I always get excited with the first snow of the year.  I love winter, I love the Christmas holiday season, dog-sledding and everything that comes with it.  Today was our first snow of the year, and unlike the previous post from Fairbanks, this snow will probably be gone by tomorrow.  Which is OK with me since I still have a few outdoor chores to accomplish.

Last year I think I posted my first snow message with pictures from the dog yard.  This year I bring you a snow shot from Faith Lutheran Church in Waconia.  It is the place where I serve as Pastoral Assistant / Intern Pastor.  It has been, and continues to be, a great place for me to go and get experience in parish ministry.  I never thought I’d be looking at parish ministry as part of my ministerial career, my intentions were for specialized ministry and mission ministry in the world of public safety chaplaincy.  But after having a couple years of experiences in both environments, I’m pretty sure my future ministry identity will involve parish and specialized / chaplaincy ministry.  I’m still a little over a year away from ELCA ordination, but it is fun to see my future developing some definition.

There are two building that make up the Faith campus, my office is in the South building:

The flag on the hydrant points to my office.

My view from my office looks at the North Building which houses the sanctuary and the other offices:

So, here’s to our FIrst Snow 2008!  Let it be a great winter in Minnesota!

Take Care

As I write this morning, the time and place that I am in is “A CBS Sunday AM”.

For many years now, I’m not quite sure when it started, my favorite TV ritual has been watching the CBS news show “Sunday Morning”.

I like to write and keep journals, logs, notebooks or whatever you want to call documenting thoughts ideas feelings etc. It’s a way I purge all the clutter of thoughts and ideas that constantly invade my brain.  Why and how I write these “brain invasions” is material for another post.  The point here is that I write a lot and often the writing is is titled with the date and description “A CBS Sunday AM” followed by the location from where I write.  The show is a collection of stories, stories that often inspire me to write.  It also gives me some comfort in ritual.

My CBS Sun AM ritual is to wake up, start the coffee, do the dog chores, get the paper, then settle into the big chair with paper, coffee, notebook (in today’s case notebook computer, I’m a Mac guy by the way) and listen to the stories.  These are stories about art, science, travel, politics, news, people, nature, humor, commentary and more.  Some day I want to write a story about how these stories have impacted my life over the past 15 – 20 years (I need to figure out how long I’ve been watching).  Then I head off to church for the 11:00 service, a traditional service where my wife sings in the choir.

Well, I’ve gotta go, the show is ending and I’ve got places to go and people to see.

Just a quick post to share a thought or two and ask the question “What rituals do yuo have in your life?  Rituals that inspire your creativity?”

Take Care

We had a lot of rain around here yesterday, but today was beautiful.  My drive to Camp Ripley started with clouds, but as I headed north it was blue sky, colorful trees and bright sunshine.

When I got home I was greeted with an e-mail from my son Pete.  A nice surprise from my oldest kid who lives, works and goes to school in Fairbanks….Fairbanks Alaska. In case you’re wondering what Alaska looks like this time of year, well, here’s what it looked like yesterday as he drove home from work:

And today, more snow, about a foot on the ground, and oh yeah….5 degrees.

You know, Alaska is the last frontier, a great adventure, but me, I’ll take Minnesota.

I’m up early this morning getting ready to drive to Camp Ripley.  I’m scheduled to give a short lunch presentation to the annual Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Leadership Academy.  I’ll be talking about the continuing efforts of the Governor’s “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” military reintegration project that I’ve been a part of for almost two years now.  It is a project that has a foundation in providing care and support to our returning military service personnel and their families.

However, this morning’s post is not about the BYR project (that will come later), it is about care and support of our peers in the law enforcement professions who are battling cancer.  Just as cancer spreads throughout a body, the impacts of cancer spread just as wide throughout our profession.  There are two cops whose battles with cancer were just recently brought to my attention.  As I looked a little deeper, there are many more people in the profession who are impacted through family and friends fighting the fight.  And my deepest prayers go out to them all.

But here is my prayer to all of you blessed with good health.  Give thanks for the blessings of life you receive each and every day.  Life, and this present moment and sacred gifts to be cherished.  And with that gift of life, cherish the opportunity you have to care for and serve others.  The strength you have and share with others is what keeps our professions and our professionals strong.

Take Care

Well, it’s almost 6:30 AM and Pastor Dave should be here in a few minutes to give me a lift to the airport.  This morning I fly out to Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary for my twice a year visit for my participation in the TEEM (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries) program.

I took my summer courses at Luther Seminary in St. Paul and now I head out for a week in the “Bay Area” specifically Berkley California.  Summer in MN, fall and winter in CA.  A pretty good deal as long as it doesn’t get in the way of my skijoring.

People often ask me if I am pursueing ordination.  The answer is yes, and the TEEM program is the process I am utilizing.  I am about a year and a half away from completing the program, a little less if I can get the stars to align just right so that I can get the classes I need when I need them.

So, I’m off.  I just might make a post while I’m out there, if not, I’ll write when I get back.

Take Care