Lent is one heck of a busy season!

I am sure you may have noticed my lack of posting. I guess being a solo pastor is a whole lot more consuming than I thought it would be. One of the things that has kept me so busy is our Lenten Season Meditation Series. For those of you back in New York who are wondering what I have been up to, here is what we have done and will do throughout Lent.

Meeting every Wednesday night, I have been introducing the congregation to various meditation exercises aimed at personal and spiritual introspection. With Lent being a time of self-examination, I figured it'd be super to offer ways in which the congregation might explore such a pursuit. So far, we have had an introduction to Zen Buddhist meditation, led by a friend who is a Zen Buddhist monk (or something like that). The church folks loved it!

Then we have an evening of meditation and song. Using the meditation techniques of our Zen Buddhist to quiet ourselves, I then played several musical instruments, some clanging and others more soothing to point out how our bodies react to sound. We began with a loud and annoying tamborine, followed by drums, and ending with a rain stick.

Then, quieting ourselves, we witnessed how our bodies reacted to music. I first used a song from Enya, then a song from a pan flutist (yes, I do have and own a cd of Zamfir, but don't tell anyone, okay?), and then we listed to a gospel song by Elvis Presley. Everyone noticed how our bodies and minds responded to each instrument and song.

Tomorrow night we are going to participate in a prayer Labyrinth that I was able to borrow from Sister Georgette in Jersey City. It is a 7-circuit labyrinth and we will walk it while praying to ourselves and for one another.

Next week we'll have a journaling and meditation session where we will engage in a guided meditation that we will then write down what we "saw" during our journey. We'll do this several times and then hand out exercises for the group to take home.

Finally, on our last Lenten Wednesday, we'll have a Taize worship service. In the service, we'll sing prayerful chants, offer up our prayers for one another, and reflect on the entire Lenten series.

One of my challenges throughout this season is that with many of the meditations, I haven't been as familiar with the activities as one might think when preparing for them. So, I have spent a lot of time learning, studying, and reading about each meditation and finding ways to incorporate them into my own spiritual journey.

Have any of you, who read this blog, done any of the above meditations? If so, I'd love to hear about them- you can respond to this entry and let others know of your experiences too.

Pure Joy

A friend just emailed me this wonderful movie clip with the subject "Pure Joy". In it, the guy is juggling to a set of songs. The juggling is amazing and mesmerizing at the same time. I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to turn on (or up) your pc speakers.

http://marketplace.espeakers.com/flavplayer_content.php

Name Suggestion

Dear reader(s) of my blog-

While I realize that my readership tends to be sporatic on here (which is fine, esp since lately my posting have been a bit lame, although that is about to change), the time has come for me to create and develop a different blog for my church website which will be mostly religious and churchy in nature (and devoid of anything too controversial). I want to have something for the church folk to respond to, esp as my topics will be both sermon related as well as spiritually prodful (is that a word?). I will still keep this site and will not link it to the church website (at their request, mind you since they've seen some of my less than interesting posts on here).

So, I am going to have two blogs. And this is where I need your help. What on earth do I call the blog? I would like something funny sounding and yet not too funny that is sounds too goofy. For instance, I could play on my nickname "Bo" and have something like "Bo's Bodacious Blog" with bodacious.blogspot.com as the url (if its available). What do you think about that? Do you have any (serious) recommendations?

I'll post the winning name on here. (I'll do so even if no one really cares that I do so). ;)

Another interesting internet find...

According to Yahoo's news, this brief bio explains this legal tender:

A rare $10,000 bill similar to this one provided by the US Treasury is getting a new home. The bill _ one of 15 large-denomination bills at a Chase Bank branch in Green Bay _ was shipped to the bank's corporate archives in New York for safe keeping. The $10,000 bill bears the likeness of Salmon P. Chase, for whom the bank was named. Chase was a U.S. senator who served as treasury secretary under President Lincoln.

Voodoo Doll Toothpick Holder

Now this is a hilarious housewarming gift, especially if the person you're giving it to has just recently broken up with a girlfriend/boyfriend.

To read more about it, go here. While there, also check out the voodoo doll knife set. No really, I am serious... they have that too. :)

Praise the Lord and Pass the Petition

by Ira Chernus
TomDispatch.com

Tuesday 28 February 2006

If you are waiting for a religious left to emerge to offset the power of the religious right, it may already be in your own neighborhood at a local church or synagogue. I stumbled across a branch of the religious left quite by accident recently, in Texas of all places, though the folks I met would say I was guided to them by the Lord.

On a weekend in mid-February, nearly 200 Evangelical Lutherans from all over the country came to Fort Worth for the Congregation-Based Organizing Strategy Summit or CBOSS. They talked, planned, and prayed about community organizing. They shared stories about what they had already accomplished through faith and hard political work.

They had demanded action from public officials and corporate leaders in their communities, and they were proud of their victories. Among the local triumphs some of them claimed were: affordable housing for thousands of families; guaranteed access to health insurance for all children; treatment centers instead of prisons for criminals; a new community center where a meth house used to be; free day-care centers; water and sewer lines for 150,000 rural poor who had none before; laws requiring public contractors to pay a living wage; surveillance cameras in police cars - to watch the police themselves.

Go here to read the rest of the article.

Now this is interesting...

I found this while surfing online just now and found it to be quite profound:

More what, more why, more where. It is always nice to explore but if you keep wanting more of what you don't have then more often than not what you already have will be no more. Don't Take it for granted.

Here are some funny pics I found on the Web

What a Sunday!

It sure feels nice when a sermon is well received, right? I preached a sermon on the Transfiguration experience in today's lectionary reading and even was able to use a quote from a friend's blog (hopefully I didn't entirely take Paul's quote out of context). ;)

But it wasn't just the sermon that went well, it was the entire service. The liturgy, the special duet, and the hymn sing (the last Sunday of every month is an opportunity for our folks to name and sing their favorite hymns from The New Century Hymnal. When you follow this link to Amazon.com, be sure to click the picture of the hymnal. It'll open up to see the contents inside the book. It's an amazing feature on amazon.) all went smoothly and was all well received.

In just a few moments, the church is regathering for an evening of fun and merriment as we celebrate Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday depending on where you're reading this (on a Sunday when we can get more people to come).

If you'd like to read the sermon from today, go here to see my sermons. To read today's message, click on the sermon for February 26th.

Re-written Christian Children's Songs

I came across these rewritten children's songs that were written to reflect theologies of different slants and opinions. I am unsure the exact nature of these re-written songs, but as I see them, they may be a tongue-in-cheek way to help us realize how certain theologies may, when taken to an extreme, have an unexpected construction.

***
Jesus Loves the Little Children
(A Five-Point Calvinist Version)

Jesus loves the little children
All the chosen children of the world
All of those elect from birth
But the rest will die and burn
Jesus loves the chosen children of the world

Jesus chose the elect children
Out of all those lost and dead in sin
All the rest can't choose what's best
But God holds them guilty nonetheless
Jesus chose the elect children of the world

I am one of the chosen children
God likes me more than he likes you
We can tell who's damned to hell
'Cause they don't act nice or look swell
I am one of the elect children of the world
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He's got the whole world in his hands
(Extreme Augustinian Version)

He's got the whole world in his hands... (3x)
He's got the whole world in his hands!

My free will is just illusion, in his hands... (3x)
He's got the whole world in his hands!

All free choices are really movements, of his hands... (3x)
He's got the whole world in his hands!

The universe is just clockwork, in his hands... (3x)
He's got the whole world in his hands!

We are responsible for what we can't change, in his hands... (3x)
He's got the whole world in his hands!

