Hello all.
I’m leaving for Maine in the morning, so I thought I would let it be known that there will be no new posts until August when I get back to Indiana.
Have a good rest of the summer.
The Sky Is Not Falling, or, It’s Not About The Beer
Plaidshoes over at Everyday Unitarianhas a post about the board of Anheuser-Busch approving the selling of the company to InBev, the Belgian brewer. She expresses the sentiments of many here in St. Louis.
As a native St. Louisian and as someone who has had (and continues to have) family members who work for the brewery, I just thought I would present a different side.
The sky is NOT falling because the corporate structure is changing. The Busches have been and will continue to be a major presence in this town. Their charitable giving will probably not change. Grant’s Farm will still be Grant’s Farm. The Clydesdales will continue to be.
I repeat…..the sky is NOT falling. Because this was not about the beer. There are two major reasons the brewery got bought: 1. The Dollar is down, which made A-B affordable to InBev. 2. (the biggest reason) InBev needed A-B’s U.S. distribution system, which is magnificent.
So for all you A-B drinkers out there, don’t fret. InBev is not going to mess with the recipes of A-B products or the process that A-B has perfected over these 150-odd years. They do not want a New Coke situation. And please, don’t go Chicken Little on me and believe that the sky is falling. It is not. If the sky were falling, the name of the new company would not be Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Pastoral Spirituality
One of the classes I’m taking this fall is what used to be called Work of the Pastor I, now it is called Pastoral Spirituality. Unlike Work of the Pastor II which deals with the different kind of public ceremonies that a minister would preside over (weddings, funerals, dedications etc.), Pastoral Spirituality deals more with the private life of the minister, or how the minister takes care of themselves.
I thought I would post the booklist for the class. If you’ve read any of these books, I would love to hear your impressions of them.
The Tentmaking Pastor: the Joy of Bivocational Ministry
Bickers, Dennis W.
isbn-0801090997
The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All The Answers
Hansen, David
isbn-0830816690
Pastoral Spirituality: a Focus For Ministry
Johnson, Ben Campbell
isbn-0664250033
Clergy Self-Care: Finding a Balance For Effective Ministry
Oswald, Roy
isbn-1566990440
Under the Unpredictable Plant: an Exploration in Vocational Holiness
Peterson, Eugene
isbn-0802808484
My Heart May Be Broken, But My Hair Still Looks Great
Well all.
I’m officially back in St. Louis tomorrow after being gone for almost 4 straight weeks. I never knew I could travel for that long and not pine for the house. That’s a really good feeling.
Anyway……I will be the featured speaker at First Unitarian on July 13th. The title of my sermon is the title of this post, My Heart May Be Broken, But My Hair Still Looks Great. Nice title don’tcha think? So for the next few days I’ll be working on that.
On the school front, I’ve finished the first draft of my memoir piece for my August intensive. 3 pages single spaced. I feel good about it. Now all I have to do is wait for my books to arrive so I can read them on my way to Maine.
I’ll write about being in Ft. Lauderdale and not attending GA when I get the chance.
Have a good and safe holiday weekend.
Leaving…..On That Midnight Train To Georgia…….
St. Louis really. But I’m on the second third of my three-leg trip back to St. Louis. For this segment the route is from Washington DC to Chicago. 18+ hours. Hopefully I’ll have a seat to myself for most of the trip.
Anyway…..Ft. Lauderdale was wonderful…….with the added bonus that I got to see most of the people I wanted to see and didn’t have to cross the line (or show my ID) to do it. The beach was grand. The pool was lovely. And the company made it all worthwhile.
Once I get back to St. Louis I have to prepare for my service on the 13th and then for my trip to Maine on either the 16th or 17th, just depends on which date comes out cheaper on Amtrak.
More when I get back to St. Louis.
The Wonderful Surprise
Hi all.
One of the good things about going to Ft. Lauderdale but not going to GA is that I get to stay in hotels that are not in the UUA system. My friend M. (who convinced me that going to Ft. Lauderdale would be a good thing) got us a room at the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort………on the north side of the beach…..374 suites (studio/1 bdrm/2 bdrm/3 bdrm)…….spa…..the ocean……and no GA. I think I lucked out on this deal.
So for all of you who will be in Ft. Lauderdale for GA, I’ll see you there. But while you’re in Plenary, I’ll be in the ocean. yipee!!!!!
I Love Amtrak……….
…..even when I can’t stand them.
…..even when the train arrives 4 1/2 hours late into St. Louis.
…..even when said train arrives in Chicago almost 7 hours late.
…..even when said train beats the 3:00 St. Louis-Chicago train by only 20 minutes.
…..even when I arrive in Chicago with just enough time to make my train to Boston.
This friends, has been the oddest trip I’ve had with Amtrak. And let me tell ya, I’ve had some real dozies. But this one ranks right at the top for weirdness/oddness. Which is why Amtrak will be getting a complaint call on Monday morning from me.
Anyway…Scott Wells over at boyinthebands.com has had a really good conversation going on about train travel. If you’re interested, take a look.
I’m in Boston until the 22nd, then I’ll be headed down to Ft. Lauderdale to not attend GA but hang out with all my friends. So I’ll post when I can.
Looking For Books
I decided to go on the Earlham bookstore site today so I could see if the booklist for my August intensive was up yet. It was.
They are:
Soul Tells A Story by Vinita Hampton Wright (isbn- 0830832319)
Living Journal by Christian Koontz (isbn- 1556123701)
Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing by Leland Ryken (isbn- 0877881235)
Storytelling: Imagination and Faith by William Bausch (isbn- 0896221997)
Does anyone have a copy of any of these books that they would be willing to lend me? (I would gladly pay postage for you to ship them) The class lasts for 2 weeks (August 4-15) and I would like to get a jump on reading them before I get back to Indiana. Any and all books borrowed will be returned in good condition.
A Note From Across The Miles
Got an email from E. today. Her move to Philadelphia went well and she has fallen in love with the neighborhood that her house is in.
After doing her Quaker things this summer and also after her 2-week intensive in Richmond she will start her year-long CPE at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.
I am so happy for her and yet at the same time feeling sad for myself. It’s going to be interesting being in Richmond without her there to bounce ideas and funny thoughts off of. She was the one person I knew “got” me in Richmond. I don’t know what it’s going to be like without her. Don’t get me wrong, I really am happy for her because she needed this move. I’m just going through a bout of self-pity.
Anyway…it was nice to hear from her and know that the move went well. And I do get to see her in August; so this bout of self-pity will only last another day or so.
Digital Camera Update
Hello all.
Just thought I would let you all know that I did buy a digital camera today. I got a Kodak EasyShare C713. 7 MP. 3x zoom.
Thank you to all of you who gave suggestions. They really did help.
