In the "dead" of summer……

July has been an eventful time around my home. The biggest news is that, on June 30, my spouse Beatrix retired. She began her retirement on Canada Day by staying in bed until 11:00 AM, a very rare occurrence. Since then, she has housecleaned, planned and executed a special dinner for guests, and sorted old files for shredding. A busy time, but without pressure.

My July has been much more ordinary. I follow my usual patten of reading, drinking coffee, shopping for the house, and fooling around on my computer. The sloth in my life continues, as I am having trouble focusing on two worship services I have to prepare for August, and a column I must write for the local paper.

I have to admit that I have preoccupied with the events happening in the US, and their direct impact on my life. The shooting - murders from my perspective - of two citizens of colour in Louisiana and Minnesota, have been at the top of my anguish list recently. The shooting of five police officers in Texas is also tragic, but almost expected as a violent response to police actions around the country. Something that really upset me was the speed at which the shootings of black people were pushed off the front pages in favour of the police murders. It's like the media were relieved to leave the coloured killing behind, and get on with the mourning of the "tragic killing" of white cops.

The manner in which these events came powerfully into my life relates to a discussion I had with some o my conservative coffee mates last week. Most of them were agreed that the shooting of the coloured men was "understandable," since blacks are almost genetically given to violence, so in a sense, the police officers were only protecting themselves. Heated arguments ensued about the danger of these two totally innocent black men, and why it was alright for cops to shoot them in self protection. Along side that, the horror they expressed over white cops being killed, the rage that spawned, was all out of perspective. One man, an expat American who has long been a Canadian citizen, deliberately called the murdered black men "niggers." I haven't heard that word used in years. It was, for me, a message about how clear white supremacy ideas are expressed in the heat of anger, at least in my part of the world. I realized, on reflection, that I need to severely limit my association with these people, because their toxic attitudes are hard on my soul. I lie awake at night ruminating about this.

People of colour, gays, transgendered people, and anyone "brown," are all objects of disdain and hostility at times around that table. I sometimes try to make my point, but there is no support for it around that table. For the sake of my sanity and peace I need to coffee and read with other people or alone. I had actually thought I might have a ministry with these men, bringing an alternative viewpoint to such events. It feels more like I become a punching bag  for "liberal" ideas, liberal being a pejorative word in that group. I am currently mulling this over, caught between feeling obligated to challenge the racist ideas, and trying to preserve my peace of mind when I'm trying to relax. "More anon", as Grandma Black used to say.

Summer time…

Sloth, that's what it is. Nothing but sloth. I have been thinking of writing for a couple of weeks, but haven't. Nothing has intruded, just sloth.

June was a full mont. Early on, the Alberta Conference of the UCC held a banquet for all those in ministry who were either being ordained and commissioned (coming IN), and all those retiring (going OUT). Beatrix was one of those recognized, and formally retired. That same day, we had lunch with Catherine McInnis, her husband and sister Alison, in Edmonton. Nice reconnection after way too many years.

The next weekend was the marriage of Jennifer and Balou in Ottawa. I didn't attend, but eagerly devoured the on line pictures. The very next weekend was Diego's graduation as a Paramedic, also in Ottawa. I was in attendance for that event. It was great to see how this handsome grandson scored Honours in his program. Jasmine hosted a terrific barbecue afterwards. An altogether enjoyable weekend. The only downside was the plane trip. Nothing wrong with the plane, just with me. I am discovering that, contrary to the old days, when I enjoyed flying, I now find it a tiring chore. I was exhausted going, and coming home. Flying just isn't my thing anymore, but is the only way to visit offspring. Sigh…

The remainder of the month was just routine stuff…and old guy filling his days, without energy to do much that is noteworthy, apart from swimming every day for 30 minutes or so. The Ponoka Stampede was on, bring 10000 visitors to town. RV's everywhere. traffic horrible. I was part of a trip taking the Senior's Unit from the hospital to that event - wheelchairs in the heat, not fun even for the patients. Rodeo is not my thing, but this is a BIG event out here, the biggest 6 day rodeo in Canada, after the Calgary Stampede, which is much longer.

June 30, Beatrix actually retired, and celebrated by staying in bed July 1 until 11:00 in the AM - a new record! She has been experimenting with having no pressure to work by reading a lot, and planning a fancy dinner tomorrow night for an evening with a friend. July is well started, but is a very quiet time for us. Routine, routine, routine…except for Beatrix, who has tackled house cleaning (what else would a German Hausfrau do?).

I am involved in a very sad funeral on Monday, and a couple of weddings later on the month. I, apparently, am having trouble retiring. Not so my spouse!

