I'm sort of discouraged that my posts are not being read (or at least not commented on). Give me some feedback, people!
It's been a few days since last we talked, but I'm not so sure I have anything to tell you about my clergy life. I preached at Little Church in the Country last Sunday and loved it! 'Twas a beautiful day and I like flying "solo". Maybe it's a control thing, but I just love being the one who decides what to say in the prayers, liturgy, etc.. It is so freeing! I don't quite know why I don't do it more at Home church. Probably because there are many more people to offend. At Little Church there are only about twenty-five regulars, whom I only see a half dozen times a year. After the service, I set our little family van on cruise at 55 mph, rolled down the window, rolled up my sleeves and took the long way home.
Anyhow, our holiday weekend consisted of doing lots of little things that we, otherwise, haven't had time to get around to. I wasn't really busy, per se, so I managed to squeeze out some Sabbath through the course of the last four days. Are leisure and sabbath the same thing? I think that Sabbath is reflective and contemplative and leisure is turning off the brain and perhaps just sitting in front of the tube or the internet looking and feeling kind of numb. I feel like I am where God wants me right now.
God: "Three things Cappy: 1.Don't quit your day job yet- I need you there. 2. Play, and I mean really play, with the kids- while they still want you to play with them. They need you and you need to laugh all of your laugh every now and then. 3. Cherish your beautiful wife. 4. Talk to me more often."
The Clergy family (plus one) departs for the beautiful south on Friday and won't return until June11. No blog until your Captain returns.
Blessings Get All Over You!
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
What a start to the day! I got up at 5:45 and took a brisk and envigorating thirty minute walk in the fifty degree sunrise! Man, does that feel good! I felt so connected to God, even though I didn't really say anything. Upon my return, I cleaned out part of the firdge, ate a bowl of cheerios with strawberries, cut an entire cantaloupe, read some scripture, took my pills and headed for the shower. WHEW!
Last night the eldest clergy kid and her parents attended the sports banquet at her school. Each team was introduced and given a token for their efforts. Since this is her last year in elem school, she got a little emotional when the banquet ended and wept a bit. We told her that it was ok to feel sad that she was leaving elem school and that this is a part of life and life changes all the time. She replied, "Can I have a coke before bed?"
We went to a couple of graduation parties on Sunday: the son of a family friend fron HS and our nephew from middle school. The friend lives in a big house, has a pool, trampoline, hot tub, three big tents, buffet line, two live (as opposed to dead) bands, along with three hundred of their closest friends. Having said that, one might think the big bash was impersonal, crowded and kind of clique-ish. 'Twas not. The kid (graduate) greeted all guests as they came in and thanked them for coming! Can you believe that? An eighteen year old that actually gives a darn about manners and doing what is right and proper and mature.
As a rule, I'm not a party guy (big or small) especially where there's people I don't know, but I made it and Mrs. CC (as usual) pulled me out of my corner and we mingled with others. Overall, we had a good time.
Our nephew is just entering high school (the same one the other kid graduated from) and is still in the midst of pre-pubescent uncomfort. Physically, he has grown a ton, but has some emotional development remaining. He's a good kid; he's just not as sure of himself as someone older. It was just our immediate family for the nephew's bash; cake and ice cream and a few family stories. Good time.
I bought myself five books for my birthday:
A Generous Othodoxy- McClaren
Reverberations of Faith- Brueggemann
Margin- Richard Swenson
The Art of Forgivig- Smedes
Guerrilla Marketing- Levonson
This gives me a little something to read whilst on vacation.
Carry On.
Cap'n
Last night the eldest clergy kid and her parents attended the sports banquet at her school. Each team was introduced and given a token for their efforts. Since this is her last year in elem school, she got a little emotional when the banquet ended and wept a bit. We told her that it was ok to feel sad that she was leaving elem school and that this is a part of life and life changes all the time. She replied, "Can I have a coke before bed?"
