This is what my paternal Grandmother would say, most especially to my Grandfather. Alcoholic beverages were, to them, the Devil's brew. They were believers in prohibition. As Christians, it was their view that the use of alcohol, for any reason, was a sin. This was also tradition in our family for generations. It was not negotiable. Never mind that even Paul said to take some wine for your stomach's sake or that Jesus raised a glass of wine at the last supper or even made gallons of the stuff wedding feast at Cana. To hear them tell it, none of this wine was alcoholic. As to where the apostles got unfermented wine in April for the last supper/Passover is beyond me. Perhaps it was an unmentioned miracle. Whatever.
Gramps used to tell a story about enjoying some 3.2 beer with some other farm hands on a hot day. It nearly ended in his divorce. Grandma was apoplectic. She did not really understand the difference between being drunk and having a beer or two. Not many in the old fundy and evangelical churches did understand this. Needless to say, Grandpa did not go there again. He did, however, keep a bottle of the liquid version of Geritol in the laundry room on the top shelf. I walked on him taking a few serving spoonfuls more than once. Back in the day, this kind of Geritol was about 50% alcohol even though the label said that it was for "iron poor tired blood", whatever that is. Gramps also liked him some chewing tobacco and he would smoke a cigar if someone gave him one. Grandma would let him get away with these things as long as no one else heard about them.
The lines we evangelical Christian types draw around things that we think approach sinful behavior is sometimes amusing. In this day in age, most evangelicals will have a drink or two, but there are still some that keep to the old ways and you never really know who you will offend with your presence in the liquor store check out line. Old ways die hard and sometimes, even though I think it's OK to have a toddy or two with dinner, I feel like I'm sneaking around when I go to make my alcoholic purchase.
I went to the liquor store on Wednesday to buy some beer. I like craft beers and I was bored with what was in the refrigerator so I went to buy something different. When I got there, in the parking lot I spied one of the church elders waiting in his car. I supposed his wife was inside shopping and thought nothing of it. This particular elder had seen me there before. He knew I was a "consumer" of such things. Again, I thought nothing of it. I went in and went about my business. It took me awhile. There are many choices and I wanted something I had not had before. When I finally made my decision and was pulling it off the shelf, I heard a very, very loud female voice speaking to me.
"Hi Jeff, it seems like we see other here more than we see each other at church". This was trailed by loud and obnoxious laughter as she wheeled her cart out the door. It was the elder's wife of course. The elder had seen me go in and texted his wife to have her exit through the liquor store and have a bit of a joke at my expense.
It worked extremely well. I felt my face flush as I turned, 4 pack in hand, to go to the check out. She was laughing all the way out the door. It was funny and it proved to me that I am still conditioned to feel guilty about alcohol consumption. I'm a sixty year old man. When am I going to break the restraints? Not sure.
It was funny though. I would buy her a beer if she wanted one.
Friday, December 22, 2017
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Thoughts on Rudolph
After decades of hearing the song annually everywhere I go, I have concluded that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is a metaphor for something else.
You see, I have come to believe that Rudolph was (is) a gay ginger. It explains so much about him. It's why the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names. It's why they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.
It's also very odd how his disabilities lead to advantage when circumstances dictated the need. All it took was a bit of fog for everyone to see Rudolph in a different light
Then how the reindeer loved him....he went down in history.
Looks pretty gay to me....just sayin'
Winter Soltice 2017
December 21, 2017 - the winter solstice. The sun reaches its lowest point in the southern sky creating the shortest day and longest night of the year. In ancient times it was celebrated as the Saturnalia, the time of death and rebirth of the sun god. The ancients would party for a week. Slaves were allowed to do as they pleased.
On December 25th, the rebirth of the sun would become more obvious. Days would grow progressively longer and the nights shorter. In four months time, the earth would begin to recognize this and respond by once again producing life after a long winter of discontentment culminating in the vernal equinox.
And so it has gone, century in and century out, for millenia.
