Relationship

To have a relationship is to invite rejection
And in that thought, there is room for inspection
Why should we have one?
Rather a thought than a question.

What is the worth of having something that must depart?
Those who have one can’t be presumed to be too smart.
It was in the beginning that relationship began
All before God formed even one hand

Beside Still Waters

I could feel it
I was in a room I had been long before
A smaller me, but the room remained
As it had been
Long ago.

I felt stifled, breathing came hard,
Something happened here
To stifle creativity
My person had been drowned
Beside still waters

Let It Snow

First real snow today. Perfect timing as this is my first day of fall/winter vacation from classes. I like classes, but by the end of ten weeks, even with only three classes to the usual five, a break is welcome. Something about ending a semester, that at least on the day of their demise, I can think of nothing else to write about. It is a relief to be able to read only what I want to read, and not have a paper due. For the next seven weeks, I only have sermons. Not bad. Maybe I should start those Christmas cards; cards that looked so unappealing this morning. A little snow on a day that a semester ends is snow appealing!

Fall Roads

Why do they put those little strips of tar in the road? Those snakelike swirls that wander drunkenly in any direction except straight. Is it to give us traction? Is it physics? Do uneven random surfaces painted here and there across an asphalt surface save the road?

Between these squiggels of tar and the single leaves that blow across the road, I can hardly concentrate on my cell phone. Each leaf appears in my peripheral vision as mouse or a frog or a turtle belatedly gliding home. They all make it unsafe at any speed and the conversations difficult.

Vacation

Have you had or are you in a job where you don't get off the day after Thanksgiving? It shouldn't be. Never again will I be in that position. I hope. As a pastor, I worked today, but not out making calls. I worked on the sermon, and other deadlines for ministry. Not the same as going to the office and I felt connected and caught up when the day was done.

Why do some companies offer first and second year employees only a week off. All that does is alienate the employee. Beyond my comprehension. And if you automatically gravitate towards working 52 weeks of the year, good for you; but I think your an idiot waiting to happen.

Is it Halloween or Thanksgiving?

As lightness came to our backyard, I could not see our pond. A fog had descended upon us. Outside looks Halloween not Thanksgivng. I guess that is okay for our Halloween looked like Labor Day.

Is this what the fuss is all about. Is this global warming? I am going to suggest we put the turkey away and grab a bag to go begging candy at our neighbors'doorsteps. It will be fun to see their faces as we shout out, "Trick or Treat!"

I am sure that on future Thanksgivings more shocking events will make our eyes go wide. On some foggy Thanksgiving in 2050, the fog will be there, but instead of coming off the pond it will be moving in from the Atlantic Ocean. Ours will be beachfront property. Even if you believe in this as reality, most of you are likely to be of my opinion that we will not live to see it. Other dangers will get us first. Or we are too old, and our bodies will not last another forty three years. Thein lies our lack of fear and urgency and the reason it is all likely to happen.

Monday Morning

Monday is a school day for me, the only one of the week. I drive to school, it is 100 miles one way. The trip starts in darkness. I don't see sunrise until after a stop at Starbucks. Trees still hold some golden leaves and on sunny mornings after a latte they look gorgeous. Golf flags are still in their holes. Winter isn't here yet, but a few flurries are visible. They are on my red sweater. I thought it was the latte; relief follows. It is only snow.

A Poem: By Her Grave

I stayed by her grave for a long time,
I visited it for weeks on end.
I couldn’t believe she was gone
I didn’t believe in heaven.
It was over.
Until one cold day I felt a breeze,
Warm on my cheek,
And I smelled her scent

Still, I couldn’t believe in
an unseen apparition; unacceptable
after a lifetime of touch and feel.
No, take it away;
But wait, she spoke,
And in my head, I heard life;
No ghost, but only truth confirmed.
Flesh is temporary and insubstantial.

I waited for more,
But it didn’t come,
And for once I did not beg.
I had been sent what I wanted:
A sign, a voice, a smell;
Enough revealed; this life a beginning.
The one to come
sensual beyond our dreams.

Living well

Sunday afternoons are all about relaxing, but today has been non-stop writing. I never thought I would complain about that. And I am not really. Just getting tired out. I have to remember the day. Driving to and from church the beauty of where we live took over all else. The day was sunny and the geography we live in receives that well. Made me feel good enough to get a hunk of horsradish cheese, a greasy piece of pizza, and a cheese based salsa. BUT I had trout for dinner. Good thing because the last story on 60 Minutes was about fast food calorie counts. I will start the day with a Starbucks Latte. Certainly not as bad as a big mac.

leaking

Today's sermon is all about leaking. Not physical leaking, but the leaking of cognitive insecurities we all hold within us. Even since this sermon was first composed, leaks have taken place in this pastor and in our congregation. It is our job to work with each other under Christ to repair the leaks.