Tuesday, January 31, 2006

My pirate name is:
Dirty Roger Bonney
You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!
Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

books

I am working on writing three books simultaniously. Who'd've thunk? I am going back to working on the children's story that I started when I was unemployed in McCook. It has been sitting almost exactly as long as I have had gainful employment. ;/

I am also reworking the article that I have published on the web here. I am starting to conduct more interviews that I hope to use to weave a narrative through the theoretical and theological.

The third book I'm working on is the history of my church. I am particularly interested with the first years of its existance. Why was it planted? What did it feel like back then? What is our herritage. I have begun the research phase, looking through the list of former pastors, seeing who is still around to be contacted.

So many projects.... So very little time!

Other irons I am keeping to the fire now
  • Directing the youth theatre production of Beauty and the Beast
  • Working with local ministerial to help at USA school. I am working on a Coffee Shop/drop in center.
  • Preaching and administrating a church
  • Working at The Harvest a couple days a week.
  • Cooking all family meals
  • Watching the kids while Elaine is at work.
  • Acting as treasurer/fund manager for Project Caritas, our ecumenical attempt at social justice.
  • Substitute teaching
  • and of course... blogging

Friday, January 20, 2006

A story about "The Cossack (Short Story)"

by Anton Chekhov

Maxim Torchakov meets a sick Cossack on the road from church Easter Morning. He and his wife have between them a cake blessed and consecrated at that eveinings vigil. Maxim is completly wrapped in the Easter spirit, the Spirit of the risen Lord. He would give a bit of that consecrated cake to a sick soldier trying to make it home. But is wife would not. She would not break the holy cake “uselessly”.




I think it is telling that Tochakov’s life enters a spiral after wronging that man. Surely the risen Christ was there before him asking for a piece of the Kulich, and Torchakov had to choose was he to obey the voice of Christ speaking through his heart and the lips of the poor cossack? or was he to obey the unkind religion of his wife? What a story!

Monday, January 16, 2006

A story about "The Black Monk"

by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

Ah, Madness. The black monk is an agreeable fellow to me. There is something in quixotic madness that is pure and holy. Perhaps in all of us there is a longing to be quite mad, and thereby creative, joyful and at peace. May the black monk sweep into my life and leave me with mystical thoughts and a smile frozen to my chillng lips.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

A story about "Anna Karenina (Modern Library Classics)"

by Leo Tolstoy

Levin grabbed me at his first appearance. To me his character is as important as Anna and creates a wonderful contrast to her. Go Kostya!

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Comments

For some reason I really want validation for my writing. Even when I was getting paid for it, what I really craved were comments. I've sometimes questioned whether I should keep up my lectionary blog...the last few months the only comments I've garnered have pretty much been, "I'd rather die than look at this," and "MICHIGAN SUCKS."

Ulitmatly I figure even if its just for me-to organize my thoughts in a single place, its worth it. Even so, if you are struck by something please comment:}



note: my comment system utilizes a pop-up

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Left-Right politics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I always picture left and right opposite where they should be. I always pictured the spectrum coinciding with the time line. That the right wing (in my mind right was on the left side) was closer to the past, ie. Reactionary; the left, closer to the future. When I discovered my mistake, I wondered where the terms came from. Well here it is:

Left-Right politics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Historical origin of the terms
The terms Left and Right to refer to political affiliation originated early in the French Revolutionary era, and referred originally to the seating arrangements in the various legislative bodies of France, specifically in the French Legislative Assembly of 1791, when the moderate royalist Feuillants sat on the right side of the chamber, while the radical Montagnards sat on the left.
Originally, the defining point on the ideological spectrum was attitudes towards the ancien r�gime ('old order'). 'The Right' thus implied support for aristocratic, royal, or clerical interests, while 'The Left' implied opposition to the same. At that time, support for laissez-faire capitalism and free markets were regarded as being on the left whereas today in most Western countries these views would be characterized as being on the Right. But even during the French Revolution an extreme left wing called for government intervention in the economy on behalf of the poor."