Year-end Reflections on 2021

Walk on Clearwater Causeway

To any who might make the time to read this little reflection on 2021, merry Christmas and happy New Year. 

I enjoy taking out some time at the close of the year to reflect upon the year. It has been an important part of my spiritual discipline for many years. It helps me attend to what I am doing with my life. 

I want to let you know that Suzanne and I remain healthy and our children remain healthy. As we age, something that for many of us in our youth we take for granted is not quite so much so as we age. Suzanne and I have a healthy routine of a walk in the morning. She continues to help us eat healthy. I have continued my weight routine I learned from P90X while I was in Logansport. I also do its version of yoga every day. I do plyometrics and core exercises twice a week. I still get in a run and some tennis when I I can. During the cooler months I try to get in more work on the bicycle. My longer bike ride is to Clearwater Beach and back, which is about 11 miles. 

        Michael and David remain in Indianapolis. For Christmas, the children of David and Kari sung a Jingle Bells for me. You can listen here. It was so cute. Michael is working for PNC now. David is working for a part of the government of Indiana, assisting in distributing grant money. Kari is a nurse. My four sisters remain in good health in Missouri, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Virginia.

I guess I have had a work day of sorts. I spend a couple hours most day in various types of exercise. I spend time reading and studying for about 4 hours. My studies include continued work on the Old Testament. I am working through the books of the Old Testament, paying special attention to texts that occur within the historical periods that scholars designate for Israel. I have studied texts related to Moses and the Tribal Federation, the emergence of sacral kingship with Saul, David, and Solomon, and am now in the period of a divided monarchy of Israel and Judah. This means I have studied some psalms, the Song of Solomon, and some proverbs. I have also been studying cultural movements, such as existentialism, deconstruction, and critical theory, all of which has gotten me into philosophy and theologies based upon them. It has been a delight. I still love reading philosophy. Most of the books I have had in my library and I have shared with my sons or Glen. 

I have continued to have a delightful learning time with a book reading group comprised of two others, Glenn and Lyn. We started the year with some work on the Trinity, which led us to Augustine and the Cappadocian Fathers. We also read: Tripp Fuller Divine self investment; Clark Pinnock in Reason Enough, The Openness of God (1994), Most Moved Mover (2001); Joseph A. Bracken, The World in the Trinity: Open-Ended Systems to Science and Religion. You can read my conclusions here. We ended the year with some reading involving writers with an existentialist persuasion, such as Gabriel Marcel and Soren Kierkegaard. You can read by reflections here. 

I have continued to publish by lectionary reflections. As often as I have studied these texts and preached from most of them, I find that Homiletics preaching magazine continues to challenge and inspire me. You can read my reflections here.

In May, my book on Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, was published by Pinnacle. It already had a purchase from someone I met on twitter through #karlbarth. He said it was helpful for the project on which he was working relating Barth to parish life in England. It was a blessing. I am going to continue my little efforts to get word out to those who might have some interest in Barth. I look forward to further publication with Pinnacle. I received two royalty checks. It was not much, but it was satisfying. I have made about $240 so far.

Also in May, Suzanne and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. We are living the dream, as they say.

Suzanne and I have continued to enjoy some television. Worthy of note is the Blacklist, where we watched Season 8 on Netflix. We watched all of Monk again. It was a delight. We liked Manifest. I liked Season 10 of the Walking Dead. We completed Game of Thrones. We watched The Courier, a cold war film. We liked The Father and Mank among the Academy Award nominees for best picture. Judas and the Black Messiah brought back memories of 1969 and my opposition to the Vietnam War and support of Civil Rights, but also opposed to the violence in the street. Fatherhood was delightful. We enjoyed watching the TV show Psyche all seasons.

In August, it was a delight to assist with communion with Pastor Cathy while Pastor Keith was on retreat. We attend the Bible Buddies class, although not much at the close of the year. I have also gone to the Wing Men group on Tuesday at Sonny’s, but again, not much toward the end of the year. I agreed at the end of the year to be on call for the pastors, since both were out at the same time.

Also in August, I had my first experience on the Kayak. It was in Dunedin. It was much fun with people most of whom were half my age. It was wonderful to be so accepted among them. It took a team effort to get me back. Three waves converged on me and tipped me over. It was a struggle, but also fun.

In September, Suzanne and I were sick together for about three weeks, the worst of it being the first week. We do not know if it was Covid, but it had many of the symptoms, including temperature and fatigue. It was not pleasant, but both of us got through it. 

In December, I turned 70. In the past, the change of decade bothered me. It did not this time. It might be because I feel healthy and have projects on which I am working.

In December, something that brought good memories, Twins baseball heroes Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat got into the Hall of Fame.

In December Tim, Suzanne’s son, came with his girlfriend Kelly. She stayed for 10 days and Tim another week. We always have a good time with Tim and it was nice to spend time with Kelly. We had a nighttime cruise on Starlight in Clearwater, where the meal was not as good as we remember from the past, but it was still a nice time.

I deal more with death, as one can imagine. I have had some losses that I share with you. Reading existentialist authors lately has made me even more aware of how death shadows us all. We never know when the projects of our lives and the dreams we have for the future will end.

A colleague from Indiana, Dick Hamilton, died in February. I mention this because he was the essence of the old “Christian gentleman.” He was liberal theologically and politically, but in a gentle and kind way. I still recall the one sermon I heard from him at North UMC. He used an example from music. He is comfortable with his faith being background music for his life, gentle influencing every part of his life. Yet, faith also needs to have the role of claiming our full attention. Such music might get loud and annoying, but our faith may need to be that way at times as well. He was an inspiration. 

