Political Tuesday or Mental Health Monday?

A Rant, No, Word or Two, of a Political Nature

It is better for my mental health * if I do NOT go on a diatribe re:  Planned Parenthood. I will let Jonah Goldberg do my "talking" for me. Suffice it to say that, in my "humble" opinion, this is an evil organization, & I hope that anyone who is reading this blog who may harbor any sympathies toward this organization will do some serious soul-searching about their support.
* Definitely better for you, in my opinion.

That's all you'll get from me about politics today. I am seriously burned out * on politics these days for a number of reasons.

• Inability of congress ** to thwart the President's plans re:  "treaty" w/Iran.
• Inability of congress to thwart funding for Planned Parenthood. [That would be funding, I'm sure you realize, in the form of tax money.]
• Hypocrisy of Democrats who contributed to this action, who, by coincidence, have received contributions from, wait for it . . . . wait for it . . . . that's right! Planned Parenthood!
• "She who shall not be named" appears to continue to be the Democratic front-runner.
• "He who shall not be named" *** continues to be the Republican front-runner.

* A questionable use of this phrase, given my mental health history, but one that fits the context of today's blog entry nonetheless. ****

** By congress I mean the Republicans.

*** You guess who I've decided to affix this nomenclature [I like this word!] to.

**** I hate using this word. But it's my blog, & I'll use whatever words I want to. Just a friendly reminder. *****
***** While I'm at it, I also finished the previous sentence w/a preposition. Whatever.

And Now It's Time for Mental Health Monday! *

* And, yes, I know that today is TUE 9/29.

SELF-ABSORPTION

A member of my crack team of blog consultants * has persuaded me that my recent blogs have taken a turn toward the extreme self-confessional & self-absorbed. I cannot disagree. I have previously admitted to being in a slump, dating back to before the school year began, & I have speculated as to the reasons contributing to this slump. 

* You didn't know I had a crack team of blog consultants, did you? Well, I do, & I hesitate to let you in on who is on my team. **

** That period of hesitation didn't last long. This consultant's name is Lois, my spouse, who is a wonderful "blog gauge" for me.

Self-absorption, by the way, is symptomatic of depression. One becomes so self-involved with one's own issues that it becomes increasingly difficult to focus on anyone else's issues, i.e., "Don't bother me with what's bothering you. I have my own issues to worry about."

I am not proud to admit this, & I will stop at that, lest I continue to promote my pity-party. 

SOLUTIONS? How about reaching out to others?!

Looking for opportunities to serve others is, I believe, a healthy outlet. I am blessed to live in a community where there are so many opportunities to volunteer it's almost overwhelming. Here are three examples, but before I give them, let me emphasize that I'm not sharing them as a form of self-righteousness. I am sharing them, hopefully, as examples. Surely * there are opportunities in & around your locale that would afford you an opportunity to reach out.

• Meals on Wheels. My congregations takes a turn providing Meals on Wheels through our local Senior Center every few months. I've seen the notices in our church bulletin forever but never gave volunteering a second thought until I got a phone call from the coordinator. I said OK very reluctantly because (a) the thought of driving around town delivering meals made me extremely anxious; & (b) the alternative, which was sitting around at home, wrapped up in my comfort zone of self-absorption, was, well, wrapped up in my comfort zone. But I agreed, I did Meals on Wheels for a short week (no deliveries on Labor Day), & it was extremely enjoyable for me to deliver meals, get to greet the same people every day, see how much they looked forward to it . . . after the last day's delivery I realized that I was looking forward to the next opportunity.
• Rescue Mission. A very good friend of the family called me one day & asked if I could help her family serve supper at the Rescue Mission on Thursday night (two nights later, as I recall) because they were short-handed. Way out of my comfort zone, but what could I say? I agreed. I showed up in time to sit in on the devotion, led by her husband (a pastor), then helped serve supper & clean up when we were done. Once again, despite my reservations (anxiety, preferring to stay at home, wrapped up in my self-absorption cocoon ***, etc.), it ended up feeling very, very good to get out of the house & do something for other people . . . people who needed help.
• Pro-Life activities.  I am currently being trained to possibly serve at a local pro-life agency that provides help for women facing a crisis pregnancy. Better for me not to get more specific than that, & I will admit that I haven't yet made a 100% commitment. Lois & I have been committed to pro-life activities for many, many years, but I won't go into the "why's & wherefore's" here. Once again, there is potential for me to get out of the house & get involved in other people's needs besides my own.

Caveats

1. There is an obvious danger in what I'm proposing, and it's this. I may be doing all this for my own self-therapy.
2. That would be a form of self-righteousness--seeking to satisfy my own selfish motives w/o regard to love for my neighbor.
3. I'm going to avoid going down that path for now, because (a) it strikes me as being self-absorbed; & (b) it seems like a more apt topic for a Theological Thursday blog entry.

* And stop calling me Shirley! **

** I just referenced one of my all-time favorite movies, but I digress.

*** Emphasis added. Do you like that phrase? I like that phrase. If no one else is claiming it, I'm claiming it.

OTHER POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

• Exercise.  You can find multiple sources that suggest exercise as a way to help relieve depression. Here's one that I found on the Web Md web site that you may find helpful. Here's another one from the Mayo Clinic's web site. You can find a gazillion others by googling "exercise & mental health."
• Get a dog.  A dog will provide you with companionship, "they" said. A dog will force you to get more exercise, since you will have to take it for walks multiple times each day, "they" said. Lois, who is on my crack team of blog consultants, did me the favor of bringing a dog home from the Siouxland Humane Society in Sioux City one day last summer. I won't belabor the point. 

Caveats

1. I've blogged previously about my OCD symptoms, so just a mild warning that exercise can easily become obsessive. [So far, not in my case. It probably wouldn't hurt.]
2. Our dog's name is Sammy. I've grown to like him. I think he likes me. I try to get him out for a walk 3X/day. *
3. If it makes you feel self-conscious to carry around a bag of dog poop, you shouldn't get a dog with the expectation that you can take it for walks & let it poop anywhere it pleases & leave it's poop for someone else to clean up. [Unless you have an incorrigible conscience, which I do not.] *

* Not trying to sound self-righteous. But if the shoe fits . . . 

A Response to Fact Check FRI 9/25: Written by Paul Leckband

NOTE/WARNING/DISCLAIMER WHATEVER:  

This is Paul Leckband's blog post for FRI 9/25. It is NOT Nathan Leckband's Fact Check FRI 9/25 blog post.

• You NEED to read Nathan's Fact Check FRI 9/25 blog post before you read this blog post.
• I'm not going to make this easy for you. You're going to have to read closely, follow some links, and/or have your own Bible handy.
• If you think I'm wrong in any of my responses, conclusion, whatever, you would be doing my readers & me a disservice if you did NOT offer your comments & corrections.
• My scriptural quotations are are the Gospel of John not by coincidence but because for most of this month my daily "quiet time" devotions have included scriptural readings from this New Testament book. They are fresh in my mind.

A point made in today's Fact Check FRI 9/25

"Do you want God to hear the prayers of people of different faiths & work through those prayers to bring those people to a saving faith?"

