Because of my disability I have not been able to stand in worship since 1997. So I sit. At Wartburg Seminary one day the person beside me sat with me in support. Then, the next day another person who was beside me stayed sitting. And so, without a community decision or policy, or even a discussion, people just noticed and every day in chapel for the next 20 years the person beside me did not "please stand" but sat. I am thankful. My son, Joel, sits with me in the front row at church now.
Mason City, Iowa, Wednesday night in different places in town received 2 1/2 to 5 inches of rain in about 1/2 hour. Flooding all over. In this picture this afternoon the flood had already receded from the grass in East Park but was still a roaring river.
I posted a picture of our orchids blooming for Epiphany. I posted another picture when an orchard was still blooming at Pentecost. And here one of the orchids is still blooming the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, after the 4th of July weekend. I give thanks for God's good, long-lasting creation. We are called to care for it.
Oh beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain. America! America! God mend thine every flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty maintain.
July 1 is Canada Day celebrating the anniversary of Canadian Confederation on July l, 1867. Canada achieved legislative independence from Great Britain in 193l, separation of citizenship in 1947. The red maple leaf flag was adopted in 1965. Full sovereignty was gained in 1982. When we lived in Detroit, July 1 through July 4 was celebrated together with fireworks across the Detroit River south (yes, "south") to Windsor, Canada. We have been privileged to travel in the provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edwards Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. We love Canada!
The Texas State Board of Education approved a new statewide curriculum that makes Bible reading mandatory. This goes against the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It presumes this nation and its public schools are and should be Christian (Christian Nationalism). Public Schools should teach youth about all religions, not teach what they should believe. The board also approved a curriculum that glosses over racism and the history of slavery in the United States. This is not God's chosen, perfect nation. We need to recognize our flaws. We need to respect all people.
What a joy and privilege to have recent visits from Wartburg Seminary graduates who have been faithfully serving for many years. Rev. Kathy Gerking and husband Andy. Rev. Carolyn Pflibsen and Rev. Dr. Troy Pflibsen.
I give thanks for my husband, Burton who has been and continues to be a great dad--and granddad. Oldest son Mark (in Phoenix) with daughter Aimee, Next Joel (in Mason City) , father to Jennaya and Jackson, and youngest son, Kirk (Dennison, Texas) pictured with taking a picture of the family.
Yes, there was music at the Grand Opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center. There were thousands of people, ordinary people from the neighborhood. I also saw Angela Merkel from Germany and Justin Trudeau from Canada. I heard wonderful speeches by Valerie Jarrett, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama himself. I appreciated the focus on the South Side of Chicago where Michelle grew up and Barack was a community organizer. Years earlier Burton and I had our first urban street experience canvassing on the South Side of Chicago. Everyone in this diverse country needs to feel welcome.
Posts
All Comments