We are puppets of providence, in his hands... (3x)
He's got the whole world in his hands!

What you think doesn't really matter, in his hands... (3x)
He's got the whole world in his hands!
------------------------------------------

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Amazing Grace
(An Arminian / Semi-Pelagian Version)

Amazing Grace, how nice is God
To help those who help themselves
I was a nice guy, but its odd:
I'm nicer with his help

Grace chose me 'cause God knew I'd be
A guy who'd choose His plan
He saw my potential and thought he:
He deserves a helping hand

If I get there in ten thousand years,
It will be 'cause I stayed true!
I used his grace to finish the race
So I am better than you!
------------------------------------------

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Jesus Loves Me
(A Theologically Liberal, Politically Correct Version)

Jesus loves me this I know
For a vague feeling tells me so
But your God is as good as mine
I'm sure your God makes you feel fine

Chorus:
I think some God loves me!
I think some God loves me!
I think some God loves me!
A vague feeling tells me so!

Your truth is yours and mine is mine
No one can know truth at this time
Our best guess is what we feel
Truth feels good, but guilt's not real
(chorus)

The Bible is such an old book
Modern thought has taken a good look
If its not new it can't be right
So only believe what's in your sight
(chorus)
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Copied and pasted, without permission, from this blog.

Variance

According to Wikipedia, "variance" means,

In probability theory and statistics, the variance of a random variable is a measure of its statistical dispersion, indicating how far from the expected value its values typically are. The variance of a real-valued random variable is its second central moment, and it also happens to be its second cumulant. The variance of a random variable is the square of its standard deviation.

If μ = E(X) is the expected value (mean) of the random variable X, then the variance is

That is, it is the expected value of the square of the deviation of X from its own mean. In plain language, it can be expressed as "The average of the square of the distance of each data point from the mean". It is thus the mean squared deviation. The variance of random variable X is typically designated as , , or simply σ².

Note that the above definition can be used for both discrete and continuous random variables.

Many distributions, such as the Cauchy distribution, do not have a variance because the relevant integral diverges. In particular, if a distribution does not have expected value, it does not have variance either. The converse is not true: there are distributions for which expected value exists, but variance does not.

In Cresskill, New Jersey, a variance is something you file for if you want to add on a porch, extend a porch, or do anything different than what the original builders had in mind. And the process takes months with unending paperwork. As a result, the contractors who are, at this very moment, fixing my bathrooms and rebuilding the front porch to specific specifications have informed me that they will be unable to build the deck in the backyard because the right folks hadn't filed a "variance" with the city of Cresskill.

I could be misspelling variance while making my point here. Still, while there are may be many different meanings to the word, it still means I won't be getting my deck out back. It looks like I'll be hanging out on my front porch now more than ever. Which, I should point out, is what I probably would've done anyway. I do love sitting on a covered front porch, drinking iced tea, and petting my dog (of course, now I simply MUST get a dog).

My New Church Website

I have finally finished developing and creating my new church's website. You are invited to check it out and look around while you're there. You can find it by pointing your internet browser to http://www.cresskillucc.org.

The Luck of the Irish

A friend emailed me a set of jokes, Irish and religious in nature. Some of them were just awful; the ones below I thought were pretty funny. ;)

+++++++

Paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place.

Looking up to heaven he said, "Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish Whiskey".

Miraculously, a parking place appeared.

Paddy looked up again and said, "Never mind, I found one."

+++++++++++++++

Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and says to the first man he meets, "Do you want to go to heaven?"

The man said, "I do Father."

The priest said, "Then stand over there against the wall."

Then the priest asked the second man, "Do you want to got to heaven?"

"Certainly, Father," was the man's reply.

"Then stand over there against The wall," said the priest.

Then Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole and said, "Do you want to go to heaven?

O'Toole said, "No, I don't Father.

The priest said, "I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?"

O'Toole said, "Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding in Connecticut. The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?"

"Just water," says the priest.

The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine?"

The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"

How to be a Good Wife

Now aren't you glad you didn't grow up in the 1950s?! If this is true, and I have no idea one way or the other, it is kind of scary to think that this was taught. I guess in the "fear it may be true", it is both shocking and funny at the same time.

*************

The following is from a 1950's home economics textbook intended for high school girls, teaching them how to prepare for married life:

1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal - on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Some Don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

10. The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

New Dining Room Table

I bought this dining room table today from JC Penney. They were having a huge furniture sale. I also bought a fancy couch that I couldn't find online to show you. However, here is the dining room table. The table itself is pretty tall, counter-size actually. I wavered quite a bit in buying it but it is something that'll fit me perfectly. And, its size seems more condusive to conversation, seeing that it's perfectly square (60" when extended). The table came with 6 chairs (2 free).

Alka Seltzer, where are you?!

I officiated at my first wedding here in New Jersey over the weekend. The couple getting married were both of Italian heritage and so, I guess youse can says that I am now Joisi-fied. In all seriousness, it was a beautiful wedding held on a Native American reservation on top of a huge hill overlooking the eastern shore of New Jersey with New York City easily visible in the distance.

Besides the great couple getting married, the entire gathering did resemble an episode of the Sopranos. The men were impeciably dressed and the older men all had this thick "Godfather" accent seeing how they were all born in Southern Italy. The father of the bride made a good connection. He is from the town of Bari and I was stationed near there when I was in the military. My base was at San Vito Air Station near Brindisi.

I had a wonderful time with everyone; they were incredibly friendly. And you wouldn't believe the food they had. I ate from the time I arrived (at 10:30am) until I left at 5:00pm. They had a huge appetiser buffet from 10:30am until 2:00pm (the wedding was at 11:30am). Then there was dancing and drinking and more appetisers. And then the main course, and then more appetisers and then desserts and then more drinking. Oh mah gawd! I was so gorged on food, they had to roll me to my truck.

And still, I had a wonderful time. I guess now that I am out of New York City, I'll soon be looking like a dutch version of an Italian family: Large, well-dressed, and well-fed.

The Bane of My Existence

It is a Banana flavored Moon Pie. I discovered them, once again, at a local .99 cent store in a nearby town. Wheeling my shopping cart past the plasticware, cheap shampoo, and lightbulbs, there sitting on a corner display were box and after box of banana flavored Moon Pies.

These have been (and continue to be) the bane of my existence- for just as I am about to lose another pound or am struggling to keep my weight down, I run into a sale of banana flavored moon pies.

And I just can't pass them by, you know. I have to buy a box... or two... or my in case on Saturday, I bought three boxes. They are so amazingly good tasting despite the probable reality that there is next to nothing in them good that they do for the body- secret preservatives, fake banana flavoring (that I like mroe than I do the real taste of bananas), and all that marshmellow goo.

This morning I had two moon pies for breakfast, a glass of orange juice, and two vitamin pills. typing this now I have to laugh out loud at its absurdity--and yet, I know that I'll do it again tomorrow if I have any left. Go figure.

It's Just You and Me, Brother

The blizzard on Sunday not only had me stuck (for a time) in my driveway; being stuck meant that I had to walk to church Sunday morning. Fortunately, the parsonage is only a few blocks away from the church, so it was a short walk. Granted, the snow was blowing in chunks sideways at about 50 mph; I couldn't see further than 10 yards in front of me, and I had to walk down the middle of the street avoiding the few cars who were brave enough to be out in the snow storm (the sidewalks were covered with 27" of snow plus the snow the plows had blown on them taking them from the streets.) All in all, I think there must've been 5ft of snow on the sidewalks in all.

