31 January 2007

V-Day

It has been a few days since the last post and lots has happened. A death and funeral, a new MacBook, an Ipod, a mic for the Ipod and today V-Day. The wife came up with the title of the day. Today I had the surgery that is the human equivalent of being put out to pasture.

The surgery went well, it was quick and only semi-painful. After the doc was finished he peeped around the sheet and said all done, take it easy for a couple of days. I said oh dont worry doctor I plan to milk this as much as I can (I'm not really).

So the vas deferens were cut then fused together - thus sealing my reproductivity. When I first went to the doc's office for a consultation the doctor performed an examination. Once I got home I demanded a five feet cone of peace around me for at least two days. The wife asked why, I said that the doctor violated me. But as I left the office the receptionist handed me a sheet of paper that listed the reason for my visit, she checked off: Hyperfertility.

Couch potato for a couple of days...

20 January 2007

Argamenmon

My nephew, by marriage to the wife, is now in his third year of law school and just this past week he made it into Lawcrossing.

This is the same guy who a few years ago asked if I saw that biblical movie, you know Argamenmon. Ah right, that one.

18 January 2007

Thursday Tidbits

1. The No Kneading Bread continues to change my life and my waistline. I don't care it is amazing. Just take a look at this:

2. While shopping at Dave's Marketplace the other day something from the bacon section jumped out at me, not that it takes much to get my attention from the pork section, bacon with the word West Virginia on it. I thought I never knew there was a WV Brand of Bacon. So I picked it up with great enthusiasm But upon reading I found out that it was packaged in Cincinnati, OH and made in Mississippi. Just a blatant use of my great state to sell bacon. Shame on you Sara Lee.

3. How come when you watch the 6 o'clock news they tease you with the weather. First they tell you what the current temp is then they say stay tuned for the full forecast. Then while you watch the morning news every thirty seconds they blast the weather?

4. Last week Jesus was baptized, a baptism proclaimed by John for repentance and forgiveness of sins. What did God in Jesus Christ do wrong that he needed to repent or forgiveness? I have thought that perhaps when Jesus waded into the Jordan he was saying he was sorry. Repenting for past sins. I wonder if God was still relenting destroying creation at the flood, relenting the Exile (was the punishment too hard), relenting that people thought the Messiah would be a warrior figure. Just conjectures I found while going through the sermonic process.

5. Congratulations to a friend of mine, Rev. Richard S. Rose, he has been called as the new pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ithaca, NY. Blessings on your new ministry.

11 January 2007

A Wonderful, Magical Animal

A few weeks ago my brother-in-law asked me if I liked ham. That is like asking an Episcopalian if they like to read their own books. Of course I like ham, I like all things pork.

So I took the country ham, packaged it and checked it as luggage on our return flight home from WV. It is no hanging in the garage just waiting for a succulent feast this winter.

I love pork so much that I have decided to write a book on it. It will be half history half cookbook. I am taking the title from an exchange on a Simpsons episode.

The other day I was talking with a highschool friend, we havent talked for close to 10 years. Withing ten minutes we were talking about cooking a pork roast.

10 January 2007

Gearing Up for 2007

I am trying to get a nice push in reading during January in order to beef up for Lent and a sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins. I was toying with the Fruits of the Spirit or the Temptations of Jesus. But I decided on the 7 Sins. I am totally ripping this idea off of another ABC preacher, she did it last year. I have checked out the Seven Deadly Sins Series and am going up to ANTS tomorrow for some more resources.

I am also shovelling a bunch of stewardship books in the hope of improving the funding of ministry at the church. On the list are: How to Develop a Tithing Church by Charlie Shedd (this is a great book), Beyond the Collection Plate and Creating Congregation of Generous People (excellent prices at cokesbury.com) both by Michael Durall. I have heard him speak a couple of times, some good ideas emanatinig from this dude - who happens to be a UU.

Our giving for 2007 is on a great track, very impressed and pleased. But we need to a better unifying job on how we give, why we give and what we are funding.

06 January 2007

Saturdays

This morning while I pulled into the driveway I passed my 50 year old neighbor, he was jogging, I was coming back from getting donuts.

This evening I made my winter-time favorite: Beer Brownies. The recipe came from the Providence Journal a couple of years ago, they got it from New Irish Table, but I changed it a little.


4 eggs
3/4 cup superfine sugar (we use florida crystals, natural sugar - unbleached)
12 oz. of bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3/4 a.p. flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 and 1/4 cups of Brooklyn Brewer's Black Chocolate Stout

{the original called for 8 oz. of bittersweet and 4 oz. of white chocolate and Guiness} but I like dark chocolate and chocolate beer, come on.

melt the choc. and butter.
heat oven to 375
whisk eggs and sugar. add melted (cooled) chocolate and combine well.
stir flour and cocoa and incorporate into mixture.
whisk in D.C.S.

instead of parchament paper take a tablespoon of melted butter and a tablespoon of cocoa and mix them then paint them onto the pan (so they wont stick).

bake for 25 minutes, stick a toothpick till it is nearly clean.

Enjoy

04 January 2007

Funeral Plans

Over the past few days most of America watched the funeral(s) of former president Gerald Ford. I couldn't help but think how hard the days must have been on the Ford family. I can't imagine having to attend and go through four different funeral(s) for a loved one.

Nevertheless, the proceedings have inspired me to go ahead and make my own funeral plans. When I die the plans stand as thus:
There will be a time of celebration at L. R. Baptist. I will then be transported to the Colgate Memorial Chapel at Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School. Next my body will flown to the Clarksburg Airport and driven to the Wilcox Chapel at Alderson-Broaddus College. Then i will be driven south to Athens Baptist Church for a service. Next they will take me to First Baptist Church of St. Albans for a Church service then I will be pulled by a Gravely tractor to the Cunningham Cemetary and interred there.

Now, how to pay for this? I hope that by the time I die I will have been the pastor of a fairly large and well -to-do church that will foot the bill, or the profits from my dressy sweat pants will ensure the proceedings.