happy holiday

Why is it that on days I do absolutely nothing, I feel the most tired?

To Fall on My Sword Part 2

So, I was thinking last night about what else I would "fall on my sword" for in ministry in the church. I came up with one more to the previous list.

3. The Centrality of the Eucharist in Worship. When Christians come together to worship God, they do so primarily to celebrate the Eucharist. Like baptism it is a ritual invested with a considerable amount of meaning. More than I have been able to explore in my two years as a member of the communion committee at Minter Lane Church writing Eucharistic Liturgy.

Well, there you have it. The things I would get fired for, or resign over.

To Fall On my Sword

After a recent (read 5 minutes ago) conversation with a fellow GST'er I decided I should post on what issues in ministry I would fall on my sword for.

1. The Right Women have to Participate fully in the life of the church. I will go to the mat for my sisters in Christ to be able to use their gifts within the life of the church. It is a shame that over half of the church should be silenced because we men are afraid to give up our power.

2. Baptism. I think that baptism is essential for salvation, but more importantly it is an important ritual and road-marker on the Christian journey. It is an act that is filled to overflowing with meaning and importance. In baptism, we reenact the gospel story in our lives and let Jesus have the claim on our lives. We have done a disservice to it by harping on its essentiality, and not its essence.

That's about all I can think of right now.

To Spoof or not to Spoof

I saw Star Wars: Episode 3, The Revenge of the Sith today. After that I went home and watched the Mel Brooks version. I must say that the Mel Brooks version is much better than the original. Now don't get me wrong. Episode 3 is much better than the first 2 (much like the 1980's Tampa Bay Buccaneers were better than, well I can't think who they were better than). I just believe that Mel Brooks has a better grip on what it takes to tell a story than does George Lucas. Good ole' George depended too heavily on computers to tell the story for him. The line between live action and cartoon was crossed so many times that it was hard to keep switching mental modes. That and Mel Brooks just knows comedy. Much like his Robin Hood Men in Tights, he successfully lampoons a higher budget but worse movie. So to all you nerds out there who are up in arms ready to storm my castle and burn me out with your torches and pitchforks, I say bring it. I would prefer to laugh than weep over the fall of a character I could never care for any day.

Upcoming Events

So, in case anyone out there cares to know what's going on in my life I'll tell you. Nothing. It's great. Right now I'm doing nothing and enjoying every fun-unfilled minute of it. But soon, I will be doing something. Starting in June I begin rehearsals for the Abilene Summer Shakespeare production of Julius Caesar. This will be my theatre debut and I am looking forward to it. I have two small roles (Flavius Act 1 and Artemidorus Act 4 I think). I'll be a spectator by the time they kill Caesar. I won't win an Oscar for my performance, but I look forward to having a good time. So, if any of you are bored in July and are nearby, come and see. I promise I'll be funny. (If the director lets me)

A Wave of Melancholy

I have just finished watching the latest cinematic version of Phantom of the Opera. It is a singularly great musical, and one which has tapped a well of emotion in me that I did not know existed. There is something about the story of a love lost, of love abandoned that touches me and calls forth my pity. I know what it means to be the phantom. To watch as the love of one's life walks away and pledges her love to another. This is not a fate to be wished upon one's worst enemies, one's most mortal of foes. I have heard a song that made my heart swell and burst and what do I now do with the pieces?

Postcards from the Edge

Well, I have finished yet another semester of graduate school and am now enjoying a quiet vacation of working at the ACU library and contemplating taking care of the two "I"'s on my transcript.

I know you must be asking: Harry, how can you be on vacation and working at the same time? Well, I'll tell you. I have just finished a year as the Assistant Residence Director at Smith Hall here at ACU. During that time I was semi-responsible for about 125 sophomore men and part of a staff of 10 people. Needless to say, the past nine months have been the most stressful to date. Now, I have a job where I work regular hours, and when I go home, work stays where it belongs . . . AT WORK!!

Well, I had better get back to sitting around trolling the internet and answering the occasional Library related question.