Anyways, when I arrived at the church, it was just me and the chairperson of our Board of Trustees. He handed me a cup of coffee he picked up along the way and we sat down in the church parlor talking and gabbing until, looking at his watch, he said, "It's 10:35am." Church starts at 10:30am. So, after our hour long conversation, we got up, walked to the doors of the church, turned off the lights, locked the doors, and went home.

And you know what I did? I went home, took off my shoes, sat down and back in my recliner, and took my first honest Sabbath day rest in a very long time. It was wonderful.

And, I am glad our church members stayed home too. It was too dangerous to be out driving in; I was so worried that one of them would try to make it in only to get in a wreck and get hurt. Church shouldn't be a dangerous thing to go to, not even to keep your perfect Sunday attendance.

A Blizzard to Remember

On Sunday, we had the worst blizzard in history (or rather, as long as there's been New Englanders living in the East). It snowed 27 inches here and it did so in less than 12 hours. It was incredible to watch! And it was horrible shoveling it away.

Moving to the 'burbs I am now responsible for shoveling the snow that falls. Or rather, if I don't shovel it, I can't get out. But then, while I was shoveling the snow yesterday, I got to thinking, "Son, you've got a 4x4 now. What on earth are you doing shoveling your own driveway?! Get in that car and put that good ol' redneck blood you got coursing through your veins to work and get out of there!"

Actually, I didn't think this at first--it took my mom to say, "David dear, didn't you buy a four by four? Why not just back it out; you can hurt yourself shoveling all that snow." After some thought (which lasted about 1 minute, I thought to myself, "Yeah, she's right," and then the redneck blood argument popped into my head.)

So I went outside and put my key in the ignition. Letting the truck warm up a bit, I threw the car in reverse, stepped on the gas pedal, and Vaa-ROOOOMMM! I was out of the snow. It was actually like driving through tall grass- that snow didn't have a chance. Now I feel like an Oklahoma boy in these thar hills of New Jersey. Woo-hoo! Or rather, "Yeee-hawwww!"

(Thanks mom for reminding me where my bloodlines come from.)

Now THIS is one great way to go fishing

...although I can't figure out what is causing it. Is it the light upon the water? Or something more insidious? Maybe you can figure it out.

Fishing without Poles.

*warning: huge file

Don't you just love these?

Calvin and Hobbes is one of my favorite cartoon strips. Many times their simplicity is hilarious and sometimes deeply theological. I found a whole page of Calvin's snow men antics. You can see the whole gallery by going here. It's really a hoot!

Busy Weekend

All I can say right now is, "Whew!"

I've had a busy weekend for sure. What with the building of the church website, setting up email accounts, purchasing and setting up new computers, and preparing for my sermon today, I am pert near tuckered out. I did want to post something on this site though and direct your way to the new church website. Click here to visit www.cresskillucc.org

The site still has a ways to go, content wise. And, I am having trouble with the pesking banner. It looks like the fonts are smudged. I'll get that fixed as soon as I can nail down PhotoShop better and put something that looks cleaner up.

On another fun note, I heard a voicemail message from my mom that a Baptist preacher in Oklahoma is getting in hot water over his blog. Mom is always concerned when I write things in my blog that offends here; she is convinced that blogs are nothing but trouble. And, from what she said about that Oklahoma pastor, she might just be right!

New Computers

As you might expect, my life is kinda revolving around my new position as the new pastor in a community church. Having moved here just over two weeks ago, adjusting to living in a parsonage, and getting everything in the church office organized and 'up to snuff' so to speak have all been happening around me at the same time. It's really cool and sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is all really happening and that I am really awake.

One of the really exciting things to have happened this week (yesterday) was the purchase of two new office computers, one for the secretary and one for me. We decided to purchase 'all-in-one' packages to save some money and to make things a little easier. So, we bought two of the exact same computer packages. Each package came with a computer, 17" LCD monitor, and an all-in-one printer. I asked the salesperson about the computer that we purchased and I asked him if it was what we're looking for (after telling him what we needed). He said, purchasing "this" computer is akin to hammering in a nail. While these other (cheaper) computers are like hammers, what we ended up buying was like, "hammering in a nail with a jackhammer." You could've seen the glean in my eyes.

Actually the reasoning for buying these computers as powerful as they are is the hope that they will last us for 8-10 years since chances may be that once we get a new computer, buying an upgrade will be more difficult in convincing the trustees in their overall need (since they would have worked well for the first few years we bought them).

This is the CPU we bought. You can go here to read its specs.

Pretty cool, eh? I am soooooooooo psyched. One of the cool features is that is has a built-in wireless card. On Saturday, our DSL in the office is getting turned on. So, all we'll have to do is enter in the MAC number on the wireless modem and we're all set. I just can't tell you how excited I am.

Jersey Boy

On Monday, I turned in my keys to my building super in Manhattan, turned off the lights to my apartment, closed the door, and left. It felt like I was leaving a part of myself in that apartment. And, in a way I guess I did. That apartment was painted and decorated by Roy and me. We made the place our own, painted it in a variety of funky (but cool) colors, and had the time of our lives there. We threw some great parties there, enjoyed being together, and spending lazy Saturday mornings watching television and sleeping in.

And yet, since Roy and I decided, last year, to be friends instead of lovers, leaving the apartment is also a bit of closure too.

And, with my church job ended, my long-term relationship over, and my new life beginning in New Jersey, I can say with honesty, conviction, and a bit of sadness: my time in New York City is finally over. Visiting the city will never be the same (part of me thinks, "Thank Gawd!") while another part of me is already romanticising my time there. There is no other city like New York, that's for sure! And yet, that is probably a good thing. :)

"A-ayyyy New Joisey, whatha f--k you doin'?!" I am now a Jersey Boy, accent and all (with only a slight Oklahoma twang). ;)

I'm ON!

Boy, I just can't tell you how happy I am at this very second. As I type this, I am sitting in front of my computer AT HOME and not paying $6 an hour at Starbucks to access the internet.

I signed up with Verizon again for my internet although admittedly I was very tempted to go with cable access. I have been so happy with Verizon though, I ultimately just couldn't switch (even if it means slower speeds). But then, I got to thinking about it, how fast is fast enough? I mean, really? I can watch movies, hear music, and download pretty quickly. Yeah, I thought about all that and am with Verizon.

And, here is what is really cool: I got the wireless modem from Verizon this time. I figured living in such a big ass ol' house deserves wireless access. And now, I can run my wireless laptop downstairs, or outside, or sitting on my 'as of yet but soon to be' completed deck outback. So, I am very happy.

What made me almost as happy was the cable television being turned on this morning. The cable guy came out and hooked it up for me. I figured living in as quiet a town as I now do, having cable will keep me from going bonkers when at 8pm I discover that everything in this town is closed. Now, when I get all ancy, I can turn on the history channel (or the cartoon network) when I get bored.

And (yes, I have one final 'and'), I just went through my email!! Woo-hoo! I feel like I am more settled than ever right now even though I've only been in town for a couple of weeks.

Anyways, that's my update. I'll write more later. Right now, I need to finish up my sermon form in the morning. Seeing how I have to be at church now by 9am, I don't have have what I used to, Sunday mornings to finish writing my sermon. So, I'd better get going. It's almost done; it just needs some fine-tuning.

Later I will write my review of the movie, Brokeback Mountain, that I saw this past Thursday.

A Friend's New Blog

A friend of mine and his wife have a new blog up and running. It's really great and, being the fancy smancy folks that they are, they have their blog through typepad (which isn't free and is really nice). If you'd like to get to know two really amazingly great folks, check out their blog at: http://russelanderin.typepad.com/

The Shadow of the Wind

I was in a Barnes and Nobles while in Oklahoma and found myself looking for another book written in the history/conspiracy/religion genre that I love so much and picked up a copy of a book that had the best list of recommendations I think I've ever read about a book. The book is titled, "The Shadow of the Wind" and it is written by Carlos Zafon.

