So I mentioned a little while back that I'm driving cross-country from Alabama to Minnesota.  Well, the time is practically upon us.  Said roadtrip starts this coming Wednesday, and ends a week from today!

And we've even got a finished itinerary!

Sorry 'bout that title.  Couldn't resist the alliterative and sibilant possibilities!

Anywho.  Rain is off on a nonNN-related trip, and I'm the designated volunteer.  We've got coffee, espresso, and various breakfast-style products.

I think I've mentioned before that I'm moving back to Minnesota for seminary, with my classes starting in the fall.   There are some details, though, that are either new or I haven't mentioned significantly before.

First, I'm currently living in Alabama, so this is a cross-country move.

Second, my parents are letting me have my car, so this is a cross-country roadtrip move.

Third, my lease starts August 1st, so this is a cross-country roadtrip move happening at the very end of July!

That being said, anybody want me to stop by for a very brief visit on my way up?  Currently I'm looking at overnighting one night in Indiana, and spending half a day and the evening in Milwaukee, as my best friend lives there, in addition to all the people from here in the general area.  Any place else I should stop, y'all?

I wrote this....I guess you'd call it a meditation, for a Good Friday vigil service held at my college's chapel last year.  It's based on Ezekiel 37:1-14, the Valley of Dry Bones vision.  In context, the service covered God's faith with His people.  This is a story of that faith.

Promoted by Rain

Now I know that all y'all are obsessed and worrying about the caucuses (hell, I've got one tab open here in my browser to the Dem results as we speak!), but as we all know here, politics ain't the end-all and be-all in the world.  So, seeing as the Coffee Hour seems to be running a little behind schedule, here's a thread for all your non-political thoughts for the day!

Let me be clear:  I want our troops out of Iraq as much as any of you, and I'm pleased that two-thirds of the country agree with us.  The worry I have, though, is, what if all of that support is concentrated in, say, California and New England to the point that support for withdrawal in other parts of the country dips under 50 percent, and thus in those areas our elected representatives have an electorally-justified (though not morally-justified) reason for being waffley and indecisive:  they may actually need war supporters to be reelected.  Remember, our motto here is to elect a Democrat that fits the district, not to support Democrats exemplar that could never be elected in, say, Montana or Virginia.

The question is....has anyone actually polled all the districts in the country?  Do we actually know if a given wavering Dem has actual worries about being reelected?

Promoted by Wolfie

Hey hey everybody!  Whether you're checking in from YKos or at home seeking information, education, and entertainment from the internet, we've got a table for you!  On tap is coffee, and we've got some - ahem - adult beverages out on the veranda for those who've had a long day, week, month, or even a year and need to kick back a little!

Many apologies from Mrs Pastor, who was in charge of coffee today.  My only explanation is that I was enjoying the beautiful day at the park with two little boys.  I hope all is forgiven...

Promoted by Wolfie : I think we all need something to drink, what with the Libby commutation ...

The above edited to correct "pardon" to "commutation"

I can't be the only one wondering where today's coffee is.  I mean it's practically dinner time, and I'm sitting here, somewhat drowsy, wanting a good jolt of coffee!  I could go and get some diet generic coke, I guess....but that doesn't have the good vibes of the community!

Or something.

Man, my brain's fuzzy.  I could use some coffee!

This diary over at the Big Orange was picked up by the Diary Rescue, and rightly so:  it's a lot of fun.  The basic idea is that the writer has gotten tired of the War on Christmas and decided to consider not just WWJD but WWJS, not just What Would Jesus Do but What Would Jesus Say.  The results are quite pleasing, and probably could spawn some fun discussion over here.

Do you agree that this is what Jesus would say?  Why or why not?

Does this understanding of Jesus necessarily entail that Jesus is a progressive?  Or does this place Jesus outside of politics?

What is the place for Jesus in pop culture, anywho?

Symbols are a special set of signs.  They are signs that partake of that which they point to, the power and majesty (or, inversely, the ridiculousness) thereof.

I suspect that the Broad Rightwing Conspiracy has managed to subvert what certain symbols point to, without us knowing, and are taking part of the power and majesty that those symbols pull from what they rightly should be pointing to.

In Mr. Curry's front page article referencing the recent decision by the GA, he and his quoted news article refer to it as

The nation's largest Presbyterian church body, in a seismic shift on the role of gays and lesbians in the church, voted on Tuesday (June 20) to allow local and regional bodies to ordain gays to the church's ministries.

This is not exactly correct.

The PC(USA) was already ordaining GLBT persons and local and regional bodies were allowed to do so.