Monday, February 28, 2011

Still "Asleep"

...after all these years.

They started playing Western Swing back in 1970, when NObody would touch the stuff. I mean, guys in their 20s in San Francisco playing music by Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, when down the street at Haight & Ashbury kids were listening to Sly Stone and Led Zeppelin? Now 40 years & 9 Grammys, with and a new generation of members on stage, Asleep at the Wheel is still at the top of its craft. The only constant is front man and lead vocal Ray Benson. As smooth as his voice sounds at his age... it gives a guy hope. There may yet be a chance to perform when my job and school demands no longer absorb all my free time - even if that's still a ways off.


It was great to see them again this weekend, and in a casual enough setting to be able to chat with the band members afterwards about what they have coming up. They did a bunch of songs off their album with Willie Nelson, which is just a gem. Great show.


Willie and the Wheel

Later on, something else that was fun - a barrel tasting of a 2009 Marquette vintage at a local winery. These guys have the largest amount of acreage under cultivation for Marquette anywhere in the world, and honestly it's the best I've had yet, even while still maturing. It may be the French Oak they're using. Nice hints of baking spices over the fruit.


It's a nice size operation, too - the owners have invested some dough in the place. And they're very approachable, easy to talk with, and happy to talk about both successes and lessons learned. And in winemaking, lessons learned invariably lead to successes.



And with all the wine tastings and winery tours I've done... this is the first time I've ever had a chance to do barrel tasting, where they just sneak a little out of the top of the barrel with a glass "wine thief". Makes you feel like an insider. :)

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Putting Occam's Razor to the Doctrine of Salvation

Occam's razor is a colloquial way of referencing the law of parsimony: a simple answer is preferential to a complex one. So I ask in regard to our eternal destiny - what is the essence of salvation? What is the minimum set of requirements? To help answer this, I present the cases of four people, by birth year, each with lifespans of about 50 years:

60 BC - person lives and dies before Jesus is born.
30 BC - born pre-incarnation, dies pre-resurrection. No Gospel yet.
10 BC - born pre-incarnation, dies post-resurrection, but never hears the Gospel.
40 AD - born post-resurrection, hears the Gospel, but dies before Ecumenical Councils.

Four people born within 100 years… how is each able to reach eternity with God? Do they face different requirements due to a quirk of their birth date? And, in each scenario, does it matter if they are born Jew or Gentile?

It should be obvious that none in none of the above scenarios are the people required to believe in the inerrancy of the Gospel of Matthew or the Epistles of Paul, nor to be Trinitarian, or to sign off on the Nicene Creed (or perhaps even the Apostles' Creed), since those things were only codified as orthodoxy in the fourth century.

If salvation was possible prior to the development of both Canon and Creed, what was the message? What was required? (and why should it be anything more today?)

The "great cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 11 includes primarily OT Saints, and they are portrayed as watching and having an active interest in the working out of OUR salvation. It would seem obvious that salvation in some sense was possible prior to the coming of Christ. What's more, some of those listed were not even covered by the Mosaic Law, and were still saved without it.

What then was the message of salvation to them? What was required? (and has anything really changed? If it has, then when, exactly, did God alter His requirements, and how did He notify us of the change?)

It seems to me that a consistent message about saving faith is scattered throughout both Old Testament and New, and it's this:

> Affirm (in mind & heart) that there is but One True God
> Associate yourself publicly with that God
> Align your life to actively reveal that association

Typically today these first two happen in public professions of faith and ritual acts like baptism; the third happens daily via living a God-honoring life through good works and avoiding evil. Examples of this formula abound in the Gospels, from Jesus' calling of the disciples, to His interaction with the rich young ruler, the woman at the well, and His blessing of the children. The apostle John's simple statements about salvation are examples, too: John 20:30-31, 1 John 5:10-13, and pretty much all of John 6. Paul picks up the simple theme in Acts 16:29-31, and James continues it in his epistle (1:27), which sounds a lot like an OT passage from Micah (6:8) and Amos (5:14-15).

Really it's not that complicated, doctrinally. Theologians have made it far more complex than necessary. Salvation is really pretty simple:

Affirm, Associate, Align.  (or if you prefer it without the alliteration: acknowledge, commit, live out). That's it.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Basilicae

What is a basilica, exactly? What's the difference between that and a cathedral? My prior city of domicile had one of each: the Cathedral of St. Paul, and the Basilica of St. Mary. Both were gorgeous, and inspiring. (if you go for that sort of thing, which I do) Personally, I always wondered what the difference was between those two gorgeous houses of worship. Wikipedia, of course, has the answer. And like many other Catholic terms... it depends. Sometimes they're one and the same thing, sometimes they're not.

In my current city of domicile we have one such item: the Basilica of St. John. It is also gorgeous and inspiring, with tone on tone exterior, cool columnar interior architecture, warm golden glows, and marvelous stained glass. See below.

































































































































































































































































I've been going to the campus center parish, but I think I'm gonna go to this one now. I like the grandeur and majesty. Plus, they need lectors for the Saturday afternoon mass. I can do that. :)

Except that little pope doll in the back makes me nervous.





It's sorta creepy. It makes me want to look for a ring to pull to see if it will say "Pax Vobiscum!" or "Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritu Sanctu.."
or something.

eww.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Bacon, the gateway drug

This NPR article demonstrates the addictive power of bacon. Only three strips could lead you from vegetarianism right to being a meat-addicted carnivore. But just like tofu burgers and artificial sweeteners, there are lots of Bacon-flavored substitutes, like Bacon Salt, Baconnaise, and Bacon-flavored vodka, all vegetarian-friendly. They are the methadone of fallen vegans.


Monday, February 14, 2011

St. Valentine

.


both saint and martyr
romanticized for profit
a hallmark moment


.


