A View From The Earth

The capitol dome in Madison, Wisconsin. OK, so I haven't been updating this blog like I thought I would so I will be trying to catch up. This is a sermon that I gave at The Church of the Saviour in Clermont, Iowa on October 12, 2008. The basis for the message is Matthew 22:1-22:14. Jesus says "The Kingdom of God is like a party", and that sounds like good news, especially if you are a lover of parties. Personally, I am not a great lover of parties. Indeed, I generally dread it when I am invited to a party. Questions immediately come to mind: ’who else is going to be there?’, ’do I have to get dressed up?’, ’can I get out of it?’ Now just so you don't think I'm really the world's most boring person, I did enjoy Fiesta Lopez that we had here in August. Parties are meant to be fun of course, but we all know that some parties are just a hard to get through. If you have ever watched “Keeping up Appearances” on public TV or on BBC, you would recognize that Hyac...

This is the sermon that I gave at Church of the Saviour in Clermont, Iowa on September 14, 2008. It was on this weekend that the Church of the Saviour hosted a diocesan wide youth camp out with nearly 50 youth attending. It is we, 'Christians', who know the magnitude of our debt to God. As we stand before the Cross of our Lord and Savior we know how much it has cost God for our redemption. We know that the cost of our redemption cannot be measured in terms of gold or silver, for it has cost a life, the life of the one and only son of God. So this parable from Matthew, addressed to Peter, is addressed to us. It is not a prescription for others to take to make the world a better place - it is fairly and squarely directed at us and all who call themselves 'Christians'. It tells us how readily God forgives us - and by extension all people, for there is no distinction between us if we don't forgive others and others who don't forgive either. The parable tells u...

Rock outcropping near Colorado Springs, Colorado This is the sermon I gave at Church of the Saviour Episcopal Church in Clermont, Iowa on August 31, 2008. Have you noticed? Over recent weeks quite a few of the readings have featured Peter in some shape or form. From walking on water to the recognition of who Christ was and today the rock who Jesus said Peter was became the rock which caused Jesus to stumble. What had Peter said that made Jesus react in the way he did? The answer lies in what Jesus said to Peter following his remarks on how he cannot let Jesus suffer. “You think as men think not as God thinks”. Words don’t come easy and when they do they can often be wrong, misunderstood, misinterpreted or be taken out of context. Peter, understandably, was appalled to think that the Messiah, the Christ must be put to death. We have the benefit of knowing the complete story. We know that this passage of scripture falls between the miracles and was Jesus was teaching. It...

This is the sermon I gave at Church of the Saviour Episcopal Church in Clermont, Iowa on August 24, 2008. The question I asked was: Who is Jesus? In todays readings names have a central role. In the reading from Exodus, the story is about how the descendants of Jacob become the twelve tribes of Israel and how they become enslaved to the Egyptians. One of those descendants is a baby boy who is put in a basket by his mother so he escapes death by the hands of the Egyptians. Well, the little one is found by none other than the daughter of Pharaoh, who will raise him as her child, and she names him Moses because she “drew him out of the water”. The name Moses is very significant because it is a royal Egyptian name, the names of the Pharaohs themselves often have Moses as part of their name because the Pharaohs were considered gods and their power as a god came from the Nile river, from the water. Without the water of the Nile, Egypt would cease to exist. So it is very significant...

In my travels yesterday, I happened to drive by St. James Episcopal Church in Independence, Iowa. I noticed a sign saying that they had a computer center with free internet open from 2-5 every weekday afternoon. I jotted that fact down in my mental notebook and continued on with my day. Well in the afternoon, I was driving back home and was going close to Independence so I decided to swing by and check this computer center out for myself. It is a rather simple affair, five computers in their parish hall and all of them had someone working on it. I spoke with the church member that was monitoring the center and she said that it had been open for a couple of weeks and had been getting more people every day that they were open. The reason that they decided to do this is that they are very close to the city library that is being closed because the library is moving to a new, more spacious building. However, the new building is quite a ways away from the current building and the peopl...

On Monday evening a group of Democrats from Clayton County, Iowa gathered for a photo with a tree that was donated by the county party to the Elkader city park. The tree was actually planted in the spring but alas, there was a flood that closed the park. The tree survived the flood (there was about a foot of water covering the ground for a day where the tree is located) and so we decided that we should visit our tree and have a photo taken with it. Afterwards we had our monthly meeting, which didn't have the attendance that I had hoped that it would since this is an election year. I have a feeling that many people in Iowa are still suffering from PCSD (Post Caucus Stress Disorder) in which they won't get interested until a month before the election. Overall, it is looking good for Democrats in the county, but as I well know, there is no candidate that is ever assured of winning in any contested election.

