We celebrated my parents' 60th anniversary today and I was with all five of my brothers (no sisters in my family) for the first time in some 35 years! As part of the hootenanny, my brother Dave and I (the two in the middle in this photo) composed a song for Mom and Dad - The Ballad of Bill and Mary, which can be heard on youtube here.
A grand time was had by all. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who took part!
The Ballad of Bill and Mary
Happy 60th Anniversary!
by Dave and Dan Trabue
1. ‘Long about 60 years ago, a story began that just grows and grows
It’s an old love story that you hear every day
Boy meets girl, she’s a tiny little thing, Girl meets boy, he makes her heart sing
And they got married in the usual way
Chorus:
Bill and Mary, such a perfect life
He’s her lovin’ husband, she’s his ever-lovin’ wife…
2. Holding hands and riding bikes, give a little kiss, if they like
It’s an old love story that you hear every day
Then in 1900 and 51, they gave birth to their very first son
He’s a little buckaroo, and they call him “Dave”
3. Thirteen more years and five more boys, each one is a bundle of joy
It’s an old love story that you hear every day
Dennis, Doug, Dwight, Dan and Dale, raised them up right, kept them out of jail
Or at least most of the time, anyway
Chorus:
4. Playing with kids and going to camps, travelin’ all around in that dang microvan
It’s an old love story that you hear every day
Taking pictures and flying planes, raising kids and raising Cain
The good times they are here to stay
5. Take them to church and send them to school,
Take ‘em sledding in the winter when the weather turns cool
It’s an old love story that you hear every day
Doug and Dwight and Dan got lucky, they all ended up in Kentucky
And the rest all moved off, to Californi-ay
Chorus:
6. Now life just keeps getting sweeter all the time
The grandkids called, and they’re all doing fine
It’s an old love story that you hear every day
Their life’s been carrying on forever, and they love growing older together
It’s an old love story, but you don’t hear much about it these days
Chorus:
Bill and Mary, such a perfect life
He’s her lovin’ husband, she’s his ever-lovin’ wife…
======
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Hallowe'en is coming...
Two Sundays ago, after church, I had some alone time and walked home via the Bohemian part of town and, on the way, I decided to stop in one of our urban cemeteries. I had my camera and thought I'd do some bird watching and grave watching. I noticed a few people also in the cemetery (two or three), and so I walked over to an area that was more deserted, so as not to disturb them.
Over near the the old brick wall that lines the cemetery, there are a bunch of trees scattered amongst the graves. In front of me, I noticed someone walking towards the old brick wall. I kept catching snatches of someone maybe 50' in front of me, but they were behind the trees, so I couldn't see clearly. I kept seeing glimpses of black.
Eventually, I saw him, this thin, young man all dressed in black, with wild, inky hair and pale skin. I realized it was a "goth" kid/young man. He didn't look at me, just kept walking straight towards the wall. He wasn't looking around at the cemetery, looking at the graves or anything you might normally do at a cemetery, just walking straight towards the wall. When he reached the wall, he turned to his right and started walking along the wall, back towards the street (although this was back a good ways from the street in a fairly abandoned-feeling part of the graveyard).
I kept sneaking glimpses of him because I didn't want to freak him out or anything/make him think I was watching him. But I WAS watching him because his behavior was so odd, he wasn't looking at the cemetery, but rather walked specifically and directly to the wall, then turned and walked on maybe 30 more feet.
Then, he stopped, bent over, brushed some leaves away and... DUG! into the ground a little bit with his hands. After a few minutes of this digging, he pulled something out of the ground. Something maybe six inches long that fit in his hand, like a cell phone or a knife (by now I was too far away to see clearly). I watched him brush it off a little bit on the stone at the bottom of the brick wall.
I had my camera out already for taking bird photos and so I sneaked a photo of him while he had his back turned to me. I've attached that photo (all right, I did the b/w coloring, and the spooky shadow look, but it's really the photo...).
I wanted to ask him what he was doing, but didn't. Not long after I took the photo, he went beyond the trees you see in the photo and then was gone.
Freaky, yeah? If it had been at dusk, it might have been almost creepy, and it was almost creepy anyway.
What do you think? Some kind of treasure hunt/scavenger hunt game taking place? Some weird drug deal going down? Digging up a cursed Monkey Paw?
My best guess was a scavenger hunt, but what do you think?
As we approach that most "hallowed" time of the year, do have any creepy stories of your own?
Over near the the old brick wall that lines the cemetery, there are a bunch of trees scattered amongst the graves. In front of me, I noticed someone walking towards the old brick wall. I kept catching snatches of someone maybe 50' in front of me, but they were behind the trees, so I couldn't see clearly. I kept seeing glimpses of black.
Eventually, I saw him, this thin, young man all dressed in black, with wild, inky hair and pale skin. I realized it was a "goth" kid/young man. He didn't look at me, just kept walking straight towards the wall. He wasn't looking around at the cemetery, looking at the graves or anything you might normally do at a cemetery, just walking straight towards the wall. When he reached the wall, he turned to his right and started walking along the wall, back towards the street (although this was back a good ways from the street in a fairly abandoned-feeling part of the graveyard).
