|
go here to buy my stock photography
Alan Creech
 Custom Search
happy st. patrick's day sites & things i like
abbey of gethsemani faith communities christ the king blogs i read
aaron klinefelter
|
November 21, 2008
> 9:09 AM
snow and the reading  Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Real live snow in November. "Real live" is enough to cover the ground and stay around the next day. We don't live in Michigan or Buffalo here so give us a break. This is not common for us in November. And for us snow lovers, it's exciting. We're like little kids who keep running to the door to look out and see if it's still snowing by looking under the street lights outside - wait, that's exactly what I kept doing last night - ha! Anyway, it's cool. May it continue to come and bring us a real live Winter this year. A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (4:29-32) Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them. Do nothing to sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ. This was the reading from today's Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. Every now and then something stands out to you as you pray or read in the Office. Today's reading was like that for me. It made me sad. As I read this aloud, I had a slight feeling of hopelessness come over me as concerns the whole Christian community. It was a sinking feeling of "O Lord, how can this ever happen? We're not even close to listening to this. This is just not going to happen." Forget all of mankind in it's fallen brokenness, look at us, the supposed People of God. It's pitiful how we treat each other, how we speak of other people, to our siblings in Christ, not to mention those outside of Christ. I can't even speak kindly or act in a compassionate way toward my own family sometimes. And listen, these are the simplest, the most basic of instructions about how we are to behave, we who have been branded with the name Christian. This is baby stuff and we want to go on to some kind of higher things, "more important" things when we can't even learn how to gum our food and swallow it. I think we just need to settle down and listen - close our mouths and eyes, grab hold of what shred of humilty we can find and learn the Way. Lord Jesus have mercy on us. Labels: christian life, liturgical prayer, weather 0 comments
|
permalink | e-mail me | March 27, 2008 > 12:33 PM easter time > et cetera Well, Easter is here, still with us, finally. Was Lent 80 days this time or what? Lots of Alleluias and all that. Once again, I really have yet to feel an Alleluia in my soul. Perhaps I don't have to, but it would be nice. Rainy, rainy day in Kentucky today, as Bryan has already pointed out. We have some thunderstorms moving through. I love them too. I remember sitting on our porch when I was a kid, with my Dad, watching and listening to them. I want a porch or deck now that I can do that on. Soon, perhaps. I may invite some of you to the "deck raising." I love the rain actually. I know, generally speaking, it's considered "dreary" and "depressing," but I like a good rain. Look, I don't have to have rain to be depressed. I'm good at that in all weather - seriously people. I love the sound of it. I love the smell of it - have you not smelled rain? You just want to breathe your lungs full of it. Once upon a time I remember telling friends of mine when they asked me, "Why don't you go back to the Catholic Church?" - I remember telling them, "I don't think I could do it - just too much to wade through." That was my standard answer. Well, I'm sort of coming face to face with that - have been for the last year nearly. I have to tell you, I'm finding that I was right to a certain extent. There is certainly some shit to wade through. It could be simpler. Some days I wonder what I have undertaken, especially for my family. It could be a LOT simpler for those who are already committed Christians from other traditions. And yes, I know I've done my share of whining about all this, and I'm probably not finished. For some reason, I thought I'd be done with the process by now. I thought we'd all be done with it by now. I thought amiss. My courage is no longer fading. I fear it is gone. Yeah - not 'gonna be on Journey Home any time soon I don't reckon - ha. Grace and Peace to you. technorati tags > spring, rain, easter, catholic reversion Labels: catholic, easter, reversion, weather 0 comments
|
permalink | e-mail me | March 07, 2008 > 7:41 PM out like a lion > links Well it looks like Bryan and I are finally going to get our wish. Winter seems to be going out like a pissed off lion here in Kentucky. We have a mean Winter storm moving through. We got a bit of ice earlier today and tonight and on through tomorrow, we're scheduled to get from 6 to 10 inches of snow! I'm sorry for all of you who are sick of Winter or who don't like snow anyway, but YEEE-freakin-HA! I am really looking forward to this. I'll keep you updated and put some photos up when it gets good - and yes, I'm trying to be optimistic.
Labels: weather 0 comments
|
permalink | e-mail me | February 13, 2008 > 1:27 PM and snow it is  ...and it's still snowing - not tons but still. This is Winter. Finally! Labels: weather 0 comments
|
permalink | e-mail me | July 24, 2007 > 1:46 PM that darned weather That darned weather indeed. I watched one of the most fascinating documentaries I've ever seen a couple of nights ago on the History Channel. It was called Little Ice Age: Big Chill. I quote from the show page: "From 1300 to 1850, a period of cataclysmic cold caused havoc. It froze Viking colonists in Greenland, accelerated the Black Death in Europe, decimated the Spanish Armada, and helped trigger the French Revolution. The Little Ice Age reshaped the world in ways that now seem the stuff of fantasy..."I've heard a few things about some of this, but have never seen a full exposition on the period in question. This Little Ice Age, a period of fairly rapid and radical climate change beginning in around 1300, did a number on human society it appears. Especially as it was preceded by quite the period of mild to warm weather in Northern climes - great vineyards in England, cereal crops in Norway, etc., all leading to relative prosperity and a population boom. In what seemed like an "overnight" period, clouds formed, sun went bye-bye, and rain, snow and ice came. Crops died - and didn't come back for centuries. People froze to death in late Summer, etc. Not good at all. I sat amazed at the historical record from different areas attesting to this phenomenon. Yes, and eventually this is what drove people to starvation all over Europe, and inside, anywhere to get out of the cold, wet, frozen muddy mess - and the rats came in too, and the fleas, and the Plague. Very likely, no Little Ice Age, no Black Death. Oh my. Quite a few migrations of people groups wouldn't have happened. Wars and famine would have been much reduced if this weather turn hadn't of happened. I even wondered about one "perfect storm" of a cataclysmic event that might have been very much affected by this change, and whether it would have happened as it did if not for the shift - the Protestant Reformation. Sure, lots of things were bad in the Church but things had been bad before, even evil, and things were dealt with. But as it happened this thing was not merely theological and religious, it was social and political and those factors made it much much worse than I suspect it would have been otherwise. That's just a very small hypothesis I had. I know the weather is bad sometimes, but damn. That mess made a... well, a big stinkin' mess. God's Grace and Mercy be on us all as we participate in the midst of the clean-up effort. technorati tags > little ice age, weather, global climate, little ice age: big chill Labels: church history, history, personal, weather 0 comments
|
permalink | e-mail me | |
daily prayer
lent lectionary readings > today
my blog post labels
blogging archives
|
000
038