We went to a couple of graduation parties on Sunday: the son of a family friend fron HS and our nephew from middle school. The friend lives in a big house, has a pool, trampoline, hot tub, three big tents, buffet line, two live (as opposed to dead) bands, along with three hundred of their closest friends. Having said that, one might think the big bash was impersonal, crowded and kind of clique-ish. 'Twas not. The kid (graduate) greeted all guests as they came in and thanked them for coming! Can you believe that? An eighteen year old that actually gives a darn about manners and doing what is right and proper and mature.
As a rule, I'm not a party guy (big or small) especially where there's people I don't know, but I made it and Mrs. CC (as usual) pulled me out of my corner and we mingled with others. Overall, we had a good time.
Our nephew is just entering high school (the same one the other kid graduated from) and is still in the midst of pre-pubescent uncomfort. Physically, he has grown a ton, but has some emotional development remaining. He's a good kid; he's just not as sure of himself as someone older. It was just our immediate family for the nephew's bash; cake and ice cream and a few family stories. Good time.
I bought myself five books for my birthday:
A Generous Othodoxy- McClaren
Reverberations of Faith- Brueggemann
Margin- Richard Swenson
The Art of Forgivig- Smedes
Guerrilla Marketing- Levonson
This gives me a little something to read whilst on vacation.
Carry On.
Cap'n
Thursday, May 19, 2005
So much to talk about...
15 year anniversary weekend extravaganza... great time was had by all! The Captain got "roasted" in certain spots, while Mrs. CC tanned beautifully. The following day we had an absolutely horrific experience with a condo salesperson- too many details. The "pitch" was the worst thing I have ever had to endure. Our salesperson was rude, offensive and just plain mean, especially when she found out we weren't buying. Pool time followed by nice dinner.
Clergy story:
One of our dearest congregants called me late the other night and just needed to talk to someone (he lives alone). He told me about the doctor's not-so-good diagnosis that day and what needs to be done. My friend responded, "Doctor, that's ok because I have a blessed savior that will care for me." Many diseases have plagued this man.
Just prior to his call, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and having quite a pity party for various reasons and then... his call. I didn't have much to offer my friend except for a couple of "bless your hearts" and an occasional "amen". Then the conversation got a little goofy.
He proceeded to tell me that his pit bull, "Ginger" was such a spoiled girl that she refused to wear anything other than the $20 perfume she's been wearing for the past several years. This puzzles and yes, even troubles me. That would be a good sub-plot for our TV series we're going to write this summer.
Gotta Run-
CC
15 year anniversary weekend extravaganza... great time was had by all! The Captain got "roasted" in certain spots, while Mrs. CC tanned beautifully. The following day we had an absolutely horrific experience with a condo salesperson- too many details. The "pitch" was the worst thing I have ever had to endure. Our salesperson was rude, offensive and just plain mean, especially when she found out we weren't buying. Pool time followed by nice dinner.
Clergy story:
One of our dearest congregants called me late the other night and just needed to talk to someone (he lives alone). He told me about the doctor's not-so-good diagnosis that day and what needs to be done. My friend responded, "Doctor, that's ok because I have a blessed savior that will care for me." Many diseases have plagued this man.
Just prior to his call, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and having quite a pity party for various reasons and then... his call. I didn't have much to offer my friend except for a couple of "bless your hearts" and an occasional "amen". Then the conversation got a little goofy.
He proceeded to tell me that his pit bull, "Ginger" was such a spoiled girl that she refused to wear anything other than the $20 perfume she's been wearing for the past several years. This puzzles and yes, even troubles me. That would be a good sub-plot for our TV series we're going to write this summer.
Gotta Run-
CC
Thursday, May 12, 2005
My Dad's brother
Below is my homily from my uncle's funeral. I have taken out some details to protect their identity.I really don't know what else to say other than, it took a lot more out of me than I expected and I truly felt I was "carried along".
Mrs. CC and I are headed out tomorrow morning for our fifteenth aniversary weeekend extravagnza. Will retyrn to post Tuesday.