As to exactly how the birth of Jesus Christ came to be recognized as occurring at the same time as the rebirth of the sun (god) - well that's a simple matter really. Or not. Some blame Emperor Constantine. Others blame the ancient church that wanted to display their victory over the pagans by taking over their holidays. Whatever the case, I find it very doubtful that Christ was born into this world on December 25th.
Even so, as a Christ follower myself, I find I must cling to Him at this time of year because the darkness is so great, I fear it will overtake me. Many that live in the northern hemisphere would agree with me. The darkness and cold are too much to bear. Perhaps I should move to South America. If only I spoke Spanish.
Whatever the case, we do live in interesting times. Many of the heroes of the social justice wars are falling and continue to fall. There is the scent of real justice in the air. They have been foisted on their own petards. Pray this continues. The outlook is bright. May God bless the efforts of the Emperor.
You see, despite the darkness, I have hope. A light burns in me that was placed there by the Nazarene. His Father is in control and His plans work even now to the ultimate good of all who have this Light and love Him. So let the dark come. It will soon pass away
Victory is at hand.
Not sure what all that was about, but I needed to write something. Thanks for sticking with me as I plow through the darkness.
On December 25th, the rebirth of the sun would become more obvious. Days would grow progressively longer and the nights shorter. In four months time, the earth would begin to recognize this and respond by once again producing life after a long winter of discontentment culminating in the vernal equinox.
And so it has gone, century in and century out, for millenia.
As to exactly how the birth of Jesus Christ came to be recognized as occurring at the same time as the rebirth of the sun (god) - well that's a simple matter really. Or not. Some blame Emperor Constantine. Others blame the ancient church that wanted to display their victory over the pagans by taking over their holidays. Whatever the case, I find it very doubtful that Christ was born into this world on December 25th.
Even so, as a Christ follower myself, I find I must cling to Him at this time of year because the darkness is so great, I fear it will overtake me. Many that live in the northern hemisphere would agree with me. The darkness and cold are too much to bear. Perhaps I should move to South America. If only I spoke Spanish.
Whatever the case, we do live in interesting times. Many of the heroes of the social justice wars are falling and continue to fall. There is the scent of real justice in the air. They have been foisted on their own petards. Pray this continues. The outlook is bright. May God bless the efforts of the Emperor.
You see, despite the darkness, I have hope. A light burns in me that was placed there by the Nazarene. His Father is in control and His plans work even now to the ultimate good of all who have this Light and love Him. So let the dark come. It will soon pass away
Victory is at hand.
Not sure what all that was about, but I needed to write something. Thanks for sticking with me as I plow through the darkness.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
I have Invented A New Drink
I call it a Kidney Infection.
Mmmmmmmm.
One before dinner and one after. You are set.
Try one.
THE BEST MILO INTERVIEW EVER
Milo Yiannopoulos is my favorite political commentator. He is gay, Alt-right, anti feminist and pro Trump. His mind is incredible. We need more like him. He is Greek, Jewish and Catholic. What a mix. I love diversity on the right when it comes together this way. He is also young, which gives me hope for the future. Please watch the video below. If he does not offend you, he is not doing his job.
Check out Milo's website.
Friday, December 15, 2017
Reliving The Wound
Henri Nouwen was a Catholic priest born in the Netherlands. He was famous for, among other things, his concept of the wounded healer. When he taught at Yale, he published a book about it called, "The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society".
The notion of the 'wounded healer' is the idea that, although the one giving pastoral care is broken spiritually in some way, he can still bring healing to others. The advantage here is the healer's brokenness. Our wounds enable us to serve. Our weaknesses become strength; the power to help God's other wounded children see hope in the face of misery. Nouwen said it this way:
“I have been increasingly aware that true healing mostly takes place through the sharing of weakness. [I]n the sharing of my weakness with others, the real depths of my human brokenness and weakness and sinfulness started to reveal itself to me, not as a source of despair but as a source of hope.”
