stumbling toward divinity

awesome commercial

I just saw this commercial on TV. I have to say, it's one of the better ones I have seen in some time. Probably because I can relate...

all the world's a stage. especially my car

Back in the day (read a couple of years ago) there was this show on VH1 called "Motormouth."  The premise was that people nominated their friends to be on this hidden camera reality show, where somehow they got the clueless person to drive a vehicle full of hidden cameras.  The first round was this person driving the vehicle all by themselves and singing along to the radio.  The second round was when the friend(s) who nominated them rode along with them and egged them on.  At the end, their vehicle was ambushed by the camera crew and it was revealed that they had been filmed during the entire car trip and that their friend(s) in the vehicle was/were the culprit(s) that nominated them.  At the very end of the show, the person who got into their singing/performing the most ended up as the winner.

Sadly, that show didn't last long.  But I loved every minute of it.  I think it's because I could see myself in the people that were singing along with the radio.  Because I like to rock it out in the car.  I also like to rock it out in the shower, but a reality show along those lines would cross a lot of boundaries and break some laws, I believe...

But, back to the topic on hand, I am a definite car singer.  I love singing in the car, especially songs that are just asking to be sung along to.  Like "You Raise Me Up," by Josh Groban (I have a rule that when that song comes on my iPod everyone in the car has to belt it out.  It's just not a song that can be listened to quietly), or "More Than Words" by Extreme, or even "I Swear" by All-4-One (I can admit it...).

If there were cameras in my car tonight, I totally would have won.  I had my iPod on shuffle on my way home from running errands.  And, wouldn't you know it, the song "La Vie Boheme" from the musical "Rent" came on.  Now, I've already mentioned how this song can get stuck in my head, even when I haven't heard it recently. 

But it came up on the iPod, and I totally rocked out.  Several times.  Yes, that means I hit the back button and sang the song like four times, often at the top of my lungs.  Arm motions, for emphasis, may have been involved.  I reigned myself in, though, as I was driving at the time.  But I put on the car singing performance of a lifetime. 

I was disappointed that there was no camera crew waiting to ambush me when I pulled into my driveway...

Camp Out

One of my good friends, J, is out at camp this week, with another friend, Ross, and one of my fellow first call education* classmates, Brad (he doesn't have a blog, hence no link... well, not that i know of, anyway).  They are the camp directors for this particular camp, and spend a lot of their time organizing and fund raising for this one week out of the year.

Now, this is not a post where I gush about how much I love camp.  Anyone who regularly reads this blog will already know that.  The purpose of this post is to gush about this particular camp, because it is the only one of it's kind.

You see, it's a Christian camp.  For GLBT** kids.  And not only that, but there's a movie about it.  A movie that just recently premiered on the Logo Network.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to my friend J's house for the premiere party.  I've known about this movie since the camp first started three years ago, and I've been dying to see it.  So, Saturday (The Day I got back from the mission trip [a post is forth-coming about that, worry not!]), I drove to my friend J's house and ate some snack foods and watched the movie.

And it was a good movie about a topic that is extremely relevant, especially in church conversations and circles, and it asks a very important question:  CAN someone be Gay AND Christian?

It follows the experiences of 10 youth (6 boys and 4 girls) as they come together to experience a week of community and fellowship in an accepting and welcoming environment.  It does a good job of highlighting five of the youth, giving us a glimpse of their personalities, and some of them really do shine.  It also does a good job of highlighting some of the internal struggles that the youth experience, such as reconciling their spirituality with their sexuality, as well as integrating their sexuality with their self identity.

So, I encourage you to check your local listings and WATCH THE SHOW!  And, if you know youth who would benefit from such an experience LET THEM KNOW!  If you're a youth who would benefit from a camp experience like this then WHY NOT GO?  I have links for most of this stuff on my left hand column, but to make it easier, here are direct links.

The Naming Project - the group started and led by J, Ross and Brad that runs the camp.
Camp Out - the website for more information about the movie.
Logo - the network that is airing the movie

*First call education is a program for rostered leaders in the ELCA who are in the first three years of their first call.
**  GLBT means Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender

can they be serious?

I just saw a commercial for the newest reality show on VH1:

"Scott Baio is 45 and Single."

I'm serious.  That's the show.

I have no words.

i never knew what i was missing

Years ago, when I was a junior in high school, I attended the post-prom party with my friend Sarah, the foreign exchange student who was living with my family at the time and his date Denise.  We had a good time while we were there.  It was a Las Vegas theme, and you could play the different games and win tickets and then put the tickets toward a number of prizes that they had.  The one I remember the most was this word processor, that was kind of like a typewriter crossed with a printer, if I remember correctly.  You would type out whatever you were writing and you'd see it on this small screen, and then when you were done you'd have the word processor print out your document. 

