this bit of corporate goodness http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2005/12/oh_bother.html
Disney is going to replace Christopher Robin with a girl????? WTH (what the heck- i'm trying to limit my profanity)

that is 100% wrong. so wrong all i can do is sputter. I'd say more, but I think Wil hit it on the head with his tirade.

a perfect world?

2005-12-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

I teach confirmation- 8th grade boys- and while they spend most of their time talking about the prospectis for the Vikings, or what happened at school that day, we do occassionally spend time discussing our faith.

last night we read a story called "things are not as they seem." in that story a couple of angels came to earth and first visited a rich family. although they were treated poorly, one of the angels took the time to repair a wall at this home. they then visited a poor family farm, which welcomed them as best they could. in the morning however the poor families cow- their sole source of income was dead.

when the younger angel questioned the older one why things happened they way they did, the older one explained that he had seen gold hidden in the wall of the rich family's home. rather than let their greed overcome them, he sealed the wall to keep the gold hidden. at the poor family's home the angel of death had come in the night, to take the farmer's wife, but was instead entreated to take the cow as a replacement. the lesson we were supposed to learn is that things always happen for a reason, miracles happen for God's purposes, not ours, and eventually things turn out for the best.

one of the kids immediately pointed out that having the cow die was not really an optimal outcome- yes it was probably better than having the wife die, but the farmers were still going to be sorely tested without any source of income. he wanted to know how we could live in a world where things allegedly turn out, yet this was clearly a sub-optimal outcome.

My personal belief is that this is a broken world- we don't live in the garden of eden anymore, and not all outcomes are for the best. it then follows that God cannot always be present and active- right? I would submit that the typical American view of god as 1)all-powerful, 2)all-knowing and 3) all-good is incorrect. If God had all three traits then he would not, and could not stand by while bad things happened to good people.

I don't know how to reconcile the truth of bad things happening to good people with the declarations of my faith that god is good, god can work wonders, and god knows everything that happens on this world. can anyone help me?

world cup

2005-12-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know enough about the world wide soccer scene to know if the US was ripped off by the FIFA rankings that kept us from getting a top seed for next summers WC. It does seem to me that the Netherlands DID get ripped. If you are the #3 ranked team in the world, with a long history of Cup successes then you should get the benefit of the doubt.

FIFA's biggest problem is secrecy- no one really knows what the formula is to get a ranking- it appears to be as much subjective as objective. This is supposed to be the worlds biggest sporting event and everyone involved should know what it takes to get the top seed in a pool.

Claims

2005-12-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

I worked for 6+ years as a general liability claims adjuster on behalf of Target. Anytime a customer of Target got hurt at one of their stores it was reported to my office, and we dealt with the incident from there. this meant anything- from people having heart attacks or fainting, to getting run over by shoplifters fleeing the store to getting run over by the security guy chasing the shoplifter or a target employee otherwise accidently (and rarely intentionally) causing injury. and everything inbetween.

at that point, some people would pursue a claim- looking for compensation of some sort- medical bills paid, "pain and suffering" or even punitive damages.

naturally I have a few good stories out of this. Perhaps my favorite is this account from last summer.

Some Target stores have large concrete ball's out front of the doors- these balls are painted red, and obviously serve to keep people from driving their car through the front doors. One fine day this summer a young man in his 20s was leaving the store, and remarked to the cart attendant that he thought it would be fun to kick the "beach ball" the cart attendant told the guy to knock himself out. Our genius friend got a running start, wound up, and kicked the ball as hard as he could. obviously he did not hurt the concrete. he did manage to break at least one bone in his foot however. He pursued a claim against Target- postulating that it was Targets fault since the cart attendent gave him permission to kick the ball. We denied his claim.