Into June…

It has been quite a week. It began with a two-day stint with the cardiology office. Annual checkup, very thorough. Treadmills, injections, talk with the MD, more injections the next day, more pictures of my heart, Report to come to Gunther in a week or two. Gunther is my family doc: Gunther Schlenther.

Then time with Erin and Taryn, a gay couple we've known for years…at least Erin we've known. They were deep into planning their wedding, which took place last evening, June 4, Pride Day in Edmonton. We stayed with them a couple of nights. They were so excited they were vibrating. They decided to marry just a few weeks ago. They planned their wedding in three day. Total cost: $1600.00. That's the way to do it. The event took place in their apartment, with 9 guests, then dinner out! We saw them late last evening, sill vibrating, and over-the-moon happy.

We attended to two day workshop for the clergy of Alberta and Northwest Conference. Excellent input from a superb US pastor from Massachusetts and now Berkeley, Calif. Molly Baskett. Great mind and terrible creative. Really good for the folks in pastoral ministry. Interesting for me. Lots of connecting with folks I haven't seen in years, and some long talks about interesting stuff. I need to get back into those circles. Of note: I was the oldest minister there. Not one soul from my generation. The others are either totally retired or dead. I, apparently, am neither.

Last evening was the Celebration of Ministry banquet.Ordinands, those transferring in from other denominations, and the retiring folks, like Beatrix. The people being received from other denominations included a Korean Presbyterian, an African Congregationalist from Botswana, and a Methodist from the USA. All men, this time. The retired folks were given time to answer questions about their ministry. Only Beatrix stuck to the time guidelines. One two went on for a half hour. Sigh…

Today was the Ordination Service, with special time for the retirees. And communion. It was two hours long, as usual, on a hot day in a big old traditional church, recently made a heritage site by the Province and the city of Edmonton. McDougall United was the first Protestant Church west of Winnipeg in 1837…or 43. I think.

Worship was amazing. Young choir director who could sing and play piano as well as direct. The organist was in her twenties, and played the piano and the violin. The music included Caribbean music, African music, old hymns, and lively new stuff. Great choir, terrific vibe. Two hours flew by. We'd stayed in a nice hotel for the weekend, and they valeted our car down for us at 1:30. We were home by three.

One of the themes that came through the workshop presentations concerned the current swing of young populations to be "spiritual but not religious, and to seek their spiritual nurture outside traditional structures. Lots of reflection on the need to the ministry people to learn how to minister outside the structures, and be in the world.  Lots for me to reflect on. I began thinking of the redneck conservatives I coffee with. Not only conservative, but bigoted and misogynistic as well. I realized I need to think of them in a different way. They are the potential locus for a ministry on my part. Only one of them has any church connection, and although they annoy me, I can see that their biases come out of fear and a lot of ignorance. I sit in their midst and fume. I need to think of ways to love them, and respond to them in some other way that anger. Lots to chew on. AND… it reminds me that, although I am no longer "in ministry", I can still minister to them in some ways. It made me realize that I may not be done with the task of ministry despite my advanced age!

In some ways, this workshop was kind of enlivening for me, stirring up a new sense of the call I experienced so many decades ago. Good feeling, kind of satisfying, and exciting in a terrifying way! Lots to ponder as I read and drink coffee at Tim's.

The Introvert's Day…

I lead a very quiet life. I have routines, which I follow, and they serve me well, and keep me healthy. I sleep well these days - 8 or more hours, with lots of weird dreams, which I usually don't understand, and I don't try to analyze them. I simply enjoy them.

Every morning, seven days a week, I swim after breakfast, 25 or 30 lengths, 30 minutes more or less. I spend an hour morning and afternoon at Tim Hortons, the national coffee shop. There I read. I sometimes sit with people I know, but that is tiring. They're mostly conservative folk, sometimes quick misogynistic and racial bigoted, so I either argue or keep quiet. In any case, it's tiring, and I go there to relax. So I sit alone.

I read a lot, much of it in that place. Since my reading is for my own growth and enjoyment, I thought I would share with you some of the reading I have done recently, as part of my general education and relaxation. A few weeks back I read Jesus Before the Gospels by Bart Ehrman. Ehrman is a Biblical historian, who, in this volume, lays out the documentation (such as it is) for an understanding of Jesus prior to the writing of the four New Testament gospels. The first of these was written some 45 to 60 years after Jesus death, so there was a long period of oral transmission before the "official" gospels were written. Of course, the Nag Hahmadi discoveries have shown us that many more gospels were written, but have been deemed "heretical" by the official church over the centuries. These present a varieties of slants on Jesus' life, and would enrich our knowledge of hm if they were more widely known.

