thoughts of the news of the day: texas

hmmm…..

                Maybe it’s just because I am here … but it seems like  there is more interesting news in Texas than in Arkansas.  An article in a national newspaper this morning writes about the Huntsville, Texas prison and the efforts to respectfully intern bodies of deceased inmates.  Apparently, if a body is not claimed by family or friends after an allotted amount of time, then the state takes care of the burial.  That means it is the job of the prison chaplain to perform the funeral service.  Among yucky jobs, that would probably be about the yuckiest, at least for a pastor.  I am not sure how you celebrate the life of a child molester or a convicted killer.  But there is forgiveness and there is repentance, so maybe focus on that? … I guess…

In Brownsville, Texas down on the Mexican border, police shot a 15 year old 8^th grade boy because he was carrying a pellet gun.  They repeatedly asked him to put the gun down; but he refused.  He might have meant to harm himself or someone else.  But  maybe he just didn’t understand what they were asking of him.  At any rate, a young boy is dead, and officers have to deal with the remorse and responsibility of the act.  Somehow I doubt that it was just insensitivity or carelessness that caused the shooting.  But that doesn’t bring a dead boy back.

                When I lived in Texas before, I remember being struck by the attitude that everything is bigger and better in the Lone Star state.  Unfortunately, that seems to include bad news, too.

                hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: reaching for the stars

hmmm…..

                Got an extra $200,000 just lying around?  Well, with that much money you can now purchase a ticket for a flight into space.  Up until now only seven people had paid millions of dollars apiece for the honor and glory of venturing into outer space. But a new airline called Virgin Galactic is offering the space  flights which could take off beginning this year.  People have already started signing up for the adventure that will actually offer only a taste of what space travel could be.  The rocket ship will travel above the 62 mile mark which is considered the threshold of outer space.  Passengers will float in weightlessness for about five minutes, then return gently to the ground – well, maybe not so gently.

                When I was young, I thought it would be really cool to fly to the moon.  Given the way technology was advancing, it seemed entirely plausible to me.   Two astronauts landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 and I figured it was just a matter of time before we all would be going on a regular basis.  Boy was I naïve. 

                Years later I pastored a church that was very near NASA in Houston, TX.  One of the flight trainers for the program was a member of our church and I told him that I thought that space travel must be magical.  He said, “Nancy, I assure you it is anything but magic.” 

                Well, I can’t magically or otherwise  produce $200,000, so reaching for the stars is not possible for me right now.  That is unless you count another kind of reaching for the stars.

                hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: ethnography

hmmm…..

                Probably one of my most favorite things to do in the whole wide world is people watch.  Airports and malls are the best places.  You can plop down anywhere and eavesdrop to your little heart’s content.  I love to watch people interacting and then make up stories about their circumstances and their lives. 

                Let’s say there’s a man and a woman in an airport in Chicago in the middle of winter.  They have on light weight t-shirts and blue jeans.  First of all, are they together or do they just happen to be sitting next to each other?  Are they going to some exotic tropical  place on vacation?  Maybe they are … maybe they are on their honeymoon.  But then again, maybe they are going to Milwaukee and  they just have their winter coats packed away. Perhaps they just like to be comfortable and unencumbered on the plane.

                I went to my first Doctor of Ministry class at an Austin seminary yesterday. The class consists of seven ordained ministers, so we got to know each other a little by telling stories about our churches.   This week we are learning about a big word “ethnography” which is simply put people watching.  Well, its people, places and things watching, but you get the idea.

                Our assignment for the evening was to go to a coffee house  near the campus and people watch, I mean, do an ethnographic study.  It wasn’t nearly as fun as an airport or a mall but it was good practice.  I saw lots of UT students and they were mostly involved with their laptops.  So much for groovy stories about interesting people.  I personally think my congregation is far more interesting … but then, maybe that’s the point.

                hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: doggy day care

hmmm…..

                OK, I admit it, I send my dog to doggie day care.  She stays at home by herself for long periods of time while I am at work, so to entertain her, she goes to Petpaloosa once or twice a week.  In my home town, it’s not actually that much of a luxury because there are so many pet owners, and so many options to choose from.  And besides that, it’s just not that expensive.

                But an article in the New York Times today says that it has gotten popular and is not so cheap in New York City.  Doggie Day Care there starts with a $200 membership that allows you to take your dog when you choose.  That’s just for starters, there are still daily or monthly fees and additional charges for special kennels, beds and so on … There’s one place that has a no bark rule.  Apparently they have magicians who are able to train dogs not to bark.  Yeah, right, like that would work on my Roxie! 

                There are stories galore about rich owners who indulge their pets.  Expensive beds, clothes and even rhinestone sweaters adorn the lucky animals.  On the other end of the spectrum, there are also agencies who try their best to give attention to dogs who are mistreated and even abused. 

                In the end, they are all God’s creatures, just like us.  We don’t need special pampering or treats or expensive grooming; but we don’t deserve mistreatment or abuse.  So, the lessons go on, we learn them from our pets, we and learn them from our world.  

                hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: more 2012

hmmm…..

                Wonder what 2012 will bring?  I’m guessing that for many people it will bring peace, joy, happiness, gratitude and love.  But, unfortunately, for others it will also probably bring a little bit of pain, sorrow, anger, and hate.

                My daughter and I were talking about what it was like in 2000.  I mean, even though it might seem like yesterday to some of us, it actually was 12 years ago!  In 2000, we got our first cell phones.  They were black bulky things with buttons but no screens.  I loved that my daughter and I both now had them.  She played high school athletics, and cell phones meant that she could call me a few minutes before they got back to school on the bus from a game.  I no longer had to wait in the dark parking lot with the other parents, not knowing when the bus would finally arrive. 

                In 2000, we still had a land line in our home.  I look at telephone hook-ups now glaring out from the wall and wonder how to disguise them – strangely, my daughter doesn’t even have them installed in her new home.   Now cable television is almost the same, you have to have a wire in your wall to connect to the screen.  But who would have thought that streaming videos and games would replace the local Blockbusters! 

                2012 will bring new advances, other technology will go away.  But as for peace, joy, happiness, gratitude and love, I am hoping they never become obsolete.

                hmmm…..