Thanks a whole lot for selling out the voters, who have emphatically denied the expansion of gambling. Thank you for selling out your Methodist roots and all of your United Methodist supporters. Thank you for selling out the poor by cutting programs to help them while expanding gambling, which always harms them most. Thank you, Governor Strickland, for showing your true colors.
Sincerely,
Your brother, the thief
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
Rising Park: 100 year celebration
A few years ago, we had driven from New Knoxville to Lancaster for Tara's participation in the Lancaster Festival, and one day I took the boys to the park. It was a fantastic park (yes, New Knoxville's local park was a nice one, and it was within walking distance, which we loved), but Rising Park was fantastic.
It was only about 7 months before we were appointed to Millersport, and another 4 months before we moved, and we found ourselves frequently going to Rising Park. The first trip there (as area residents) was rather surreal - it felt like a dream.
Anyway, today they were celebrating 100 years of Rising Park, and of course, we were there.
The day started with a 5K run, which started on the hill, giving us a good, long downhill out of the park. This time I didn't go out with the sprinters, and I ended up having one person pass me the whole race. It was kind of lonely out on the course: two guys battled it out for 1-2, and there were four more who emerged as the "lead pack" and the rest of us kind of straggled out behind. It was a fun race and a very fast course, but the best part was having my family there to cheer for me (and Jonathan had this little "horn" he was blowing to cheer me on, and I just loved hearing it).
I finished in 21:05, but I figure the course was 1/100 mile long, so I might have managed to finish under 21 ;-)
After the awards (I won my age group), we headed around the park. There were inflatables for the kids to play on, and we were the first ones there, so they had free reign. Awesome.
Then we headed around the loop and found that they had tons of free stuff. Like free hot dogs (I know, I don't like hot dogs. But they were free, so I had two). Like free apples, bananas, candy, bottled water, apple/cinnamon or strawberry breakfast bars, and ice cream!
They had speeches, historical reenactments, and even a kids' fishing area.
It made for a fantastic morning with the kids, and sometimes I still wonder if it really is a dream.
It was only about 7 months before we were appointed to Millersport, and another 4 months before we moved, and we found ourselves frequently going to Rising Park. The first trip there (as area residents) was rather surreal - it felt like a dream.
Anyway, today they were celebrating 100 years of Rising Park, and of course, we were there.
The day started with a 5K run, which started on the hill, giving us a good, long downhill out of the park. This time I didn't go out with the sprinters, and I ended up having one person pass me the whole race. It was kind of lonely out on the course: two guys battled it out for 1-2, and there were four more who emerged as the "lead pack" and the rest of us kind of straggled out behind. It was a fun race and a very fast course, but the best part was having my family there to cheer for me (and Jonathan had this little "horn" he was blowing to cheer me on, and I just loved hearing it).
I finished in 21:05, but I figure the course was 1/100 mile long, so I might have managed to finish under 21 ;-)
After the awards (I won my age group), we headed around the park. There were inflatables for the kids to play on, and we were the first ones there, so they had free reign. Awesome.
Then we headed around the loop and found that they had tons of free stuff. Like free hot dogs (I know, I don't like hot dogs. But they were free, so I had two). Like free apples, bananas, candy, bottled water, apple/cinnamon or strawberry breakfast bars, and ice cream!
They had speeches, historical reenactments, and even a kids' fishing area.
It made for a fantastic morning with the kids, and sometimes I still wonder if it really is a dream.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Weekend Reflections #3
By far, the best moment of my weekend, even outplacing my soccer game (in which I scored 2 goals), was Jennifer Dymek's baptism.
She came to me earlier wanting to talk about making a commitment to Jesus Christ in baptism, and I was so excited. I was really excited about all of the people who have helped her along in her journey to this point, and it was awesome to invite them to join her on the stage for her baptism.
Awesome!
Someone asked me about the timing (during the service) of the baptism; they wanted to make sure that they got to see it (if you're not familiar with the flow of our 11:00 service, we have a pull-out children's church; after the worship songs and offering, the children are dismissed for children's church. Since Jennifer has children who would be dismissed then, I wanted to make sure that they got to see her baptism and hear her testimony and confession of faith. Plus some of the children's church volunteers have been walking this journey with Jennifer, and I didn't want them to miss out!
I want to always make sure to make something this significant in the life of the church accessible for as many people as possible. I know the Host of Heaven is celebrating, but we want the chance to celebrate as well!
I'll tell you something: this is what we're all working for. This is what it's all about!
By far, the best moment of my weekend, even outplacing my soccer game (in which I scored 2 goals), was Jennifer Dymek's baptism.
She came to me earlier wanting to talk about making a commitment to Jesus Christ in baptism, and I was so excited. I was really excited about all of the people who have helped her along in her journey to this point, and it was awesome to invite them to join her on the stage for her baptism.