MY RESPONSE:  Of course I would want that for people of different faiths, but it's not about what I want. It's about what scripture tells me. Sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura. *(I hope I spelled that correctly. I had a choice between Latin & German in high school. I chose German. A lot of good THAT did me.)
* What can I say? I am hopelessly Lutheran. Don't just take my word for it, since I am "only" a "Minister of Religion-Commissioned." Check out what I believe to be a thoroughly Bible-based, Lutheran-confessionally ** based sermon about these three "solas" by Pastor Daniel Habben of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church. ***
** Do not assume that I identify with the label "Confessional Lutheran, as it is commonly associated w/a certain group within the LCMS. If that's the group that immediately springs to mind, I do NOT associate myself with that group. If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's a topic for another time & place. Maybe.
*** I am really, really going out on a limb here, because I am not bothering to find out the synodical affiliation of this congregation, nor am I bothering to find out which seminary this man graduated from.

Another point made in today's (9/25) Fact Check FRI 9/25 blog:

The writer uses as facts incidents in scripture where God came to non-Christians, i.e. "the entire Old Testament." Job is used as an example of someone "apart from any organized worship of God." 

MY RESPONSE:

• I'm not sure Job is a good example, especially since we have no proof that he was or wasn't part of any organized worship of God. He certainly believed in Yahweh.
• What about Melchizedek? A lack of information does not make for good scriptural proof texts.

Another point made in today's (9/25 Fact Check FRI 9/25 blog:

"I'd like to think that in those five times a day that Muslims pray, the voice of the Holy Spirit can whisper to them that salvation comes through Jesus' work on earth--not ours. I pray that in the meditations of Buddhist monks, the Holy Spirit can enter in & tell of a desire that is pure--the desire for a saving relationship with Jesus."

MY RESPONSE:

• Christianity is all about a saving relationship with God in Jesus Christ based in faith, not works. SEE Eph. 2:8-9. 
• A Muslim's prayers are an act of works righteousness--something he or she is compelled to do. It is a requirement of the Islamic religion, & failure to do so means punishment. 
• Ditto the meditations of Buddhist monks.
• No "religion" outside of Christianity offers a path to God other than works righteousness, i.e., something humankind must do to earn God's favor or make the relationship work or come about. 
• Christianity take that human logic & turns it on its head. God reaches out to me, since I can't on my own, & He does so through His Son Jesus Christ. What other religion involves a God who sends His own Son to save humankind?

One more point made in today's Fact Check FRI 9/25 blog:

"I like to think that a God who 'desires all people to be saved' can work through the prayers of all His children--Christian or not."

MY RESPONSE:

• I would like to think God can work through the prayers of all people, too. After all God is God, and I am not.
• One again, I don't have the luxury of "thinking" my way to that conclusion. I'm going to have to use Scripture to inform my thought process. 

AND WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY TO ME? I'LL LET JESUS SPEAK FOR HIMSELF.

• John 14:6-7  Jesus answered [His disciples], "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him."
• John 3:16  [Jesus answered Nicodemus], "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
• John 8:31  "To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
• John 8:39-41  "'Abraham is our father' [the Jews] answered. 'If you were Abraham's children,' said Jesus, 'then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does.' 'We are not illegitimate children,' they protested. 'The only Father we have is God himself.'"
• John 8:42-47  "Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me! Can any of you prove Me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe Me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

MY CONCLUSIONS

1. Jesus Himself declares that He is the ONLY path to the Father, i.e., the only Way to a saving relationship with the true God.
2. My  understanding is that Muslims accept & respect Jesus as a great prophet but certainly not one who is equal to Muhammed.
3. My understanding is that they also teach that Muhammed is not God. Therefore, Jesus cannot be God. Therefore, anyone who confesses Jesus as God is guilty of blasphemy.
4. My understanding is that in the Muslim faith, blasphemy is punishable by death. It doesn't matter whether every individual Muslim accepts this as the truth, just like it doesn't matter whether every individual Christian believes that those who die in their unbelief are condemned to hell. It's what the religion teaches, based on its sacred scripture.
5. Not everyone is a child of God. This seems obvious since the words came from Jesus' own mouth as a pronouncement against the Jews who HAD believed in Him.
6. Back-up to John 8:31, where Jesus said to those who HAD believe in Him, "If you continue in My teaching . . . " Some translations use "Word" instead of teaching. Since I don't know the original Greek, I don't know which is the better translation.
7. I do hold with the Lutheran Confessions that God the Holy Spirit uses the Means of Grace--Word & Sacrament--to work faith in the hearts of humankind--since "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, or come to Him." That is found in Luther's explanation to the 3rd Article of the Apostles' Creed. *
8. Once again, check out Eph. 2:8-9.
9. Muslims may not be children of God, but He still loves them & wants them to be saved. SEE 1 Tim. 2:4. 
10. God calls on us to love others. That means we are called upon to love Muslims & pray for their salvation, too, regardless of their persecution of our Christian brothers & sisters. **

* There I go again, being Lutheran. 
** I'm not sure that will make me popular with some people.

ENGAGING A MUSLIM *

• If you have any kind of connection with a Muslim, I think a good starting point would be talking to him about a common denominator. 
• Both of our religions believe in God the Father. 
• When he prays to God the Father, he prays to Allah. When I pray the "Our Father," am I, in his opinion, praying to the same God? 
• What's his opinion of Jesus? Does he even know anything about Jesus or what Jesus says about Himself in Christian sacred writings? 
• If Muslims truly respect Jesus, what does he make of Jesus' own statements about Himself? Was Jesus a false prophet? A liar? A lunatic?

I think that's enough pontificating ** on this topic. Obviously I have strong feels about it. I don't mean to steal any thunder from my son's Fact Check FRI 9/25 blog entry, but I just can't bring myself to let some of those thoughts go unchallenged.

* In my humble opinion
** Just so you know, being a pontificator *** does NOT make me a Catholic, in case you haven't caught on by now.
*** Pontificator, get it?

Fact Check Friday

In the past month, there's been numerous stories about religion in the news. There's the pope's visit to the United States, the "migrant" crisis--some of whom are fleeing religious persecution (Why Europe's migrant crisis is surging now), and tragedies in Saudi Arabia related to Eid al-Adha (Mecca stampede: At least 717 killed and hundreds injured in crush during hajj).

I've found some of the talk surrounding religion, especially that related to the papal visit to the United States, to be very interesting. I've heard many people praise the pope and his views on human rights and social justice as well as his humble, down-to-earth demeanor. Yesterday, I heard a self-proclaimed atheist say the he agreed with most of the pope's moral positions.

Unfortunately, much of what we see in the world about religion emphasizes discord. Stories of people from varied religious backgrounds coming together and coming to agreement are few and far between. One question I often hear asked is, "Aren't all religions basically the same?"

Already I can hear gasps from the devout. Let me begin by stating my beliefs clearly: no, not all religions are the same. In fact, different religions have huge contradictions with other religions, so to call them the same would take a great leap in logic or just plain intellectual laziness.

A better question, I think, is, "Can God work through different religions to fulfill his purpose?"

Here's where people become uncomfortable. It's very uncomfortable to suggest that God hears the prayers of those with different beliefs than ours. If Jesus is God and Jews and Muslims do not confess that Jesus is God, then they're not praying to the same God as Christians, right? This is the argument I hear consistently when discussing whether or not God hears the prayers of non-Christians. Read, "Does Pope Francis Believe Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?" In the article, Pope Francis prays with the grand mufti in Istanbul's Blue Mosque. Here's a quote from the article:

Miroslav Volf, a well-known professor at Yale Divinity School, has done a good deal of work on this subject, concluding that both religions “believe in one God, one God who is a sovereign Lord and to whom they are to be obedient. For both faiths, God embodies what’s ultimately important and valuable.”