Today is the first day of school for my kids. They are starting 10th, 8th, 4th, & 2nd grade at our local school which is about 8 miles away from where we live. All of the grades are in one building and the total enrollment of the school is about 675 students. It is also the school that I graduated from a few years ago.... But then I went to school in Strawberry Point for K-4, then Lamont for 5th grade, then Arlington for 6th grade, then back to Strawberry Point for 7-8, and then out to the central school (Starmont) site that is located between the three towns. It is much nicer to have everything all in one site now. The youngest who is 4 years old is going to "Grandma's Preschool", which is actually my mom who works with her on a number of activities. Hopefully, when I'm 84 years old I will have half the energy of my mom. Well that is about it for today. Grace and Peace to all.

On Friday of last week we had an unusual occurrence over our farm. A neighbor apparently was having some of their corn sprayed with a crop duster. I can only remember one other time when there was a crop duster in our neighborhood. That is when there was an outbreak of army worms about 25 years ago. I haven't heard what the reason was for the spraying but it must be some sort of serious infestation because the cost of employing a crop duster is very high. I know that the pilots that fly these aircraft must be crazy because they go very low over the fields and seem like they barely miss the electric lines and/or trees at the ends of the fields.

On August 13, 1988 in West Bend, Iowa, two young idealistic people got married. Now, twenty years later, they have been through ups and downs, the births of five beautiful children, the grief of losing parents, dreams realized, and dreams not realized. Through it all they stayed together which sometimes was very hard but it all was worth it. Marriage isn't just about love; it is about commitment. When I see friends and family that have gotten divorced I feel very sad because they don't have the special bond that my wife and I have. Maybe they never had a bond like we have and that is the reason for the couple going separate ways. I pray for all couples, that they have the bond that true love and commitment gives them and that it will endure always.

Well today is Tuesday which is when the Edgewood Livestock Auction has their weekly sale. And today our Simmental bull, Wolf, headed to the sale barn. It is kind of a sad day for me since I purchased him when he was a yearling and I've had him for four years. But as in all things on a farm, he was livestock and not a pet. So it came to the time when he headed down the road. At least now I won't be getting any phone calls from a neighbor that he is out and in with their cows....

Kizzy the calf lounging around at the Clayton County Fair It is Monday again and I'm taking a wee break between reports. The kids have a week to go before school starts again. My lovely wife is trying to finish up her final paper for a class she took this summer. To top it off, it is a very nice day out today. With all the conflicts in the world, Iraq, Afganistan, Sudan, and now Georgia, I am reminded of the first verse of Psalm 133 which says, Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity! My prayer for today is not necessarily of unity but of peace. O God, may peace come to those areas and peoples that are experiencing wars and conflicts that they may find peace not just for themselves but for their neighbors as well. Amen

A photo of the Mississippi River near Waukon Junction, Iowa This is the sermon that I gave at the Episcopal Church of the Saviour in Clermont , Iowa on Sunday, Augsust 10 th . Once, on a church bulletin board there was the following notice: Morning Bible Study: Jesus walks on water Evening Bible Study: Searching for Jesus. Somehow it seemed no one in that church had foreseen the confusing message their bulletin board was going to tell that day. Anyway this morning we have the familiar story about Jesus walking on water. First a bit of background: John the Baptist has just been beheaded and the disciples (some of whom were followers of John) have not had time to grieve for him. They are immediately plunged into feeding the 5000, gathering up the 12 baskets of fragments left over and trying now to quell a crowd of people who want to proclaim Jesus as king. Jesus then sends them on ahead of him in a boat. Then Matthew says that Jesus dismissed the people and went alone up the mount...

The above photo is of the four Mulefoot piglets that my fifteen year old daughter exhibited at the Clayton County, Iowa Fair. These are the critters that she received a trophy for 'Best Overall Other Animal' exhibit. She is now up to two fair trophies. That is the number that I received for all of my years exhibiting at the county fair and she has three years left. Of course my thirteen year old already had two trophies so she will probably end up with more than either of us. The majority of my family is down in Des Moines, Iowa. My lovely wife had a educational conference there. Three of the kids and my mom went with her, they are staying at my brother's house where the youngest two can play with my niece's kids. My thirteen year old daughter and my nine year old son are lucky enough to get to stay with their dad for a few days. Well I suppose I should get back to working on another appraisal report.... Grace and Peace to all!