Saturday, February 12, 2011

Monotheism

I've been chewing on the various views of God lately, particularly because of HS620DE - American Christianity, which from time to time discusses the Deism and Unitarian leanings of some of the Founding Fathers. I think there are essentially five views of God around the world, orthodox Christianity falling into only one of them.

> A multiplicity of gods with varying forms and interests
> One God present in a multiplicity of forms (tree, wolf, moon)
> One God without form, impersonal, a cosmic binding life force
> One God without form, but personal (may be distant or engaged, may have an anointed human representative)
> No god at all, save that which we may invent for psychological purposes (a'la Santa Claus or the Boogey Man)

The fourth category is where Christianity has normally found itself, along with a few other versions of monotheistic religions, too. Ancient Greek, Roman, Hindu and Norse traditions fall in the first; Animist and native religions in the second; Eastern, Deist, and New Age views in the third; Islamist, Jewish and Christian groups in the fourth; and humanist/materialist/secularist/atheist philosophies in the last.

I think that pretty much covers it. I'm not sure where you'd put those who deal in the occult - Wiccans and Satanists may not be in the same bucket. I don't think real deeply about those particular ideas. More later on what makes up the essence of the Christian message.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

The philosophy of shoveling the driveway

This letter to the editor appeared in my local paper on Feb. 5, 2011; I reproduce it here as published. The writer's attitude speaks for itself.

**********

Life is a lot like shoveling snow. Expected or unexpected, we get dumped on and have to dig out. That process seems slow - one shovelful at a time - but any faster might be detrimental to our health, and the lessons might get lost in the piles.

There can be a bright side to a few inches of snow. A new coating on our sidewalks and our world can give us a fresh start, a do-over. Just look outside. Today is a new day. A good attitude to embrace.

Our nation is struggling to make an economic turnaround. There are optimistic signs, but too many are still buried in difficulty. It occurs to me that if we each do what we can for the common good, and for our own good, the turnaround might gain momentum. Pick up a shovel and do your part. Every shovelful counts.

It is easier for me to do my part if my attitude is right, if it hasn't drifted to the negative and gotten stuck.

Early morning shoveling brought me some strong reminders. Maybe it was the crisp, cold air. Out in the quietude, before the din of neighborhood snow blowers rose, I was greeted by awesome beauty, pausing from time to time to take in the pristine picture Mother Nature had created. No air-brushing here. This scene demanded notice. Respect nature, revere its beauty, remind ourselves we are not in charge. I am both as insignificant and as amazingly unique as the millions of snowflakes around me. A lesson in humility.

Tiredness crept in, but my next thought was gratitude. Two years ago I was recovering from breast cancer surgeries and treatment. No shoveling for weeks. Healing and gaining strength back, I try never to take my health and physical capabilities for granted. Gratitude is a positive perception builder if there ever was one.

Pitching snow brings to mind pitching other natural substances in my youth. I grew up on a pig and dairy farm in Iowa. Believe me, there are far less pleasant things to shovel than snow. Keep things in perspective. Living in a free and wealthy nation, Americans are better off than a vast majority of the world's population. Yet, we drift. Problems stack up. We forget our manners. We forget to smell the roses. Grab a shovel. Let's pile up some optimism for a change.

- Lisa Valentine, Hastings, Minn.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Most Dominant NFL Franchise Ever?

I think of it in terms of how often you win championships.

It's very much like how you measure a home run hitter: average plate appearances between homers. The smaller the number, the more often he hits them out. You can do the same with NFL teams: average number of years between championships. Put another way, if you were a diehard fan who lived a full life, how often would you see your team take the title?

Well... here's the answer:




The Packers and Browns are in a class apart - a championship in less than a decade. The Bears and Cowboys are close to that level. Then there's the third tier, where the Giants, Raiders, Steelers and 49ers live. The Colts, Ravens and Redskins win one roughly every 15 years, and then there's the Patriots and yes, the Lions. Beyond that, if you're a fan you have to wait more than two decades, or roughly a generation, between titles. That requires a pretty significant degree of patience. In my meager (?) lifetime, I've seen my boyhood team win a half-dozen titles. Can you say that about your team? :)

So, even if Pittsburgh wins this year, they still wouldn't be higher than 5th all-time. If the Packers win Sunday, all they do is widen that margin they have over everyone else and cement their hold on bragging rights. I mean, the Browns aren't catching them anytime soon, right? The Bears certainly had their chance, but muffed it. And Dallas? I don't believe they played beyond the regular season...

I'm sure you get my point. ;)

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Life

Let me but live my life from year to year,

With forward face and unreluctant soul;

Not hurrying to, nor turning from the goal;

Not mourning for the things that disappear

In the dim past, nor holding back in fear

From what the future veils; but with a whole

And happy heart, that pays its toll

To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer.

So let the way wind up the hill or down,

O'er rough or smooth, the journey will be joy:

Still seeking what I sought when but a boy,

New friendship, high adventure, and a crown,

My heart will keep the courage of the quest,

And hope the road's last turn will be the best.


----- Henry Van Dyke

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.


I'm not sure what the hymnwriter was thinking about when he penned this Christmas song. December 25 is hardly midwinter. Today is! :)

Okay, it may not be the shortest day of the year in terms of sunlight (that's Dec 24th), or the coldest day of the year in terms of average temp (that's Jan 12th), or even the "most depressed" day of the year (Jan 24th), but dog-gone it... the first day of February is definitely the bleakest day, about as deep into Winter as one can get.



It's much the same as August 1 is the pure height of Summer, May Day the middle of Spring, and November 1st the heart of Autumn. Regular readers will note that I've gone over this ground before, so no need to explain. Suffice it to say that if we can make it through today, this week, this month... it only gets nicer. :)
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