Back To Milwaukee

I realize that Katie and I have been in our apartment for about 2 months now, but I figured I'd just state it. What's funny is that after all the moving debacles of my Vicar year (four times! beat that!), Katie and I see the prospect of living for an entire year in one place as long term.

This is Katie and I's first move back to a city where we've been before, and we're well adjusted by now. For those who'd like to visit or are curious, we're in a quadplex (I don't know any other term...) near 92nd and Capitol, and two fellow seminarians are above and beside my unit. We think it's the biggest unit we've lived in (besides, of course, the Vicar mansion we inhabited for a few months in Madison), and just the perfect size to fit our things and still be roomy.

Going Mac

First of all, I apologize for the long break. Things have been crazy lately with finishing up my Vicar year, packing up our things to move, finding an apartment for next year, looking for employment, etc.

One neat thing has happened, though. My HP laptop is basically as good as dead with a broken CD drive, chipped monitor panel, on-and-off working power chord, various cracks, broken fan, and the occasional blue screen of death. Well, that's not the good part. The good part is that on Monday I got my new laptop, and after much research and questioning I decided to get a Macbook Pro. It's just slick, durable metal, and power efficient. Now I have to be honest, one of the biggest things that annoys me about Apple and Macs is people who own them...Obviously I'm one of them, now. Just please, punch me in the face or shove me randomly in the street if I become a prideful jerk who tells everyone how awesome Apple is and looks down on inferior Windows drones or Unix nerds (or whatever). It's a choice between good and good, and I barely landed on the Mac side. We'll see how it goes.

Summer Vicar Vacation

So it's been a blast seeing friends and family for the Fourth of July, celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence and winning that crazy victory over the British. Take that, King George!

Anyways, as you see can see, weather was nice, and our two dogs, Tobi and Pica, had fun as well. This pic is great because Tobi is the least aggressive dog there is, yet he likes to play fight with Pica.

And of course, congratulations Jeff and Nicole Robeano on your new life together. The dress rehearsal was smooth and fun, the dinner was phenomenal, wedding was classy, the reception was high-class and fun, and the after-party was easy-going and good for saying good-byes. Remember Jeff, una cheve, una michelada!

It's always exciting and interesting to visit Columbus. There's always something new happening in the area and it's always refreshing to catch up with friends.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I hope you all have a blessed Memorial Day Weekend as we kick off summer (though summer hasn't been anywhere around Wisconsin...) and remember the sacrifices those who have served in our armed forces have made to give us the great nation and freedoms we enjoy.


As you can see, despite the fog, drizzle, and cold, I took it upon myself to nevertheless enjoy an ol' fashion BBQ and bust out my pipe for the first time this year.


I can't help but think of Nehemiah 8:10 (which talks about the restoration festival those in Jerusalem had when the city wall was finished, signifying at least the beginning of the end of exile [Deuteronomy 30]) among the myriad of other verses that talk about the joy God wants us to have in celebrating special days with food, drink, and family.


And [Nehemiah] told [the Israelites], "Go! Eat fat-filled foods and have some sweet drinks! And send some portions to those who don't have anything prepared for them! You see, our Lord has set this day apart. So don't worry, because Yahweh's joy is your refuge." (Nehemiah 8:10 DB)

I copy the following from Wikipedia as to this day's origin:


"Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. Service Members who died while in the military service. First enacted by formerly enslaved African-Americans to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War – it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

Memorial Day often marks the start of the summer vacation season, and Labor Day its end.

Begun as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the Civil War, by the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not. It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family get-togethers, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 auto race, held since 1911 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend."

New Blog Site

It's still in its early Beta phase, but the plan is around June 12th to unleash my new blog site found here:
http://bibleimmersion.blogspot.com/

In it I will be reading through the Bible on a 3 year cycle that follows the church year and giving my comments, questions, and insights as they deal with the text and what's going on in the world and my personal life. Enjoy!

Moving Day

It's good to be home, wherever that is at the moment...

On February 1st a mötley crew and I manned the cold and made my move happen. There photo is here on the right (with one of them taking the photo). A few days before the weather reports weren't too good, so I was going to play it by ear.

Before 3pm we got nearly all of my boxes and random pieces moved, then around 4 the well oiled machine came and got my furniture loaded and unloaded, unscratched, and during maybe the worst blizzard here this winter. Big thanks goes to the Cates for letting me use their conversion van and for driving their shipping trunk to make this move happen. And I'm glad they got back safe as well.