Just remember this the next time you see a lawyer's add on TV telling you of your "rights" and remember that stupidity is not cause for compensation

Saganaga

2005-12-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Saganaga is a lake on the Minnesota-Canada Border, on the eastern edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I don't think it is the largest lake in the system, but it can be the most vicious if you are in a canoe. it is big, and wide open. in a wind it is essentially impassible. having said that, it is an excellent gateway to the BWCA- at the end of the Gunflint trail, with several possible routes peeling off to one side or another, including into Canada. the BWCA (and Quetico Park too) is arguably my favorite part of the world- there is something very satisfying about having an area dedicated to human powered travel. Much like the Appalachian Trail, the BWCA is an experience only open to those that are willing to work at it.

wells-fargo v. focus on the family

2005-12-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

I'm already behind the curve on this, but I want to understand, even if I'll never agree.
Why do religious conservatives so hate Homosexuals, and more importantly, why do these conservative groups always, always, identify homosexuals as a monolithic bloc? it is always the "radical homosexual agenda" or the "homosexual lifestyle"

I'm not looking for answers that cite the Bible- because as far as I can tell, that's crap. As a Christian myself, I know that the Bible sometimes contradicts itself, but when in doubt, I go with the following formula- the Gospels are the paramount part of the text- the rest of the New Testament serves as an expanded commentary, but is subsidiary to theGospels, and the Old Testament is subsidiary to both. So if the Christ said to love our neighbor as ourself then that pretty much trumps all the rest. Christians follow Christ- not Paul, and not the pentateuch. Christ made it CRYSTAL CLEAR that we are to put our fellow man in front of our own needs. How does Dr. Dobson achieve that by expounding hate?

I wonder if the people who came up with those terms have ever met any gay men or women. I have, in several different settings, and of those men and women that I know, there is nothing like an agenda or even an identifyable "lifestyle" unless you mean that they like to garden. as far as I can tell all of the gay people I know are looking for simple tolerance- you don't have to approve, you just have to leave them alone.

I don't currently bank with Wells-Fargo, but I think I'll be moving accounts shortly...

First post

2005-12-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

here it is- dipping my toes into the blogosphere. here is a quick vitals on me, and what I hope to be writing about-
Eric House, 33 yrs old, new father and currently stay-at-home dad living outside of Minneapolis. my most recent prior job was working as a general liaiblity claims adjuster on behalf of Target. I'm politically and religiously liberal- I am a practicing Lutheran (what are the odds- a liberal minnesota lutheran!) but I don't believe that I'm dogmatic. I'm a big sports fan- all things Minnesota, but especially hockey.

I expect to do a little of this, a little of that- some religion, some politics/current events, some sports. sort of a renaissance blog if I can manage it. it is one big experiment.

The Saganaga Experience

Religion and the workplace

Shorter Katherine Kersten

A Public Voice

Fun Time waster

book recommendations

how sad

arbitrary but fun Friday- worst restroom

Marriage is that important?

Humiliations Galore

sweet romance

Travelogue-Boston

Temping is the BEST!

Christianism

Hostile and Abusive?

Blogroll

Success?

The Great Transformation

Gospel of John

Space Opera

the end of Confirmation

Where the Lutherans live

Michelle Bachman

Why Hollywood is liberal...

frakking telemarketers

Naked Britney Spears

Naked Britney Spears

Lenten Update

Minnesota Governor's race

more on Kirby

Kirby Puckett

My Favorite sound in the world

Fat Tuesday

And some of the words are theirs

26 Years

The Pit of Despair

more politics- how can we do this?

Olympic Spirit

extra, extra- college students drink to excess!

Lutheranism for me.

Lutheranism, nuts and bolts

A new Direction, or What am I doing here?

pictures for you

more thoughts on torture

Bush & his defenders just don't get it

More on Prayer

What Would Jesus Pray?

The president and al-Qaida

more miracles

Why Americans Don't Vote

More Seasonal Thoughts

Advent Thoughts

Bush must go...

the love boat

Christmas Shopping

no Christmas?

rivalry

bad things and good people

two of a kind

Christmas

immaculate conception

don't mess with my bear!

a perfect world?

world cup

Claims

Saganaga

wells-fargo v. focus on the family

First post