The question I challenge you to ask yourself is this: don't you want God to hear the prayers of people of different faiths and work through those prayers to bring those people to a saving faith?

I can point to many incidents in scripture where God came to non-Christians (if we want to get technical, this would be the entire Old Testament). Job, who was seemingly apart from any organized worship of God, knew God. In the New Testament, Paul talked of Gentiles who had not heard of Jesus, but were "laws unto themselves."

I pray that God does work through the prayers of non-Christians. I'd like to think that in those five times a day that Muslims pray, the voice of the Holy Spirit can whisper to them that salvation comes through Jesus' work on earth--not ours.  I pray that in the meditations of Buddhist monks, the Holy Spirit can enter in and tell of a desire that is pure--the desire for a saving relationship with Jesus. 

I like to think that a God who "desires all people to be saved" can work through the prayers of all his children--Christian or not. Søren Kierkegaard wrote, “Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” While I would say that God sometimes changes how he interacts with his children based on prayer, I believe Kierkegaard is correct in most cases. Prayer more often changes our hearts, and I pray that it changes our hearts to desire what God desires--that all people are saved.

More about spiritual gifts

More Thoughts on Spiritual Gifts

Last week I spent time reflecting about spiritual gifts, specifically questioning whether the years I spent praying specifically for my spiritual gift of "leadership" may have been misguided. I have wondered in light of the circumstances of my life during this past year * whether I have the gift of "teaching" instead. [HEADS UP:  After stopping, starting, writing, revising, reading, & re-reading this entry, I can tell you in advance that it's very personal & very self-absorbed. It definitely works with one of my main reasons for blogging, which is self-therapy.]

* In early November 2014, my Board & I agreed that I needed an indefinite medical leave of absence to work on issues related to burn-out [more of a layperson's term describing chronic depression &, in my case at least, general anxiety & a few other issues]. It was obvious to me by early January that I was not yet ready to return. After Lois & I spent a week at Shepherd's Canyon Retreat in Arizona at the end of January, 2015, I met w/members of my Board & requested at least another month of leave. I also told them that it wasn't clear to me whether returning to a FT administrative position might just be setting myself up for another episode of burnout.
      In March, a decision was made that it would be in both my & our Lutheran High School's best interests to call a new FT administrator. I accepted the Board's decision. My "quandary" is this. If my spiritual gift is truly "leadership," where does that leave me in terms of using my spiritual gift for the building up of the saints? I'm feeling a little lost.

Here is the circumstantial evidence, both pro & con. 

• I've been in Lutheran secondary education since I graduated from Concordia Seward in 1975. My teaching areas have been English, speech & theology.
• Since the mid-1980s I have served in administrative positions, & since 1987 that has been my primary vocation.
• As an administrator, I have found much satisfaction in trying to help other teachers & administrators understand & grow in the profession of teaching.
• The focus of my newsletters, memo's, evaluation instruments, etc., has aimed at instruction as much as evaluation.
• In working w/Boards, I've also found myself focusing on trying to educate them in the task of "boardsmanship." 
• I have also enjoyed preparing for & presenting workshops aimed at improving teaching & administration.
• When I find myself in the "audience" of a workshop, seminar, Bible study, etc., I frequently feel the urge to "add" comments and/or ask questions that would not only add to my edification but also edify others in attendance [Yes, this could be arrogance disguised as godliness.]
• Having said all that, I don't know that there's widespread evidence that I am a master teacher; for sure not a master administrator. Don't results give credence to the evidence of a spiritual gift? 

The epistle reading in our church on SUN 9/13, gave me pause yet again. Read James 3:1-12. Then focus on verse 1:  Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. MY COMMENTS:

1. Judged with greater strictness? First, is that a spiritual gift anyone would want? 
2. As I understand the nature of spiritual gifts, one can fulfill a role without necessarily possessing that gift. It didn't take me long to understand that I certainly didn't possess a gift for administration. By the end of my first year as a principal I had learned that if I didn't figure out  or get help regarding how to become better organized, this role was not for me.
3. Stumbling in many ways? I can relate to that. 
4. Able to bridle his whole body? That would lead to . . .

A focus on vv. 6-10:  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, & set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast & bird, of reptile & sea creature, can be tamed & has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord & Father, & with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing & cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. MY COMMENTS:

1. I may have a gift with words, but I am ashamed to say that I have learned to use words in ways that are not always holy.
2. I have found myself in situations, particularly in Board mtgs, where I used words some may have considered sarcastic * to make a point, shame an adversary, embarrass, whatever.
3. I am not proud of this. It does not speak well of me as either a leader or a teacher.
4. While I may have prided myself in "shutting down" an opponent, often drawing some laughs from others at the expense of the person at whom I was directing my comments, I can't remember that my comments ever "converted" anyone to my position or way of thinking.
5. They certainly didn't make me any friends among my adversaries, & I often felt badly about them later & expressed my regret to others.

* Yeah. Definitely sarcastic. Some people seem to detect this in my writing.

Conclusions? Well, More Like Speculation

• I still find myself at a loss. I thought my spiritual gift was leadership. After serving as the head administrator of three Lutheran secondary schools, I suddenly find myself as the head of 0 Lutheran secondary schools. 
• I still have this urge to teach. Do I have anything worth teaching?
• Have I forfeited my "right" to lead, my right to "teach," because of my inability to bridle myself?
• Would it be best for me to BE STILL, KEEP PRAYING ABOUT IT, BE PATIENT, & WAIT FOR THE LORD TO SORT THINGS OUT FOR ME? *

* If you have the spiritual gifts of "discernment" or "wisdom," I'll eagerly be waiting for your replies. 
** No, I'm not kidding.

A Hymn that Really Spoke to Me *

We sang this hymn at my son & daughter-in-law's church over Labor Day weekend. "Lord I Need You." I was in a very vulnerable mood.
* Worry not . . . I"m not turning Pentecostal or anything.

Lord I come I confess \ Bowing here I find my rest
And without You I fall apart \ You're the one that guides my heart.

Chorus:  Lord I need you oh I need you \ Ev'ry hour I need You
My one defense my righteousness / Oh God how I need you

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more \ Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are Lord I am free \ Holiness is Christ in me (Chorus)

So teach my song to rise to You \ When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You / Jesus You're my hope & stay (Chorus)

My one defense my righteousness \ Oh God how I need You
My one defense my righteousness \ Oh God how I need You

Before you tee off on me . . . 

• Yes, I know there are a lot of first person, singular pronouns (I, my, me).
• It includes that dreaded interjection "Oh" more than once. *
• Yes, there is, gasp, repetition.
• It's MY blog, in case you needed a reminder.

* I betray my secondary English major roots.

Mixing Church & State?

Abortion. Planned Parenthood. Here's some food for thought from Jonah Goldberg. Better to read him than for me to really, really turn this into a rant. I am so worked up about this issue right at this moment that my tongue will only create a maelstrom of a firestorm if I continue to write. Maybe I'll pick up on this topic in my next Political Tuesday blog entry.

Whatever WED 9/23

There is No Place Like . . . 