Mesage:
To some of us, he was known as “Dickie”. Some of us called him L.R. Some called him “Rich”, some called him “Pop”, some called him “Dick”, some called him “Brother. Some called him “boss” and he called some of you “boss”. My Dad used to call him “Junebug” or “Jumpin’ Junie from Junee High”. I called him Uncle Dick. But for most of us here, we simply called him “friend”. However he was known to you, you have come here this morning because of who Dick was: a man of great character and integrity; a man of fairness and equity and a man who was as competitive as anyone I have ever known. Most of you know that golf was one of Dick’s great passions. When he stepped up to the first tee during a round of golf, you could count on one thing: Dick would leave nothing in the bag, as it were. The same could be said about the way in which he lived his life: he left nothing in the bag. May we all come to the end of our time with such resolve.
So we come together this morning with Jane and Mark and the family, more out of our understanding that gatherings like this are for the living, …And,…Because we wish to give witness to the one whose words and promises are the ground of the life we believe Dick now knows, and the life we hope for.
Like most of us here this morning, Dick experienced life’s peaks and valleys. He was shaped by his losses and his mistakes as much as his successes. I believe that one of the things that made him most proud was his fifty-one year marriage to my Aunt Jane. He was proud of Mark and Cathy and their two daughters, Abby and Lilly, Dick and Jane’s granddaughters. He was proud of his accomplishments both personal and as a part of a team, most notably, his contribution to the 1953 basketball team that went all the way to the semi-state and whose remaining members will serve as pall bearers today. Such loyalty among is rarely found in today’s world.
Dick exemplified what most of us call a self-made man. His many years of hard work in the insurance business and as a builder and entrepreneur, and like most men from his generation, brought him much success and a feeling of great personal satisfaction. Dick also knew what it was like in the valleys of life.
I think it’s safe to say that Dick may have reached his lowest point on December 2, 1979 when Dick and Jane’s twenty-one year old daughter Pam was tragically killed in an automobile accident. While it may be true that a parent may never recover from the loss of a child, Dick and Jane were sustained during their time of loss by many of you here today.
Dick fought his share of personal battles, too. There’s a quote that says: “If at first you don’t succeed, well then, you’re running about average.” Those words rang true for Dick. But in true Dick fashion, he’d pull himself up by his proverbial bootstraps and take another run at beating his worthy opponent. In the end, the victory was his. In the later years of his life, he lived with a freedom and a peace that I believe he would want for all of us here today and he would tell us that it came by the grace of God.
Through these peaks and valleys of life, Dick got right with God. He had a spiritual awakening and found that, only by the grace of God, an inner peace- the peace that passes all understanding. My friends, today Dick is at peace.
BUT WHAT ABOUT US WHO ARE STILL ON A JOURNEY? Are there promises for us? Yes, there are. We can be assured that we too will be led to victory if we trust fully in Christ and in him alone. Death may seem to hide his face temporarily, but his promise is to be with us always, even to the end of the world.
Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered horribly in the Nazi concentration camps and lost her sister and family to them, said, "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer." Our lives have an engineer. We can trust Him who said, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you; let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
You and I can find that the same faith which led my Uncle Dick home can also bring comfort to us.
Someone has observed that life is like an oriental decorative rug—it has two sides. One side—the underside— is full of dark mangles, threads that make no sense to us, full of knots with no pattern to its reasons why. But when you look at the rug from the top side, you see the beautiful patterns, designer work- the full picture. The way we see life, so often, is from the underside, full of confusion, knotted lives, no patterns to why things happen the way they do…but God, sees life from the top side. He sees the full picture.
If we could open up Heaven just for a few minutes, we would all stand in awe of the beauty, the happiness, the joy, the excitement of it all. This is what I believe. If I could ask Uncle Dick, what you want to tell your family, I believe it might be something like this:
1. Tell them, I LOVE THEM with all my heart
2. I want to see them again.
3. Please tell them about God and His saving grace.
4. Remind them where I found my peace- through God- and that peace can be found by all of us.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ; this is the promise of God. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
Mrs. CC and I are headed out tomorrow morning for our fifteenth aniversary weeekend extravagnza. Will retyrn to post Tuesday.