The book is presently sitting next to my recliner and I read a couple of chapters a night and it truly is living up to its recommendations. The story takes place over 50 years ago in Spain and its about a son of a antique bookstore owner who discovers a special book. The boy finds the book in a place called The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and once in his possession, the book comes alive in his own life as he grows up. The story is full of mystery and intrigue as well as having some already touching moments of poignancy. (I should be a book critic, eh?). If you're looking for a nice read, I'd definiately recommend it.

Let there be light!

Okay, so I figured I might as well write about what happened a week ago Sunday. It was my first Sunday preaching and I had awoken extra early to get ready for it. Upon waking up, I noticed that I awoke to my cell phone's alarm rather than my clock radio. Unable to get my mind to comprehend what that meant, I got up and realized my house was without power. After checking the fuse box and seeing that nothing was blown, I went outside and was stunned by the 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground. It seems the night before a snow storm had moved in. I called the local power company to report my power outage when I was told it wasn't just me, it was the whole town.

And so, there I was- my first Sunday was going to be snowed in. I called the chair of the church's trust committee to say that we might want to develop a plan of action seeing how the church would be without power to heat the building for the kids. Thinking we'd have to postpone the services or cancel them all together, the chair and I decided to meet at the church and decide then what we'd do. Arriving around 9am, there were already a bunch of people there getting ready for my first Sunday. After a brief discussion, we decided to call the parents of the children and inform them that the church is without power and let them decide whether they'd bring their kids.

Before long though, more and more people arrived and it looked like we'd have church, with kids and everyone else there. As 10:30am approached, I robed up and the church's music director began playing the prelude for the Sunday service as we all sat in the darkened sanctuary. When Cory stopped playing, I stood up before the people and said,

"Good morning, and welcome to Cresskill Congregational, United Church of Christ. My name is David Bocock and I want to remind you that no matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey (it was here that I outstretched my arms and hands), you're welcome here!"

And the lights suddenly came on. And the congregation erupted in applause. Let me tell you, that was one heck of a way to begin a Sunday! One lady said it was like a divine affirmation of my being there. Another lady said I must've paid the electric company something because the timing looked suspicious. heh heh... I was thrilled about the whole thing.

The service went very well after that and we all had a nice time (and a nice way to remember my first Sunday). Following church, I had a Christian Ed meeting and then, after a brief discussion with a trustee of the church, I came home and began my first Sunday after church tradition: I took a long nap. It was truly a wonderful Sunday.

Internet Access

Well, I know its been ages and ages since I've posted on here- or at least, it seems like it's been that long seeing how I don't have access to the internet on a regular basis. Presently, I am sitting in a Starbucks in Closter, NJ (pronounced Cloe-ster). I signed up for the pay as you go access and am drinking expensive coffee and enjoying the nectar of the gawds (read: Copenhagen snuff).

Anyways, I stopped off at my former church on Friday to pick up some mail when a friend said, "When are you going to update your blog already?!" I had forgotten that one way friends from my former church can stay in touch with me is through my blog entries--assuming I actually write any. I told my friend about my internet woes and promised I'd update it very soon. So, here I am.

To give you all a brief update as to my happenings here of late. After I returned from Oklahoma, I attended my last service at Broadway UCC in NYC. It was a great service followed by a wonderful time of food, friendship, and remembrance at my going away dinner that evening. I was touched by what everyone who spoke said and it was a powerful testimony to my ministry there. It was an evening that I'll never forget.

On Tuesday, two days after my last Sunday, I moved into the parsonage in Cresskill, NJ. Wow, what a huge difference my living space has become. I moved from a small 1 BR into a two-story farmhouse with a huge front porch. While the place isn't decorated yet, soon it'll be (esp since I live about 20 minutes from Ikea!). The church has yet to complete some really cool updates and upgrades to the parsonage; once that happens, I'll have an even cooler pad to call home.

All last week was spent unpacking at home and at the office. By Sunday, I was almost completely unpacked and nearly settled into everything. This past week has been spent getting acqauinted with the secretary, learning who's who in the congregation, and introducing myself to everyone. I also spent the week getting to know my neighborhood.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I also bought a car this week. I went to several car dealerships and finally found something that was both affordable and roomy enough for my tall self. I bought a 1999 Oldsmobile Bravada. It looks like a wide Ford Bronco. While I don't get great gas milage, I do fit into it nicely. And, with the bonus seat warmers, I can now drive in style knowing that my bottom will be nice and warm. It also has leather seats and a nice stereo system.

I drove my car back into NYC yesterday. I needed to go back to my old apartment to gather some stuff I'd left and to prepare it for a massive cleaning that I'll do next week. Afterwards, I stopped off at my old church to get some mail (where my friend commented on my bloglessness) and then had dinner with some friends. Afterwards, we went out for drinks at a fun bar on Christopher Street and then I headed back to New Jersey.

Today I've been out window shopping at Best Buy and then onto Ikea where I looked around and brought back their new 2006 catalog.

I've had quite the full day. Now I need to head home and finish my sermon for in the morning. This is pretty much my brief update. I'll write more later. And, I'll write about the really funny thing that happened on my first Sunday preaching at the church.

Back from Oklahoma

Well, I am back home from my Christmas vacation. I had such a great time and to prove it, I gained 8 pounds! My mom likes to make her Christmas fudge (more than 10 lbs of it) and I usually eat all or most of it while I am home.

My trip home was truly peaceful and seeing my family and friends was great. I also took the opportunity to do some minor traveling while I was there. Last week, I rented a car and went to Dallas to visit with a highschool friend. And then, while coming back to Oklahoma City, I stopped off in Shawnee, OK to visit with another high school friend and his new wife and child. I had such a super time.

And, this is the real kicker- my mom's computer went on the blink and as a result, I had no internet connection for most of my trip. So, for well over a week, I also had a vacation from my email and being online. Now THAT truly made my vacation even more wonderful.

While I was there, I began putting together a few blog entries that I meant to post online when I got the chance. I will post a few of those postings later this week.

Okay, so now that I am back in New York, I have so much to do in a very short amount of time. Namely, the movers are coming next Tuesday to move me to New Jersey. I must spend the rest of the week packing and getting ready. Today and half of tomorrow I will be in the office shoring up my work there and even packing my office stuff for the movers next week.

While I haven't really posted anything in awhile, I'll need to extend that a bit until I am all situated in New Jersey. I'll put something up from time to time; but my postings won't be regular again for about another 2 weeks.

The Cab Driver and the Nun

A really good friend of mine is a Catholic priest who sends me a joke once in awhile. Here is his latest offering. ;)

******
A cabbie picks up a nun. She gets into the cab, and notices that the very handsome cab driver won't stop staring at her. She asks him why he is staring.

He replies: "I have a question to ask you, but I don't want to offend you." She answers, "My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."

"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me." She responds, "Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you have to be single and #2, you must ! be Catholic." The cab driver is very excited and says, "Yes, I'm single and Catholic!"

"OK," the nun says. "Pull into the next alley." The nun fulfills the cab driver's fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush. But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.

"My dear child," said the nun, why are you crying?"

"Forgive me but I have sinned. I lied and I must confess, I'm married and I'm Jewish."

The nun says, "That's OK. My name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party."