So by now Katie and I have found a place for our things and are settled in pretty nice. To catch some of you up, we'll be living here in Verona, WI for 6 months. That's longer than the last 3 places we've been (Lodi California, Arcadia Wisconsin, Madison Wisconsin). I'll be serving Resurrection Church here until the end of July, and then its off to Milwaukee again for one last year of seminary (and from there, who knows...).

All this makes me thinking I'm living in a much lazier and more orderly version of Abraham's journeys according to the words of Hebrews 11:8-10, "8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

Who killed Jesus?

This might be one of the most interesting acts of vandalism you've never seen. It's called the "Alexamenos graffito." I've attached here a slightly stylized outline. You can use Google image search to find different views. It dates approximately to the 2nd century A.D. and was found near the Circus Maximus in "downtown" Rome.

The text says in Greek, "Alexamenos worshipping a god." Now, we can't be certain what this meant precisely (can you with any graffiti today?), but it seems like Romans making fun of Christians for worshiping a crucified donkey. They associated donkeys with Middle-eastern peoples (the vast majority of early Christians) and associated crucified people with the worst of criminals. That made no sense to anyone.

It still doesn't make sense today that any god would do such a thing. This kind of self-less love doesn't make sense...

With this in mind, check out this story I saw on my Google Reader. I'm seen enough stories and comments like this, with this one being the latest:

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/01/glenn-beck-the-jews-killed-jesus/69715/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AtlanticNational+(National+:+The+Atlantic)&utm_content=Google+Reader

This is the comment I latched onto: "Just to be clear: It was the Romans. If we could just get that straight, it would be really fantastic for everyone involved."

This is what I posted on my Google Reader:

Just to be clear: It was us...we are all responsible for Jesus' death...my sins, the Romans' sins, the Jews' sins, your sins put Jesus on the cross. There's no blame shifting to be done here.

"To be sure, HE carried OUR sicknesses. HE carried OUR pains. YET we considered HIM to be beaten, struck down by God, and humiliated. But it was HE who was pierced BECAUSE OF OUR rebellious acts, crushed BECAUSE OF OUR punishable and guilt-bearing acts. The punishment that makes us complete was laid on him. And through his wounds we are healed! ALL OF US like sheep have wandered. EACH ONE OF US has turned to their own way. But Yahweh has let him be hurt for the punishable and guilt-bearing acts of us ALL. (Isaiah 53:4-6) [my rendering]

Because Jesus himself bore the guilt that all my evil thoughts, words, and acts bring and was punished for all of them, I'm healed because God has dealt with evil and death once and for all! I'm made whole and have peace through trusting and following Jesus.

We don't want just Romans or Jews having all this, do we?

The crucifixion of Jesus is the pivotal moment in history where God's abounding love and his perfect justice collide and provide for you and me a solution to the problem of evil and death that only God could think of. Centuries of prophecy and God working in history to form his kingdom and restore his creation through Israel find fulfillment on the cross and in the empty tomb (and the entire life of Jesus, but that could be another post...). On the cross God condemned evil and death by punishing Jesus, the God-Man in your place. Since evil and death are now condemned, we are set free, released, forgiven to live new holy lives since nothing is holding us back. The chosen anointed one, the Christ, the Messiah, accomplished his mission to save.

And Jesus promised to come again and raise to never-ending life those who trust and follow him, just like Jesus' Father did for him. And Jesus has given us his Word in the Bible, his Spirit and seal in Baptism, and his body and blood in the Lord's Supper to kindle this trust in our dead and evil selves.

Ok, I'm done. Just remember this when anyone talks about who killed Jesus. And while you're at it, remember this always! It's the good news in the smallest "nutshell" I can put it in! It's the "Gospel."

Have an Enlightening Epiphany!

Even many Christian Americans might not realize it, but today is Epiphany! It's the celebration that seems to get the shaft in American Christianity, at least. The "12 Days of Christmas" isn't just a random song, the "days" are talking about the 12 days after Christmas that lead up to January 5th, Epiphany (if you're Latino, it's probably the day you give people gifts on). It commemorates the day when Magi came from the East to worship Jesus who was born as king of the Jews (Matthew 2). Then it kicks off the next Sunday with Jesus' baptism (when Jesus began his public ministry), and will end when Jesus shows his glorious light for a moment to his disciples on what's been called his "Transfiguration." It's the time when Jesus slowly but wisely and carefully revealed himself to be God's Messiah, redefining what "Messiah" and "the Kingdom of God" was always supposed to mean, which included a kingdom for all people. I attached a picture of an Orthodox icon.