Rush Limbaugh died in February. It has been so comfortable for me to tune in since around 1990 and hear what he had to say. He was part of the family. He had a positive spirit, often urging people to find out what they are passionate about and find a way to have a job organized around that. Given his marriage troubles, I longed for him to find some happiness there, and apparently he did. The hateful things I have spent little time reading is not surprising. He was effective for the conservative movement. He was done with conservatives playing second to the dominant liberal establishment. Yes, he was a vigorous proponent of his position. Spirited debate is what happens when the stakes are high. I know some wanted him to tone it down, but I do not know any liberal who wanted their people to tone it down on the change of wanting push granny over the cliff, racist, misogynist, fascist, and many other choices terms. In fact, the hateful things said about Rush upon his death are the same things said against every GOP presidential candidate since Reagan. The only specific criticism that hurts me because it is so unfair is that he made fun of Michael J. Fox. I happened to hear that show. He was asking what all that movement was when he saw Fox being interviewed. Apparently, on video, his motions had a certain look. It was strange that Rush did not know something, but especially something like this. When he came back from commercial break, he apologized for not knowing that Fox had Parkinson’s disease. However, ever since, Rush “made fun of” Fox having the disease. Rush has a bond with his audience that goes beyond most, and we know his heart. The last thing he would ever do is make fun of someone for a disease. Given that some Christians have gotten into the act as well, which I find shameful, let me say this. You will be surprised at whom Christ allows to have fellowship in the heavenly banquet. Fortunately, the one who decides this matter is not you or me. In any case, I liked Monday because it seemed like the weekend stimulated him with many creative thoughts. His insights into political life were always worth hearing. I disagreed with him on some key issues of the day. One was his view that conservatives needed to support George H. W. Bush rather than vote for Perot. I wanted to register some disappointment with Bush, and besides, Clinton seemed like a conservative Democrat, so I did not see much difference. I am still not sure if it was a good or bad choice on my part, since the GOP won the House under Clinton. Two was the second war with Iraq with George W. Bush president. I just could not see how bombing and invading a Muslim country would have a longterm positive effect. I think on that one, I was right, and Rush and Bush were wrong. The only other major disagreement with him that registers with me today is the obvious favoritism he offered Trump during the primaries. I have not liked Trump, but that started long before he ran for President. For many years, I am sure I will wonder what Rush would have said. To Rush, I would simply say that I miss your voice, insight, and humor. I miss your vigorous defense of the basic values and principles of the country at its founding and as embodied in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution. 

In March, Greg Conrad died. He was a good friend from Indiana who was a snowbird in in our area. He loved golf. We did not have our visit this year. He was diagnosed with covid, went into the hospital, and died, all within a little over a week. It seems someone got into the golf cart sick. It was someone from Indiana who flew to Florida. It made me more aware of people around me. If someone is sick, stay away. I am not sure if he had pre-existing conditions. We will miss him. He was so much fun to be around. He and his wife were so nice to Suzanne. She cleaned for them and groomed their dogs. We always enjoyed our time with them.

Toward the end of the year, a friend from Seminary with whom I reconnected on Facebook died suddenly, the result of a fall, as I understand. He made many kind and thoughtful comments on my posts.

        The proper way to have dealt with COVID would have been to protect the most vulnerable among us, allow the rest to pursue normal activity, and get the vaccine. The damage done by the shutdown has yet to be told. People are starting to document the effect upon children and youth. As I have indicated many times, I am pro-vaccine, but anti-mandates for either the vaccine or the mask. 

        Every COVID strategy leads to herd immunity, and the pandemic ends when a sufficient number of people have immunity through either COVID-recovery or a vaccine. It makes as much sense to claim that an epidemiologist is advocating for a “herd immunity strategy” as it does to claim that a pilot is advocating a “gravity strategy” when landing an airplane.

        We now have over 800,000 COVID deaths in the United States, plus the collateral damage. Sweden and other Scandinavian countries–less focused on lockdowns and more focused on protecting the old–have had fewer COVID deaths per population than the United States, the UK, and most other European countries. Florida, which avoided much of the collateral lockdown harms, currently ranks 22nd best in the United States in age-adjusted COVID mortality.

I remain a member in good standing with the United Methodist Church. I have my charge conference connection with Vincennes Community UMC in Indiana and with Palm Harbor UMC in Florida. I submit my brief report to both conferences. I support the protocol that allows for progressives and evangelical-orthodox to separate peacefully. I remain convinced that many people need to accept the biological reality of being male or female. Many people need the healing in intimate areas of their lives that the traditional view of marriage and family provides. Beyond that, although I am all for re-thinking traditional teaching for a contemporary audience, I am not in favor of the church abandoning its history by alienating the church of today from the church of yesterday. 

I became curious about what covid had done to other churches. We visited several large and well known churches in the area. The last was The Chapel, which is the one church we attended where it was almost like the pandemic never happened. It is like going to a Christian music concert for about 20 minutes, and then hearing a message that as far as I can see from two months is biblical and inspiring. The age range, the many young people, and the racial mix, is attractive. One of the preaching pastors is black and the music leader is a dynamic young black man. It has reconnected me with my origins in the church in Austin, MN, which was a non-liturgical church, contemporary music for its time, evangelical, and focused upon applying the Bible to life in preaching. 

If you are interested, here are just a few political thoughts for this year.

The year began with upheaval in Washington DC. The odd thing was that Trump supporters, who have peacefully rallied for years, suddenly had a a few of their number raid the capitol building. An Air Force officer was shot. I am not sure what they thought they could gain. It is clear that some extremist conservative groups planned the raid long before the rally on that day. That means Trump could not have incited the attack upon the Capitol. The effort to blame all Trump supporters for this is typical of the media, Democrats, NeverTrump conservatives, and the rest of the Left. The attempt to suppress political speech concerns me deeply. At the same time, Trump was wrong to claim the election was stolen. Given the Time Magazine report on the secret history of the 2020 election, the group of rich, powerful white guys who “fortified” the election against Trump, combining the tech world, Labor, and the US Chamber of Commerce, I find it amazing that Trump and the populist movement he led got as close as they did. Once again, the establishment and the elites pulled out a victory, even if only narrowly in a few states. I hate that corporations are making me think about their politics. I wish they would stick to being good at what they do. Their pandering to the woke left to deflect criticism from them as individual rich white people and from the their morally questionable business practices has alienated me from them. I will do what I can to give as little of my money to them as I can. Of course, they are so pervasive in our economic life that they are hard to avoid. I will have to await neutral businesses who will compete with them, provide a good product, so that I can support them. I say neutral because I have no interest in conservative politics being supported by a business either. I just want the business to do its business. 