Oreo Truffles

I got this recipe from my mother's boyfriend tonight. Although I haven't made them (yet), they sure look easy to make. Here's how:

Ingredients:
1 package oreo cookies
1 package cream cheese
1 package chocolate flavored almond bark/candy coating (he used 2 large Hershey bars & 3/4 of a bar of parafin but that made enough to dip these and peanut butter balls)

Instructions:
Set out your cream cheese to soften (one to two hours). Place the entire package of oreos in the food processor and grind them up (about the consistency of sand). Add the softened cream cheese and mix. Refridgerate until hard. Melt your almond bark. Roll oreo mixture into balls and dip in coating. Let cool. Store in fridge.

Catching Up

You just have to love New York City! Even when everything is whizzing by at break-neck speed, there is still so much to experience here; especially those unexpected moments when you find something ordinary and yet, not so ordinary: like these Santas on the subway.

Anyways, I've been experiencing my own busy-ness lately, hopefully I can give a general what's going on with me summary and bring you up to speed with what is going on, both personally and things I am thinking. I realize I haven't posted anything of significance in a long time, mostly tip-bits of happenings. Most of that has been out of a unique fear that more church folks would stumble upon my blog during my interview process and thereby getting me into more trouble. ;) However, upon further conversations with the new church, they said, "Sure, you've written some very odd things; just do us a favor and don't link your personal blog to the new church website." Laughing to myself thinking, "You can be sure of that!", I'll continue having my thoughts and odd interpretations of those thoughts on here (with just less juvenile humor).

Anyways, let me bring you up to 'snuff, so to speak. For starters, almost everyone I know now knows that I have been called as the new pastor at church in New Jersey. I preached my candidating sermon last Sunday morning and was voted in unanimously as their new pastor. I will begin my duties next month on January 15th. Last Sunday, I told the church where I am now serving and this week I have composed a letter to the church's members and friends informing them of my new job. Also, since I am leaving, I have been transitioning my duties to the Interim Pastor (and church secretary on occasion). Mostly this means I have been telling them what I do, transferring files to the Interim Pastor's computer, teaching them how to update the website, and preparing a manuel of operations to leave behind. I've been getting home late just about every night last week and this week. I've been busy for sure.

But that doesn't mean I haven't taken some time to play. On Tuesday, I went to see an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre production at CityCenter. The Alvin Ailey folks are a modern dance ballet company founded in the 1970s. They put on incredible dance shows that affect a person very different from traditional ballet. Powerful, yet graceful- fun, yet intense. I'd recommend seeing them; they travel often and if you're reading this in a major metropolitan city other than New York City, chances are good they'll be coming to your town soon.

In other news, New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority, the folks who run the subways and buses are negotiating for a better contract. There was a huge threat that they would strike last night at midnight; I woke up expecting to either take a cab into work or work from home today. Fortunately, there is no strike just yet- but negotiations are no where near completion. The thought of a mass transit strike has gripped the city in fear- it'll practically shut down the city. Everyday 7 million people take mass transit in and throughout the city. That's 7 MILLION people. Can you imagine what'll happen if the buses and trains stop running...and during the Christmas season no less. Everyone here realizes the scare and we're just waiting and waiting..

The weather here has been a bit nippy (to say the least). These are thermal underwear days for sure. However, it's been raining a warm rain all night- from the look of things, the snow has all melted away (from the snow storm last week). It's supposed to be a fairly nice weekend coming up- hopefully if there is no transit strike, I'll get my Christmas shopping completed. I have quite a bit left to do.

I am going home to Oklahoma December 26th through January 4th. It'll be a longer Christmas vacation than I've had in quite sometime. I am looking forward to spending time with my family. When I return, I'll have to hit the ground running. As I'll be moving to New Jersey the week of January 9th, I'll need to finish packing and organizing my stuff as well as prepare a sermon for January 15th, my first Sunday at my new parish.

Okay, this is basically what I've been up to this week. I'll write more later.

I sure to love a great quote when I see it

Here is a quote that accompanied a friend's email to me just now:

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
– Abraham Lincoln

Guess What?

I got the church job in Cresskill! Woo-hoo! It was a unanimous vote and all of today's and my yesterday's activities went great. I am excited AND tired AND elated AND sleepy AND thrilled beyond words AND spent. What a great mix of feelings and emotions.

I think I'll take a nap now. ;)

The Latte Factor

By Linda Stern
Wed Dec 7,12:31 PM ET

If you've read it once, you've read it a dozen times: Cut out those daily lattes if you want to save enough for retirement.

The so-called "latte factor" is so widely used in this context that it's now in dictionaries, defined as "seemingly insignificant daily purchases that add up to a significant amount of money over time."

That is certainly true. But it's a little preachy, too, isn't it? Aren't you grown up enough to figure out how much you can and should spend on your morning cuppa?

You probably already know it's smart to brew your own and bank the savings. But sometimes (here comes the heresy) that caramel macchiato, enjoyed with friends, is worth more than $5 in the bank, isn't it?

What would really help are some big money savings: Tips for trimming your expenses in ways that you might not know about and that would save you far more than the price of a cup of coffee.

Go here to read a list of cost-saving opportunities.

It just had to be written by a kid from New York...

It was the kiss of death

New York Daily News
by Derek Rose

A 15-year-old Canadian girl with a peanut allergy died last week after smooching with her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Christina Desforges died in a Quebec hospital on Wednesday after doctors were unable to revive her, hospital officials said yesterday.

She went into anaphylactic shock last weekend, after the kiss, and was almost immediately given a shot of adrenaline, but it was too late.

"It's a very sad event," Chicoutimi school official Michel Cloutier told the Edmonton Journal. Her classmates "are feeling emotional and we had them meet with a psychologist."

Peanut allergies account for 50 to 100 deaths annually in the United States, said Dr. Jonathan Field, director of the pediatric allergy and asthma clinic at NYU and Bellevue medical centers.

"I wish I could say it's shocking, but we do hear cases of it," he said. "We've had it from mouth-to-mouth contact, or even eating off a surface with peanut residue. It can be minute, minute quantities."

As many as 1 in 200 Americans have a peanut or tree nut allergy, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Severe allergic reactions can develop quickly and without warning.

A White House Blog?

I read this description this morning as I was reading my weekly WXPNews e-newsletter:

If you like to keep up with what's going on with the current administration, now you can subscribe to RSS feeds directly from the White House to get instant access to press briefings, presidential news and speeches. You can even get audio files of the president's weekly radio address. With RSS (Real Simple Syndication), you're notified immediately when new content is available. Just go to:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051129TI-White_House_RSS

When an asterisk needs to follow a statement

This week the United Methodists issued three unique rulings that pretty much proclaim their intolerance for anything gay related. In one ruling, they defrocked an openly lesbian minister because she "revealed" that she's been in a long term relationship with another woman.

In another ruling two pro-gay churches who issues pro-gay resolutions were officially admonished by the methodist church for the positions.

Lastly, a church pastor was acquitted of charges when he refused membership to an openly gay parishioner. The pastor's bishop had him suspended but the church court reinstated him.

I mention these points because of the commercial from the United Methodist Church that invites people to its churches with this tagline:

Open hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors. The United Methodist Church welcomes everyone.

I think they need to place an asterisk after everyone*. And then say, * unless you're gay and then you're not welcome here. At least they'd be more honest.

You can read one version of the whole story here.

What a Parsonage!

Today I spent the afternoon checking out the church where I am in the process of candidating. As most folks who know me already know, I am candidating at a church in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. A couple of weeks ago, the church's search committee voted unanimously to recommend me to the congregation as their pastoral selection. I will be preaching my candidating sermon on Sunday, December 11th.