Awesome!
Someone asked me about the timing (during the service) of the baptism; they wanted to make sure that they got to see it (if you're not familiar with the flow of our 11:00 service, we have a pull-out children's church; after the worship songs and offering, the children are dismissed for children's church. Since Jennifer has children who would be dismissed then, I wanted to make sure that they got to see her baptism and hear her testimony and confession of faith. Plus some of the children's church volunteers have been walking this journey with Jennifer, and I didn't want them to miss out!
I want to always make sure to make something this significant in the life of the church accessible for as many people as possible. I know the Host of Heaven is celebrating, but we want the chance to celebrate as well!
I'll tell you something: this is what we're all working for. This is what it's all about!
Weekend Reflections #2
I didn't only experience death and funerals over the past couple of weeks; this weekend I had the privilege of conducting the wedding of Rudy and Maggie Alexeeff (I love putting their names together, by the way) and celebrating the 50 year anniversary of Larry and Doris Dawson with a renewal of vows.
Weddings can be really stressful. Many women have dreamed all their lives of this special day, and they want it to be perfect. And often their mothers have been dreaming of this day as well, and they want it to be their version of perfect. And then there are the grooms, who just want to be out of the tux and married!
I consider myself to have two main jobs on a wedding day: the first is the obvious one: to get the couple married. My second job is to make sure everything goes smoothly. I know there are things beyond my control (I can tell members of the bridal party to drink enough water and to flex their knees, but if they choose not to do so and end up fainting, well, that's beyond my control), but I can help everyone to be calm, knowing that everything will go well. To that end, I make sure that everyone knows that I will direct everything that's going to happen; every time they need to move, I'll tell them to do so. When they need to speak, I'll give them their cues. No need to have things memorized. I had to laugh at Rudy: right before the wedding, after he had escorted his parents down the aisle, he came out to where the guys were waiting and told me something along the lines of, "I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't remember anything from the rehearsal!"
That's why I know one of my main jobs is to make sure the wedding goes smoothly.
I loved Rudy and Maggie's wedding. Why? Because I had a stake in it. I don't know Maggie very well yet, but I knew from the day I met Rudy at the Church by Size seminar that we would be friends. It is awesome to work together. And I know how much he loves Maggie because of how he talks about her and how he respects her and prays for her every day.
This makes me think about evangelism. If we love Jesus half as much as Rudy loves Maggie, then we naturally will talk about him. I felt like I began to know Maggie just because of how Rudy talked about her, but I was encouraged to really get to know her for myself.
My favorite moment in a wedding is the moment when the bride begins her walk down the aisle. I always steal a glance at the groom, because not only is his bride radiant, but he is as well. It's a fantastic reminder of God's love for us. The Bible describes God's relationship with us like this: we as the Church are the bride of Jesus Christ. And when we "come down the aisle" dressed in our good deeds, he is beaming.
I didn't only experience death and funerals over the past couple of weeks; this weekend I had the privilege of conducting the wedding of Rudy and Maggie Alexeeff (I love putting their names together, by the way) and celebrating the 50 year anniversary of Larry and Doris Dawson with a renewal of vows.
Weddings can be really stressful. Many women have dreamed all their lives of this special day, and they want it to be perfect. And often their mothers have been dreaming of this day as well, and they want it to be their version of perfect. And then there are the grooms, who just want to be out of the tux and married!
I consider myself to have two main jobs on a wedding day: the first is the obvious one: to get the couple married. My second job is to make sure everything goes smoothly. I know there are things beyond my control (I can tell members of the bridal party to drink enough water and to flex their knees, but if they choose not to do so and end up fainting, well, that's beyond my control), but I can help everyone to be calm, knowing that everything will go well. To that end, I make sure that everyone knows that I will direct everything that's going to happen; every time they need to move, I'll tell them to do so. When they need to speak, I'll give them their cues. No need to have things memorized. I had to laugh at Rudy: right before the wedding, after he had escorted his parents down the aisle, he came out to where the guys were waiting and told me something along the lines of, "I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't remember anything from the rehearsal!"
That's why I know one of my main jobs is to make sure the wedding goes smoothly.
I loved Rudy and Maggie's wedding. Why? Because I had a stake in it. I don't know Maggie very well yet, but I knew from the day I met Rudy at the Church by Size seminar that we would be friends. It is awesome to work together. And I know how much he loves Maggie because of how he talks about her and how he respects her and prays for her every day.
This makes me think about evangelism. If we love Jesus half as much as Rudy loves Maggie, then we naturally will talk about him. I felt like I began to know Maggie just because of how Rudy talked about her, but I was encouraged to really get to know her for myself.
