MENTAL HEALTH

I suffer from clinical depression & anxiety, which is a major reason why I started blogging in the first place. Thankfully, these conditions are largely under control, in part because of medication. Is there still a stigma attached to depression? Unfortunately, I think there is. There are those who find it hard to cope with the depressed; not sure how to talk or act around us. My depression & anxiety were major reasons why my ministry at Lutheran High Northeast was ended. I was upfront with my Board, & I think that worked against me, since they determined that it was in the school's best interest for me to leave. However, all things really do work for the good of those who love God. It was time for Lutheran High to bring in new leadership. Because I left Lutheran High, I was enabled to work at Orphan Grain Train & pursue a "career" in writing--something I had always dreamed of. Do you suspect that you are clinically depressed or anxious? Don't give up! Through therapy & medication & prayer--don't forget prayer--there is hope.

WHERE'S THE SMOKE

Over the past week or so we've been enveloped in a smoky haze, due to wildfires in Canada. There have been poor air quality alerts, & I have found myself getting winded easily, due, I'm sure in part, to my COPD. Rumor has it that our President plans to send our Vice-president to the northern border to check out the situation.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We spent the weekend at the Worley's, celebrating our daughter Sarah's birthday on SAT. For supper FRI night we ordered take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant in Lincoln, the Great Wall. Well, sort of. When we went there to pick it up, we discovered that I had ordered from the wrong Great Wall. What we SHOULD have done was drive to the correct restaurant, but we didn't think of that until after I had ordered. Anyway, we went with some old standby's:  House Favorite Soup for Lois, which she shared with Brianna, & steamed pot stickers & sweet & sour shrimp for me.

On SAT night we celebrated Sarah's birthday at Around the Bend Steakhouse near Platte River State Park between Lincoln & Omaha. Although it was their annual Testicle Festival [ever hear of rocky mountain oysters?], we demurred. Their speciality is prime rib, & it was excellent.

RESOLUTIONS REVIEW

With 7 months over in 2021, here is my progress report re:  my New Year' resolutions.

> At least 8 road trips. A+. I've already achieved this goal, & there are at least 2 more road trips, maybe 3, planned yet this year.

> Give up French fries. B+. I've only slipped a few times.

> Get a DNA report from Ancestry.com. A. I am 52% Germanic Europe, 35% England & NW Europe, 8% Sweden, 3% Norway, & 2% other regions. The Scandinavian connection was a surprise.

> Do my PT exercises at least 3X per week. D

> Avoid useless Facebook arguments. B

> Add to our National Park & bucket lists. A+. We've already visited 4 National Parks this year, which ties our record for most NPs visited in one year, with 4 more planned when we travel in October.

> Lose at least 10 lbs. F. Very discouraging, & I have nobody to blame but myself. I lost 22 lbs last year, & I have gained it all back.

> My GPA:  B

MORE UNO NEWS

Last night I played UNO with Lois & Hadley, our granddaughter, who's staying with us for a few days. I absolutely dominated. Just thought you'd like to know.

HYMNALS

"The purpose of structuring worship, then, is to reconcile the freedom of flexibility with the responsibility of ensuring order and unity. There are many different ways of doing that. One of the most common has been to publish a hymnal . . . There are real advantages to having a common songbook, however, and they don’t have anything to do with musical style . . . 

"Hymnals are normally put together by committees with members in different areas of expertise. There will be musical experts, publishing experts, design experts, and theological experts. They work toward a common goal for the hymnal. For denominational hymnals, it’s putting together a songbook that conforms with that denomination’s teachings. 

"The hymnal front-loads the difficulty in selecting songs for worship. By selecting a hymnal put together by experts you trust, you don’t have to vet every song before singing it in a church service. Someone already studied the songs and gave them a thumbs-up. They also organized the songs so it’s easy to find one that fits a particular service. By the time the hymnal reaches you, it has been looked over by countless people who are supposed to have the best interests of your church in mind. There’s real security in that. Without a hymnal, that sense of security is lost.

"Hymnals also ensure a certain degree of familiarity throughout the congregation with the songs being sung. It’s difficult to worship God and learn a brand-new piece of music at the same time, especially for people who aren’t musically inclined to begin with. Songs in hymnals are also written to be sung along with, not performed by professionals, so they should be easier to follow for those of us who don’t taking singing lessons. By having a common body of songs to pull from, churches can ensure that congregants have at least some idea of what’s coming and will be able to participate in worship more easily . . . 

"A good hymnal allows for plenty of variety while also offering familiarity and staying within secure boundaries for theological soundness. The question of whether to use one is not primarily about musical style. There are hymnals now with contemporary songs in them, and there’s nothing wrong with that. God is sovereign over all time and the entire universe, and He isn’t partial to songs written by Englishmen in the 1700s.

"The advantage of using a hymnal is in reconciling the flexibility God gave us with the responsibility for order in worship so that the church is strengthened and God is glorified. Churches should pause before throwing that idea away over differences in musical taste. Dominic Pino, National Review Online 8/1