Anyways, there are a lot of logistical things that need to be done between now and then. One of those things is checking out the parsonage, another is finding a car, and yet another is working on my final call contract. In some ways it seems like there is so much to do; in other ways it seems to be all flying along very quickly (although I think that latter feeling has more to do with my age). ;)

Anyways, today I went out to the church to check out the parsonage. Wow! It is beautiful and big. Moving from my small 1 bedroom apartment into a 2-story farmhouse will take quite some getting used to. The house has new siding and a new roof. Inside, there is a finished basement, a lovely first floor with a new kitchen and fireplace, and the second floor has three bedrooms laid out in this very conveniently accessible way that almost links all three together, and yet doesn't. I am sure that makes absolutely no sense.

Also, a funny thing happened today when I went to test drive a vehicle with one of the search committee members. As it happened, I took a used Jeep Cherokee for a drive. Unfortunately, I needed to fill it up with gas before going on the test drive. Giving the attendant the refill coupon from the dealer, I preceeded to turn on the ignition when nothing happened. The car wouldn't start. We had to leave the vehicle at the gas station and walk back to the dealer down the street. Crazy, right?

Anyways, the day went very well and I am very excited about my new future, assuming I get the job of course. Woo-hoo! (I've taken to saying "Woo-hoo!" alot lately, both in writing and in person).

Great Quote

A friend sent me an email just now and has one of those email programs that attaches nifty quote tags on the bottom of his email. Here is the quote that was attached to his email:

Literature encourages tolerance - bigots and fanatics seldom have any use for the arts, because they're so preoccupied with their beliefs and actions that they can't see them also as possibilities.
- Northrop Frye, writer (1912-1991)

When juvenille humor gets a fella in trouble

If you read this blog regularly you'll know first hand that sometime my humor leans towards a humor that some of us employed when we were much younger. I blame that on my years and as a youth minister. Once my humor gets set, its tough to move it beyond anything else.

Anyway, some folks who were looking at me as a prospective pastor in their congregation found my blog and started going back further and further in its past to learn more about me. As they read, some found stories that, ahem.. were a bit juvenille in their presentation. As a result, some were a bit concerned with my giving "too much information" about whatever I was talking about.

So, you'll notice that this blog does not let you go back to past information older than the last 13 posts. Which, I think is a good idea and might save any future discussion about a past bad or icky post.

As for the church that saw it, they still offerred me the job so it mustn't've been TOO consterning but still.. I reread some of my older posts and I was shocked to the point that even I said, "Dang son, what on EARTH where you thinking?!"

Healthy Living

Yesterday I received lots of interesting information regarding my life in the United Church of Christ; more specifically I received my 3rd Quarter investment schedule as well as a statement on what my last physical will cost me (what my insurance won't pay). While I'd love to go into a rant about the benefits of my insurance paying 100% of preventive care (e.g., yearly physicals) and why the heck they do NOT pay 100%, what impressed me was that our new denominational insurance carrier (Blue Cross, Blue Shield) so far pays so much MORE than our old carrier.

My last physical cost me about $500 out of pocket for the various tests and doctor's fees. I was so angry that I shot off letter after letter about the benefits for long-term care (read: insurance companies paying less in future costly medical bills associated with cancer and heart disease). I guess a lot of ministers complained or, it was just more feasible financially but the denomination switched carriers and I am paying a whole lot LESS! Woo-hoo!

I also received in the mail a brochure advertising the denominations new website dedicated towards advocating the creation of personal healthy lifestyle changes (I love it when the word 'lifestyle' isn't always associated with sex). They set up a website called, UCC Healthy Stewards, from the premise that we are responsible for being good stewards with our bodies. The site seems to be a great resource for maintaining healthy living choices, meal choices, and recommendations towards overall health. And, if you're a member of the Pension Boards (a minister, family member of a minister, or other such person) they provide health assessments and a host of valuable information aimed at providing ways to benefit with preventive healthcare. I think this is the best way to deal with issues of health and certainly the least costly in the longrun.

Woo-hoo!

There are a few of you in internet space who were praying and sending good thoughts my way last night. Last night I had my final interview to become the new pastor at Cresskill Congregational UCC in Cresskill, New Jersey. And, they voted to recommend me to the congregation as their choice. Woo-hoo!

As happy and thrilled as I am, the process is still not over. However, I've cleared a major hurdle. Next, I go to a 'meet and greet' time with the congregation and then I preach for them. Following my sermon, the congregation will vote and if all goes well then, I'll become their new pastor.

So if you were praying, thank you!! Woo-hoo!

The Chocolate Festival

Oh mah gawd I got sooooooooooooooo queazy last night! I must've eaten the equivelant of a traincar full of chocolate. Chocolate bars, drinks, prezels, pieces, parts, wholes, and everything in the middle. Dark chocolate, light chocolate. Heck, I even had chocolate covered french fries!

I am too nervous to step on my weight scale; but not so nervous that I feel guilty. One of the great things about being a liberal is that I feel guilt a lot less often. Ha! Okay, so don't take that statement too far... or use it against me. It's just chocolate! :)

A Night on the Town

I realize I haven't posted anything in almost a week! I've been busy at work getting things lined up for next week and pretty much staying out late at night. This week, I've had the fortune of going out twice and I'll go out again tomorrow night too.

On Tuesday night, a church member invited me out to see a Broadway show that I've been relunctant to see because I've seen various movies about it on television over the years. However, this church member was persistent and finally, we went to see The Phantom of the Opera. Let me tell you, it was amazing! The music, the set design, and the story was worth the ticket price and I now have a show I can take my out-of-town friends to see, the ones who would not enjoy seeing Rent (my favorite all-time Broadway show).

Tonight a church member was performing for her CD release. She is an accomplished singer, has won numerous awards for her songwriting (including a Dove Award, a Christian version of the Grammys). A bunch of us from church (about 10 of us) went to hear Tina deVaron sing. She is very talented indeed! And, her collection of songs with this cd centers around her eldest son's departure for college and him "leaving the nest" and what that feels like to her and her husband.

Tomorrow night, the church musician, his partner, and I are going to New York City's Chocolate Festival in Chelsea. I had wanted to go to this months ago when I heard about it but had forgotten about it until today, when I just happened to be walking down the street where the festival is happening. Suddenly I remembered about it and asked Doug (the church musician) if he'd like to go to it tomorrow night.

I am becoming a real "going out on the town" kind of guy, eh?

Cool Puzzle Weblink

Only in New York.. or maybe Arkansas..

A title in today's New York Daily News has this to say: "Woody Allen may be Soon-Yi Previn's husband, but he's still her daddy." As you may know, Mia Farrow, Woody's ex-wife discovered Woody fooling around with Soon-Yi, when Soon-Yi was his step-daughter. Woody's reaction was simply to divorce Mia and marry Soon-Yi.

I can see why my mom wants me to leave New York City and go back home to Oklahoma.

You can read about Woody's comments and the whole story here.

Standing up to Spiritual Violence

I preached a well-received sermon on Sunday entitled, The Way of Reformation: Standing Up to Spiritual Violence. From the opening skit about Martin Luther to the retelling of modern reformers (Rosa Parks, Caser Chavez, and Cindy Sheehan), everything seemed to tie in nicely with the sermon. I love a good Sunday when everything "works".