Iowa? *

Excerpt from Omaha World Herald (9/22):  "No votes, but he'll probably get post. An Iowa farmer who was running unopposed for his local school board failed to earn any votes--not even his own--but he'll probably get the job. Between Randy Richardson's FT maintenance job at a bean-processing plant in Riceville & his chores on his farm near McIntire, he didn't find time to vote for himself . . . Richardson, 42, was recruited to run by school staff. He has two kids in the district. Neighbor Jessie Miller said there wasn't any key issue to drive her to vote in the school board race. 'I would have voted for him,' she said. 'He's an awesome guy.'" [Iowans take their citizenship seriously.]
* Notice the color symbolism? Iowa? Blue? Blue state? Get it?

Nebraska! *

Also from OWH (9/19):  "Ensuring proper salute. Kearney High School students are stepping up to fill the need for buglers at military funerals. Rick Mitchell, KHS band instructor, said he has played military funerals for several years after he discovered there is a shortage of buglers. Because of the shortage, an electronic bugle is often used to play a recorded version of taps. That didn't stand well w/Mitchell . . . when he found himself unavailable to play at a funeral, he turned to band students Caleb Hardy & Bailey Premer to fill the void." [Really no need for a comment here.]
* Nebraska. Red state? Get it? Do I really have to explain everything?

Food for Thought

Also from OWH (9/16):  "One-third of U.S. kids eat fast food every day. "About 1/3 of U.S children & teens eat pizza or other fast food every day, a new government report shows. That' about the same as it was in the 1990s. [So does this mean we're making progress? Lagging behind? Here's a thought . . . More American kids & teens need access to Valentino's.]

Criminal Minds

Excerpt from Norfolk Daily News (8/19):  "Potty problem. Parrotheads are apparently too busy wasting away in Margaritaville to wait in line for the bathroom. Mansfield, MA, police said that despite warnings against the practice, many fans at the Jimmy Buffett concert SAT at the Xfinity Center brought home-made, portable toilets for the party in the parking lot. Thompson estimates that 75-100 people were instructed to take down makeshift outhouses, but officers found 7-10 left behind after the show. [For what it's worth, I've never been a big fan of Jimmy Buffett. I'm just sayin.']

Why I Shouldn't Be an Advice Columnist

Also from OWH 'Ask Amy' (9/15):  "Dear Amy: My husband & I have been together for 25 years. He has decided that he will retire in 3 years. He is in a union & has a good retirement plan through  his company. I have been working the entire time of our marriage, but my company does not have a retirement plan. So I will have to continue to work while he is retired, & I imagine that I will be working for the rest of my life to keep up with the bills. My husband also carries our health insurance through his work, so now the expense of the health insurance will be an added expense for us. I am feeling quite angry over his decision to retire, leaving me to work. I have tried to discuss this, but he says it is not up for discussion. He says he's done with working, period."
        MY ANSWER:  What? You are FEELING quite angry? Are you a millennial or what?! Time to get over your pity party & start thinking about your husband & his wants & needs, okay? He gave you three years' notice, for cryin' out loud!

Miscellaneous

Also from NDN (6/15):  "'I Don't Know'. There's a new Chinese restaurant in Rochester, NY. The name? I Don't Know. Seriously, the I Don't Know Chinese Restaurant recently opened in the western NY city. Owner Jessie Dong told the Democrat & Chronicle of Rochester she came up w/the unusual name because whenever she would ask her 3 children what they wanted to eat, their response would be 'I don't know.'" [Seriously, if it wasn't for my schedule & responsibilities, it would be worth a road trip just to check this place out.]

Also from OWH (9/16):  "Selfies with wild animals? Don't be that tourist. Colorado's Waterton Canyon Park has bears, & those bears have a problem:  hikers wielding selfie sticks. 'We've actually seen people using selfie sticks to try & get as close to the bears as possible, sometimes within 10 ft. of wild bears,' Brandon Ransom, manager of recreation of Denver Water, the public utility that maintains the park, said in a blog post. 'The current situation is not conducive for the safety of our visitors or the well-being of the wildlife.' . . . But Waterton Canyon isn't the only park that has raised alarms about hikers w/overeager photography habits. Last year the U.S. Forest Service chided visitors of a park around Lake Tahoe for overbearing behavior during salmon spawning season . . .
      "In July, a woman was gored by a wild bison in Yellowstone National Park after stopping to take a selfie w/the beast & her 6-year-old daughter. At the time, it was the 5th bison attack of the year in the park--& the 3rd involving tourists trying to take photos w/the animals." [This is worth a few bullet points.]

• Hannah, I think you follow my blog posts occasionally, & I heard that you & Hank were headed to Yellowstone for your honeymoon. We saw tourists taking pictures, although, in all fairness, not selfies, way too close to bison. Please do not be these people.
• Wanda, I think you follow my blog posts occasionally. I hope you & John weren't the "chided visitors" being referenced around Lake Tahoe for "overbearing behavior." By the way, get it? Overbearing!?]
• I have mixed feelings about these warnings & overbearing [LOL **] actions by government officials. First, as taxpayers, shouldn't we be entitled to take pictures of whatever we want, wherever we want on public lands? Secondly, shouldn't we be encouraging this type of behavior for the sake of the human gene pool? ** "Looney old Lutheran, that's me.

Also from OWH (8/25):  "On own land, lion hunter is tough on poaching. Long before he was accused of poaching an African lion named Cecil last month, Walter Palmer was stalking suspected poacher on his own private hunting land in MN. The Twin Cities dentist guarded his acreage & property lines so fiercely that he alienated & even frightened local hunters, said residents & officials. Run-ins w/Palmer became the stuff of local hunting lore, said Clay County Commissioner Jenny Mongeau . . . 'You don't go close to it because he would report you,' said Mongeau. 'He has zero positive relations w/any of the neighbors, which is very uncommon for this area.'" [Okay, dude, in previous blog posts I seem to remember coming to your defense, but this? Now the gloves are off. I better not read or see or hear of any more of such shenanigans, or I won't be responsible for what may show up in future blog posts. Understand?]

Aren't you impressed by all my links? My son Nathan taught me how to add links when we visited Laura & him over Labor Day weekend. * Now I need him to teach me how to add pictures & text boxes.
* I think his ulterior motive was to get me to shorten my blog posts. **
** Good luck with that.

<intended for weekend sep 26-27>

• It has come to our attention that our dog snores. Not all the time. Sometimes.
• We finally "bit the bullet" & get a choke collar for Sammy. Why, you may ask? *
• I've come to the conclusion that the throbbing pain I've been experiencing in both shoulders is the result of trying to restrain him while we're walking.
• This happens when he eagerly strains toward a "post of interest" [if you catch my drift] and/or
• Tries to launch himself at another dog or other critter whom he perceives has encroached into his proximity. **
• When we took him along to the Worley's last weekend, because we couldn't find a dog sitter & were too cheap to spring for a kennel, both Lois & I experienced anxiety & physical distress when we took him on walks.
• He reacted poorly when he observed dogs & squirrels that potentially were going to encroach upon his proximity.
• He gets VERY excited when he knows or at least suspects that he gets to go along on a car ride. How do we know this? He launches himself toward the vehicle. I can't speak for Lois, but when it was time to leave for Norfolk on SAT evening, our car was parked on the street, & I had him on the leash, we exited the front door with him in tow, he immediately sensed that we were heading for the car, & he launched himself. I had to run to keep up w/him, all the while thinking that (a) the leash was tearing the flesh from my left hand; and/or (b) my left shoulder socket was going to be dislocated by or before the time we reached the car. ***

* And it really doesn't matter if you ask, because I'm going to tell you anyway.