My favorite moment in a wedding is the moment when the bride begins her walk down the aisle. I always steal a glance at the groom, because not only is his bride radiant, but he is as well. It's a fantastic reminder of God's love for us. The Bible describes God's relationship with us like this: we as the Church are the bride of Jesus Christ. And when we "come down the aisle" dressed in our good deeds, he is beaming.
Weekend Reflections #1
This was supposed to be Monday Morning reflections, but somehow the computer ate the original. So here it is Tuesday morning, and here are some reflections from the weekend.
Actually they are thoughts from the past couple of weeks.
In just a couple of weeks' time, I have seen a lot. I conducted two funerals (during Vacation Bible School week) and suffered the tragic loss of my friend Chad and celebrated my grandmother's 99 years - a life well-lived.
It can be hard to think about death; our culture does everything we can to avoid even thinking of it, and when I started in ministry, I wondered, "How can anyone (I was mostly thinking of pastors here) deal with death so often and have it not crush them?"
I asked that question to several pastors, none of whom had any answer. Then I asked Eldon Sheffer, who was one of my colleagues at Stonybrook UMC (and is a funeral director), and his answer is something I've carried with me ever since. He told me that this is a precious time, the time when immortality brushes near our mortal lives. We are closer to heaven than any other time in life when we experience someone's death - as they enter eternity.
Though funerals are sad, they offer hope - and in every funeral service I'm a part of, I will always give the hope of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins - that we all have the opportunity to receive God's grace and take our place with Him, a face-to-face place where there is no suffering, no sorrow, no pain, no tears, no disease, a place where death is defeated, once and for all.
So that's the first part of the weekend reflections.
This was supposed to be Monday Morning reflections, but somehow the computer ate the original. So here it is Tuesday morning, and here are some reflections from the weekend.
Actually they are thoughts from the past couple of weeks.
In just a couple of weeks' time, I have seen a lot. I conducted two funerals (during Vacation Bible School week) and suffered the tragic loss of my friend Chad and celebrated my grandmother's 99 years - a life well-lived.
It can be hard to think about death; our culture does everything we can to avoid even thinking of it, and when I started in ministry, I wondered, "How can anyone (I was mostly thinking of pastors here) deal with death so often and have it not crush them?"
I asked that question to several pastors, none of whom had any answer. Then I asked Eldon Sheffer, who was one of my colleagues at Stonybrook UMC (and is a funeral director), and his answer is something I've carried with me ever since. He told me that this is a precious time, the time when immortality brushes near our mortal lives. We are closer to heaven than any other time in life when we experience someone's death - as they enter eternity.
Though funerals are sad, they offer hope - and in every funeral service I'm a part of, I will always give the hope of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins - that we all have the opportunity to receive God's grace and take our place with Him, a face-to-face place where there is no suffering, no sorrow, no pain, no tears, no disease, a place where death is defeated, once and for all.
So that's the first part of the weekend reflections.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Run for the Roses 5K
A week ago Saturday, I headed out to Lancaster to run their second annual Run for the Roses 5K, a race with proceeds going toward the Fairfield County MRDD.
I was disappointed that they didn't have any age-group awards (and they didn't even announce age group winners - that was the big thing. I don't necessarily need another medal; I want to know how I did against other people my age).
Anyway, the results are now up. My time was 21:05, and I was 14th overall, and probably 1st in my age group (depending on where the cut-off would have been).
I was disappointed that they didn't have any age-group awards (and they didn't even announce age group winners - that was the big thing. I don't necessarily need another medal; I want to know how I did against other people my age).
Anyway, the results are now up. My time was 21:05, and I was 14th overall, and probably 1st in my age group (depending on where the cut-off would have been).
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Difficulty with "Reality"
...TV that is... or social networking... or blogs...
In real reality, there are rules of etiquette that govern daily life. But in reality TV, those rules are thrown out.
In real life, when something "private" goes on, it stays private. A difficulty with this comes when something tragic, but private, happens, such as a miscarriage or finding out about an infidelity in the family.
When something like this happens, people often don't know about it and say something that seems rude, but they had no way of knowing.
Of course, on the other side of things is the attitude that seems all-too-common in blogs, on Facebook, and on reality TV.
What should have been private becomes public. This Jerry Springer method of dealing with private matters has simply caused gossip to go "big screen." And at least Jerry Springer had his "guests" (if you can call them that) confront one another.
Reality TV seems to always come with a camera on a participant, ready to record their private thoughts. Instead of filtering those thoughts through a trusted friend or confidant, the participant is encouraged to "unload" - often the most unpleasant things about other participants.
If you know me, you probably already knew that so-called "reality" TV is one of my frequent targets, but I'm not just picking on the wannabe-pseudo-celebrity in this post. As I point a finger their way, the other three fingers point back at us, the bloggers.
