Fall in Little Norway

This past week, I have had the chance to spend some time back "home," by myself. (Well, not really, see I have shared the home I grew up in with two dogs, two cats, and a bird. We make for an interesting group).

It's been strange to be the only human here all week. It's been strange to be away from Allison for a week. This is now officially the longest we have been a part since getting married.  I have missed her terribly!  To pass the time I have tried to be productive on church work, work for the firm I am interning for, and doing some other consulting work while here.  I think I have been somewhat productive.

The point to this post though is I guess I realize that wherever my wife and I are together, is truly my home now. That means that for now the Twin Cities are really my home. I really haven't called Poulsbo my day to day home for nearly 7-years since I left for PLU in 2005. It's kind of surreal.  It's nice to see that Poulsbo hasn't stopped growing, but its also nice that it hasn't lost its charm either.  There is just something about this place which can make it a nice place to get away and breathe for a bit to center oneself. I think that's how I have let it treat me this week. I am hoping that when I return to Minnesota tomorrow I will be more: centered, focused, and assured. The job hunt continues, but doors and opportunities continue to open.  God's leading us, and we're making ends meet. I have no idea what the next chapter is really going to look like, but the one we are in right now is certainly exciting.

I could say that I am concerned, depressed, and stressed about not having a full-time job yet. But you know what, I would be lying if I did. I have this bizarre sense of calm now that it's all going to work out. Maybe this is really what a sense of abundance feels like?  I know God's here with us, and even though I am not sure where we are heading in this wilderness time, I know God is guiding us through it.

As the leaves continue to fall, and the colors continue to turn, take some time to smile and breathe in deep.  Drink some hot chocolate or hot apple cider.  I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I know that today, right this minute, I am loved (because Allison tells me multiple times each day) and that's really all that matters (plus Taizley and Trea are asleep on either side of me, and that's kind of comforting too). My hunch is that because you are reading this, you are loved too.  (Obviously, loved by God, but probably loved by me and many others too.) Isn't that just a comforting feeling?

Peace and blessings to you on this Fall Evening from Little Norway!

[picture credits to the "Historic Downtown Poulsbo" site on Facebook] 

College Football Playoff- GOOD, BAD, UGLY

I am not going to hide my opinion. I don't like this playoff plan, as is. I am happy that there will be one. However, I think there is a long way to go for this to be a guaranteed improvement over the BCS. Because on the surface, this proposal seems like it even makes it more impossible for "non-AQ" conference schools like Boise State, BYU, and Hawaii (not to mention the 'left overs' of the Big-East conference like South Florida, Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, etc.) to play for a national championship. There needs to be some provision that these schools be given equal consideration for inclusion in the playoffs. Maybe this is why I think having an 8 or 16-team playoff makes more sense then trying to have a committee pick just 4 teams. Some years I would agree it would be possible, but in recent memory picking just 4 teams would seem ridiculous.

Now, my immediate reaction aside, here is what I think in a good, bad, and ugly fashion.

THE GOOD
1. We may now have an actual champion in college football. (Assuming the four teams in the playoffs are definitively the best four teams in the nation, without leaving any one, two, or three teams of equal value achievement out).
2. Meaningful bowl/playoff games will be played again on New Year's Day or New Year's Eve, as that is when the semi-final games are scheduled to be played.
3. Traditional bowl game sites like the Holiday Bowl in San Diego; Cotton Bowl in Arlington, TX; Citrus Bowl in Orlando; and the Peach Bowl (I mean "Chick Filet" Bowl) in Atlanta may again be hosts to actual big meaningful games.

THE BAD
1. This may actually make it even harder for non-AQ schools to compete for a championship then was the case in the much maligned BCS.
2. For all the animosity about sponsored bowl games and how that is commercialism run wild, imagine the sponsorship and commercial opportunities that will come from a college football playoff? The new championship game will likely easily be the second most expensive 3-hours of the year to buy a 30-second commercial behind only the Super Bowl.

THE UGLY
1. What happens when in 2 years we realize that this "playoff" only continues the same problem of not having a definitive champion that has been the case throughout the BCS? We will go back to square one.
2. Or, what happens when the conference commissioners and school presidents realize the $$$ involved in a playoff and decide to move to 8 or 16 teams? (I mean I would think that would finally widen the door enough to provide a way in for the non-AQ schools. However, the motivation for such a move would be shallow at best, and only about the potential increased revenues and sponsor-ships. Such a move would clearly be the death bell of college bowl games as we know them.)

I think the only clear answer we have now is that there is a "playoff" coming. We'll see what that really means in 3-years.
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And because you might be wondering what I would suggest if I ran the world here is what I would do if we are indeed stuck with the 4-team playoff model.
1) Combine the ACC and Big-East into one conference for football.
2) Require all teams to play a 9-game conference schedule in football. The SEC should no longer be allowed to have "cupcakes" on their schedules in November.
3) The Big-12 should indeed become 12 teams again.
4) Boise State, BYU, and Notre Dame should enter into a long-term agreement to play each other every year. This would likely help each's strength of schedule, and increase the potential of making it into the 4-team pool or discussion at the very least. [If I were Boise State and BYU I would be pounding down the door of the Big 12 to try and entice them to invite them in.]
5) The National Championship and Semi-Finals should be broadcast on Network TV (ABC) and not on a cable network (ESPN). If they want this championship to be like the Super Bowl and NFL playoffs, then it only makes sense that it be given the respect of major network TV.

**Admittedly none of these suggestions will likely come to pass because of the money involved obviously. But, here was my two cents anyway.