He also said,
"There was a time when I really wanted to help the poor, the sick, and the broken, but to do it as one who was wealthy, healthy, and strong. Now I see more and more how it is precisely through my weakness and brokenness that I minister to others."
He was an interesting man. After leaving his teaching job at Yale, Nouwen went to work in Toronto at a place called Daybreak which was a community for the severely disabled. He was charged with the care of one patient named Adam that was plagued with severe epileptic seizures. His last book, "Caring for Adam" was about that experience. In it, Nouwen describes how his initial approach with Adam did not work. Apparently he tried to push Adam more and more - to fix him as it were. This failed. Nouwen came to realize that Adam would never improve from his present state, that he would never be able to achieve anything. Acceptance of this was hard, but what Henri learned was equally difficult. The very best service that Henri could give to Adam was simply to be there for him and to help him. As Nouwen said, “the true task of life might be the task to live our life faithfully in communion with the Lord [rather] than to change it.”
I think that last one is my favorite line. Faithfulness is more important than change, especially when change is not an option or it's impossible.
The facts are very disconcerting. Sometimes the wounds do not heal. They will never heal.
Not long after Nouwen's death, someone at the BBC outted Henri as gay. As a Catholic priest, he was of course celibate. No one has ever accused him of anything else. But to my mind, this has to have been part of his 'wound'. As one who has lived the celibate gay life for decades, I understand this in ways that you, dear reader, do not - cannot. The wound is coupled with loneliness.
Phillip Yancey said of Nouwen, “I go back through [his] writings and sense the deeper, unspoken agony that underlay what he wrote about rejection, about the wound of loneliness that never heals, about friendships that never satisfy.”
If we, in the church who are gay are also to live faithfully, then we must embrace celibacy and everything that goes with it including the pain of loneliness and friendships that do not complete us.
We cannot change who we are, but we can remain faithful though our wounds remain and we must relive them daily in our cause.
Some will recoil at that statement. As I look back at my steps over my past 60 years, enabled to view all the mistakes I have made, I no longer recoil. As I recall, our Lord's resurrected body still bore the wounds of his brutal death. Even so, Thomas knelt and proclaimed, "my Lord and My God". My spiritual scars are nothing in comparison except reminders of how much better my life is with Him than without Him. His wounds are a healing balm to me. They roll back some of my pain. I am enabled, despite my woundedness, to help myself and others.
The notion of the 'wounded healer' is the idea that, although the one giving pastoral care is broken spiritually in some way, he can still bring healing to others. The advantage here is the healer's brokenness. Our wounds enable us to serve. Our weaknesses become strength; the power to help God's other wounded children see hope in the face of misery. Nouwen said it this way:
“I have been increasingly aware that true healing mostly takes place through the sharing of weakness. [I]n the sharing of my weakness with others, the real depths of my human brokenness and weakness and sinfulness started to reveal itself to me, not as a source of despair but as a source of hope.”
He also said,
"There was a time when I really wanted to help the poor, the sick, and the broken, but to do it as one who was wealthy, healthy, and strong. Now I see more and more how it is precisely through my weakness and brokenness that I minister to others."
He was an interesting man. After leaving his teaching job at Yale, Nouwen went to work in Toronto at a place called Daybreak which was a community for the severely disabled. He was charged with the care of one patient named Adam that was plagued with severe epileptic seizures. His last book, "Caring for Adam" was about that experience. In it, Nouwen describes how his initial approach with Adam did not work. Apparently he tried to push Adam more and more - to fix him as it were. This failed. Nouwen came to realize that Adam would never improve from his present state, that he would never be able to achieve anything. Acceptance of this was hard, but what Henri learned was equally difficult. The very best service that Henri could give to Adam was simply to be there for him and to help him. As Nouwen said, “the true task of life might be the task to live our life faithfully in communion with the Lord [rather] than to change it.”