Would we say what we say about someone if we were saying it to their face instead of posting it (often pseudo-anonymously)?
In real reality, there are rules of etiquette that govern daily life. But in reality TV, those rules are thrown out.
In real life, when something "private" goes on, it stays private. A difficulty with this comes when something tragic, but private, happens, such as a miscarriage or finding out about an infidelity in the family.
When something like this happens, people often don't know about it and say something that seems rude, but they had no way of knowing.
Of course, on the other side of things is the attitude that seems all-too-common in blogs, on Facebook, and on reality TV.
What should have been private becomes public. This Jerry Springer method of dealing with private matters has simply caused gossip to go "big screen." And at least Jerry Springer had his "guests" (if you can call them that) confront one another.
Reality TV seems to always come with a camera on a participant, ready to record their private thoughts. Instead of filtering those thoughts through a trusted friend or confidant, the participant is encouraged to "unload" - often the most unpleasant things about other participants.
If you know me, you probably already knew that so-called "reality" TV is one of my frequent targets, but I'm not just picking on the wannabe-pseudo-celebrity in this post. As I point a finger their way, the other three fingers point back at us, the bloggers.
Would we say what we say about someone if we were saying it to their face instead of posting it (often pseudo-anonymously)?
Update to my post about Chad Miller
Chad's body was recovered downstream from where he and his brother died. Their funeral was back in Iowa. Here is the funeral home website with a more complete obituary for Chad.
If you go there, click on the online memorial book to read about someone who really made an impact for Jesus Christ in his short life.
Chad's body was recovered downstream from where he and his brother died. Their funeral was back in Iowa. Here is the funeral home website with a more complete obituary for Chad.
If you go there, click on the online memorial book to read about someone who really made an impact for Jesus Christ in his short life.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
How Powerful is God?
Have you ever asked that question? Of course you have. You probably haven't asked it in that exact way, unless maybe you're a skeptic and you're trying to stump a Christian who can't really conceive of how powerful "all-powerful" could possibly be.
Anyway, on my handy-dandy Google Reader is a great blog called "Stuff Christians Like" and today's post really hits a home run in the "How Powerful is God?" question.
We often get caught up when it seems like God couldn't possibly do what we're asking/needing Him to do. But what we're really doing is asking the question: is __________ more powerful than God?
Have you ever asked that question? Of course you have. You probably haven't asked it in that exact way, unless maybe you're a skeptic and you're trying to stump a Christian who can't really conceive of how powerful "all-powerful" could possibly be.
Anyway, on my handy-dandy Google Reader is a great blog called "Stuff Christians Like" and today's post really hits a home run in the "How Powerful is God?" question.
We often get caught up when it seems like God couldn't possibly do what we're asking/needing Him to do. But what we're really doing is asking the question: is __________ more powerful than God?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Constitutional Amendments #2
Here are the voting numbers from the West Ohio Conference (on the proposed Constitutional Amendments). I will form these in three columns (to the best of my ability: column 1 is the amendment number, column 2 is the "yes" votes, and column 3 is the "no" votes).
I. 697 786
II. 267 1209
III. 528 947
IV. 516 962
V. 515 958
VI. 514 816
VII. 502 948
VIII. 1299 173
IX. 1229 233
X. 520 951
XI. 518 953
XII. 523 949
XIII. 517 955
XIV. 514 943
XV. 502 957
XVI. 524 946
XVII. 848 619
XVIII. 520 948
XIX. 1006 461
XX. 522 948
XXI. 521 940
XXII. 1296 168
XXIII. 513 955
XXIV. 512 956
XXV. 519 953
XXVI. 512 958
XXVII. 515 954
XXVIII.514 957
XXIX. 513 956
XXX. 512 955
XXXI. 513 955
XXXII. 522 946
Here are the voting numbers from the West Ohio Conference (on the proposed Constitutional Amendments). I will form these in three columns (to the best of my ability: column 1 is the amendment number, column 2 is the "yes" votes, and column 3 is the "no" votes).
I. 697 786
II. 267 1209
III. 528 947
IV. 516 962
V. 515 958
VI. 514 816
VII. 502 948
VIII. 1299 173
IX. 1229 233
X. 520 951
XI. 518 953
XII. 523 949
XIII. 517 955
XIV. 514 943
XV. 502 957
XVI. 524 946
XVII. 848 619
XVIII. 520 948
XIX. 1006 461
XX. 522 948
XXI. 521 940
XXII. 1296 168
XXIII. 513 955
XXIV. 512 956
XXV. 519 953
XXVI. 512 958
XXVII. 515 954
XXVIII.514 957
XXIX. 513 956
XXX. 512 955
XXXI. 513 955
XXXII. 522 946
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