The Return of the Blog

For those of you who have missed my blogging, well, I have missed it too. So, let this serve as an intentional return to activity here on the blog. My guess is that there will be an average of 2-3 posts per week from now on, but we'll see how that goes. 

For today's blog entry, I just want to say its nice to be back and I hope you enjoy my thoughts and reflections on a whole host of topics- from theology to leadership, from baseball to choral music, and every thing in between.

For your enjoyment, I am providing a return of a few links with today's initial post of things I have been reading and following.

This Week's Links
Theology, Ministry and the Church
1. Lutheran Women Scholars have come to the defense of their Catholic Sister; including a number of my favorite professors from PLU and Luther Seminary, as well as a host of others who I have met and/or cited in a number of projects including my thesis.
2. Dr. Lose from Luther Seminary offers some reflections on denominationalism.
3. My roommate Tyler from PLU offers a wonderful reflection on the change he sees in what it means to follow the "American dream." With our "generation" its not necessarily about making the most money, but rather about living a fulfilling life and living into one's vocation(s).

Sports
1. The Pac-12 Network continues to take shape.
2. Is it time to bring up the annual question for the Mariners about whether or not to think about trading King Felix?
3. I would be remiss with this return to blog activity to not offer a huge shout-out to the Lutes Softball team! PLU's softball team won the Division III National Championship in May!! Congrats and Attaway Lutes!

Thanks for taking the time to read and follow me, and for welcoming me back to the blogging world. May God's peace and blessings be unto you this day!

Simul justus et peccator- What it means to be a Lutheran in my eyes today (part I)

I woke up this morning inspired to start a new series in this blog.  Over the next week or so, I will offer some different thoughts on what I believe it means to be a Lutheran Christian today.  Each post will try and focus on one theological (or other type of) idea.  I admit that I am not doing this as part of a seminary class, but more so as a way to work through some understandings of my own in the hope that they will help you think about your own understandings of these ideas.  Further, this in the hope that such beliefs will be understood in shaping who I am as a worship coordinator now at a local Lutheran Church.

Today, let us begin with the paradox known in the Latin as "simul justus et peccator."  First of all, as much as Lutherans are comfortable in paradox, I think our comfort here is actually a disadvantage for us in the way we talk with and engage in the rest of the world who wishes things were more clear (ie- politics, Washington D.C., etc.).  But, that said, we are comfortable in our paradoxes as Lutherans, and there is no greater paradox then this one, that we are "simultaneously saint and sinner."

In good Lutheran fashion, I might ask, "what does this mean?"  I am not going to go and quote the catechism here.  Rather, I will offer my own observations.  On the one hand, we believe that we are all children of God and redeemed through Christ in grace and love.  This understanding is that we are saints because we are the people of God.  However, we are sinners because we are "enslaved to sin and cannot free ourselves," as we confess.  This is why having some sort of understanding of the significance of Christ and atonement is important, because without Christ's saving act for us, the "sinner" reality would be the dominant one, and our relationship with God would be much more terrifying and probably negative.

On the other hand, this might be interpreted as we are both "good and bad."  I would not go here for a Lutheran argument, because I don't think I could make a very compelling case.  But, this could be argued that one is good because God works through us, in our callings and vocations, in guiding and sanctifying us, and leading us as we are justified by faith alone to engage in the world around us and love our neighbor.  One is bad because we perpetually come up short, especially when we allow ourselves to focus on our selves and not the needs of our neighbor, and that which God might have us do or call us to do; so when we seem to put ourselves first at the expense or pain of another person, God, a thing, or any part of creation, this would then be bad.

Perhaps this idea of "simultaneously saint and sinner," raises more questions then it answers, but I think it is a good place to start for contemplating what it means to be a Lutheran today.  How does it shape our practice of worship? Our practice of serving our neighbor, of walking with them, and being a part of this world while also of the world to come? (There is another Lutheran paradox for you)... We will keep these questions alive throughout the following posts, in the hope that they spark some ideas, imagination, wondering, and if necessary, some reevaluation and action if my own practices seem inconsistent with my beliefs and understandings.

Drucker as a Writer

Reading through Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker, and I think to myself... what if theologians wrote like this?  I have found Drucker's work to always be accessible, engaging, and well explained. He is not circular, but he is not making stuff up out of thin air, either.  If only all theologians took writing lessons from Drucker, perhaps we would have a better understanding of their theological ideas, and perhaps their ideas would be more accessible.  At the very least, complicated trains of thought might be a bit more clear.  What do you think?

Good Bye Summer!

The rain has come.  The temperature has dropped.  The leaves are falling.  I guess summer was not going to be able to hold on forever.  Oh well.  It had a great run!

Now that Fall is here, perhaps its time to really start blogging again.  

Starting tomorrow, I intend to provide a new post daily.  They may not be that most insightful, but perhaps they will make for a fun read. 

Peace and Blessings

Welcome Back!

This will be a short post, but an important one.  The blog ended up taking an unintentional vacation over the summer.  For those of you regular readers who were disappointed, I greatly apologize.  I am happy to announce its return today though with the beginning of a new semester.  The blog will be covering a number of topics throughout this year, so I hope you enjoy.

For those of you who are a part of the seminary community, the Luther Seminary Student Council is accepting nominations for those interested in serving on the council this week.  So, nominate or be nominated!

Also, at some point this week, I will offer a detailed and "off-the-cuff" analysis and prediction of college conference Armageddon for those of you who are college sports fans.

Thanks for being loyal readers of the blog!