I kept sneaking glimpses of him because I didn't want to freak him out or anything/make him think I was watching him. But I WAS watching him because his behavior was so odd, he wasn't looking at the cemetery, but rather walked specifically and directly to the wall, then turned and walked on maybe 30 more feet.
Then, he stopped, bent over, brushed some leaves away and... DUG! into the ground a little bit with his hands. After a few minutes of this digging, he pulled something out of the ground. Something maybe six inches long that fit in his hand, like a cell phone or a knife (by now I was too far away to see clearly). I watched him brush it off a little bit on the stone at the bottom of the brick wall.
I had my camera out already for taking bird photos and so I sneaked a photo of him while he had his back turned to me. I've attached that photo (all right, I did the b/w coloring, and the spooky shadow look, but it's really the photo...).
I wanted to ask him what he was doing, but didn't. Not long after I took the photo, he went beyond the trees you see in the photo and then was gone.
Freaky, yeah? If it had been at dusk, it might have been almost creepy, and it was almost creepy anyway.
What do you think? Some kind of treasure hunt/scavenger hunt game taking place? Some weird drug deal going down? Digging up a cursed Monkey Paw?
My best guess was a scavenger hunt, but what do you think?
As we approach that most "hallowed" time of the year, do have any creepy stories of your own?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Really??? UPDATED
Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize.
?
I heard that on the alarm/radio this morning and thought it was just the talk show hosts cracking jokes. Then, I realized they were being serious and my first thought was, "For WHAT?"
As it turns out, Obama has actually won the Nobel Peace prize for being Not-Bush. Or at least that's what it sounds like to me.
Obama won the Prize, according to the committee, for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."
The committee also said Obama has "created a new climate in international politics."
What's that mean? What's he done?
It seems like we're being rewarded for merely Not Being Bush. The US, with the election of Obama, has had a turn away from Cowboy Diplomacy to adult diplomacy, and that is something that the Nobel folks must have decided was important enough to encourage.
Weird.
I'd think it have been better to wait to see if Obama actually took some actions that more directly led to peace (of course, I AM glad that he has changed the tone of diplomacy and foreign affairs, but still...) than just to honor him for being Not Bush.
All the same, it will be amusing to watch the Obama Haters' collective heads exploding today. Might be painful, though, considering how far up their respective rumps most of those heads are...
=====
UPDATE: According to CNN:
Obama was selected not for substantive accomplishments, but for his "vision" and inspiring "hope" at the beginning of his presidency.
?
I heard that on the alarm/radio this morning and thought it was just the talk show hosts cracking jokes. Then, I realized they were being serious and my first thought was, "For WHAT?"
As it turns out, Obama has actually won the Nobel Peace prize for being Not-Bush. Or at least that's what it sounds like to me.
Obama won the Prize, according to the committee, for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."
The committee also said Obama has "created a new climate in international politics."
What's that mean? What's he done?
It seems like we're being rewarded for merely Not Being Bush. The US, with the election of Obama, has had a turn away from Cowboy Diplomacy to adult diplomacy, and that is something that the Nobel folks must have decided was important enough to encourage.
Weird.
I'd think it have been better to wait to see if Obama actually took some actions that more directly led to peace (of course, I AM glad that he has changed the tone of diplomacy and foreign affairs, but still...) than just to honor him for being Not Bush.
All the same, it will be amusing to watch the Obama Haters' collective heads exploding today. Might be painful, though, considering how far up their respective rumps most of those heads are...
=====
UPDATE: According to CNN:
Obama was selected not for substantive accomplishments, but for his "vision" and inspiring "hope" at the beginning of his presidency.
"For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman," the committee said, explaining its decision.
In comments at the White House on Friday, Obama said he did not view the award "as a recognition of my own accomplishments. But rather as an affirmation of American leadership. ... I will accept this award as a call to action."Friday, October 2, 2009
Christian Essentials?
I've been watching with some interest over at Stan's place (birdsoftheair.blogspot ). Stan is one of those who have asked me to no longer comment there so I haven't, but he has posted a series in which he goes through what he considers to be Christian essential beliefs.
He begins with the notion that "saved by grace through faith in Jesus" is a line that distinguishes Christianity from other religions. So far, very good. From there, he listed some fairly typical (I guess) notions of Christian doctrines. In his words...
What doctrines did I list as essential? In what I consider a somewhat logical order:
1. The Inerrancy of Scripture
2. The Sinfulness of Man
3. The Atonement
4. The Trinity
5. The Resurrection of Christ
Stan added the caveat...
Now, I, again, need to make it clear. When I say "essential to Christianity", I do not mean that in order to become a Christian you need to believe all these things.
I am not saying that a person who does not have a clear understanding and agreement with, for instance, the mystery of the Trinity cannot be saved. These are not essential for salvation. They are essential for Christianity. They form the primary substance of Christianity. Without them, you have something that is not Christianity.