The Magi, being Gentiles, that is, not of an Israelite ethnic background, followed some type of celestial body which led them to Jesus. Epiphany also became a season in the traditional church year which varies in length since the date of Easter determines its end (which is based on a lunar, not a solar calendar, so it "changes"). The Greek word means "appearance." Because of the event it celebrates, the two big themes are light and the inclusion of Gentiles into God's kingdom in a new way (Jesus being God's light for ALL people), which is what Israel's purpose was to be since the beginning. But I won't get into that right now.

It's such a neat holiday and church season, with so many very visual events like the Magi coming, Jesus' baptism, his healing and teaching ministry, his transfiguration, that I'm confused as to why it doesn't have a fitting visual custom or more traditions associated with it. I decided to make up my own greeting of "Have an Enlightening Epiphany" for this reason. Maybe it does have a lot more cool things associated with it, but Lutherans (the church I'm a part of) or whatever just don't do much. I don't know. What I mean is Advent has the wreath and candles, Christmas has the tree, Lent the Ash Wednesday and typically giving up something, etc. Or when have you heard an inspiring "Epiphany" song? Let me know if you have ideas! Planting a tree after taking down your Christmas tree? I don't know. Key words of Epiphany are: light, growth, green (the traditional color), and water.

For me it marks also the return to normalcy now that Christmas and New Years and traveling is over. I'm getting back into the routine of things, as I know most are as well.

Oh, and a big O H I O for the Buckeyes winning a great game in the Sugar Bowl! Big Ten football in general didn't fare well this bowl season, pretty lousy actually, so it's good to know we won a prominent one against the SEC...It seems no matter where I am, when I garb up and put a buckeye-necklace on and go watch a game, I get to meet a lot of Ohioans and fans with interesting stories to tell. Katie and I went to a bar here in Madison and met several fans. It was a fun time, even besides the game.

Christmas Break

Katie and I had a great vacation in Ohio, seeing friends and family. We've finally mastered the technique of making the 11 hour or so drive in a way where we don't ruin our sleeping schedule. Basically we leave in the evening, drive through the night while eating minimal food and probably stopping once or twice at a rest stop for a quick power nap. And man, Tobi is the greatest dog for driving. He doesn't make a sound (and no he isn't dead when he doesn't).

Columbus is always new and growing every time I come back. The weather was nice, sunny, and temperate compared to the cold Wisconsin winter, age old friends are getting married or moving on with their studies and careers, my family and house is relaxing with a very homey feeling, New China is still amazing. Life is good.

I know I still haven't gotten my mind fully out of the holiday mood yet. Hopefully this week I can make the transition seeing as things are going to start picking up with sermons, Bible studies, catechisms, visits, etc., not to mention my own private research and weird projects I do.

On the way back I decided I'd do something a little interesting for this blog. I decided I'd make a short "You know you're from Ohio when" list. Maybe later I'll do a Columbus or even Westerville one...we'll see...I know for some it'll be spot on, whereas others will disagree, but that's just how things are when you make statements in general. The list won't be in any specific order and it'll just speak of my personal experience. Here it goes! I'm open to any additions.

You know you're from Ohio when...

you have trouble identifying with any specific region of the country (Eastern, Southern, Midwestern, etc.).

you sort of chuckle when anyone talks about great amusement parks or roller coasters they like when you're used to not only Cedar Point, but also Kings Island.

you hear Miami and Cuban fiestas don't come to mind, but a university in a town called Oxford which isn't in England.

you find more northern states too cold in the winter and more southern states too hot in the summer.

you actually know what a Buckeye is.

you know that for better or for worse, when you yell out O-H on the street, someone will yell back I-O.

you think Tim Horton's is local (see earlier blog post).

Bob Evans seems to take the place of McDonald's on interstate exits.

you think it's odd to have to drive more than a few hours to hit several major sports venues, concert venues, or vacation spots.

you'd at least at times prefer Lake Erie to an ocean beach because you can't stand that nasty salt water feel it gives.

you feel jipped if you order something from a 99¢ from a fast food value menu and don't get a penny back (Ohio doesn't tax take out foods).