Here is an excerpt from the sermon:

We don’t have to confront our bullies like I did in my youth. There are other options if we’re willing to utilize them. Let us end the pattern of using violence to end violence. As Walter Wink has explained, “Violence can never stop violence because its very success leads others to imitate it.” (Wink, Engaging the Powers, 216). Sure, it may work in the short term, but in the end, violence will be reemployed again and again, whenever we think we’re being oppressed and hurt. To end violence in the long-term, we need to employ a greater plan—the plan of Jesus. In his teachings and in his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus transcended the notion of revenge and power-over by showing us that by love we can truly bring redemption.

You can read the entire sermon by going here.

Birth Order Quiz

Now this is really strange and I don't know how to understand the results. So, I will just put this out here and let you figure out what it means.

The quiz asks you particular questions and then, determines your birth order and gives some insight into your personality. Follow the link and see what it says about you.

And yes, it "guessed" my birth order.

You Are Likely a Third Born

At your darkest moments, you feel vulnerable. At work and school, you do best when you're comparing things. When you love someone, you tend to like to please them. In friendship, you are loyal to one person. Your ideal careers are: sales, police officer, newspaper reporter, inventor, poet, and animal trainer. You will leave your mark on the world with inventions, poetry, and inspiration.

The Birth Order Predictor

An Amen Corner

A friend sent me this article from the NY Times about a new sitcom that was recently purchased and will be set in the neighborhood where I went to seminary.

****

In a Town of 'Friends,' an Amen Corner

By JOHN FREEMAN GILL

WHEN David Light was a student at Columbia University in the early 1990's, dating a future rabbi who would later become his wife, the couple watched in fascination as the biggest party animal they knew - a beer-guzzling, skirt-chasing frat king - recreated himself as a rabbinical student.

Out of this conflict between the pursuit of spiritual knowledge and the pursuit of a good seat at the bar at the legendary West End, Mr. Light eventually created "Morningside Heights," a script for a television sitcom that NBC recently bought. Mr. Light is now developing the script with two executive producers in the hope that NBC will finance the filming of a pilot.

The sitcom is set on Seminary Row, the block of West 122nd Street where the Jewish Theological Seminary sits diagonally across Broadway from Union Theological Seminary. The show is a piously irreverent comedy about good-looking would-be ministers, rabbis and imams who share a dorm and try not to sleep with one another.

It could scarcely be set anywhere else.

•

"The neighborhood is a huge character in the show," said Mr. Light, 31, who attended Columbia as an undergraduate and a graduate student in the film division of the School of the Arts, and whose wife studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Along with its grand Gothic churches, Riverside Church and the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the neighborhood's sheer density of institutions of higher learning - Columbia, Barnard and Seminary Row itself - makes Morningside Heights an area that Mr. Light calls "a hotbed of seeking."

"Whether it's knowledge, or what your place is in the world, it's a place to ask these huge questions," Mr. Light said. "Whether in Riverside Park or St. John the Divine or the Hungarian Pastry Shop, it's a truly contemplative and vibrant place that I love."

The area also provides the soaring visual backdrop for a new, perhaps more spiritually highbrow representation of New York than America is accustomed to seeing in television comedies.

Over the past decade, the dominant comedic images of New York beamed around the planet have been the sophisticatedly shallow self-absorption of "Seinfeld," the chirpy chumminess of "Friends," the winking urbanity of "Will & Grace" and the cosmo-swilling, Manolo-obsessed man hunters of "Sex and the City." Regardless of how unrealistically those shows may have portrayed New York, they shared a certain upscale levity. If "Morningside Heights" makes it into the NBC lineup, it will most likely present a different face of the city.

"It's definitely a step back from 24/7, and it's a step back from the glamour, too," said Ron Simon, who is curator of television at the Museum of Television and Radio and who studied film at the Columbia School of the Arts. "You're not downtown, you're uptown, where there's a little possibility of solitude, where you can have discussions that deal with self-examination instead of materialistic striving."

Faith and spirituality, he added, "were certainly words that we didn't hear much pre-9/11."

•

If there's a link between "Morningside Heights" and the more upscale New York comedies of recent years, it is Eric McCormack, one of the show's executive producers and the actor who plays Will in "Will & Grace," in its final season on NBC.

"The New York of 'Will & Grace' is almost a kind of a dream New York," Mr. McCormack said. "It's Riverside, it's Upper West Side, it's people with money and time to spend it. It's a little bit fantasy almost in the way Noel Coward's New York was in the 30's, as opposed to what we're going to attempt to do with 'Morningside Heights.' I keep thinking of that opening shot of 'Welcome Back, Kotter,' just that sense of more where real things happen."

In addition to their tone of youthful joie de vivre, the major New York-based sitcoms of the last decade all had at their heart a group of supportive friends that served as an ersatz family. In this sense, "Morningside Heights" is not such a radical departure. While the show's cheerfully intolerant evangelist character may tell his cohorts of different faiths that they're destined to burn in hell, by the end of the pilot episode, even he is sharing dinner and camaraderie with the rabbi, the imam and the others. In this reimagining of the New York ideal of perfect integration, the melting pot has become a large pizza at the West End, with everything on it.

$500 Million?!

Howard Stern is leaving the regular airwaves to go to the new satillite radio, Sirius, for a reported 5-year, $500 million contract. You can read the entire story here.

I am just shocked by the shock-jock's salary! That is more than Tiger Wood's Nike endorsements (which I think is crazy in and of itself, and I LOVE Tiger Woods). $100 million a year?! To be a disk jockey? Well, I must admit, I don't really like Howard Stern, he's too vulgar for me.. but I have a lot of friends who just love him. Still, like him or not, he's going to be richer than Bill Gates someday. Imagine a celebrity making more money than a corporate executive.

Now that is truly the humorous part of the American dream, right?

Woo-hoo! My email works!

Wowsers, what a mess I've been through this week; fortunately, Yahoo!'s security team was able to verify me and I gained access to my email last night. I've learned so many lessons through this experience, most notably: change my password often, and the most important one, don't have your work email tied into your personal email. If you can't get access to one, you can't get to the other either. Unfortunately, I can't fix that problem now, but if I ever have a new email set up, it'll be separate from my personal one.

Whew! I was so relieved last night that I went to the gym and worked off some of my stress in the swimming pool. And then, I went to a friend's birthday party at my favorite gay dive bar. I had a nice night and slept like a baby last night.

I Still Don't Have Email Access!!

..but at least now I know why.

Get this. Someone hacked into my email account, changed my password, and personal data. Changing the data, I cannot confirm with my email host that I am who I say I am. As a result, my personal and business email remains inaccessible.

I am in contact with the security department as we speak. I am going to fax them certain information hoping that any of it, matches what they are looking for. If I cannot match what they say I must, my email account will be in the hands of my perpetrator... forever!

I wish I could express the fear, shock, anger, and stress I have been feeling since Tuesday at 5pm, when I got locked out of my own email account. I have had my personal email since I lived in Texas, some 12 years ago. I feel like a part of me has been taken away.

Let me encourage you, dear reader, to go into your email personal data. Write it down, change your password often, and take the necessary steps to make your email service as secure as possible. Otherwise, you're in for a heap of frustration. Like what I am feeling now.

Numa numa Dance!

This guy is hilarious and a good lipsyncer although he starts to get out of sync there towards the end. Still, it's a lot of fun. Have a looksee and tap your foot to the beat while you're at it. Oh, and be sure to turn your speakers WAY up. :)

Having a broadband connection will be most helpful.

Problems with Yahoo!

I am having email problems with my Yahoo account. Unfortunately, I cannot access my account at all, which has me in a fright. It has taken me too long to find a customer service phone number for them, so long in fact, that their customer service is now closed for the evening (you'd think they'd run 24 hours a day given how big they are).

