No Votes For You

I have learned via instructions from the Southeastern District that congregations that share a pastor constitute a "parish" (quotes original) and thus only get 1 shared lay delegate.

This is ridiculous in many and various ways.

Congregations who are vacant get a lay delegate.

Congregations who, during their vacancy (including what are essentially permanent vacancies) are served by the pastor of another congregation, get a lay delegate.

For the last district convention, Nazareth and Christ both got a lay delegate, although only Christ had a called pastor. Now that Nazareth has a called pastor (whom they happen to share with Christ), they are essentially being disenfranchised.

So, because they chose to to call a pastor (which is what a group of Christians should do), because they chose not simply to let the interim pastor hold their hands while the congregation died, a member-congregation of The LCMS is denied a vote in the district convention.

When I complained, both the district secretary and the synodical secretary pointed out that this is, indeed, synodical understanding. It has been since at least the 1960's. I would like to know when they decided that a "parish" meant multiple congregations sharing a jointly called pastor. It certainly isn't how the word parish is in use in The Synod. I guess I am the only "parish" pastor I know (personally - I know they exist).

Note that this will particularly disenfranchise two groups in The Synod - the rural congregations and, increasily, urban congregations like the ones I serve.

The fairness or reasonability of this aside, it also does not reflect our polity or supposed understanding of the Church as centered in the local congregation. Basically, it makes me as the pastor what defines a congregation (sorry, "parish"), not the fact that these are two separate congregations, both members of The Synod for over a century now, with separate constitutions, etc.

I understand not giving me two pastoral votes because I have two congregations. Duh. I do not understand giving congregations that share a pastor a partial vote. It's like the 3/5ths compromise all over again.

I wish I had time to argue about this, but I am sure it won't do any good. In the current climate in The Synod, especially with the Great Synodical Restructuring Thing, they are actively seeking to disenfranchise small congregations anyway, so I doubt if I'd get much sympathy.

College Football Stinks.

Texas and Oklahoma have identical records. Texas beat Oklahoma. Oklahoma is playing in the Big 12 Championship game against Missouri, a team with a worse record whom Texas also beat.

For crying out loud, the BCS is horrible.

No election in 2012.

They shouldn't even have a presidential election in 2012. Unless something goes horribly wrong, there's no way Barack will lose.

Whichever arrogant fool wants to self-delude into becoming the Republican Walter Mondale is welcome to, I guess, but we could all save a lot of time, money, and mental energy if the GOP just figured out by about July 2011 if they have any realistic shot at all or not. My guess is they won't.

Spare us.

The NFL stinks

The end of the Steelers-Chargers game just tells you what a bunch of humorless, incompetent jerkfaces the NFL is.

The game was, for the most part, dreadful. They had a nice, fun ending that would have left fans with a positive view of what was otherwise a horrible ordeal. Instead,

1) they ruin it with an instant replay and

2) then they mess up the call.

And don't get me started on holding.

Avoiding offending people at all costs.

From an article about getting rid of Latin phrases in local governments in England:

Linguistic controversies are nothing new in Britain, cradle of the English language, where people have strong opinions on what constitutes proper usage. In recent years officials have moved to avoid language that gives offense to ethnic minorities, disabled people and other groups.
Predictably, some feel the drive has gone too far. Many were bemused earlier this year when it was reported that a town council had banned the word "brainstorm" because it might offend people with epilepsy, a condition that involves periodic electrical storms inside the brain. Tunbridge Wells council advised using "thought showers" instead.

"Thought showers."

Sweet mother of pearl.

Speaking Spanish

Sometimes, I think I really stink, and then I run into somebody at a taco stand or in the grocery and have a long, difficult conversation.

Sometimes, I am feeling really smart and I try to order food and the guy has no clue what I am saying.

Rhyme + Reason = 0

Bears win.

Orton still stinks. There's no way we make the playoffs.

The Synodical Reorganization Thing

Back when I was teaching Government to high school freshmen, I had an exchange with one of my students that went something like this:

"Mr. Sharp, why do we have to learn all this stuff? It's so boring!"

"You have to learn this, first of all, because the State says so, but also because it is good to know because the more information you have as a voter, the more informed vote you are able to cast."

"Well, I'm never voting."

"That's good. You probably shouldn't vote if you don't know or care about this."



She was offended, but not too much, I hope. And I was serious, but not too much. I guess everybody should vote if they want to, but, ideally, your voters would know what they were doing and vote on the basis on their knowledge and wisdom.

This leads me to the Great Synodical Restructuring Thing. One of their suggestions/talking points/whatever is that large congregations will receive extra votes (that's a horrible oversimplification, but that's the basic idea).

Question: Is the congregation of 50 very well-catechized Lutherans really less deserving of a vote - or deserving of half a vote, or whatever - than a congregation of 2000 people who may or may not have attended a Saturday "new members class" at their congregation which may or may not even call itself Lutheran? Do you think there are active members at some churches in our beloved Synod who don't know that they are members of a Lutheran church? These are the people you want having extra voting power?

I'm not suggesting that delegates to conventions should have to take an entrance exam, but I don't think they've thought out this proposal very well. There's a lot more to it than the perceived fairness of being more representative.

Coffee Update

Current coffee is cold-brewed Tim Horton's. I love Tim Horton's. Picked up a few cans of coarse-ground coffee somewhere in Kentucky, I think, on the way back from Arkansas a few weeks ago. Enough for two batches of coldbrew.

I was excited when Wendy's bought out Tim Horton's and started to expand in the US, but it looks like that all fell through and my dreams of a nearby Timmy Hoho's are shattered.

It's pretty good, but not as good as Zeke's, of course. They have good food, too, way better than Dunkin's.

I have left and I have returned.

I got busy. Sorry.

I am now a real pastor - I was installed on August 24th as pastor of Nazareth Lutheran Church in Baltimore and Christ Lutheran Church in Dundalk.

Good times.

xbox.

I have an Xbox 360.

Finally.

Many a gift card, coupon, etc., made it possible.

I bought two games: Guitar Hero III and Halo 3. Halo is good enough that it should have Roman numerals, too.

I have been playing a borrowed game, Mass Effect. I like it mostly. The "Mass Effect" is a sci-fi principle that allows really, really, really fast faster-than-light travel. In the future, starships will fly around the galaxy at incredible speeds. However, elevators will be ridiculously slow. Also, we will explore planets in a modified British infantry fighting vehicle. Why fly around with our advanced technology when we can slowly crawl up the sides of mountains?

Other than that, I enjoy it.