In August, Biden conducted by bipartisan assessment a disastrous pullout in Afghanistan. As I understood it, a small contingent of Americans was all that was necessary to keep the Taliban somewhat checked. I am not one who thought invasion of either Iraq or Afghanistan were good things. Going after bin-Laden made sense, but attacking and rebuilding a Muslim and primitive “nation” was not something I thought the USA should be doing. I saw no way for it to be successful. I have no doubt that anyone could have done it better than Biden did. 

With any good fortune for the country, the rest of the Biden program will not pass. 

My suspicion is that the real president is Obama, but only because Biden seems to be so out of it mentally. But then, I think that when the history of this period is over, Obama and Soros are behind the BLM-Antifa protests in the streets, something a community organizer would do on a national scale. Create enough instability and fear to intimidate voters your direction politically. 

I am concerned about the public square discussion. Patrick Oden noted: When you demonize people, they don't trust you want the best for them.  When you then need to depend on them to trust you, it's too late.  Demonizing makes for great politics and self-righteous grandstanding, but it makes for bad social reliance and cooperation. I appreciate Governor DeSantis so much. I think Fauci has become an opponent of good health policies as well as freedom. Part of what angers me is that I have had to make decisions to stop supporting businesses who make a big deal about supporting politics I cannot support. Starbucks is one such company, as well as Nike and Coke. 

Trump did not help matters when he claimed he won the election. So far, I see no evidence of that. Granted, the money of Zuckerberg and the added weight of the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce combined to tip the election to Biden in the battleground states. They did to Trump what Trump did to Hillary 4 years before. I am concerned about the money of George Soros, who funds anything he can that weakens America, including BLM, Antifa, and the Steele Dossier. The major media outlets were part of the shameful dissemination of the Steele Dossier, using what they knew to be a lie to vilify Trump and his supporters. No one will suffer for what they did to this country in those years. I am ready for a reboot of the FBI, which has become part of the progressive cabal. I was glad for the victories in North Carolina and hope it says some good news about November 2022. Help is on the way. 

I believe that election integrity is a real issue. We need to have photo ID as a basic rule and get rid of ballot of harvesting.

I do not want the gender confusion promoted by the progressive. I want to accept the biological fact of male-female. That is science. 

I do not want cancel culture. I do want freedom of speech. I treasure the Bill of Rights.

I do not accept the notion that crime is simply a social construct to protect privileged classes. Social justice warriors and their attempt to defund the police is simply not a country in which I want to live. I appreciate the police standing between me and the criminal.

I do not accept the notion of printing more money so that wealth is devalued. I do not want either inflation or recession, and certainly not both at the same time.

I am pro-vaccination, but opposed to mandates in any form, whether vaccination or masks. The shutdowns advanced large corporations like Amazon and put many mom-and-pop stores out of business. The use of fear by the progressives to gain political power is not new, but I remained concerned about what they will do that power.

I am opposed to open borders. I want legal immigration, but remain concerned about crime and other matters when people begin their relationship with this country in that way.

Climate change is an attempt by those who want the government to gain increasing control of the economy. Extreme poverty—the norm for most of human history—plummeted 80%, thanks to economic growth and access to energy. Global crop yields of grains increased over 200%. Deaths from climate-related disasters decreased 96%. As a percent of global gross domestic product, damages from natural disasters have actually declined since 1990. Air pollution in the U.S. (not to be confused with greenhouse gases) has declined 73% since 1980. Skepticism about climate policy is merited.

I am concerned that some people want a war over Taiwan and Ukraine. The wars in Iraq  and the war in Afghanistan have been a disaster for the country and for conservatives. A better approach would have been targeted US missile strikes and helping the opposition to the totalitarian and terrors supporting political leadership in both countries.

The last comments are what make me think that I do not want live in the same country that progressives seem to want. Simply put, AOC, Ilhan Omar, and so on, want to impose a form of government that would make me want to leave. My political thinking changed in the mid-70s after reading George Will, William F. Buckley, and Milton Friedman. I remain committed philosophically to the economics of Adam Smith and Milton Friedman rather than Karl Marx. I remain committed to the respect and dignity owed to each individual and to what they own, as we find in David Hume, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, and Hegel, rather than persistently favoring perceived “common good” to the diversity provided by individuals, as we find in all brands of socialism. I appreciate the creativity that capitalism encourages, as people use their faith in themselves and others to pursue goals, demonstrate some dimension of love for what they do, whom they do it with, and whom they do business with, sustained by a hope for a better future for themselves and those about whom they care. 

Critical theory has its root in Karl Marx. It is an alienating critique. Applied to the history of the country, it seeks to alienate the present generation from their past. For the purpose of present political purposes, it seeks to denigrate the past by pointing to its imperfection and sin. Granting that these sins were present, it refuses to acknowledge the lengths to which the nation has gone to amend them. It also creates a distorted view of the past to enhance the moral superiority of the anointed ones who embrace critical theory. I do want what they want in their push to alienate Americans from their founding as a nation. Applied to race, it elevates something unimportant, the color of one’s skin, into a place of prominence. I do not want what progressives want in using this critique to alienate people from each other based upon race or gender. I care far more about character than I do the color of skin. People should advance socially and economically because of merit rather than quotas or tribal chauvinism. Violent organizations like BLM and Antifa are the storm troopers of the Progressive movement. They are like the KKK using violence to advance their racial and religious policies, or the fascist violence of Hitler. 

When I step back, I want to reaffirm my commitment to the constitution. That includes its vision of distributing power across three national institutions, among the several states, and most of all to the people. I could think of myself as reactionary in the sense that far too much power has gravitated toward Washington DC. States need to be the primary domestic polices of this country. The variety of responses to domestic issues provided by states would make them a laboratory of experimentation. It also would give citizens the option of moving to a different state. 

Enough with such seriousness.

I wish you the best as you close the door on one year and open a door to another. 