** After all, in my defense, he does weigh around 60 lbs. Tell you what, take 60 lbs of free weights, lash them together with bungee cords, tie the other ends around your wrists, & drop them off an overpass. See how many times it takes before YOUR shoulders start throbbing!

*** Fortunately, neither of these things happened, or you'd REALLY be experiencing a rant right now.

Thoughts about Socialism + Bonus Feature + Rants

Thoughts about Socialism

People of my generation of been accused, albeit mildly, of perhaps being just a tad bit too squeamish about Socialism. And I have to concede that we have become numbed to, perhaps even enamored by, socialistic programs such as Social Security. * Speaking in defense of my entire generation [always a dangerous move to make], I feel compelled to say this.

• There is a difference between socialized program & a systematic, socialistic government.
• Maybe what my generation came to learn about Socialism as practiced by Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, the Castro brothers, just to name a few, should be warning enough that socialism as a political system is, how shall I put it delicately, disastrous.
• Government by the few inevitably becomes government on behalf of the few at the expense of the many. [If somebody hasn't already said that, I want credit for it.]
• Some have suggested that the early Christian church practiced socialism when believers sold private property & shared in a "commonwealth" for the benefit of all, particularly the poor & needy.
• What happened to Annas & Sapphira is an early indicator that human nature finds it difficult if not impossible to work within the bounds of this system.
• The early Christians really had no choice, since there was no government safety net for those widows, orphans, & poverty-stricken who desperately needed help.
• There is no evidence that early Christians were FORCED by each other to sell ALL that they owned, so that true justice prevailed because EACH was equal economically within the system.
• Search St. Paul's epistles & you find that he strongly, strongly suggested that brothers & sisters share with one another out of love for one another. Other apostles wrote about the need to share out of Christ's command that we love one another. 
• That's giving & sharing based on love, not legalism.
• Socialism is all about legalism.
• The book to read is Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism. I've read this book. I highly recommend this book, but only if you promise to read it with an open mind.
• Since my blog entries are always "fair & balanced" **, here is a book review from the New York Times. 
• That's my political sermon for today.
• Oh, one more thing. Go ahead, vote for Bernie Sanders. He's an avowed Socialist. I've been known to say that a vote for Bernie is a vote for just about any Republican opponent.

* Which, by the way, may have been well-intentioned, but which has devolved into a giant Ponzi-scheme, thanks to lack of congressional oversight by both parties over the years. Most of my baby boomer brethren may yet escape its direst consequences. Most of you subsequent generations will most likely not.
**Who just laughed? I can always sense when someone laughs at something I write, but it's not a "funny ha-ha" sort of laugh. It's more like a "funny in the sense of 'SURE he is . . . NOT'" sort of laugh. ***
*** I have found over the years that as a conservative, I am much more exposed to liberal writers & pundits than most liberals. You dare challenge me on that? Let's have a debate! ****
****Example #1 from an unnamed liberal acquaintance:  HER: "I can't stand Rush Limbaugh." ME: "Have you ever listened to him?" HER: "No." Example #2: ME: "Sure, I listen to Rush regularly, & I also regularly read National Review, Cal Thomas, & Ann Coulter, too, but I also read Time Magazine regularly, also Newsweek, Maureen Dowd, EJ Dionne, & I also listen to NPR." HIM: "I listen to NPR. NPR's not liberal." *****
***** Just for the record, I also read Jonah Goldberg regularly, which you've probably already guessed by now, & I regularly check out Townhall columnists. Sorry, I "sample" Al Sharpton, Chris Matthews, & Rachel Maddow occasionally, but whenever I do, I seem to throw up a little in my mouth.

Bonus Feature . . . Which Includes Some Ranting

Excerpts from Norfolk Daily News (8/29), "Random Thoughts" column by Thomas Sowell.  "The endlessly repeated argument that most Americans are the descendants of immigrants ignores the fact that most Americans are NOT the descendants of ILLEGAL [These CAPS are in the original.] immigrants. Millions of immigrants from Europe had to stop at Ellis Island, & had to meet medical & other criteria before being allowed to go any further [The Leckband ancestors, I was told, emigrated from Germany to evade the Prussian draft, BUT, they entered the U.S. legally. Sometime I'll share what turned out to be a legend about the Hill ancestors.] . . . Do the people who are always demanding that there be more 'training' for police ever say that the hoodlums that the police have to deal with should have had more training by their parents, instead of being allowed to grow wild?" [I know more than a few educators, both private & public, who "might" also agree with this characterization.]

Also from NDN (8/31):  "Teacher who was late 111 * times says he was eating breakfast. An elementary school teacher who was allowed to keep his job despite being late for work 111 times in two years said that breakfast is to blame for his tardiness.
      "'I have a bad habit of eating breakfast in the morning, & I lost track of time,' 15-yr-veteran teacher Arnold Anderson told the AP. In a decision filed Aug. 19, an arbitrator in New Jersey rejected an attempt by the Roosevelt Elementary School to fire Anderson from his $90,000/yr job, saying he was entitled to progressive discipline. [My emphasis added.] But the arbitrator also criticized Anderson's claim that the quality of his teaching outweighed his tardiness . . . " [If he was a "typical" undergraduate, he could possibly, barely be classified as a "millennial," & we all know about THEIR issues, don't me." Dept. of Imaginary Conversations: TEACHER, "But I just wouldn't feel at the top of my game if I didn't start the day with breakfast!" ADMINISTRATOR, "So why can't he start his day by setting his alarm clock 20 minutes earlier?" ARBITRATOR/ALSO A MILLENNIAL:  I agree, but I feel that firing him would be a little too harsh. I'm going to uphold your right to suspend him for the rest of the first semester, but then I'm going to uphold his right to be reinstated with full pay, beginning Semester 2." ADMINISTRATOR, "Wait . . . what? TEACHER: "I don't feel that this is completely fair, but I love my students, & I feel that they love the quality of my teaching so much that I will look forward to being reinstated. I will also re-evaluate my breakfast choices & maybe switch to pop-tarts. **]
* Yes, you read that number correctly--111 times. One-hundred & eleven!
** My favorite pop-tarts are frosted brown sugar & cinnamon. Don't tell Lois. Maybe she'll have gotten bored & stopped reading this blog entry by now. But I digress.

Excerpt from Omaha World Herald (9/12/15):  "Marine unit with women less effective. Women in a new Marine Corps unit created to assess how female service members perform in combat were injured twice as often as men, less accurate w/infantry weapons & not as good at removing wounded troops from the battlefield, according to the results of a long-awaited study produced by the service . . . The Navy secretary took issue with the Marine Corps' controversial gender study Friday, saying that he questioned some of its findings & still believes that the military would be best w/all jobs open to women." [Because the last thing we'd want to do is let facts get in the way of our politics, I mean, feelings, I mean . . . whatever.] *
* Bet you anything he's a millennial.**
** Why do I feel like picking on millennials this morning? Maybe because I feel that my generation--Baby Boomers--were victims of an unwarranted attack. ***
*** There's a lot not to like about Baby Boomers, too. I'm just sayin'.