If you have problems with you Yahoo! account, here is their customer service number: 408-349-1572. Keep in mind that they are only available Monday through Sunday from 6am-6pm (Pacific Standard Time).

If you have sent me an email, I don't have access to it and probably won't until I get this issue resolved.

"You Can't Be All You Can Be--If You're Dead"

Now here is an interesting story. A highschool student paid for an advertisement in her highschool newspaper. As a member of a pacifist religious order, she felt that there were alternatives to paying for college than enlisting in the U.S. Army and found an interesting way to communicate that.

Follow this link to http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/101805G.shtml and see that ad for yourself.

Dang, you know THAT took guts!

Getting Out those Tough Stains

I found an article in this week's issue of HX, the local gay men's magazine for what's happening in NYC. Included in the issue, is how to care for your "tighty whitey-ies". Here are a few tips:

1. Our own salivary glands produce an amazing stain remover; the enzymatic action of saliva can remove quite a few unsightly stains in a pinch, most notably, blood. We produce an anzyme in our saliva that can break down our own blood. Unfortunately, only our own saliva will remove our own blood. This works equally well on whites and colors.

2. Unsightly underarm stains are caused by aluminum in most drugstore deodorant products. To avoid the stain, switch to a brand that doesn't contain aluminum. They're more expensive, but your undershirts will tahnk you. You can sometimes remove the ugly blotch by soaking in crushed un-buffered asprin mixed with water.

3. Both lemon juice and the combination of baking soda and water will gently bleach out stains in whites. Try applying one to the stain and letting the garment sit in the sun, providing you'renot averse to airing your dirty laundry in public. ;)

Wanna be a Geek?

I found this today while doing some internet research on a 1gig USB flash drive. It is a watch that also has a built in flash drive. The drive only holds 128mb of memory but wearing your flash drive would sure prevent you from losing it.

Check it out here.

Cool Free Program

Have you ever heard of Microsoft's One Note? It is a program that allows you to keep the notes you take, the links you link, and the webpages you..well, you know.. all organized in one place. This is a handy program when you're doing research for papers or for sermons. I had used the program myself with it's 60-day trial free feature. After the 60-day period, I was remiss to actually pay $100.

Instead, I read in this month's issue of PC Magazine about a freeware program called Evernote. This program does the same thing as One Note. How cool is that? To get your free download, go to http://www.evernote.com*.

*This is not a paid endorsement of the product, I am just passing along something really cool.

Miers Opinion Piece

Here is a good link to why Harriet Miers' nomination should be reconsidered. It's very thoughtful and best explains my consternation.

My New Art Project

I have begun a new art project for my apartment. In the vein of my odd eye for art, I have decided to draw/sketch my favorite places in New York City. After I have sketched 6-8 different places, I will then frame them and create a collage on my wall.

Here is my first sketch, it is the Bethesda Fountain in Central park. It is one of my favorite places to sit and think and realize how amazing this city really is. You may notice that although the statue is supposed to be a woman, she looks awfully butch.

Now this is funny, sort of..

I found a blog this morning that purports to be that of Harriet Miers, the new Supreme Court Justice nominee from Dubya. Going to the blog however, one sees that it's not hers. It is someone else having a good time at her expense.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think she should even be considered for the position, not having served as a judge in any respect. But I am not surprised at Bush, heck didn't he appoint that FEMA director who had no experience whatsoever? And look what happened in New Orleans. I cannot even believe people are taking his nomination seriously- but they are and, it's just scary what the implications could be.

I wonder if we should reconceptualize all appointments. Instead of having experience be a qualifier for various positions, we should consider other factors like hairstyle, likeability, and good understanding of our Founding Father's intent on developing a Christian nation. For instance, I wonder if James Dobson might be a good Education Secretary, Richard Land could be the Secretary of State, and Miss Ellie May Hornsbeak, the President's dog groomer and Style columist in the local Crawford, Texas newspaper could become Bush's new Press Secretary. And this might happen, with the Bush's new 37 percent approval rating and his supposedly return to drinking, he just might have Ms. Hornsbeak before the cameras.

Okay, so Ms. Hornsbeak isn't really real but it highlights my point, you can't have unqualified people in really, really important positions. No matter how nice they are, no matter how sweet they are; people in really, really important positions need to be the best in their field making decisions that'll affect this country for a hundred years or more. To me, this is just common sense. But then, I am implying our President has common sense and quite honestly, I am not convinced he does.

Superball Spirituality

I have become a new convert... well, not really new but definitely a convert. Several months ago, I discovered a blog that I enjoy reading each and every time. The writer is a pastor from a church in Texas (I've linked him before on here and you can find his link on the right side of this blog). But today, unexpectedly, I read something he wrote a while back and found myself connecting with him- in this spiritual, artsy-fartsy yet redneck "Yeah man, Preach it!" kind of way.

Have a looksee and you'll see what I mean. The blog is Real Live Preacher and his article on Superball Spirituality is here. Any man that can cus like he does and enjoy a brewski (even though he's a Baptist), has got to be both 'his own man' and yet, have that special kind of courage that either means, "I really don't care what you think," or, "It's not about the cussin' or the beer drinkin', you snotty nose silly Texans, it's about something so much more." (For the record, while I do enjoy a good cussin' at just the right moment, beer makes me fat.)

Beware of Bloody Sunday!

New York City is in a state of panic/fright today. Maybe you've heard about it wherever you are but tomorrow, Sunday, is the day when a terrorist strike is planned to hit the New York subways. You can read the whole story here.

It's wild and scary and yet, not so wild and scary that the fear is crippling. For those of us who have to take the subways to get to work (I have to be at church tomorrow), the thought of traveling in the subway has mixed feelings. Part of me thinks this warning was concocted. Another part of me thinks that its for real. And yet, there really isn't anything I can do about it.

I could, of course, take a taxi to work (church) tomorrow. It'll cost about $40 one way. That could be money well spent or I could be giving in to the panic and fear. Such decisions.

Not going to Nashville

Well, for those of you following my life on here, I received a call recently that I am no longer a candidate for the pastoral opening in Nashville, TN. The pastoral search committee had narrowed their search to two candidates. After a time of discernment and discussion, the church decided to go with the other candidate. The chairperson of the search committee called me to inform me of their decision.

Honestly, I am glad the search committee found the candidate they were looking for. The church was a nice one and I think I would have enjoyed my time there; and yet, I am also relieved because moving to Nashville would have taken me away from my extended family, the friends and former lovers who make up my family here in New York City. For that reason, I am very glad that I will be around here longer.

Interestly, there is a church in nearby New Jersey who is considering me to be their pastor. I have been interviewing there and am excited about the possibilities. All in all, I am confident that God is in the entire search process, I just need to be willing to be a part of that process and trust that whatever happens, is what God desires to happen.

But boy o' boy, its the waiting and hoping that sure makes a fella nervous (even when God is at work).

Ka-Boom!

Something happened underground in my neighborhood this afternoon. Some say it was a fire, others say it was an explosion that caused the fire. In any event, firetrucks and the electric and gas company (ConEdison) are swarmed outside my building.

As it turns out, half of my apartment building is without electricity, the other half is without water. I am in the "without water" part of the building. I think its almost ironic that I go 5 months with a leak in my bathroom ceiling that caused half of the ceiling to collapse. Finally, two weeks ago the leak and my ceiling get fixed, only to now have no water in my building.

If you are ever thinking of moving to Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood in Manhattan, do everything in your power to NOT move into 4996 Broadway. That is the address to my building and I've had nothing but problems here.

Hopefully I won't get sued for putting my address on here and for disparaging my apartment building. I'll let you know if anything of a legal nature develops.