Mesage:
To some of us, he was known as “Dickie”. Some of us called him L.R. Some called him “Rich”, some called him “Pop”, some called him “Dick”, some called him “Brother. Some called him “boss” and he called some of you “boss”. My Dad used to call him “Junebug” or “Jumpin’ Junie from Junee High”. I called him Uncle Dick. But for most of us here, we simply called him “friend”. However he was known to you, you have come here this morning because of who Dick was: a man of great character and integrity; a man of fairness and equity and a man who was as competitive as anyone I have ever known. Most of you know that golf was one of Dick’s great passions. When he stepped up to the first tee during a round of golf, you could count on one thing: Dick would leave nothing in the bag, as it were. The same could be said about the way in which he lived his life: he left nothing in the bag. May we all come to the end of our time with such resolve.
So we come together this morning with Jane and Mark and the family, more out of our understanding that gatherings like this are for the living, …And,…Because we wish to give witness to the one whose words and promises are the ground of the life we believe Dick now knows, and the life we hope for.
Like most of us here this morning, Dick experienced life’s peaks and valleys. He was shaped by his losses and his mistakes as much as his successes. I believe that one of the things that made him most proud was his fifty-one year marriage to my Aunt Jane. He was proud of Mark and Cathy and their two daughters, Abby and Lilly, Dick and Jane’s granddaughters. He was proud of his accomplishments both personal and as a part of a team, most notably, his contribution to the 1953 basketball team that went all the way to the semi-state and whose remaining members will serve as pall bearers today. Such loyalty among is rarely found in today’s world.
Dick exemplified what most of us call a self-made man. His many years of hard work in the insurance business and as a builder and entrepreneur, and like most men from his generation, brought him much success and a feeling of great personal satisfaction. Dick also knew what it was like in the valleys of life.
I think it’s safe to say that Dick may have reached his lowest point on December 2, 1979 when Dick and Jane’s twenty-one year old daughter Pam was tragically killed in an automobile accident. While it may be true that a parent may never recover from the loss of a child, Dick and Jane were sustained during their time of loss by many of you here today.
Dick fought his share of personal battles, too. There’s a quote that says: “If at first you don’t succeed, well then, you’re running about average.” Those words rang true for Dick. But in true Dick fashion, he’d pull himself up by his proverbial bootstraps and take another run at beating his worthy opponent. In the end, the victory was his. In the later years of his life, he lived with a freedom and a peace that I believe he would want for all of us here today and he would tell us that it came by the grace of God.
Through these peaks and valleys of life, Dick got right with God. He had a spiritual awakening and found that, only by the grace of God, an inner peace- the peace that passes all understanding. My friends, today Dick is at peace.
BUT WHAT ABOUT US WHO ARE STILL ON A JOURNEY? Are there promises for us? Yes, there are. We can be assured that we too will be led to victory if we trust fully in Christ and in him alone. Death may seem to hide his face temporarily, but his promise is to be with us always, even to the end of the world.
Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered horribly in the Nazi concentration camps and lost her sister and family to them, said, "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer." Our lives have an engineer. We can trust Him who said, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you; let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
You and I can find that the same faith which led my Uncle Dick home can also bring comfort to us.
Someone has observed that life is like an oriental decorative rug—it has two sides. One side—the underside— is full of dark mangles, threads that make no sense to us, full of knots with no pattern to its reasons why. But when you look at the rug from the top side, you see the beautiful patterns, designer work- the full picture. The way we see life, so often, is from the underside, full of confusion, knotted lives, no patterns to why things happen the way they do…but God, sees life from the top side. He sees the full picture.
If we could open up Heaven just for a few minutes, we would all stand in awe of the beauty, the happiness, the joy, the excitement of it all. This is what I believe. If I could ask Uncle Dick, what you want to tell your family, I believe it might be something like this:
1. Tell them, I LOVE THEM with all my heart
2. I want to see them again.
3. Please tell them about God and His saving grace.
4. Remind them where I found my peace- through God- and that peace can be found by all of us.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ; this is the promise of God. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
Friday, May 06, 2005
I got a phone call at 11:30 the other night from a family friend informing me that my uncle had a heart attack and was not doing well. The doctor came out of the E/R asking the family if they had or knew of a minister- enter the Captain. I lay in bed thinking about whether or not I would go to the hospital and be there for my aunt. My hesitation was due partly to "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna say? What if he dies and she falls apart? What then?"