Peace,

George Plasterer

Dining with Cato and Susan who have a signed copy of my Barth book

Christmas with Tim and Kelly

Dining with Lyn

Couple at LAFitness who are glad to be out of Chicago and living in FL

With Tim and Kelly on Starlight Cruise

Lyn a friend who has a signed copy of my Barth book

Signing book at Veskolini Cafe

Annie relaxing with me

A happy time with Greg Conrad in 2019. He died in 2021 with COVID

We were with Monique, a friend at The Breley's, on her birthday.

Part of our routine is to feed the ducks, who have become pets that waddle up to us when they see us coming

One of the owners of Veskolini Caffe where I wrote part of the Barth Book

One of the owners of the Veskolini Cafe in Dunedin

Year-End 2020 Reflections

 

I hope this little letter finds you well. As we near the end of the year, I trust you have an enjoyable Christmas and that you approach the New Year with hope and confidence. 

For several years now, I have taken out some time to reflect upon the year. Here is my offering for the unique year that was 2020.

In terms of my studies, I continue publishing my lectionary studies each week. These studies have been my way of looking back upon 37 years of peaching and teaching in the church. I invite you to join me at https://lectionarypondering.blogspot.com for a discussion. I am working on publishing my book on the Church Dogmatics of Karl Barth. I am in contact with two publishers, so I hope I will be giving you an opportunity to support my writing by the book (just a little humor) in a few months. I am part of a small reading group with Glenn Knepp and Lynn Eastman. Eberhard Jungel, God as Mystery of the World, was on of the best theology books I have a read in a long time. We devoted a session to African religion through John Mbiti. We were impressed with Charles Taylor, reading A Secular age and Sources  of the Self. We read Peter Hodgson, Winds of the Spirit. We concluded the year with Katherine Sonderegger, her second volume on Systematic Theology dealing with the Trinity.

Chuck and Ginger Britt, friends who live in Kentucky but whom we knew in Indiana, visited in January. I had the privilege of officiating at their marriage many years ago. In the same month Suzanne and I met with Lyn Eastman and his wife in St. Armand’s Circle. 

In February, we enjoyed Largo Family Restaurant on a Sunday night with Angel and Brenda, the uniqueness being that they have very good kariochi on that evening of the week. We had a nice time with the Raber family several times this year. I occasionally do pastoral functions, having the privilege of officiating at the baptism of Neil Effer and his daughter Madeline. To be part of this service, in which an adult affirms his faith for the first time before a congregation (Palm Harbor UMC) was truly a privilege, and he had so much joy in offering with the rest of the congregation the welcome of his daughter. We went to Bingo and Bubble at Westfield Mall with Cato and Susan.

In March, we had the pleasure of visiting with friends from Indiana, Alice and Greg Conrad,  eating at John’s Pass and traveling there in our Jeep with the top open. Our Sunday school class, Bible Buddies, had a pot luck that began the month, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Angel invited me to be the who posed for his portrait painting group as well. That was fun. On the negative side, this was also the month that The Breyley’s stood behind their towing company in claiming that we took up two parking spaces, which would have been impossible with where we were parked. We decided to leave The Breyley’s at that time. Unethical dealings are not something we support. Angel and I went to a Blue Jays and Orioles pre-season game. 

 

In May, as soon as we could in Florida, we visited a restaurant in Safety Harbor. 

In June, Tim, Suzanne’s son, came for a visit. We always enjoy his visit. 

In July, a friend of mine from LA Fitness, Kyle, joined us for nice evening of pizza and conversation. We also bought a 2004 Nissan 350z convertible that had 44,000 miles on it. We have a Jeep Sports Wrangler. Having these two vehicles has brought much happiness to us. They are simply fun vehicles to own.

In October we had a very nice meal with our neighbors at an Italian restaurant on Sand Key. We also discovered new pizza place in Safety Harbor that had some very nice outdoor seating and live entertainment. We enjoy the children on our side of the The Breyley’s. They bring such energy and enthusiasm to everything they do. 

In November, we enjoyed a Thanksgiving Dinner at Capital Grille. We returned for my birthday dinner as well. Yes, I am 69. We have enjoyed decorating our home for Christmas this year. We have not always  done so here, but this year we got into that spirit after Thanksgiving. 

A word is in order about some of the friends outside of church we have met. We have a friend from Chili, Brazil, and Albania. We have some wonderful children that play in the common yard that are white, black, and in between. We have a single black father who is doing a great job with his son. A single black mother and her grandmother are raising two children. Most have no church affiliation, and at least one claims Islam as heritage, if not practicing. Other young couples are part of the mix. We appreciate them all. One of the reasons we moved here was the taste  of the world one gets in area like this. They have added much to our life experience, which I think should be one of the blessings of retirement.

When we go to SS class again, which meets outside at Palm Harbor UMC, I did so at first and Suzanne came later in the year. The class meets outside, so masks are not required. So far, the church expects us to wear masks inside, so we do not go to worship. I go to the men’s group that meets at Sonny’s barbecue, “Wing Men,” because most of us order wings for lunch. 

 life in retirement goes beyond simply paying attention to Bible and theology. 

Movies: 

Call of the Wild

Black and Blue

Mr. Right

Invisible Man

Opnelia

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Taxi Driver ((1976)

Judy 

Last Christmas (2019)

Terminator Dark Fate (2019)

Another Version of You (2019)

Ford vs Ferrari

Doctor Sleep

Clemency (2019)

Upload (this was fun)

Uncut Gems

The Vast of Night (2020)

Cosmos (2019)

Knives Out (very creative)

Motherless Brooklyn

Black Christmas

Making Time

Rocket Man

The Good Liar

Jumanji: the Next Level

Funny Face (1957)

Capone (2020)

African Queen (1952)

Barefoot in the Park (1967)

Impossible Monsters

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975)

Grease (1978)

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Bottom of the 9th 

The Way Back

Gentlemen

Black Box

Emma 

Greener Grass

Sorry We Missed You

Rebecca

First Cow

Resistance

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Antebellum, starts intriguing but ends with revenge of the worst sort

Bill and Ted Face the Music

The Photograph

All kinds of Christmas movie on Netflix and Amazon Prime

TV Shows:

NCIS has been a treat

Bib Bang Theory is awesome, watching all 12 seasons this year

Bosch

The Good Witch (season 5)

Vikings

Crisis of Infinite Earths on The CW

Arrow

Supernatural (Season 15)

Flash (Season 6)

Hannibal

Republic of Doyle

Unforgettable

Lucifer, season 5

Outer Limits, from 1990s

Thriller from 1970s

Blacklist, Season 7

The Good Place Season 4

Queen’s Gambit

Homecoming

Booth at the End

Ray Bradbury Theater from 1980s

American horror Story Season 9

The Expanse, Season 1

Book: (Mostly from Lifetime Reading Plan)

Nostromo, Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

Poems and Autobiography by William Butler Yeats

Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann

Joseph and his Brothers, Thomas Mann

The Holy Sinner, Thomas Mann

Long Days Journey into Night, Eugene O’Neill

Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett

The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams

Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller

Our Town, Thornton Wilder

A Passage to India, EM Forster

Hiroshima, John Hersey

Farewell to Manzanar

Catcher in the Rye JD Salinger

A Severed Head, The Good Apprentice, The Sea, the Sea, Iris Murdoch

Theory of the Novel, George Lukacs

Seven book series Foundation, ranked by many to be the best science fiction series ever, by Isaac Asimov 

In terms of health, I started the year with a chest cold that started on Christmas Day 2019. The worst of it lasted for three weeks, but I still had effects for another few weeks. It was not until February that I started playing tennis and stickball again. Second year in a row that I have had this. I hope to avoid it by using Zicam sooner and Vick’s. If not, Mucinix for the day and Alka Seltzer plus at night work well. As the year began, I continued to have a bit of pain in my right elbow. However, my weight has gotten down. In February, I continued dental issues with getting a crown. I have learned to run from on the front of my feet than heel to toe, I continue  to have strength training days at LAFitness, and used the sauna regularly until that stopped in March. My yoga has become a daily routine, using a P90X2 version that focuses upon strength training. I get in bicycle rides when I can, usually to Clearwater Beach. I played tennis with neighbor Angel. He no longer felt comfortable playing in July. Reggie from LA Fitness played tennis for a while, but he moved to Orlando and have not seen him since. I continue playing stickball with a group in the neighboring park on Friday morning. They are from Top of the World, and over 55 community. I say with some humor and some honesty that I get reminded each time why Suzanne and I do not want to live in an over 55 community. We like being around young people. We do not need such a community to remind us daily of our aging. We feel young and want to stay that way as long as we can. I did not get sick again until December, when I received my pneumonia booster shot and felt puny rest of day and next day. I could not lift my left arm for another day. In this area, Suzanne has made the biggest improvement. She has found a new lease on life, it seems, and joins me often for walks when she could not do so before. She seems to be getting the right combination of thyroid and hormone treatments that have helped her get new energy. 

Our dogs, fox terrier Annie and  Maltese Tinker, both continue to bring much joy and remain healthy.  

I share just a few thoughts about the pandemic and the election.

Of course, 2020 has been a unique year. As to the Covid-19 pandemic, I determined early that shutting down businesses was not the way to deal with it. We have never done so before. We needed to educate those at risk, maintain social distance, and go about our business. I think the mask situation has gotten way out of hand. Too many federal government bureaucrats and governors have taken the occasion to bring out their inner tyrant. If you hear about me in jail, it will be because I have disobeyed an order to wear my mask outside. I would like to see more Americans get ornery when it comes to the state telling us who we can have in our homes and how much we can travel. I guess covid is also bringing out the inner “meekly submit to tyranny” spirit in Americans. Leaders using our anxiety and fear over the virus to manage our behavior. We are allowing fear to determine our behavior. I understand that churches will err on the side of safety. If I were pastor of a local church, I would likely do the same thing. However, in Florida, having services outside under a tent would have been possible. I puzzle about bars and restaurants allowing customers to take off their masks when they sit down, but one cannot do that in church. I am concerned with people becoming so isolated that they get depressed and sick. I am very concerned that so many people have undoubtedly died alone, without friends, family, and pastor around them. 

The election of Biden concerns me. My primary concern is the damage his progressive politics will do to the country. I would not say I like Trump, but I like his court picks, getting out of wars, his strong stance toward China, his middle east peace deals, renegotiating trade agreements, reducing regulations and taxes, the vitality of the economy before covid, and his focus on getting back to work. The rise in minority votes for the GOP is gratifying, as is the increased presence of conservative women. The anomalies of the election are puzzling. Biden won fewer counties than Obama, but won more votes than Obama did. Trump won all but one of the “bell weather” counties, but lost the election. Trump won more votes than the previous election and lost. He won more minority votes than a GOP candidate has done in decades, and he lost. States changed their voting procedure on the proclamation of a governor rather than the constitutional direction that legislatures make such changes. Entire states stopped counting votes at the same time, something that happened only once before in one county, Broward in Florida in 2000. Peter Navarro, Stephanie Powell, Michael Flynn, and Rudy Gulianni are all people for whom I have respect. In fact, if I were a Democrat, I would want the accusation examined thoroughly, for I would not want that cloud hanging over my party. Their accusation of massive fraud deserves a fair hearing and examination. I think ballot harvesting and mail-in  ballots have got to go. If Democrats continue down this path, the only reason is to commit fraud that will affect the outcome of close elections. The Dominion voting system has got to go. It is far too tainted to give a credible election process. The Democrats have shown their lack of moral integrity the past four years in their challenge to the GOP delegates, their attack on the electoral college, their lies regarding Trump and Russia, basing their impeachment of Trump on lies, and their allowance of violence by their supporters in order to intimidate people to vote their direction (a tactic of fascists). They are corrupt from the top, meaning Obama and Clinton. Changing the voting procedure in specific states late in the game to their benefit without legislative approval opens the door for suspicion of the results. I wish the Supreme Court would have taken the Texas case, but I also understand why they did not. The Democrats have the moral corruption necessary to make them fully capable of doing what Trump says. Yes, they are morally capable of developing an algorithm that would assign two-third of a vote to Trump and one and third vote to Biden. I do not trust them, so the more that one can do to make sure that only citizens and registered voters vote the more we can be sure of election integrity. The Trump team has every right to challenge the election process in areas they think there was fraud. Such challenges show far more respect to the process than the Russia hoax conjured up by the Clinton and Obama team. At the same time, courts tend to view the electoral process as a political rather than legal matter. In this case, states at least appear to have violated the constitution by adopting an election procedure that was not approved by the legislature. However, I remain disturbed that the Trump team has not shown in court settings or other settings that mattered anything actionable either in terms of changing vote counts or even bringing persons to jail for fraud. Senate hearings and independent reports do not accomplish much. It seems to me at this point that the Democrats took a page out of what Trump did four years ago. They focused on the states they narrowly lost, focused on strongly democrat areas (Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, at al), and got out their vote in sufficient numbers to Winn narrowly in some states (Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona), and win in Michigan and Pennsylvania with larger numbers. Democrats have a history of big city machine politics and know how to play that game.  