Reflections about Courage & Vulnerability & Humor

Courage & Vulnerability

Once again I find myself quoting from & reflecting on The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene' Brown (Hazelden, 2010). Once again I'll remind you that my daughter Sarah * gave me this book back in February, I think. While I can't say I agree with everything this noted writer & research professor has to say, she provides many insights that I find thought-provoking & helpful.
* My daughter is a Brene' Brown groupie, & I mean that in the best way possible. I am very grateful that she gave me this book. Thank you, Sarah! 

"Courage originally meant 'To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart.' Over time, this definition has changed, &, today courage is more synonymous w/being heroic. Heroics is important & we certainly need heroes, but I think we've lost touch w/the idea that speaking honestly & openly about who we are, about what we're feeling, & about our experiences (good & bad) is the definition of courage. Heroics is often about putting our life on the line. Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability [emphasis in original] on the line. In today's world, that's pretty extraordinary.
        "When we pay attention, we see courage every day. We see it when people reach out for help . . . I also see courage in myself when I'm willing to risk being vulnerable & disappointed . . . 
        "Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better & the world a little braver. And our world could stand to be a little kinder & braver." [Except for one exception as noted, all other emphases are mine.]

My reflections:

• I agree that it takes a lot of courage to make oneself vulnerable. And a consequence of making yourself vulnerable is making yourself look weak & beyond help in the eyes some people.
• For example, I think in today's culture it's still risky for a man to make himself vulnerable.
• I'm specifically referring to making oneself vulnerable by choosing to share intimate details about his mental, emotional, physical, & even spiritual health.
• Leading up to the consensus my Board & I reached back in early November 2014, when I agreed to take an open-ended medical leave of absence to attend to issues re:  burn-out that were making it difficult if not impossible for me to successfully cope w/my full-time ministry as head administrator of a Lutheran High School, I had been dropping lots of hints that I was becoming increasingly overwhelmed.
• In hindsight, I was choosing to be honest about my issues--making myself vulnerable--with only a selected few.
• As it became increasingly obvious to those I worked for & among that I could not handle all the responsibilities of my position, things reached a point where basically the decision to take a leave of absence was pretty much taken out of my hands.
• And in hindsight, I am grateful for that.
• Insight:  After the decision to take an indefinite medical leave of absence was made, I resolved to make myself pretty much totally vulnerable. From that point on I kept my Board--at least my Executive Committee--totally informed of the progress I was or wasn't making in coping with my burn-out symptoms. Had  I been more assertive with myself when I actually started to realize what was happening to me--& by "assertive with myself" I mean making myself vulnerable to those people who were best in a position to help me do something about it, i.e., my Board (or at least my Executive Committee), maybe there could have been a different outcome. 
• I let my foolish pride override what my own "reason & all my senses, not to mention my own spouse, were telling me. If there's a lesson to be passed along here, maybe it's this:
• If you can relate to any of this, maybe you should try not to let it happen to you!

Humor Helps

There is research to suggest that humor can be helpful for people suffering from depression & anxiety. Here are two links to check out:  humor & depression research & a somewhat different take. Since I didn't take the time to carefully read either article, I can neither confirm nor deny that either or both will benefit you in either way. *
* I don't have time to do EVERYTHING for you, much as I pretend I'd like to.

Part I

Excerpt from Parade Magazine (9/13/15):  How to Be Funny in 5 Easy Steps *
* This article was authored by Matt Hovde, artistic director of The Second City in Chicago..

1. "Observe the world. Funny people have a knack for seeing things other people miss. They notice how people behave & what is great--or messed up--about the world around them . . . " MY REACTION:  It has always seemed to me that when I'm in a more depressive mood, my sense of humor sharpens. Or as the immortal Steve Martin once said during a comedy routine, "Steve, how can you be so ^?#% funny?" "Simple. I put a slice of baloney in each of my shoes."]
2. "Work your funny bone. Want to be more witty & off the cuff? Take an improv class. Want to hone your storytelling skills? Write something every day . . . " Well, I do write something almost every day. I'd like to think that at least some of my comments are funny, but you be the judge. Since I repeat the mantra * over & over again that I write for self-therapy, I suppose as long as I think they're funny, it really doesn't matter, does it?
3. "Learn to say 'Yes, and . . . ' Those two words are the bedrock of our artistic process. Creative thinking is much easier when we listen to, accept & build off each other's ideas . . . " I either read this once, or somebody told me, or I completely made it up:  Many of the world's great thinkers, writers, philosophers were also known to be, proven to be, or claimed to be alcoholics, drug addicts, or mentally ill. To be best of my knowledge, I have never been an alcoholic or drug addict. *
4. "Use silly words. Pepper your daily banter with words such as squeegee, flapjacks & pontoon boat. These words won't necessarily make you funnier, but they're fun to say--& hear . . . " Wait . . . what? I don't need to consciously "pepper" my "daily banter" w/"silly words." I've always enjoyed an eclectic *** vocabulary & employing it when (a) either the situation seems to warrant it; or (b) entirely for my own amusement.
5. "Get over yourself. When we take ourselves too seriously, we become defensive, dismissive & closed to new ideas. Humor comes much more naturally when we abandon our ego & the fear that drives it. Rare is the funny person who cannot first laugh at himself." I think I laugh at myself plenty. My insight here is that it's rude to laugh at someone else until he or she laughs at himself or herself.

* I admit that there's been times when I may have been over-medicated w/pain-killers & sleeping medication, but I was always able to get off those medications abruptly, either on my own or upon a physicians advice, w/o suffering any side effects. I think that contra-indicates signs of addiction. **

** It's possible that I may have just made myself a wee bit too vulnerable, but it's my blog &, I'll remind you again:  I blog on my own terms.

*** See! By the way, not to brag or anything, when I was a freshman in h.s., I took some kind of National Vocabulary test & finished in the 90th percentile. Also, when I was reading Readers' Digest regularly & taking their monthly vocab quiz & challenging my wife to do the same, for my own good it's best for me not to share the results ****

**** Both my shoulders are aching this morning. This could be the result of the many pats I seem to be giving myself on the back. I could also blame it on the many walks I am taking with the dog. You be the judge.

Part II *

Excerpt from Norfolk Daily News TV Week (9/18/15):  From "late laughs" w/Conan O'Brien: "A study found that many types of head lice have mutated & now become resistant to over-the-counter treatments. The problem has scientists scratching their heads." From Jimmy Fallon: "I heard that Nicki Minaj [I have to admit that I am rather culturally  ignorant as to who this celebrity is.] suffered a wardrobe malfunction during a concert in Vancouver. Yeah, apparently through some freak accident, her top came ON."

* And I'm never ** above joke-stealing.
** Well, hardly ever.

Supercilious Saturday

Food for Thought

Excerpt from Omaha World Herald (9/17):  "Olive Garden offers 'Pasta Pass' again. Olive Garden is bringing back its 'Pasta Pass' that lets people gorge on as much pasta as they want for 7 weeks. And friends & family are welcome to pig out too this year. The restaurant chain known for it free breadsticks says it will sell 1,000 of the $100 regular Pasta Passes starting THU at 1:00p CDT on it's website. It will also sell 1,000 family Pasta Passes which will cost $300 & let cardholders bring along up to 3 guests . . . " [Who says we don't live in the greatest country in the world?!]