And I respond by thinking, "hmmm." I'm not sure if I agree. Oh, I believe in most of his essentials - although not the way that Stan wants me to believe (he has decided that I'm not a Christian because I don't believe correctly on some things - that is EVIDENCE of why I'm not a Christian, but it's not what makes me not a Christian, according to Stan). Of course, I don't believe in what he is calling "biblical inerrancy."
I'm no theologian, but I reckon my essentials would look more like this...
UPDATED: Dan's list of Christian essentials IF I WERE TO DO A LIST...
1. The Sin problem of humanity
2. The Love of God for this world and God's desire to save humanity
3. The Grace of God, by which we are saved
4. The Lordship of Jesus
5. The Fellowship/Community of Believers
The advantage to this set of beliefs (as opposed to Stan's) is that they are exceptionally directly biblical. That is, these aren't implied (like he thinks inerrancy is or like we both think the Trinity is, or as his version of Atonement is). My take on them comes pretty directly from Jesus' teachings.
Clearly, we have a sin problem (although Stan and I may look at that differently - more on that in another post). But then, from what I see in the Bible, there is a HUGE emphasis on the love of God for this fallen world. God wishes that we'd ALL be saved, this is what the Bible tells us God wants and this desire springs from God's love for us.
And so we are offered salvation by God's grace. This is what saves us, God's grace through faith in Jesus, as Stan agrees. What I found especially missing in Stan's list (and he apparently thinks it is implied) is any mention of the Lordship of Jesus. That is, we know Jesus' teachings and agree with God that our way is wrong, that Jesus' way is right, we repent of trying to go our sinful way and, by God's grace, live a life walking in the steps of Jesus, our Lord.
Stan may think it's implied, but I think it's important enough to note right up front. After all, someone could believe in Stan's essentials and not be saved at all.
I also think the communion of saints is an important essential, the love of the church for one another and the world.
Again, I'm no theologian, am I off on a wrong trail or does that sound solid? To me, my list is much more "Jesusy" than Stan's. These are teachings that come straight from Jesus the Christ.
Stan's list sounds vaguely more Pauline (well, except for the inerrancy stuff, which Paul doesn't talk about that I see, or the Trinity stuff, but the rest of it...)
Thoughts?
He begins with the notion that "saved by grace through faith in Jesus" is a line that distinguishes Christianity from other religions. So far, very good. From there, he listed some fairly typical (I guess) notions of Christian doctrines. In his words...
What doctrines did I list as essential? In what I consider a somewhat logical order:
1. The Inerrancy of Scripture
2. The Sinfulness of Man
3. The Atonement
4. The Trinity
5. The Resurrection of Christ
Stan added the caveat...
Now, I, again, need to make it clear. When I say "essential to Christianity", I do not mean that in order to become a Christian you need to believe all these things.
I am not saying that a person who does not have a clear understanding and agreement with, for instance, the mystery of the Trinity cannot be saved. These are not essential for salvation. They are essential for Christianity. They form the primary substance of Christianity. Without them, you have something that is not Christianity.
And I respond by thinking, "hmmm." I'm not sure if I agree. Oh, I believe in most of his essentials - although not the way that Stan wants me to believe (he has decided that I'm not a Christian because I don't believe correctly on some things - that is EVIDENCE of why I'm not a Christian, but it's not what makes me not a Christian, according to Stan). Of course, I don't believe in what he is calling "biblical inerrancy."
I'm no theologian, but I reckon my essentials would look more like this...
UPDATED: Dan's list of Christian essentials IF I WERE TO DO A LIST...
1. The Sin problem of humanity
2. The Love of God for this world and God's desire to save humanity
3. The Grace of God, by which we are saved
4. The Lordship of Jesus
5. The Fellowship/Community of Believers
The advantage to this set of beliefs (as opposed to Stan's) is that they are exceptionally directly biblical. That is, these aren't implied (like he thinks inerrancy is or like we both think the Trinity is, or as his version of Atonement is). My take on them comes pretty directly from Jesus' teachings.
Clearly, we have a sin problem (although Stan and I may look at that differently - more on that in another post). But then, from what I see in the Bible, there is a HUGE emphasis on the love of God for this fallen world. God wishes that we'd ALL be saved, this is what the Bible tells us God wants and this desire springs from God's love for us.
And so we are offered salvation by God's grace. This is what saves us, God's grace through faith in Jesus, as Stan agrees. What I found especially missing in Stan's list (and he apparently thinks it is implied) is any mention of the Lordship of Jesus. That is, we know Jesus' teachings and agree with God that our way is wrong, that Jesus' way is right, we repent of trying to go our sinful way and, by God's grace, live a life walking in the steps of Jesus, our Lord.
Stan may think it's implied, but I think it's important enough to note right up front. After all, someone could believe in Stan's essentials and not be saved at all.
I also think the communion of saints is an important essential, the love of the church for one another and the world.
Again, I'm no theologian, am I off on a wrong trail or does that sound solid? To me, my list is much more "Jesusy" than Stan's. These are teachings that come straight from Jesus the Christ.
Stan's list sounds vaguely more Pauline (well, except for the inerrancy stuff, which Paul doesn't talk about that I see, or the Trinity stuff, but the rest of it...)
Thoughts?
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