I arrived at the hospital about midnight and uncle passed about 1:30 Thursday morning. By that time, there were ten or twelve others that had come to offer comfort to the family. The family asked me to preside over the funeral which is scheduled for Monday and I fell privileged to do so. I went home around left around 2:30 and didn't sleep much.
I've "done" a few funerals, but not for family members. This will be different because instead of spending time with the family learning about the deceased, I already know much of what they would tell me. My pastor has told me in the past, "Some of the easiest funerals you'll ever do will be life-long believers who were faithful in his or her service to God and the church. On the other hand, some of the toughest funerals to prepare for are the ones where the deceased didn't go to church and may or may not have believed in God. The funeral for my uncle is the latter.
I will talk about his life and his family and how much he loved them. I will talk about his battles and his victories with alcoholism. I will talk about his competitive nature and his passion for golf and I.U. basketball. I will also talk about his spiritual awakening as the result of the Twelve Steps of A.A. and that if he were to leave those who mourn a word of encouragement he would tell them to lean on God. If you're not sure who God is or if you're angry with God right now because of what has happened- lean on God anyway. God is the one who has promised to never leave or forsake us. My uncle knew what it was like to be broke and he knew what is was like to be rich. I'm not talking about money. He knew what it meant to be spiritually and emotionally broke, which made some of his victories even more rich.
I will post again following the funeral.
Cappy
I arrived at the hospital about midnight and uncle passed about 1:30 Thursday morning. By that time, there were ten or twelve others that had come to offer comfort to the family. The family asked me to preside over the funeral which is scheduled for Monday and I fell privileged to do so. I went home around left around 2:30 and didn't sleep much.
I've "done" a few funerals, but not for family members. This will be different because instead of spending time with the family learning about the deceased, I already know much of what they would tell me. My pastor has told me in the past, "Some of the easiest funerals you'll ever do will be life-long believers who were faithful in his or her service to God and the church. On the other hand, some of the toughest funerals to prepare for are the ones where the deceased didn't go to church and may or may not have believed in God. The funeral for my uncle is the latter.
I will talk about his life and his family and how much he loved them. I will talk about his battles and his victories with alcoholism. I will talk about his competitive nature and his passion for golf and I.U. basketball. I will also talk about his spiritual awakening as the result of the Twelve Steps of A.A. and that if he were to leave those who mourn a word of encouragement he would tell them to lean on God. If you're not sure who God is or if you're angry with God right now because of what has happened- lean on God anyway. God is the one who has promised to never leave or forsake us. My uncle knew what it was like to be broke and he knew what is was like to be rich. I'm not talking about money. He knew what it meant to be spiritually and emotionally broke, which made some of his victories even more rich.
I will post again following the funeral.
Cappy
Monday, May 02, 2005
I was gone, but now I'm back
I have been away from blogging due to work, life and church stuff.
Work: nothing interesting, other than we had a big sales meeting last weekend and they brought in a comic named Greg Hahn and he was great! I got to talk to him a bit and seemed like a good guy. I can imagine that after an act like his (very physical and exhausting) he would run on the adrenaline for a little while after the show and then come crashing down. After the show, I saw him in the hotel lobby kind of bouncing around and wiping the sweat from his brow.
Life: We had quite a gathering at the clergy house last night (The cap's b-day). I can't believe all these people showed up just for me! It can feel pretty uncomfortable for me when people give me presents. In my mind I'm thinking, "You know, you really don't deserve all this." And the people- oh boy! I'm not real big on hugging, but I just wanted to hug everybody that came to my party- just for showing up!