I am very concerned that Christians on both sides of the political aisle are so embedded in their political ideology that they cannot imagine how a Christian could adopt the opposing view. I usually see such notions on my twitter feed, which trends liberal. Thus, the progressive will say that he or she cannot imagine how a Christian could vote for Trump. You cannot imagine how over 70 million Americans could disagree with you? Shame on you. You have so identified your political ideology with Christ as to make it an idol. It has blinded you and made you deaf to what others are saying to you. If you are truly a Christian, you need to tear down the idol that your political ideology has become and bow before the one whom you claim is Lord. Christians ought to have some humility regarding their political commitments and even develop enough empathy to consider why so many people vote differently that do you. Many Christians need to recover their faith in the providential care of God. We are in the hands of God, and not simply the hands of scheming political operatives. God is present, even when it seems like political and economic power plays rule the day. The divine presence may be mysterious to us, but such faith will lead us toward a life of hope, peace, joy, and love. 

Here is a cute little movie from the grandkids for my birthday.

Here are just a few more random pictures.

 

 

Year-end reflection on 2019

I want to share briefly some the highlights of the year 2019 with my friends. I know they are busy, so I understand they may not have the time to read this. However, for those interested, here are a few moments that stand out.

Our most exciting news was the purchase in November of a 2011 Jeep Sport Wrangler with about 27,000 lilies on it. Is low mileage and reasonable price made it perfect for our need to have a reliable beach car-second car, and from what Suzanne has now decided is our church car. We sold the SUV quickly.

Some of our other exciting news is on the technology front. The story begins with a simple savings. We saved about $100 a month by going to only Internet from Spectrum, which we can do because we pretty much watch only movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime. I got an Apple Watch Series 4 in March. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. This purchase meant that when I was ready, my next computer would be a MacBook Air, which I purchased in the Fall. The switch from Windows to Mac has been easy, especially since Microsoft Office for Mac is so easy to install and use onedrive. We purchased iPhone 11 for Suzanne, and its camera is a large improvement. I save the best technology news for last. We also purchased a 65 inch Sony Bravia OLED optimized for Netflix and the appropriate Sony DVD player for 4k quality DVD. The picture is amazing. We have Amazon Alexa for music in home and SiriusXM for music radio in the Ford Focus. 

In addition, we have enjoyed friendships and meals with several persons. Bill and Joyce have been good friends. So have Cato and Susan. We have enjoyed Palm Harbor UMC, Pastors Dave, with whom I had a wonderful lunch, and Cathy, and the Bible Buddies class. The class is studying Romans, which of course I love. I like to think I have helped.  The class went to Rumbas in Oldsmar, which was a very good time. I go to the Wing Men on Tuesday, a group of guys that meet at Sonny’s Barbecue. 

We had a wonderful time at Ruth Eckerd Hall to see 111 years of Broadway. In March, we say Stayin’ Alive, a Bee Gees group that was awesome. We saw Modern Gentlemen in March at Ruth Eckerd Hall, not as good as the other events were, but still a good time. We saw the musical Titanic at Francis Wilson Playhouse with some friends. 

In a similar vein, some movies we enjoyed were Bohemian Rhapsody, One Upon a Time in Hollywood, Best of Enemies, Avengers: End Game, Ad Astra, The Joker, Richard Jewell, Harriett, Downton Abbey

Of course, continuing relationships with family and friends from a distance keeps us discovering new things. We had a nice visit with Kayli, Suzanne’s granddaughter, when she came in March. Greg and Alice Conrad are friends from Crawfordsville who come to this area for part of the winter. He loves to golf. We went to an Astros-Phillies spring training game in March. We also met Darryl and Linda Lane from Logansport, but who also have a home in North Port. We met at the Beach House. My sister Lynn, Hallie, and Mia came for a too-short visit in April. We have discovered Safety Harbor, a nice little spot east of us on Sunset Point. We got to see a group of Manatees there. It was wonderful to have Suzanne’s son Tim here for almost three weeks. I continue telephone conversations with Chuck Britt, and of course, with sons Michael and David.

I have had a strong interest in sports and fitness throughout my life. It continues in retirement. On the struggling side of health, I began and ended the year with congestion that benefitted from Mucinex. I also needed a root canal in January. The dentist visit continues to be expensive. I developed tennis elbow that hindered me in the middle of the year. My primary care physician finally suggested it was time to stop resting it and start playing. Suzanne has done well, but still struggles with her levels of energy. On the positive side of fitness, I have found a wonderful tennis partner in Angel. He and his wife, Brenda, have become lunch partners occasionally as well. Nice walks on Honeymoon Island as well. I have continued with LAFitness and my routine of exercise: arms and shoulders weight-lifting, core and legs, and back and chest weight lifting. I do my yoga Sunday and Monday, my rest days. I still do some running. I have met a group of guys from Top of the Word who play Stickball in the part near where I live. It has been a great time on most Friday mornings. I had to deal with my plantar facia again, which slowed me down as well. I did have a very good visit with the primary care physician. I have had several bike rides to Clearwater Beach. I want to do more. Blood work was all good. Even my cholesterol which tends to be high was okay. In this area,

On social media, I have a twitter feed and a Facebook page. I occasionally post political, cultural, and other articles of interest. I will not get into such matters here.

