More on September 24--

Well, it worked! I find that I have to go to some sort of "preparatory" site to add new material, so I guess I'll try that for now. At least the little blurb I just wrote showed up on the fancy blog-site. Luck of the draw.

Yesterday [Now "Error" is appearing in a long, red line at the top of this page. There are new wrinkles all the time], I wrote a rather lengthy entry that somehow got eaten up or obliterated. I tried to retrieve it but couldn't. I miss Larry Falkowski at times like this. Larry was a colleague, rector of St. Stephen's here in Portland, from 1999-2005. He truly is "one of a kind," and one of his true gifts was computer science. He bailed me out, more than once. His then-wife, Diane Lucas, was my first admin. assistant at Ascension and would even consult Larry on more than one occasion. Such people are invaluable! Since Larry's moved back to New Jersey, I miss him when something like this happens. I could phone him - he'd be happy to hear from me, I am sure - but right now it would be nearly 11 pm, his time.

I forget, exactly, what I said yesterday, but it was something to do with my weekly ecumenical lectionary study group, a gang I really appreciate and time with them is time I truly cherish. Even though I don't preach every week now that I'm retired, I still love looking at the propers and presenting a passage from time to time; more, I love the presentations made by other members, who hail from the Lutheran, UCC, Presbyterian and Episcopal traditions. I wish we had some Roman Catholics in the group, but we don't, alas. I've been with this group now for about seven years and thoroughly enjoy it. Yesterday we had a lively discussion on the passages appointed for Sunday, October 5, as we look ahead about 11 days.

At noon yesterday I went to our parish, Ss. Peter & Paul, for the noonday weekly "Celtic Mass" and Bible study that follows it. Our rector Kurt Neilson usually presides at both; his creativity and wisdom are much appreciated by those of us who attend. Alas, there aren't many, but we had a lively dialogue on "church culture" a la the reading from Numbers for this Sunday. It seems that Bishop Sandy Hampton, our Assisting (Interim) Bishop here in our diocese of Oregon (the western part of the state), wanted us to do the Sunday propers (readings). Usually on this Sunday, we would celebrate St. Michael and All Angels, but a bishop, when he/she visits a parish, has the last word on what will be used, as it should be. I hope he'll say something in his homily about our "new stuff" at "SPP" (abbreviation conveniently used by us): Kurt's "new manifesto" to use our new gift of someone's bequest to the parish creatively, authentically and for our future, not just to patch up our looming debt and precarious present financial condition. It is a brave move.

Later that day, Fr. Kurt and I had a nice "pint" at a little pub on Stark St. (by the Friends Meeting House!) that brags about "1000 beers" and "17 drafts." Kurt's an honest aficionado of beer and suggested a hoppy one for me which I thoroughly enjoyed. More, I loved our conversation; I asked him what he might expect of me to help with his "new plan" and he came up with some via an email today which I'll have to think about and respond to in good time.

Today, I met with our "Fresh Start" group at St. Francis Church, Wilsonville, about 20 miles south of us. This is a group of newly-ordained and/or newly-placed clergy in our diocese. I'm sort of "in training" to be a mentor for the group and love every minute of it. Most of all, I am so impressed with the quality of our clergy in this diocese, which has in the past six years has experienced much turmoil in our leadership. That good clergy and good parishes have "kept the faith" and have, for the most part, sustained and grown their ministries and mission is little short of a miracle and a true grace. Our "presenter" today was our Assisting Bishop, Sanford Z.K. Hampton, whom I first new in Minnesota when he was Suffragan Bishop there in the late 80's and early 90's, before moving to our neighbor to the north, the Diocese of Olympia (Western Washington State) to be Assistant Bishop there. Now that he's retired, we have engaged him for half of each month to provide episcopal leadership, knowing that the governance of our diocese is in the hands of the Standing Committee (both clergy types and lay people). Sandy is another "one in a million": a terrific sense of humor, caring for everybody, articulate, helpful, optimistic, faithful. Good things have come from him since he's been with us these past 18 months; come next late winter, he'll give over the reins to our newly-elected bishop.

Sandy talked at length about last summer's General Convention and I won't bore my readers with what they already probably know or don't really care much about. We had a lively dialogue about Deacons and about Mission, our highest priority. I am highly energized by the Fresh Start Gang and am happy to be a part of it and a potential mentor one day when I receive the requisite training.

Enough for now. There's a special on our PBS channel on "Oregon Field Guide," one of our favorite shows that holds up the wonders of our geography here in an engaging way.

More later...

Never thought I'd do it

Hello, everyone! I swore I never would have a blog. Seems too narcissistic to me. But I have to admit that I love to communicate and a blog seems a good way to do that.

Today, Tuesday, September 22, 2009, the first official day of autumn and in Portland OR where I live it is very warm. It has been a good day, too - the sky is clear, there's a breeze from the east (maybe from "The Gorge" on the Columbia River) to cool us down a bit, psyches are cordial, the cat, Maggie (for "MagnifiCat"), is sprawled out on the lawn or driveway, probably contemplating her last days. She's somewhat eschatalogical, I guess.

Tonight I was going to attend an informal meeting of mostly "younger" (than I!) people who are committed to practicing and living-out an "emerging" sort of Christian life. My parish, Saints Peter & Paul, is given to a Celtic model, due mostly to our creative and very Celtic priest, Kurt Neilson. Emerging from that has been this emerging stuff which I do not in the least purport to understand. I would like to have gone, had a nice pint, eaten some pub grub, and listened in to the various conversations and maybe added my two bits. But I sha'nt be there, alas.

My duty now is to "de-clutter" my commitments and to pare down to essentials what I do in my retirement years, keeping in mind my marriage vows, my priesthood (it's not mine, of course, but God's), and how I might assist in the parish and diocese. I also am something of a singer/musician and want to keep my voice, becoming a bit more wobbly with my years, active.

So, I've decided to pare down a few things. Not ready, quite, to make an announcement for all and sundry to ooh and aah at, but tune in later and I'll share it.
Meanwhile, I'd like to hear from anyone who: is in his sixties, retired, is a more-or-less liberal and progressive Christian and might be struggling from time to time, as I do, with the lack of structure that retirement puts before us.