It was similar to this picture, except a little more bulky. A little more like an electronic typewriter and less like a computer keyboard.  There were a lot of other prizes, but I remember this one the most because it was the one I wanted.  I seemed to think that it would come in handy a year from then when I would be heading to college.  So I took all of my tickets that I earned and put them in the bucket for this word processor.  I really wanted that word processor.

Well, I didn't get it.  They drew someone else's ticket.  And because I had put all of my tickets in that one bucket, I didn't have a chance of winning anything else.  So I was a bit disappointed.

A little bit later, however, they made the announcement that they would be drawing for door prizes.  Anyone who was present was eligible to win these prizes.  You weren't required to put tickets in buckets to win them.  I wasn't paying too much attention, though.  Up to that point in my life the only thing  I had won in that way was a small fire extinguisher.  For years that thing was a very important fire extinguisher for me.  Because I had won it.  It was MINE.

But then I heard my name called.  I had won something.  I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but I went up to see what it was, and it was a 13" tv.  I was ecstatic.  I had won my very own tv!  It was small, but it was MINE!

And since that point, that is the only tv I have owned.  So my senior year in high school, my four years in college, my year as a youth director, my four years on campus at seminary and my year of internship, and then these past months at my first call.  I have always only had this 13" tv screen.  And it's been good enough.  I didn't have a huge desire to get anything else.  It has worked fine for me.  The only reason I've thought about getting a bigger tv is so that when I purchase my Playstation 2, and Guitar Hero, I'll be able to see the screen better.  But getting a bigger tv has not been a big motivation in my life.

Well, a couple weeks ago a member of my congregation stopped in my office and asked if I needed a tv.  It seemed they were upgrading to a bigger and better model and were looking for a good home for their old tv.  It struck me that this would be a good, and cheap (FREE!!!), way to upgrade.  So I said yes.

It took a couple weeks but the new tv is now in my house.  I picked it up yesterday.  And it's amazing.  I now don't have trouble reading words on the screen.  It's about quadruple the size of my old television.  It has really enhanced my television viewing.  Watching some shows on tv, I've had some pretty amazing realizations:  "Ooooh!  That's a person, and not just a blob!"  or "Wow!  I can read the screen without having to squint and lean forward in my seat to read the subtitles!"  It has been very great.  I never knew what I was missing until I upgraded to a bigger television.

Of course now this means I'll probably spend more time in front of the television.  Or I'll be motivated to go out and buy that Playstation 2, and then who knows what will happen to me.

If you don't hear from me for a few weeks, don't get nervous.  I'm either watching a bunch of crappy reality shows on tv, or rockin' out to some awesome rock songs, with my awesome new tv!

another fun one

Here is another recent commercial that appeals to me. This is one of the new BP commercials that have been airing recently.

Of course, when I looked for this commercial on YouTube, I found this other clip, and JUST HAD to include it. It makes me smile.

small break

i love this commercial

first, a confession

Okay, so I'm watching MTV.  On purpose.  Which, if you know me, I guess isn't that big of a deal.  But, if you don't know me, and know that I'm a pastor, and you have some of those preconceptions of how pastors act and what pastors do... Then you might be a bit surprised (or shocked or disturbed or disappointed) that I'm watching MTV.  I could lie, and say that I don't watch it that often, but I watch The Real World, and Road Rules, and Road Rules/Real World Challenge...  Though I watch them less now than I used to, and that's mainly because The Real World has ben deteriorating for quite some time, and continues to do so.

Anyway, the reason I'm watching MTV right now is that there is a show on called "Juvies."  It's a reality show about juveniles in a detention center.  It shares some of their stories and why they are in the detention center and shows them in court.  Anyhow, on tonights episode there's a young woman who was a foster child who ran away from her foster family.  Her foster parents came to visit her in the detention center, and I'm impressed.  They didn't freak out, they wanted to make sure she was ok, and they said she'd be welcome back in their home.  Good foster parents!

I think I've talked a bit about this before, but my parents took foster kids while I was growing up.  From before I was born until I was about 13 years old we almost always had foster kids in our house.  They ranged in age from infants to teen agers, and the numbers ranged from only one to, one time, four kids in our house at a time.  It was quite the experience growing up with all of these added people in our home.  Since that time I've really had a heart for kids in the foster care system (for a brief time I was a social work major in college with the intention of doing some sort of work with kids "in the system," but then that stinkin' "call to ministry" thing happened...), and if I'm ever in a situation where it's possible, I think I'd really like to open my home to foster kids.  So I was intrigued by the previews for this episode of Juvies and decided to watch it.

But then, there was this advertisement for a tv show called Scarred, which seems to be all about people crashing on skateboards and the multitude of injuries they incur.  Broken legs and arms, busted faces, all sorts of blood...  Even the commercial makes me cringe.  That is one show on MTV that I will definitely NOT be watching...

pastoral opening in cicely?

I'd wanted it for quite some time, and just recently I finally bought the first and second seasons of "Northern Exposure" on DVD. 

