The Wedding

Doug and I enjoyed John and Brooke's wedding very much. It was sacramental to see them so in love, rendered giddy with anticipation, and filled with deep thanksgiving. I remembered the most powerful moment in my own wedding was the singing of the doxology because I felt encircled with love and overwhelmed by blessing.

Two Weddings and a Funeral

Doug, Johanna, Simeon and I will be leaving tonight for John and Brooke's wedding. We will be stopping in Ripon to attend Angie's Grandma's funeral (Wednesday morning) and then we will be off to Oregon hopefully arriving just in time for John's reception. The following weekend we will be back in San Diego for Doug's brother Jeff's wedding. A busy week replete with deep, sorrowful, and joyful moments with/for our dearest friends and relations.

Excuse the mess!

My internet connection kept failing and I loss my corrections to the previous post twice. Sorry, you got such a rough version! I decided to leave it up "as is" because I haven't the energy to correct it once again. I know. I know. It is rough. And it wouldn't convince anyone who wasn't already persuaded. Just some liberal Christian rant!

Haditha

This is what I have had my mind on today especially as it recapitulates this.

What is a Christian response to such things? Why I know it is not this! I still can't fully comfortable in my own pacifism. Does my pacifism alone render me guiltless of the crimes of my country. I must admit that I feel responsible. I am a citizen? Right!? This violence was for me?! Right? For my Freedom? I remember prayers as a child: Thank You that I live In America and have religious freedom! As if Nuclear Bombs and Marines are what preserve our freedoms and not the cross of Christ. But, I don't see anyway that this war machine is gonna grind to a halt and I know to many beloved Christian friends and neighbors who have never paused a millisecond and thought--Maybe, just maybe, shooting one year old babies for any cause at all is not right. Even our cause!? Even if it were Jesus's cause. Of course I am being overly dramatic. My guess is that they would simply not believe that such acts as the slaying in Haditha would be carried out in our names and by some twisted extension in the name of Christ. However, I can't see any other way to look at it. Surely, the God of Israel hate idolatry as much as ever. Are we worshipping GOD or are we worshipping Mars? Are we worshipping GOD or the flag. It seems to me that there are lines being drawn in the sand at places like Haditha.

Remains of the Day and CD IV.2

I confessed to my lack of good reading last Thursday. I have been attempting to amend my ways and read the Remains of the Day and started Barth's Church Dogmatics IV.2 this weekend. Barth says that a Christian is one that not only hears and struggles with God (ie. Israel) but accepts a role in being God's co-worker in the task of redemption. Of course, "co-working with God" always means for me something like: whatever you do in word or in deed do it all for the glory of God. Of course this attitude I learned amongst Calvinist where it meant too often--be an investment banker ad majorem deo. Here God is preeminetly the God who is concerned with human excellance. So, are major task is to preform are calling with virtuosity. This attitude make sense as long as one is serving the right things and people. However, the Remains of the Day gently delineates the ambiquities of human virtue that makes this a task that requires much critical facility and a good deal of moral trepidation. Certainly post-Holocaust we can no longer ever think of duty the same way again.

Sunday Night Prayer

Lord God,
I pray for Yana and Heather and Mike. Deep thanks for Yana's gracious arriving. I ask that Heather and Mike might be able to craft moments of normalcy for themselves. Time when they can exult in toes and noses and little yawns. We ask in hope that she will be healed and quickly.
Amen

Nothing to say.

I find that most days I have nothing worth saying. In part because I spend my day wrestling with esoteric archival stuff or reading (and also watching) intellectual junk food. I confess that I am finding myself watching Oprah during the kids naptime, that I have been thumbing through old copies of Parent magazine, and that I even watched a whole episode of "So You Think You Can Dance?" My academic enterprise finds me giddy every time a mention of prophecy, city of refuge, cain, or total depravity is mentioned in the American Journal of Insanity (1844-1860). But, I can't yet explain the significance of my reading. No wonder I have nothing to say. I have been reading the NY Times. However, I find my self attracted to pop psychology, movie reviews and articles on Garrison Keillor and the Dixie Chicks. Perhaps, I have unknowingly suffered a head injury. This also might explain my preference of Yahtzee over Scrabble, for Agatha Christie over W. Somerset Maugham, and Coke over Coffee, and the worst confession of all: I actually know the name of Brad and Angelina's baby.