This past week was our county fair in National, Iowa. My wife and I are both 4-H leaders and four out of the five kids are involved some way in 4-H. The four year old isn't old enough yet to be an official part of it but she tries to help out with everyone else. If you don't know, 4-H is a youth organization that originally started out in rural areas but is now in both large and small places. In Iowa, the Iowa State University extension service administers the program. I think that 4-H is best summed up by the 4-H pledge that is said at every meeting. I pledge My head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, My hands to larger service, and My health to better living, For my club, my community, my country, and my world. Our kids did well, they received some purple ribbons, mostly blue ribbons, and a few red ribbons. One trophy was won by the oldest daughter in the "Other Animals" category for the mulefoot pigs that she took. The fair is an event that the ...

Organ Pipes at St. Sebald Lutheran Church, rural Strawberry Point, Iowa This is the sermon that I gave at the Skip-A-Way Campgrounds at Clermont, Iowa and at the Episcopal Church of the Saviour which is also in Clermont, Iowa on Sunday, July 27 th . I believe that sometimes we human beings have a perception problem. Often we think we have the proper perspective on an issue when in fact we are way off. It causes someone to look ridiculous. That is the focus of the readings today. In the first lesson, Jacob works for seven years for a precious treasure—Rachel, only to be given Leah instead. Jacob felt ridiculous, because it was dark and he did not realize it was Leah until the morning after the wedding! And he still wanted the treasure, Rachel, but Leah was part of the package. We look at that story and it is ridiculous by today's standards. There's a story that Thomas Wheeler who was CEO of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, tells on himself: Mr. Wheeler...

Dusk on Harper's Slough, a backwater of the Mississippi River Last night my wife and I went on a couple hour Mississippi River boat tour at Harpers Ferry, Iowa. It was a group tour with a group from the Clayton County Democrats. We had a potluck and a short meeting and then we went on our cruise. We went up and down and around the various backwaters of the river with the captain of the boat telling us different stories of the history and ecology of the river. When on the main channel of the Mississippi we went up below the lock and dam at Lynxville, Wisconsin. Then we returned via a series of backwater sloughs. It was a very enjoyable time and I would recommend a tour if you are ever in the Northeast Iowa area. Their website is www.maidenvoyagetours.com I hope that all of you are having a wonderful day! Grace and Peace to you all.

The above photo was snapped by your truly this morning in the flower bed in our front yard. Two bumble bees are busily sipping the nectar out of this coneflower. Mondays have a tendency to be busy for me, I have to catch up with the things that I've let slip over the weekend. Today, I have an update on an appraisal report (which is now done), do some additional research on a report that the bank didn't like, work on a government foreclosure report, do my normal chores, and this evening my lovely wife and I get to go on an evening cruise on the Mississippi River. Of course through this all I will be musing next Sunday's readings to find the common thread so I can figure out what sort of thing to talk about in my sermon. Today the kids are off at driver's ed class, babysitting, at a Church camp, and the youngest two are in the other room watching the TV. I hope all of you are having a marvelous Monday!

This is darnel which is the tares (weeds) of the Parable of the Tares. (photo from Wikipedia) Here is the sermon that I gave at the Skip-A-Way campground and the Church of the Saviour, both in Clermont, Iowa. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 I have heard it said that Heaven really must be a wonderful place, because no-one has yet come back to complain! We hear a lot about heaven today. In the old testament today, Jacob dreams of Heaven, complete with a ladder and angels ascending and descending. Jacob is told his family will stretch across the generations, just as it was foretold to Abraham, his grandfather. For Jacob, this dream of multiplying his family is a cultural heaven, a promise fulfilled. Paul, too, talks about Heaven and judgment, and is thankful for the Holy Spirit, who Intercedes for us and calls on our behalf, giving us the ability to pray and to audaciously call God our Father. As Christians, heaven is something which we think we have an idea about, it is certainly our go...

Here is the sermon that I gave today at the Episcopal Church of the Saviour in Clermont, Iowa. Hopefully it makes some sense.... Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Back before farmers had grain drills, they used an end gate seeder to seed oats or other small grains. Imagine a small wagon with a fan blade on at the end. The farmer drives his tractor or horses across the field, and the seed is thrown out across the field. Normally, the ground is plowed then disked to get the seedbed ready then the oats are seeded and then harrowed in with a drag. But in Jesus' time, in rural Judea and Galilee, the seed was sown by hand in a broadcast fashion and the sowing preceded the plowing or harrowing. The sower deliberately sowed the seed everywhere in the field, including any paths, in the rocky places, and among thorns and weeds as well as in the good soil. However, if the plowing was delayed for any reason, then they got the results that Jesus mentioned in this parable. It was that act of disturbi...