I think that last one is my favorite line. Faithfulness is more important than change, especially when change is not an option or it's impossible.
The facts are very disconcerting. Sometimes the wounds do not heal. They will never heal.
Not long after Nouwen's death, someone at the BBC outted Henri as gay. As a Catholic priest, he was of course celibate. No one has ever accused him of anything else. But to my mind, this has to have been part of his 'wound'. As one who has lived the celibate gay life for decades, I understand this in ways that you, dear reader, do not - cannot. The wound is coupled with loneliness.
Phillip Yancey said of Nouwen, “I go back through [his] writings and sense the deeper, unspoken agony that underlay what he wrote about rejection, about the wound of loneliness that never heals, about friendships that never satisfy.”
If we, in the church who are gay are also to live faithfully, then we must embrace celibacy and everything that goes with it including the pain of loneliness and friendships that do not complete us.
We cannot change who we are, but we can remain faithful though our wounds remain and we must relive them daily in our cause.
Some will recoil at that statement. As I look back at my steps over my past 60 years, enabled to view all the mistakes I have made, I no longer recoil. As I recall, our Lord's resurrected body still bore the wounds of his brutal death. Even so, Thomas knelt and proclaimed, "my Lord and My God". My spiritual scars are nothing in comparison except reminders of how much better my life is with Him than without Him. His wounds are a healing balm to me. They roll back some of my pain. I am enabled, despite my woundedness, to help myself and others.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Dark and Cloudy
The sky is weird today. It's almost 0930 in the morning and it seems quite dark...dark, cold and gloomy. It is not windy today though, and I think it may warm up enough later that I can get the lawn sweeper out and pick up some leaves.
Thanks to everyone for putting up with my rant yesterday. I am OK, just screwed up like usual. I am not dangerous to myself or anyone else. A friend suggested some therapy. I may do that. It's too cold to go fishing (which is the best therapy).
This is the time of year that the sun kind of dies in the sky. It will soon be dark from 0430 PM to 0900 AM. It sort of turns me into a wackjob. I keep threatening to get one of those light therapy units that they use in Alaska. I may order one today. It might help. I understand why so many people move south for the winter. It's not just the cold. It's the darkness. I might order some motivation too. Surely Amazon has some. They have everything else.
At least Halloween is over. Now we can get on with the rest of the foolishness and into 2018.
I should go home now. I actually do have things I could be doing. Constructive things. Why wait for the motivation to be delivered? I could make some of my own. I used to know the recipe. Lately, I've been slow cooking procrastination. It's always best when prepared that way and served with a side delay sauce. It makes for good stew too. I am so funny.
Stew does sound good though. I might just put some together in the crock pot today. That should make the whole house smell like wintertime. Note to self....stop at Hy-Vee on the way home.
Later friends. I gotta make a grocery list.
Thanks to everyone for putting up with my rant yesterday. I am OK, just screwed up like usual. I am not dangerous to myself or anyone else. A friend suggested some therapy. I may do that. It's too cold to go fishing (which is the best therapy).
This is the time of year that the sun kind of dies in the sky. It will soon be dark from 0430 PM to 0900 AM. It sort of turns me into a wackjob. I keep threatening to get one of those light therapy units that they use in Alaska. I may order one today. It might help. I understand why so many people move south for the winter. It's not just the cold. It's the darkness. I might order some motivation too. Surely Amazon has some. They have everything else.
At least Halloween is over. Now we can get on with the rest of the foolishness and into 2018.
I should go home now. I actually do have things I could be doing. Constructive things. Why wait for the motivation to be delivered? I could make some of my own. I used to know the recipe. Lately, I've been slow cooking procrastination. It's always best when prepared that way and served with a side delay sauce. It makes for good stew too. I am so funny.
Stew does sound good though. I might just put some together in the crock pot today. That should make the whole house smell like wintertime. Note to self....stop at Hy-Vee on the way home.
Later friends. I gotta make a grocery list.
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