Theological Saturday

Also from OWH (8/22):  "Give us this day our daily brew. More churches are setting up in-house coffee shops to gather the flock & welcome new members . . . Coffee at church used to mean grabbing a foam cup filled w/Folgers & dumping in powdered creamer. These days, more places of worship here & nationally are going big w/coffee, serving quality brew, providing froufrou * creamers & comfy furniture so people can linger as they sip . . . " [If anyone should be leading the charge on this trend, it should be Lutherans. I'm just sayin'.]
* My one caveat. I'm a Seattle's Best Dark #5 guy w/half & half. Froufrou creamers? That's for Methodists. **
** No offense.

Criminal Minds

Excerpt from Norfolk Daily News (8/21):  "Locked in hotel safe. The odd case of the baby in the hotel safe has been solved, Canadian police said THU, explaining news reports helped locate the Brooklyn family outside Toronto. A spokesman for the Niagara Regional Police Service . . . told Newsday the incident resulted from a game of hide-and-seek. The girl, 3, got locked in the safe in the family's hotel room at the Howard Johnson by the Falls while playing w/siblings, he said. She was in good health." [This is a little dated, but I just can't get the image of a 3-year-old, locked in a hotel safe, out of my mind. Do we really trust the Canadians to handle an investigation of this magnitude? Wouldn't we all feel more reassured if authorities handed it off to our own DOJ? You know, the ones investigating those top secret email leaks by "she who shall not be named?" Oh, wait . . . ]

Political Saturday

Also from OWH (9/16):  "Biden's authenticity a political plus if he enters presidential race. Joe Biden's unique trait as a politician is--& always had been--his honesty. Sometimes that honesty gets him into varying degrees of trouble. Sometimes it makes it seem as though he's the closest thing to a real person you could possibly hope for in politics . . . The Joe Biden on display w/Colbert is the person who has inspired remarkable loyalty--over decades--from a tight-knit group of staffers who would form the core of his presidential brain trust if he decided to run in 2016."

• How do you define "authenticity?" If you define it as "honesty," you may need to do a little research on Joe's previously failed attempts to run for the Democratic presidential nomination & what brought him down. Just to whet your appetite, check out Jonah Goldberg's column from National Review Online.
• If you define "authenticity" as "he calls 'em as he sees 'em," isn't "she who shall not be named" being "authentic" in her support for maintaining federal funding for Planned Parenthood? 
• Doesn't "she who shall not be named also have a "tight-knit group of staffers?"
• I don't want "the closest thing to a real person." I want a "real person." Am I asking too much!

Whatever Saturday

Also from NDN (9/17):  "Facebook working on 'dislike' button." The 'dislike' button you've been waiting for is finally coming to FB. During a townhall TUE, chief Exec Mark Zuckerberg said FB is responding to years' of demand from users who simply aren't satisfied w/the 'like' button alone . . . People want the button because they need other ways to 'express empathy' beyond liking a post, he said. If someone posts about a death in the family, for example, users want an option other than clicking 'like.'" [I'm not exaggerating when I say that the addition of a "dislike" button could spell doom for my blog posts.] 

Also from OWH (9/17):  "Russian pranksters claim Putin hoax call to Elton John. Two Russians pranksters say they fooled Elton John into believing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had given him a call. The British star on TUE posted a message on Instagram, thanking Putin for calling him to discuss gay rights in Russia. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the reports, saying that Putin never called John . . . " [Because Hollywood celebrities are so much more intelligent than the rest of us.]

A True Story (as far as I know)

Lois shared the following anecdote with me the other night. Rachel, our daughter, asked her little boy, Bentley, our 2-year-old grandson, to show her his knee. He touched his knee. She asked him to show her his other knee. He touched his other knee & said, "Duh." 

Fact Check Friday

The owner of this blog and editor of "Fact Check Friday" has informed me he will not be available to edit today's post. So, I decided I'm just going to share a video. I'm not sure how "factual" it is, but I hope you'll find it funny.

Thoughts about Spiritual Gifts + Bonus Feature

Musing about Spiritual Gifts

The pastor's message at Nathan & Laura's church on SUN 9/6, was  based on this text from Ephesians 4:11-16:  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church:  the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, & the pastors & teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work & build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith & knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full & complete standard of Christ.

• Some of you, like me, have probably taken spiritual gift inventories. It's been a long time since I've taken one, probably not since the late 1980s, maybe early 1990s.
• The results were always consistent. My spiritual gift always tested out as "leadership."
• Of course, "leadership" isn't included in this list. You'll find the gift of "leadership" in Romans chapter 12. [Another list of spiritual gifs is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.]
• That pleased me, because I fancied myself a leader. Ironically, although I had been a Lutheran educator for many years & continued in the field of Lutheran education up until my "sabbatical" began in November, 2014, I never tested strongly in the area of "teaching."
• From the time I tested strongly in the area of "leadership," I began praying & continued praying that the Lord would enable me to use my spiritual gift of leadership to "equip God's people . . . to build up the church."
• Insight #1:  Did I really have this spiritual gift? It may have been a self-fulfilling prophecy & it may have been ego-driven, since I have long known that I have a need for recognition. In hindsight, my prayer re:  the gift of leadership may have been prideful & somewhat shallow. However, praying that the Lord would enable each of us to use our spiritual gift(s) to equip the saints & build up the church, the body of Christ? I think that continues to be a godly prayer for all of us. I really don't know that we need to pray more specifically than that.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed & blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more & more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy & growing & full of love.

• Insight #2:  The nature of a spiritual gift is all about being blessed in order to be a blessing to others. I suspect that not many are given this spiritual gift, because in our human frailty it is all too easy for those in positions of leadership to fall prey to many temptations. Being recognized as a leader is nice. Getting to "call the shots" is nice. Being compensated for being in the position of a leader? That's pretty nice, too.
• Ultimately, when we are all using our spiritual gifts--"each part (doing) its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy & growing & full of love."
• Insight #3:  It is not necessary for each of us to know our spiritual gifts. In fact, Is it possible that maybe the majority of Christians are using their spiritual gifts oblivious of the exact nature of their gifts? The Spirit is certainly more than capable of steering us into those roles of ministry best suited for our spiritual gifts.
• Insight #4:  My conclusion, based on my recent experience, is that the best prayer may be something along the lines of "Lord, bless me that I may use my spiritual gift(s) for the building up & equipping of Your people. May this be done according to Your will, not mine, to Your glory & for the good of those You've called me to serve."

So, now that I am not in a formal, called position of leadership within the corporate Church, what does that say about my presumed spiritual gift of leadership? The spiritual gift that perhaps I've never even possessed? Is there another spiritual gift that the Lord has been employing through me--one that I haven't even been aware of?

I think maybe next time I'm going to explore the idea of "teaching" as a spiritual gift.