I also read John Spong's final book (or so he says, at 85), Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy, a book attacking and refuting the notion that then Bible is in any way literally and inerrantly the "Word of God." This is such an obvious truth that it seems silly to write such a book. However, much of North American Protestantism stubbornly holds to this dogma, and thus totally screws up theology and the practise of the faith.

A weird and enjoyable book that fascinated me was Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields by Wendy Lower. I have been fascinated by the holocaust and the Nazi's participation in it for years. This was a new departure for me, to examine the females who were active in the murder of Jews - adults and children - during the Second World War. These were teachers, nurses, secretaries, women who exercised power by the personal killing of helpless and captive Jewish individuals. It was a fascinating and sobering read.

On a completely different track, I read The Illegal by Lawrence Hill, a Canadian novelist. This is the story of an African marathoner, who lives in a poor black country, probably Soweto, and struggles with his identity in "Freedomland" - most certainly South Africa. Running is the key to his freedom, but along the way we learn of the policies and practises that keep the African man from attaining full human status.

Then there is St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate by Karen Armstrong. Armstrong leads us through the story of Paul's life as we know it from New Testament sources, and how he was in conflict with the Jerusalem Church over his insistence on bringing gentiles into the Christian community, when the followers of Jesus were almost exclusively Jewish, and desired to remain so, having seen their Messiah come. Paul was a fractious and enthusiastic man, and was involved in a lengthy struggle with Peter and James, Jesus' brother in the early years of the Followers of Way, long before they were anything like a "Church."

The Sin of Certainty by Peter Enns was a particularly enjoyable read. Enns main point is that "belief" is not so much about 'things to be believed' as it is a matter of "trusting" - in this case, trusting God. He points out that if your life is all about being certain about your faith because of all the things you must believe, then you don't really trust God at all. Trusting God still leaves you with lots of uncertainty, which is why you must trust, rather than being certain.

John Grisham's The Confession is a surprisingly rich novel about capital punishment in the State of Texas. Gripping drama, as people attempt to get a pardon for a young man who clearly did not commit the murder of a young girl, and then the equally drama of attempting to get the death penalty outlawed after the young man is executed, and the real killer shows up. A wrongful death blows the whole situation sky high, and Grisham milks it for all its worth. Good read.

The last book I'll mention is God in My Head by Joshua Grisetti. This is a personal memoir written by a Southern Baptist who becomes an atheist, and then, while knocked out in a dentist's chair, has an extended out-of-body experience and a conversation with God. The book is irreverent, funny, quite profound and controversial. Lots to think about, and disagree with. But quite a hoot to read.

So you can see that I am not quite idle all day, but stimulate my brain as best I can. A problem with this is that, because of my stroke a few years back, I have a very poor memory, with holes in it. Retaining what I read is a problem at times. For example, I have read all the Rebus novels of Ian Rankin, but as I go back and re-read them, they are mostly new to me! The joys of aging.

Enough for tonight. Perhaps I have peaked your interest in one o more books, that you will check out yourself!

"Progressive" Christianty

Last night, I didn't sleep as well as usual. I was awake at 4:00 AM. Once I realized that I was "up", I turned on my radio and caught a BBC radio documentary on Gretta Vosper, our United Church "atheist minister." I'm not going to go into a long explanation of Vosper's stance. You can find her on Google. Also check our "Progressive Christianity - Canadian style."

It was a very thorough doc, with some good history of how this came about, and where it is currently headed. The bottom line for me is that Vosper has been instrumental in ripping a congregation apart, and rebuilding it in her own image. They apparently love her. Fine with me. What is troubling is that Vosper is very charismatic, attractive, and well spoken. She has been on a long journey from regular UCC minister to her current "atheist" stance. She makes it sound terribly radical, and she attracts people who appreciate her 'radical' stance. She has expressed her concern that the word "God" carries too much baggage to be useful any longer. She apparently doesn't think the word "atheist" also carries baggage.

Her main thesis appears to be that there is no "Supreme Being" who lives beyond the moon and stars, "up there." Rather than articulating a more contemporary view of God, she abandons the word and the concept, and calls this radical. I find myself thinking, "What? This is radical?" I don't believe many "God fearing" people hold such an antiquated concept any longer. Most that I know, who aren't literalists, understand that although at times we use the old language of "up and down", "here and there", none of us understands that in literal terms. Most understand and accept the concept of evolution in  nature, and in religion!