Church: I preached at the local Y last Sunday (4-22) because the church has sold their building and using the proceeds to carry on in a different setting. Total attendance: 9 (including me and the pianinst). Let me give you a glimpse into the morning:
9:00 Clergy arrives at Y to help set up for service. There, he finds an elderly gentleman (at least 80) setting up chairs and moving tables around and about to go into cardiac arrest. I insisted on helping and he reluctantly agreed.
9:20 The person providing special music enters and I introduce myself. He looked familiar, but I wasn't where from. We chatted a bit and it turns out we knew a few of the same people. His solo was "There is a Balm in Gilead" (one of my favorite hymns). He did a nice job although his vibrato sounded a little like Bert Lahr (cowardly lion) in The Wizard of Oz:
"There is a Balm in Gileeeaaaddd, to heal the sin siccckkkk souullll." You've got to hear it to get the full effect.
9:30 Pianist arrives (notice- no congregants yet). She reminded me a whole lot of my late grandmother, who used to play the piano on the radio back in the forties and fifties. You know, big hair, heavy on the lipstick, perfume, nail polish and ready to rock! Anyway, I introduced myself to her and she said, "Oh, it's so nice to meet you Reverend." I said, "Nice to meet you, but call me Steve. We had a brief discussion about the hymns I had chosen and we were approaching showtime.
9:52: The service was set to start a 10 and I was growing a wee but concerned. Just then a throng of people came through the door (5) bringing our grand total to eight. Let's get this party started!
We were done at 10:45 (I don't preach long sermons) and I thoroughly enjoyed (is that the right word?) my time with the group that decided to come to church that day. I hope they were glad they came.
The week that lies ahead: work, church meetings, one overnight, final exam and the Derby...
Grace and Peace-
CC
Work: nothing interesting, other than we had a big sales meeting last weekend and they brought in a comic named Greg Hahn and he was great! I got to talk to him a bit and seemed like a good guy. I can imagine that after an act like his (very physical and exhausting) he would run on the adrenaline for a little while after the show and then come crashing down. After the show, I saw him in the hotel lobby kind of bouncing around and wiping the sweat from his brow.
Life: We had quite a gathering at the clergy house last night (The cap's b-day). I can't believe all these people showed up just for me! It can feel pretty uncomfortable for me when people give me presents. In my mind I'm thinking, "You know, you really don't deserve all this." And the people- oh boy! I'm not real big on hugging, but I just wanted to hug everybody that came to my party- just for showing up!
Church: I preached at the local Y last Sunday (4-22) because the church has sold their building and using the proceeds to carry on in a different setting. Total attendance: 9 (including me and the pianinst). Let me give you a glimpse into the morning:
9:00 Clergy arrives at Y to help set up for service. There, he finds an elderly gentleman (at least 80) setting up chairs and moving tables around and about to go into cardiac arrest. I insisted on helping and he reluctantly agreed.
9:20 The person providing special music enters and I introduce myself. He looked familiar, but I wasn't where from. We chatted a bit and it turns out we knew a few of the same people. His solo was "There is a Balm in Gilead" (one of my favorite hymns). He did a nice job although his vibrato sounded a little like Bert Lahr (cowardly lion) in The Wizard of Oz:
"There is a Balm in Gileeeaaaddd, to heal the sin siccckkkk souullll." You've got to hear it to get the full effect.
9:30 Pianist arrives (notice- no congregants yet). She reminded me a whole lot of my late grandmother, who used to play the piano on the radio back in the forties and fifties. You know, big hair, heavy on the lipstick, perfume, nail polish and ready to rock! Anyway, I introduced myself to her and she said, "Oh, it's so nice to meet you Reverend." I said, "Nice to meet you, but call me Steve. We had a brief discussion about the hymns I had chosen and we were approaching showtime.
9:52: The service was set to start a 10 and I was growing a wee but concerned. Just then a throng of people came through the door (5) bringing our grand total to eight. Let's get this party started!
We were done at 10:45 (I don't preach long sermons) and I thoroughly enjoyed (is that the right word?) my time with the group that decided to come to church that day. I hope they were glad they came.
The week that lies ahead: work, church meetings, one overnight, final exam and the Derby...
Grace and Peace-
CC
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