Joy in the Morning - 06 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 359

Micah 6:8
Psalm 30
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

As I mentioned last week, I have come back to our church's weekly prayer vigil again. What used to be 15 minute prayer sessions has grown to 30 minute sessions. Much like nearly everyone these days, I find it hard to concentrate on any single task for that long (unless it's reading a book - somehow hours can disappear as I turn the pages), so I've set myself some prepared prayers as a way to keep focused.

As we will celebrate communion in church this week, I was put in mind of the communion liturgy in the United Methodist Hymnal. This prayer of confession is always worth considering, remembering, and praying. I think the seeming paradox of being freed for obedience - for joyful obedience at that! - is a big part of what speaks to me in this prayer. I hope you find it challenging and meaningful.

Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

The Spirit of the Woods - 05 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 358

Micah 6:8
1 Samuel 20:18-23
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is Fred Bear Day, so draw a bow and shoot an arrow. When I was a kid I never really was involved in any sports. The closest I ever came was when I was part of an archery league (probably in Middle School), much like others were in bowling leagues and the like.

Each Saturday we'd head out to Acorn Archery on Gratiot in Roseville (at least that's my recollection) and would shoot arrows into targets while eating pork rinds from the vending machine. I (as evidenced above) was a spectacular archer - fully qualified for the Junior Olympics! (or perhaps that means I would have been allowed to try out for the Junior Olympics? I'm sticking with the first interpretation. Now I wonder why I didn't go.)

It's kind of odd that, the generally peaceful, peaceable person that I am, I would have participated in Archery (perhaps too many viewings of the Adventures of Robin Hood?) and then at university the only gym / phys ed courses I took were Fencing and Rifle & Pistol.

At any rate, here's to Fred Bear and the spirit of the woods!


Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Roll for Initiative - 04 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 357

Micah 6:8
Jonah 1:7-15
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is International GMs Day - as in Game Master (or Dungeon Master / DM as we called it back in my day). It's a day to celebrate the folks who run role-playing games. Ironically, on 04 March 2008 Gary Gygax, American game designer, writer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons, died - six years after the beginning of this holiday. In one way, it's nice to know that this is really about celebrating the folks who run our games, not set up as a memorial to Gary, in another, it's even better knowing that we can celebrate his life along with that more general celebration. Roll some d20s or d12s or whatever your favourite dice might be today in celebration.

Quite a few years before all of that was going on in Wisconsin, on 04 March 1678 Antonio Vivaldi was born. We're almost to the beginning of Spring, so why not play the Spring concerto from his Four Seasons? I think I'll look for a recording around the house.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Stigmatized - 03 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 356

Micah 6:8
Hebrews 9:27-10:2
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Oh dear. With all the banana cream pie nostalgia yesterday, I missed an important commemoration.

Yesterday marked the 39th anniversary of the death of Philip K. Dick, one of the greatest sf authors of all time. Looking at a summary of his career made me realize that I have a lot of reading to do. He published 44 novels and well over 100 short stories - it appears that I have read but a small portion of his work.

Even if you haven't read any of his novels, you have probably seen at least one film based on his writings: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Minority Report, Impostor, A Scanner Darkly, Next, Radio Free Albemuth, The Adjustment Bureau, and The Man in the High Castle to name a few.
If you haven't read any of his writing, I would recommend that you change that as soon as possible. Good options are "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch," "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (the source for Blade Runner), "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said," "UBIK," "Time out of Joint," and "The Man in the High Castle."
You'll find that the general theme of his writing is an exploration of the meaning of reality. What part of what we perceive is real? How many layers of fiction / deceit / illusion / misperception / etc. are there between us and reality? It sounds hard to follow, but he was such a skilled writer that, even when you're not sure what's going on, you'll enjoy the ride, and you'll come out the other end with more good questions than bad answers.

Highly recommended reading.

 

Given Dick's anti-totalitarian bent in his writing, I think he would have appreciated this image that I found somewhere:

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Face Palmer's - 02 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 355

Micah 6:8
Leviticus 23:40-41
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?


Today is National Banana Cream Pie Day. I remember getting banana cream pie at the restaurant in the basement of Eastland shopping center (before it was even a full-on mall!). I also got coconut cream pie there. It was across the hallway from McDevitt's - a Catholic/Christian supply shop. (I'm struggling to remember the name of the restaurant.) It was right next to a set of escalators that were much narrower than the standard ones. I would ride up and down them with my feet off the steps by holding myself up with one hand on each moving rail. (Rats, I almost had the name again. Twice.) It was really just a little sandwich shop with standard diner desserts and such, but I remember it very clearly (apart from its name!). That and National Coney Island were the places at Eastland where we might get something if we were doing a big shopping trip. Coney Island was right near the Detroit Edison store where we could go get our burned out light bulbs exchanged for new, working ones - free of charge! Those were the days, eh?
To be honest, if we were going to be "fancy" while shopping, we might go up to the Hudson's restaurant for a Maurice Salad, but that was not a common thing for us. 

Aha! It took a lot of searching and reading through forum comments, but the place was called Palmer's!
All that because today is National Banana Cream Pie Day. That's what memories will do. I suppose that's why some people eat to forget, or however that goes.

Today is also Read Across America Day, which is also known as Dr. Seuss Day. How ironic that our bizarre, narcissistic cancel culture is busy trying to cancel the good doctor as we hit the day celebrating his achievements. I would recommend reading any and all of his books to anyone and everyone who will listen. (I guess I won't argue if you want to skip The Lorax. It reads as an aberrant screed, an artifact of its era, unlike his other, generally timeless books.) 

These are the books being canceled - I would suggest buying a copy just to make the point that this is insane:

• "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street"
• "If I Ran the Zoo"
• "McElligot's Pool"
• "On Beyond Zebra!"
• "Scrambled Eggs Super!"
• "The Cat's Quizzer"

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

01 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 354

Micah 6:8
Psalm 32
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is National Horse Protection Day. Because of that, let's remember the life of Norman. Norman was rescued from the Nashville floods just before he would have drowned in his stall. He then lived out his days happily protected and loved by a wonderful family (my sister, her husband, and their daughters (and dogs and cat)). That's an example of what National Horse Protection Day can mean. Now go and do likewise.

In our "today in history" feature, we note that on 01 March 1983 Arthur Koestler, the Hungarian/English author, journalist, author of the required-reading-for-our-times book, Darkness at Noon, died. (Sadly, he and his wife committed suicide as he faced a diagnosis of terminal leukemia.) Read the book. It's not just a good novel, it's very important.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Worship - 28 February 2021 - Plague Journal Day 353

Micah 6:8

Matthew 28:16-20
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

 

 

This Sunday is the Second Sunday in Lent.

With the COVID case levels settling down in Grosse Pointe, we've resumed our in-person worship!
Yes, we're going to be back in-person in the Sanctuary today. You'll need to register ahead of time to attend, and an email went out from the church with all the details!

We're welcoming a guest preacher to our pulpit this week - District Superintendent Rev. Dr. Charles Boayue. Of course, in addition to a solo at the offertory time, Doug will be back at the organ for opening and closing voluntaries based on familiar hymns. Remember, we'll be streaming for all those who can't join us in person.

As usual, today's stream should just appear as the latest entry on our YouTube channel, here.
You'll find all our previous worship videos right there at that same place, and today's stream will stay there as a recording as well.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.