Speaking only for myself, I think of/understand the concept "God" to refer to that Power or Force that is woven through all the universe, creative and sustaining, and that this force is perceived by humans as Love, or at least Benign toward us. Our forefathers and fore mothers in the faith - the ancient Hebrews - grasped that concept as well, but expressed it in the primitive categories of the day as an anthropomorphic, emotional and powerful "person" or "power" beyond their ability to express this. They used language like "fear", "obey", "trust", "worship",  and  other pretty human terms to describe their experience. Moving that inarticulated concept into our day, we understand that language differently, even if we use it routinely. What is so radical about that?

Vosper is a master (mistress?) of getting attention, so she gets headlines because she puts things in dramatic language. The media loves her, and the UCC squirms around the dilemma of what to do with her. Should she be lauded, or defrocked? Can she today say that she is in  any kind of agreement with the faith statements that she acknowledged at her ordination to ministry decades ago? Does she still meet the requirements of a person in ministry in our faith community?

Personally, I think not, on the basis of what I have read (her books) and heard (through the media). I have no quarrel with her continuing in "ministry" in a congregation that is willing to accept her version of "faith." I don't believe that she still qualifies to be a minister within the faith community that originally ordained her. I think we should send her on her way, with good wishes, but not the "imprimatur" of the Church community of which I am a part. She, and some of her devotees raise the spectre  of 'witch hunt' and 'heresy trial.' Nonsense! She has simply moved outside the bounds of the Judeo-Christian community in which she began. Perhaps in another blog, I will describe 'worship' in her congregation - although I doubt Vosper would deign to call it that. It sounds more like a civil rights meeting, with little reference beyond itself!

Enough for this time. I would appreciate comments and questions on this rant, and/or questions it raises. I'd love to dialogue about this.

Into May

The past few weeks have been…different. For one thing, we are having July weather in May, when there is often snow on the ground. Yesterday, it was 30 degrees, unheard of in this climate. The warm weather has also been uncommonly dry, which is producing calamity in our north.

Near the Tar sands projects, there is major northern city in the midst of boreal forest…very DRY boreal forest. Currently, that city, Fort McMurray, is being burned to the ground. A large part of it is gone, with more to come. This has required the evacuation of over 88000 people, the largest evacuation in Canadian history!

People are flooding into Edmonton and Calgary, and they will need to be there for many weeks, as all basic services are GONE from the city. No power lines, no houses, little water, and flattened houses, some 1600 at last count yesterday. The chaos is unbelievable. The orderly movement of all those people, most by the only road connecting  Ft. Mac with the outside world. Today, some flights from industry camps brought a few thousand out. The highway passes through the city, and is not yet clear of fire on both sides of the road. So far, no injuries or deaths via fire - a minor miracle in my view.

By comparison, my life is smooth and easy. I swim every morning, alongside grade school kids taking lessons, and uproarious noise…which is wonderfully reassuring. Last evening I walked through our home and wondered what it would feel like to have ALL of it taken away in an afternoon by a wildfire. It was an overwhelming feeling. I had to stop that. It was unnerving. I felt for those northerners whose lives have been changes irrevocably…all 88000 plus!

If you are to pick up any Canadian CBC stations, you can stay abreast of it all. I posted on my face book page, some photos and videos of the fire. Look for "James J. Strachan" to find it. I will friend you so you can see what I'm talking about. Some of it may be on You Tube as well.

Enough for now. I hope to be back soon with more good stuff next time.

Oh! One more thing…

I forgot to tell you one more thing that has been big in my life for the past two or three weeks. Beatrix has been reading The Obesity Code, which focuses on insulin control, and thus deal with weight gain and loss. She began reading and practicing as a way of managing her weight, which is, apparently, very difficult to manage. She loses weight ever so slowly, or not at all, no matter how she diets.

Part of this practise involves periodic fasting - liquids only, no sugars or solids, for up to 36 hours. She is doing this two days weekly, Mondays and Thursdays. I have not fasted since the days of my running, some thirty years ion the past. I decided to join her. I wanted to lose 7 or 8 lbs. living on liquids alone for a day.

This has been going quite well. What started as a physical practise is turning out to be a much more profound experience. For one thing, living on liquids alone for a day sharpens the mind. It also frees up time and energy - which surprised me. For example, on fast days, I swim  more easily and with less fatigue than on days  when I eat solids! This has been a great surprise to m.

Another learning is that I am able to live quite comfortably on five days food each week. I don't overeat after a day of fasting, and I sleep better. Although I wouldn't call it a spiritual practise yet, there is no doubt that fasting has an impact on me that is far deeper than mere physical "doing without." I will keep you posted on this situation over time.