Miscellaneous Bonus Feature

Excerpts from Norfolk Daily News (5/29--I'm done including apologies for dated references, by the way):  "Man sues ex for half of $1M lottery prize. "A Florida man is still trying to get half of his ex-girlfriend's $1 million lottery prize, 8 years after he says she took the winning ticket & left him. He says she reneged on a long-ago promise that they'd split any winnings if either of them hit it big. On Thursday, the FL Supreme Court agreed that if they were still romantically involved, any spoken agreement made years earlier was still valid. Now a jury will have to decide if a pact was ever made & if the couple was still an item when Lynn Poirier's lucky number was drawn.
      "Howard Browning said he & Poirier agreed in 1993 to share any lottery money they might win. They loved playing the lottery, sometime driving out of state to buy Powerball tickets when the jackpot grew big enough, according to his lawyer . . . 'He thought to himself, 'She must have won & she split,''Sheppard said. "A while later she shows up in a brand new car & tells him to get out.'
      "The couple had lived together since 1991." [I debated about saving this & commenting on it, because it's really not funny & probably can't help but sound self-righteous, but I'll comment anyway & take my chances. See, there seems to be something missing in too many cases where a couple chooses to live together before or instead of getting married. It's called, for want of a  better term, commitment?! Is it possible she liked playing Powerball & winning big more than playing house? I'm just sayin'.]

Also from NDN (9/1):  "Facebook frenzy. Egyptians in a Nile Delta province are outraged after a cleric allegedly changed a line in the traditional Islamic call to dawn prayers to mention Facebook. Instead of saying 'prayer is better than sleep' twice, as he was supposed to, Shiekh Mahmoud Maghazi of Beheira province allegedly said: 'Prayer is better than Facebook.' [Emphasis added.] The issue drew nationwide attention when he defended himself against shouted accusations on one of Egypt's most-watched television talk shows . . . on Sunday." [I take little joy if any from this news item. First, it would seem somewhat self-righteous. Second, my mom, a church organist, recalled that when the Lutheran Church switched from the green(?) hymnal, which only printed words, to TLH, * there was a great outcry among many of the faithful. Including the musical arrangements was an ungodly distraction, was how she recalled it.]
* She recalled this may have been in the 1930s?!

Also from NDN (9/1):  "Not alone. A Benedictine monk who works at a private Rhode Island school has discovered that finding solitude is no easy feat, even 175 ft in the air. Brother Joseph Byron was recently relaxing atop the Portsmouth Abbey School's wind turbine--as he often does--when a drone zoomed in. Video taken by the drone, owned by a Californian on vacation, shows Byron sprawled across the turbine's flat surface, with views of Narragansett Bay in the background . . . Byron said he climbs the turbine, which was installed in 2006, because he enjoys the view. He found the drone interesting at first but was annoyed after it zoomed by a second time, he said. [God works in mysterious ways. For Luther, it was a thunder & lightning storm.]

Food for Thought

Excerpts from Omaha World Herald (9/10/15):  "New York City to require salt warnings on menus. Some sub sandwiches, movie theater pretzels & even milkshakes & salads will soon come w/a first-of-its-kind salt warning symbol in NYC after officials agreed WED to stake out new ground in a national push for healthier eating habits." [In a related story, NY State Ag officials denied that they are considering forcing farmers to require sodium warnings on salt blocks for livestock. "A least for now," according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.]

Also from OWH (9/16):  "Taco Bell to begin alcohol sales at Chicago Store." [I really didn't feel compelled to read on."]

Excerpts from Norfolk Daily News (9/15/15):  "Award winner. A New York grilled-cheese food truck whose proceeds go to help formerly incarcerated youths has won the top Vendy award for best street fare." [I love grilled cheese sandwiches, & some of you, like me, may recall w/nostalgia, "back in the day," when some of us qualified for free, government-surplus, American cheese. Did it not make for the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever?! *]
* That's a rhetorical question.

Criminal Minds

Also from NDN (9/2):  "Two accused of eating meal on boar as family slept. Police in Connecticut have charged 2 people they said broke into a boat at a Norwalk marina to enjoy a fast food meal & take some selfies while a family of 5 slept on board. The family was awoken at about 2:00a SUN by the flash from a camera . . . (They) told police that neither . . . had ever been on a boat & only wanted to take some pictures. [Which is why I always entitle this section "Criminal minds," NOT "Criminal masterminds."]

There is No Place Like . . . 

Colorado?

Also from OWH (9/14):  "Woman heads to police station just to give a hug. The Arvada Police Dept. has posted a photo on its FB account of a woman who went to the station just so she could hug an officer. KMGH-TV reported that the woman told police she was upset about the deaths of law enforcement officers nationwide." [Not to get political, but I'll bet you this woman's name does NOT rhyme w/"Sal Smarpton."]

Rhode Island?

Also from NDN (9/15):  A new dog park in Rhode Island got some help from a group of land-clearing specialists:  goats. Organizers used a herd of the ravenous ruminants to clear brush from a plot of land in Portsmouth that will eventually be turned over to man's best friend." [Highlights added by me to (1) prove that I am capable of giving kudos to blue states; & (2) point out an example of alliteration & re-establish that I am a secondary English major.] * 
* As if I needed to re-establish my reputation in that regard.]

California?

Also from OWH (9/15):  "California Drought:  How dry? The worst in 500 years. Researchers knew California's drought was already a record-breaker when they set out to find its exact place in history, but they were surprised by what they discovered:  It has been 500 yrs since what is now the Golden State has been this dry." [I won't bother you w/the details. Suffice it to say that I was convinced by the science. It's really not funny, & for the sake of our relatives in the Golden State, I promise that I'm not gloating. It's just that I feel a responsibility to be "fair & balanced."] *
* I can sense that one or more of those relatives just laughed at my using the word "balanced" in connection with my post. Oh, so that's how you treat my mental health issues? That is so not funny. Not to mention immature.]

Nebraska!

Also from OWH (9/16):  "That'll do, pig. Little 'Babe' gets adopted. This little piggy went home . . . to a new home, that is. Last week, Omaha Police Officer Joel Strominger rescued a small piglet--later named 'Babe'--who was found running loose in traffic on I-680 at 72nd St. near Cunningham Lake. It is believed that the little male pig fell from a moving truck . . . " [I can neither confirm nor deny that this piglet was adopted by an employee of Big Red BBQ.]

Miscellaneous

Also from OWH (9/15):  "York man changes his name to Mickey MacWhiskey. A 26-yr-old York (NE) man has legally changed his name to Mickey MacWhiskey. His name was Mark Spencer when he called the York County District Court for a telephone hearing Monday. In a written statement, he said he wanted the name change 'to start a new life. The name has special meaning to me that will reflect where I have been & remind me of where I need to be.'" [I am so glad you've chosen a name that will remind you of where you've been & where you need to be, Mark, I mean, Mickey. It will serve as a special reminder to your children, too, as well as a special reminder to their friends at school.] *
* Yes, I could have added this to the section above, but this is my blog & I'll thank you to remember that.

Also from OWH (9/16):  "Lynch's mom criticize's Seattle coordinator in FB post. Marshawn Lynch's mom called for Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to be fired in a post in FB. Delisa Lynch posted her comment late MON night after her son was stopped on a 4th & one run in OT as Seattle dropped its season opener in St. Louis 34-31 Sunday. Delisa . . . wrote that Bevell is the 'worst player call ever' & that the run play on 4th & one against the Rams was called only to justify the fact Seattle didn't call a run play from the 1-yard-line in the Super Bowl, when Russell Wilson's pass was intercepted by New England's Malcolm Butler. She added that the Seahawks staff 'loves' Bevell 'more that a win.' [emphases added] [Dept. of Imaginary Conversations:  "Gosh, no, Marshawn, these 7,000 goal line-to-goal line wind sprints have NOTHING to do w/your mom's FB post."]