The United Methodist Church is going through a great deal right now. I have written my reaction to General Conference in February 2019. I remain convinced that the UMC could chart a course that separates it from other mainline Protestant denominations and embraces a genuinely orthodox, Protestant, and evangelical that would have a global witness. I suspect that it will embrace the decline of other mainline denominations, further isolating it from Christian tradition even as it identifies itself with the Progressive political left. 

In July, it was a privilege to assist Pastor Cathy with communion in the absence of Pastor Dave. 

I have continued in a reading group by telephone with Glenn Knepp and Lynn Eastman. We studied Hans Urs von Balthasar Theo-Drama. We read Veli-Matti Karkkainen and his five volume work that took the global religious setting seriously. It was nice to eat with Lynn Eastman and his wife at the Columbia House. We read John Haught on Theology of Nature. We read Teilhard Phenomenon of Man. I read Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics rapidly this time, amazed that I missed so much. I have been trying to plug up a hole I sense at the end. Since Barth did not finish his project, the sense I have is that I need to at least chart the direction I think Barth was going. I am satisfied with what I think IV.4 was going to be. I am still pondering Volume V. I finished reading Church Dogmatics in a relatively short period in April. I tried to read one part-volume a week, but slowed down when I got to the Doctrine of Reconciliation, which was also the time when I got a bit sick. Read great book on Lord’s Prayer and eschatology by David Höhne. Good study of Ethics of Freedom by Jacques Ellul. John Webster was insightful on Barth’s Ethics of Reconciliation. Eberhard Jungel, God as Mystery of the World, is likely the best theology book I have read in a long time. He is a student of Karl Barth. My other retirement project has been to review Bible studies and sermons and construct articles based upon lectionary passages called Lectionary Pondering. I have continued to learn from my younger self, which I have enjoyed. Toward the end of the year, I started reflecting upon the stages of my life. I am not obsessing over this one. Nostalgia is not a good path travel. At the same time, I like to think I am learning from my journey a bit more.

Suzanne and I are grateful for the opportunity to live in Clearwater, FL. We have regular walks in downtown Dunedin and Safety Harbor. We enjoy this life. I like to think I have communicated some of that enjoyment in this brief reflection. 

UMC General Conference 2019

I offer a brief statement concerning the General Conference that met in St. Louis on February 23-26.

I supported the traditionalist plan. Chris Ritter has done some amazing work. Rather late in the process, he seemed to gravitate toward the Connectional Conference Plan. I did not study it enough, but I am sure that if he supported it, it must have been a good plan. The traditional plan largely kept the language regarding sexuality the same as it has been in the United Methodist Book of Discipline. Its affirmation of love toward all persons due to the sacred worth and dignity of all persons is a good place to begin. Its recognition that marriage is between a man and a woman is part of a proper understanding of scripture and the traditions of the church. The plan did strengthen accountability for bishops and Boards of Ordained Ministry to abide by the covenant represented by that book. Sadly, former bishop Willimon has led the way in calling it draconian. I reject that. I do not think the way to handle differences within the Body of Christ is by breaking the covenant or using deceit to wiggle your around clear statements. You are no longer a faithful dialogue partner when you demonize the other as hateful, bigoted, and an oppressor. I find it a sad commentary on our life together that we even need a plan that strengthens accountability. It shows that division has already occurred. We as a denomination, through our leadership, refuse to acknowledge that division. A truly courageous Council of Bishops would have led the way in prayerfully acknowledging this reality and presented some kind of two church plan, or even a possible affiliation on matters the two groups hold in common but completely separate in other ways. They would have separate episcopacy and discipleship agencies. In any case, the bishops did not have the courage or vision. They do not now have the courage and vision of a global, Methodist, protestant, orthodox movement that could bring healing and renewal. The American churches need to listen to what the global community is saying to us. Instead, the American church, represented by most of the bishops, general agencies, and famously by Adam Hamilton and Michael Slaughter, has adopted a superior and almost colonial attitude toward many of the global church. It has continued its arrogance toward the evangelical community.

Most of the bishops as well as general boards and agencies long for acceptance within the progressive ideological tribe in American politics. It embarrasses them that the UMC has stood firm in human sexuality. Its abortion stance is also too conservative for some. These leaders of the UMC look down upon the many persons who are conservative and/or evangelical. The positions of the UMC regarding sexuality are an embarrassment to these leaders, especially when they are in meetings with their progressive friends. The progressive tribe demands conformity, and the UMC is not yet in full compliance with the progressive agenda. The failure of American leadership to drag the denomination into the progressive orbit is notable. The responsibility for their failure is largely due to organizing efforts of conservatives, evangelicals, as well as the growth of the denomination in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. As a political conservative, I have been glad that at least a few provisions in the Book of Discipline reflected something from the conservative-traditional side of the spectrum, at least in its official documents. I knew the hierarchy devoted itself to the Left of the political spectrum, but at least its official statements were moderate to some degree. They tried to find a middle way. The statements on human sexuality and abortion represent that middle way.

The One Church plan represented the first step toward uniting the UMC with the progressive political cause. It would eventually lead the UMC to adopt the full agenda of the LGBTQ caucus. This caucus promotes a culture of sexual confusion. In American and western European culture, due to the influence of the caucus, authorities are making decisions that affect female sports based upon the “T” part of the caucus. These decisions will make it increasingly difficult for women to compete successfully. Making gender a matter of personal decision is the ultimate in perspectivism in philosophy and the ultimate in the denial of biological fact. Beyond this specific caucus, I do have a concern that the logic will lead toward a demand to accept polyamorous relationships as well.

