A Wedding Celebration

Daughter Sarah celebrated her marriage to Todd on Saturday in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Lanzi's on the Lake in Mayfield, NY. The rehearsal dinner was held the night before at the Sport Island Pub also on Sacandaga Lake. Both events were very enjoyable with delicious food and drink. Here are some pics of the rehearsal and the wedding. Saturday's weather was typical of this summer with pop-up thunderstorms throughout the day. One such storm had just ended when we arrived forty-five minutes before the ceremony was to begin. The sun came out momentarily and created a faint rainbow.The clouds moved back in but the rain held off as Sarah and Todd made their vows to one another and to Todd's daughter, Morgan.The reception was a joyous affair with a stunning cake, great food, and family fun.

Saturday Morning

For most of my adult life Saturdays have always been a day of work. The tasks included final preparations for the weekend worship services, weddings, appointments, etc. Now I approach each Saturday as a gift and opportunity to discover the relaxed pace of this day. On most Saturdays during the spring and summer, John and I head to the Saratoga Farmer's Market to pick up produce and enjoy the sights and sounds. We are members of a local CSA farm along with daughter Suzi and we split a weekly share of homegrown vegetables with them. The bountiful harvest of flowers, fruits, breads, jams, honey, and vegetables on display there are a feast for the eyes. Here are some pics I took this morning.

As I strolled through the market, the hymn "Praise and Thanksgiving" was the sound track playing in my head.

Praise and thanksgiving, God we would offer

for all things living you have made good:

harvest of sown fields, fruits of the orchard,

hay from the mown fields, blossom and wood.

Faithful Communities

The version of Christianity that appears in the media often embarrasses me: it's narrow, sectarian, exclusive and sometimes mean-spirited. So it was a joy to find in the May 26 New Yorker an article by novelist Ian Frazier about a church being a church in the best sense. So begins John M. Buchanan in an article titled, Something Christlike, in the July 29 issue of Christian Century. It is the story of a small Episcopal Church in New York City, The Church of the Holy Apostles, that had dwindled in membership and was contemplating closing its' doors. Frazier writes that, A new rector suggested that "if Holy Apostles is going out of business, it might as well do some good before it does."So in 1982 the church launched a free-lunch program. Thirty five people showed up and now the congregation is serving 1200 meals a day. Buchanan concludes the article, Maybe the world would find churches more interesting and compelling if they showed something of the love of Jesus in their lives and practices. Maybe there is no more important and life-giving strategy for every church than finding something Christlike to do. You can read the Frazier article by clicking here.
Many congregations around the country are sharing Jesus' love in similar ways and the general public never hears about them. I am blessed at the present time to be ministering part time with a very small and struggling Lutheran congregation, Grace in Schenectady, NY. They are not sure what the future holds for them as a faith community yet they continue to reach out to those in need. Last Wednesday morning I stopped by the church to find three women making 300 sandwiches to be shared at Bethesda House in Schenectady, NY. Bethesda is a neighborhood settlement house, which under its director Margaret Anderton, has been providing some 130 free meals a day, clothing, and social services to the poor and needy, many of whom are disabled by alcohol and drug addiction and/or mental illness. There are thousands of stories like these two but we rarely see them in print. This day I give thanks for the many faith communities, large and small, who truly "walk the talk" of our faith by feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and working for justice.

Hippy-Dippy Weatherman

May 12, 1937 - Born. God winces.

(from Carlin's web page)

“The weather was dominated by a large Canadian low, which is not to be confused with a Mexican high. Tonight’s forecast . . . dark, continued mostly dark tonight turning to widely scattered light in the morning.” Those are the words of my favorite weatherman, Al Sleet, a character George Carlin created early in his career. Carlin was a quick, profane, vulgar, brilliant, and hilarious comedian and cultural critic. He was a serious student of the English language and he could creatively turn ordinary words and phrases into bizarre insights regarding the human condition. Here are a few examples that I've enjoyed.

When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?

When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?


When someone is impatient and says, "I haven't got all day," I always wonder, How can that be? How can you not have all day?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Is a vegetarian permitted to eat animal crackers?

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town.

What does it mean to pre-board? Do you get on before you get on?

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

June 23, 2008 God surprises George by exisiting and welcoming him home!

Spring Update

OK. This is the promised update of my busy, exciting, rewarding,fun, and at times exhausting

Spring. Following the early May trip to South Carolina for my 25th Anniversary of graduation from Seminary and a trip to Darlington Speedway for a Nationwide Series race I accompanied John to a Potential Unlimited Music Weekend. It was held at the Rensselaerville Institute where I had the opportunity to take daily hikes to the Rensselaerville Falls.

I then volunteered a week of mornings helping to build a community playground in Ballston Spa, NY. It was hard work in hot weather and great fun. The park was completed in a week with the help of hundreds of volunteers. Here are some photos of the grandchildren playing in the park that "PopPop" help built.

June began with a trip to Rochester, NY for the Annual Upstate New York ELCA Synod Assembly. The highlight of the trip was when Mary and I ate dinner at my favorite BBQ place, Dinosaurs.

On the 12th of June, John and I traveled to Binghamton, NY for the 2008 New York State Special Olympic Summer Games. I served as a coach of the bowling team. John won a silver and a gold medal in the bowling competition. Here are some pics of John and friends at the event.

In between trips I have been golfing with grandson Brendan. He is improving at a remarkable rate and will soon be beating me regularly. Check out his swing.

Beer

I took a deep sip. The first sip of beer on a hot day is like that first finger dip when you open a new jar of peanut butter. I enjoyed what only could be called God's nectar. Harlen Coben in his novel, The Woods.

Storms and Rainbows

First of all thank you, thank you to those who continue to check this blog, who have patiently waited, who have encouraged and even harassed me to post again. Thank you! I plan to post an update later today of all that has transpired the past month. For now, a reflection on rainbows.

Yesterday we experienced heat, humidity, and severe storms and the weatherman kept reporting that the conditions were right for tornadoes, which of course, are very rare in our area of Upstate New York. It also occurred to me, as I observed these storms popping up and then rapidly moving on, that it was also the perfect conditions for rainbows.

Isn't that just like life. When we are going through the most difficult storms in life....that is exactly when the conditions are right for signs of God's promise and presence...Rainbows. These rainbows take many forms when we are buffeted by the winds and rain of disappointment and despair. A kind word, an encouraging e-mail, an invitation to have a cup of coffee and talk. Yesterdays unsettled weather was a reminder to me to always look for the rainbows in the midst of the storms.