This morning I walked into the kitchen to grab some breakfast before work.  Jack was sitting at the counter reading the paper.  He kindly slid the front page over for me.

There was the picture of the Virginia Tech shooter holding two guns and looking angry.  There was some headline about a child being abused.  There was awful news from the Supreme Court.  Three second glance and then I passed the paper back to Jack and walked away.  I just could not start my day with that.

My heart just breaks for all the parents.  The ones who struggled and saved to send their kid to college.  They helped them study for the SAT and then helped them decorate a dorm room.  This month they were probably talking about summer jobs- or maybe graduation.  And now it is over.  In an instant.  My heart just breaks.

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The Lives of Others is a great movie.  I just sat in awe as it ended.

The story takes place in East Germany before the wall came down.

I am always looking for good movies, so when Jack and Marilyn Mart suggested I see the Peaceful Warrior I could not resist.

At first I thought it was going to be another feel-good sports movie but it turned out to be more.

A moving tale about the power of the human spirit, Peaceful Warrior is based on Dan Millman’s perennially best-selling autobiographical novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior.  In the film, Scott Mechlowicz plays Dan, a talented-yet-arrogant college gymnast with Olympic dreams and a golden future.  The athlete thinks he has it all: bookcases of trophies, endless friends, fast rides and disposable relationships.  But all that is about to change. 
 
One day, Dan’s world is turned upside down after a chance meeting with a mysterious stranger he comes to know as Socrates (Nick Nolte)—a man who holds the power to tap into new worlds of strength and understa ...

There is no doubt that Holy Week is the Olympics of the church year for pastors and church staff.  Bobbie will produce seven bulletins in a week.  Our custodians will arrange and re-arrange and vacuum countless times this week.  We will have services three nights in a row and then Sunday morning.  Just thinking about it is sometimes exhausting.

Then I get this email- check it out

http://www.oldlutheran.com/news/revenergy.html

This is actually one of my favorite web sites.  They put all our serious stuff into perspective.

Holy week is not about what we do or do not do.  Holy week is about what God did, what God does, and what God will continue doing no matter what.

I think I will go take a nap!

The web site has been down for a while.  Sorry about that.  It did make it impossible for me to keep up the blog.

Hard to beleive vacation has been over for a week already.  Last week Jack and I were sitting in the airport in Charlotte, NC.  When we left Aruba it was in the high 80's and sunny.  I had on shorts and sandals.  We got into Charlotte around 9:00 PM and it was cold and rainy.  I was sitting in the gate area in my shorts and sandals next to a couple in parkas.  I had clothes in my carry-on so I changed to long pants and tennis shoes before we flew to Indy.

So how do you dress?  For the place you are leaving or the place you are going?  You are going to be uncomfortable at one end or the other and probably for most of the in-between.  So what do you were?  Clothes for the destination or clothes from the past?< ...

Just before I left on vacation I preached a sermon called- When you find yourself in a pile of manure…

I ...

It seems to me that we are too often in a hurry to get things over and go back to normal.  We celebrate Christmas for two days and then pack it all away and get back to normal.  Easter will be a day and then back to normal.

I am voting for seasons instead of days.  I went to a birthday lunch for Ruth today- for the BIG 50.  This is the month long festival of Ruth.  Jack's birthday lasted an entire week.  I had to sing Happy Birthday for seven days.  We will both remember this season forever I am sure.

Seasons are fun.  If you celebrate for a season it is more likely to stay with you than if you celebrate only for a day.  Seasons change us more than days do.  I had a season of cancer seven years ago and it changed my life forever.  I had a day of stomach flu and it is now forgotten.

Sometimes ...

I am gone this week celebrating Jack's birthday.  But meanwhile, back home in Indiana there is another big birthday happening.  Tomorrow, March 17th Ruth Chadwick Moore will reluctantly turn 50 years old. 

Please take a minute, wherever you are, whoever you are, and send an email to Ruth wishing her a happy birthday tomorrow.  You can send it to-

ruthcmoore@northminster-indy.org

Happy Birthday Ruthie

My intentions were great.  I had time blocked off last week and the plan was to write ahead on my blog.  That way there would be an entry each day- even while I am gone this week.

So much for great intentions.  Mine went down the toilet with the stomach flu.  Now, instead of being ahead I am way behind on everything and still leaving town.

So this BLOG will not have anything new from me for a week.  I encourage those of you who read to add a comment about your Lent- or your faith- or a poem- or a link to something that you find helpful.

I also encourage you to stay away from the stomach flu.

While I continue with this bug- check out this link to the Writer's Almanac for a great Lenten Poem.

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/programs/2007/03/05/#thursday