It arrived in my mail the other day, and I've been able to sit and watch the first two episodes.  I was instantly reminded of why I liked the series in the first place.  Quirky characters, funny and thoughtful storylines, the beautiful scenery of Alaska, and Ed.  Here's his picture:

There was just always something about Ed. Maybe it was his laidback, easy going nature. Or that he was upbeat, friendly and a bit of a social butterfly. Or it could have been that he had a certain innocence or naivete to him. But he has always been one of my favorites.

I had to force myself to stop after just the first two episodes.  I could have easily kept going, but I've been busy today (and the issues surrounding my car added a bit of stress... though, I must say, I've driven it a lot since then, even to the suburbs to go grocery shopping, and it's been fine), and I had a church council meeting tonight, so it was already late by the time I resumed the first episode (I'd started watching it before the council meeting).

As I was watching, I found myself wondering what it would be like to be a pastor in a town like Cicely, Alaska.  There are a lot of interesting people, with a lot of interesting problems.  In the first episode, there's a couple whose marriage is a bit rocky.  The wife responds by shooting her husband in the leg one day, and then stabbing him with a Swiss Army Knife the next.  In the second episode, Ed's uncle, who is a Native medicine man, is dealing with an illness and because of pride he refuses to go to Anchorage to get the medical attention that he needs.  Joel Fleischmann is the new doctor in town, against his will, but he plays a very pastoral role in helping the people with their problems.  He becomes a sort of holistic doctor.

So, if there's a town like Cicely, Alaska... filled with quirky people with interesting issues, surrounded by the amazing scenery of mountains and trees... and they find themselves in need of a Lutheran pastor a few years down the road... give me a call!

note:  In the case that any of my current parishioners have located this blog, and have figured out my real identity, please do not be concerned.  I am very happy where I am at, and I am thankful to be your pastor.  I have no plans to leave in the forseeable future.  That last part of the blog was intended to be humorous, though truthful in the way that I would enjoy being in a setting like that someday though, I repeate, not in the forseeable future.

a lament

I am an admitted fan of reality television.  SOME reality television.  There are some shows that I absolutely refuse to watch.  Some that involve, say, a scrawny little guy from a rap group that was popular in the early 90's who wears gold crap on his teeth and a clock around his neck.  Or anything that involves making people eat gross things or sit in tubs of creepy crawlies or do potentially dangerous things for a lot of money.

But there are some that I do watch.  In fact, as I'm typing this, the most recent episode of Real World/Road Rules Challenge is on.  It is sort of like the last example of reality show I won't watch, but not to the same extent as some of those other shows. 

It is a spin off of one of one of my former favorite shows:  The Real World.  It has the potential to be a great show.  You take seven people from different areas, from different walks of life, and you stick them into a house, watch how they interact, how they rub each other the wrong way, how they learn to deal with their differences.  It's a great social experiment, right?

Well, it used to be.  My absolute favorite season was when it was set in San Francisco.  That was when you had the best mix of people.  There was Pedro who, at that time was living with AIDS, and who was bent on educating people about the disease.  Then you had Puck the bicycle messenger and bad guy.  He was THE person that you loved to hate.  He was crude and obnoxious and self-centered and disgusting.  From the beginning he and Pedro were butting heads.  Then there was Judd, the struggling cartoonist and Pam the med. student/doctor with the funky hair color.  Then there was Rachel, who was extremely politically conservative, and who was simultaneously attracted to and repulsed by Puck.  There was Mohammed the politically minded musician.  And then there was Cory, she was the cute, naive girl who was there to have her mind expanded by living in this mix.  It was an interesting mix from the very beginning.  Pedro and Puck were arguing.  Puck picked his nose and then used that same finger to dip into the peanut butter.  Rachel couldn't stand Puck, and then they'd make out.  Pam and Judd and Cory became best friends with Pedro.  Mohammed was around a bit, but he sort of was in the background.  And then, it happened.  The group decided that they could no longer live with Puck and they told him over the speaker phone that they had decided he should leave.  It was momentous!  Of course, then Puck was replaced by Jo, who looked a lot like Rachel but with a British accent.  It was good tv!  These were real people, immersed in real situations, figuring out how to cope and deal with all of this stuff that was coming at them. 

Over time, however and unfortunately, this series has devolved.  It has really turned into a show that tries to bring seven attractive people into a house, provide them with all sorts of free booze, and then watch what happens.  It seems like they've chosen attractive people at the expense of dealing with real life, and interesting, issues.  And I think that is sad, because it used to be and it still has such potential to be interesting.  But instead of picking people with real issues and personalities and interesting stories they've chosen people that look good in hot tubs.

Here are pictures to compare.

First, we have the San Francisco cast:

left to right (for those who don't know):Puck, Rachel,
Cory, Pam, Mohammed, Pedro, and Judd

And now, we have the Denver (most recent) cast:

left to right (for those who don't know):  Eye Candy #1, Eye Candy #2,
Eye Candy #3, Eye Candy #4, Eye Candy #5, Eye Candy #6, and Eye Candy #7