The biblical argument is clear. In the following brief discussion, I will be alluding to well-worn biblical material. I do so because opponents of the traditional plan have a polemical approach that seeks to lock those who hold traditional views on human sexuality into a wooden, literal approach to the Bible. One could make a strong case that such an approach is impossible for anyone holding to orthodox positions, the doctrine of the Trinity being the supreme example. I will assume the reader has some familiarity with the biblical discussions. In the Old Testament, the prohibitions against sexual expression outside of marriage between a man and a woman are well known. The prophetic argument that the Lord and Israel have a marriage relationship based upon the relationship between bride and groom is an important one. The New Testament uses the image as well in the relationship between Christ and the Church. Mark 10:2-16 makes it clear that Jesus understood marriage between a man and a woman. Paul in Romans 1:24-27 makes it clear that human beings who do not have the Torah are still accountable for how they handle truth and goodness. As human beings turn away from truth, they also turn away from purity, engaging in acts degrading of the body and unnatural intercourse. Ben Witherington III has offered a good defense of the position that both Jesus and Paul knew of loving homosexual relationships. They rejected them as acceptable practice among the people of God. Their argument derived from a consideration of what God intended for human sexuality in Genesis 2. I might add the Song of Solomon as well. Now, if I heard a conversation within the Bible that some loving relationships outside that of committed and faithful male-female relationships were possibly acceptable Christian behavior, then I would be more open to that conversation today. The only conversation within the biblical tradition in this matter is whether men can have more than one wife and can add concubines. The interpretation of the church has been on the side of a negative answer, limiting men to one wife. Now, the fact that we find no consideration of marriage relationships outside that of male and female suggests its difference with other practical matters that require thoughtful consideration. I mention just a few due to their influence on the discussion of human sexuality. These subjects have made their way into General Conference legislation as a way to attack upon the traditional view of human sexuality. For example, some of the statements of Jesus suggest divorce is an absolute no, some suggest no except in case of adultery, and Paul (I Corinthians 7) even suggests other possibilities. Another example is women preachers. Paul seems to have a conversation with himself about this, suggesting that women should be silent in church, but when they prophecy (!), they should respectfully wear a covering over their heads. Paul addresses females as heads of his house churches. Further, Luke makes it clear that the Holy Spirit fell upon sons and daughters in order to prophecy (Acts 2). A third example is slavery, which both testaments seem to assume as legal and a possible practice in which the people of God can engage. Yet, the humanitarian concerns in the both testaments are clear. Further, the household rules of Paul make it clear that master and slave have the same Lord. The little letter of Philemon moves us in the direction of rejecting slavery. Famously, Paul can say that in Christ, we are neither slave nor free. In these cases, the Bible has a conversation in process that we have a responsibility to continue, even when it means correcting the tradition. If I were to give a full account of the good life, I would go to the Ten Commandments, Matthew 5-7, Love of God and neighbor, the theological virtues (faith, hope, and love), the household rules in the New Testament, I Corinthians 13, and the list of virtues and vices (such as in Galatians 5-6) in the New Testament. We do not need the concept of buckets that Adam Hamilton suggested in order to treat the Bible and tradition with respect, even while we allow the Bible to correct tradition. We simply need a responsible and canonical approach to biblical material. Let us be clear. The good life is a matter of obedience because we are sinners. We struggle in different areas due to wrong desire. With sexuality, many people deal with the allure of another sexual partner. Many people struggle with a strong tendency toward deception and lying. Others struggle with coveting the possessions of others and giving in to envy. Many people wrestle with their pride and arrogance. Many people must fight against their slothful approach to life in general and to Christian discipleship in particular. Many people succumb to the misuse of their speech, descending into empty and harmful chatter and gossip. Some people struggle with a tendency toward physical violence. Obedience is difficult for us all. It requires prayer and spiritual friendship to fight some of our deepest battles.

Here is the difficulty we face. If we say the Bible is not our guide regarding the good life (holiness, sanctification), then it will not be long before we also start setting aside the Bible regarding its witness to the revelation of truth. If I were to give an exposition of that truth, I would turn to John 1:1-18, Romans 1-11, Galatians 3-4, II Corinthians 5-6, and I Corinthians 15. I would also turn to the creeds of the church. For many Christian leaders today, the allure of following a different lord than the Lord Jesus Christ is strong. For many persons in the West, progressive political and economic ideology has become the god and the progressive elite in academia, media, and entertainment have become the community or tribe to which they want to belong.

If the United Methodist Church, and in particular, its pastors, Bishops and their superintendents, and general boards and agencies, could seize upon the opportunity this General Conference has given it, it could lead to genuine renewal. We could separate ourselves from the narrow fundamentalism of some groups and invite people into thoughtful, biblical reflection. We could separate ourselves from the narrow progressive ideology that pervades the academic, entertainment, and media worlds. We could be an agent of healing in the midst of the divisive American political climate in the way we encourage respectful conversation within the bounds of our covenant as represented in the Book of Discipline. We could refuse to march in lock step with neither the progressive movement or with the political right. We do not have to continue the colonial spirit toward our brothers and sisters in Christ in other lands. We have the opportunity of engaging fellow believers in thoughtful biblical and theological discussion. We could discuss matters of truth. We could discuss what constitutes good, holy and sanctified lives. If we truly want a way forward, the possibility is present to do so. We could do so in way that unites with the concerns of Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions, recognizing that a conciliar approach to our practice of theology is the wisest course when considering major changes. John Wesley provides an example of drawing from the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions in forming his view of Christian perfection. We could engage the matter of human sexuality in a similar way. In particular, we need to exercise great care that our theology does not follow the whims of the current cultural and intellectual climate. In other words, rather than alienating itself from so much of historic Christianity around the globe, the UMC could open the door to deeper conversation.  

However, the allure the leadership experiences as it seeks to conform the UMC to the progressive ideology is strong. I do not expect the United Methodist Church as constituted to travel the path outlined in the previous paragraph. In fact, what I have written would no doubt receive the label of hate-filled rhetoric. I hope a reasonable person reading this would notice no hate. All persons are of sacred worth and dignity. The truth can be a hard truth to share with people you love and respect. I do have a love for truth and goodness. We need a two church plan for the sake of the mission of the church. We need to acknowledge that division has already happened. We need leaders bold enough to see it and act upon this acknowledgment.