Saint Matthew's

I am here at my neurologist’s office awaiting the results from the brain tests performed this morning. I asked if I could check my email on one of his networked office computers (a Dell) – which he allowed me too and, of course, I did check my email accounts. Then I started reading through other news websites, including the New York Times, and I came across an article in tomorrow’s “New York Times Magazine.” I should have stopped at my email.

A food critic writes that it is OK to put cheese on seafood pasta dishes.

The Italian in me convulses.

Growing up, we NEVER PUT CHEESE ON SEAFOOD PASTA DISHES. I think I would have been disowned if I ever put cheese on linguini and clam sauce. No, I don’t think — it would have happened.

But now, it is becoming “acceptable.”

I bow my head in shame.

As you know, I am none-too-happy with our Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod since they canned the only radio program on our synodically owned and operated radio station I listened to, namely “Issues, Etc.” I have joined over 5000 of my fellow angry radio listeners who signed a petition calling on the Synod to bring this radio program back.

To highlight the anger that is bubbling throughout our Synod, Mollie Ziegler Hemingway has penned an op-ed for this morning’s Wall Street Journal entitled “Radio Silence.” It is a good read. Please read it.

Usually radio hosts have to offend sacred moral sensibilities to be thrown off the air. Opie and Anthony were fired after they encouraged a couple to have sex in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Don Imus lost his job after using racist and sexist epithets against the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

But when the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod canceled its popular, nationally syndicated radio program “Issues, Etc.,” listeners were baffled. Billed as “talk radio for the thinking Christian,” the show was known for its lively discussions analyzing cultural influences on the American church. It seemed like precisely the thing that the Missouri Synod, a 2.4-million-member denomination whose system of belief is firmly grounded in Scripture and an intellectually rigorous theology, would enthusiastically support…

By shutting down this radio program, I believe the bureaucrats in Saint Louis at our Synodical HQ have awoken a sleeping tiger – that is thousands of Synodical church members who would have never gotten into the politics of the Synod, but now are angry enough to fight the leadership of the Synod.

If you don’t know, I am required to go for therapy (the doctor’s term) for my concussion. I still have some swelling on my brain, which necessitates the therapy. In reality, there isn’t much doctors can do with people who have concussions. I, however, have a major concussion that will need plenty of time to get better. In that vain, I am still really negatively impacted by this concussion. I am still vomiting (at times). I do battle bouts of dizziness. My memory on how I got hit in the head while breaking up a drunken fight is not clear. In truth, I can’t remember much of what happened to me. And to add to my problems, I am battling insomnia.

Today – actually right now – I am receiving “therapy” that is supposed to reduce the swelling. The room they set me up in actually has a computer (a Dell) with internet access. Thus, I can sit here and write while the doctor’s “miracle elixir” does its job.

How do I feel this Wednesday morning? Like garbage. I am sick to my stomach. I’ve been dizzy at points. In general, I feel bad. I wonder what the doc is going to say when  he comes in and asks me “how are you feeling?”

A couple few of things:

1. Yes, the website was down for about 24 hours. Why? I don’t know. It is up now. Amen.

2. I have a number of people I need to call back – you all know who you are. When I get home, I am just worn out. I guess now that I have insomnia, I should be able to make the phone calls. Rest assured, I have all your messages. Thank you for all your kind thoughts and prayers.

3. Have you seen this story on the man who claims he is pregnant? Oh, there is a twist, but the headline on the story is the catch.

Today is the holiest day on our Christian calendar – for our Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Alleluia!!

This morning as I was flipping through some internet news sites, I noticed that the story of Pope Benedict XVI baptizing a Muslim convert to Christianity is making the rounds. While not agreeing with the Pope on many of his church’s theological stances, I do have to say I was smiling when I read this story.

Last week, Osama Bin Laden was basically threatening the Pope. Instead of cowering in a corner, this Easter morning, the Pope responds by baptizing a Muslim convert. One man threatens death – the other responds with an act of love and life.

You see the difference between evil and love.

It made my morning.

If no one noticed that I was a little off last night during our Holy/Maundy Thursday night service, then thanks be to God!

There were a couple of times when I got really dizzy. Quickly, I had to compose myself and not look like a dope. Thankfully, I didn’t fall down. To prevent that, I didn’t turn as much as usual, or kneel at all. So I got through without doing anything really embarrassing.

Oh, if you think that butchering the Words of Institution isn’t embarrassing. Ugh.

See you at 7:30pm.

I didn’t watch one of the NCAA basketball games either yesterday afternoon or in the night. And now after I have come home, I am not watching any of them this afternoon.

But I did check my bracket – out of yesterday’s 16 games, I lost 3. Of those 3 that I lost, I didn’t have the winning team moving beyond the second round.

Basically, I am doing OK. No big bracket busters … yet.

If you don’t know the significance of this day, then I don’t know what to tell you.

Tonight, we will gather in the sanctuary to remember our Lord Jesus Christ and His death upon the cross.

We will recall the brutal suffering He endured for our sake.

And we will continue our worship service where we left off last night. For in this holy week, our Holy Thursday service blends right into our Good Friday remembrance.

See you at 7:30pm.

OK. That isn’t a nice title. But I received the following from a friend in an email earlier this week. You look at the calendar and find your birthday. Take the “birthday animal/bug” and go down and read the type of person you are. Most of the time, these are definitely not even close to who I am. But this one, even I have to say a great chunk of it was right on. Outside, of course, of the fashion bug references that are wrong, wrong, wrong — most of the rest seems to fit me like a glove (and not those O.J. gloves). Click over to read more.

(more…)

While I love the shootout in hockey and the points that come along with it, my stomach is in knots whenever the Rangers win one of them. Yes, if the regular season ended right now, the Rangers would be in the playoffs. But when they get to the playoffs, there isn’t a shoot out to determine winners of games. You have to win in overtime, something the Rangers seem incapable of doing.

Last night, the New Yorkers beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 at The Rock in Newark. Yes they won, but in another shootout. Nigel Dawes scored the shootout winner. While happy that they got the points, they just don’t win in OT. That has me worried. Center Chris Drury (who wears No. 23 because he was a fan of former Yankee Don Mattingly, just like this pastor) tied the score at 1 with 4:46 left in the Third Period. The game was pretty good (OK, I missed the first period) with good up-and-down action and some really tight and hard hits. But this overtime thing has me worried.

The New Jersey Devils, however painful last night’s loss was, are still leading the Eastern Conference. This point hasn’t been lost on Rangers’ beat reporter Sam Weinman of The Journal News: He says that if the Rangers had played some of the doormats of the NHL the way they played the Devils all season, the Rangers would be on top of the Conference.

I haven’t followed much college basketball this year. I know that my Saint John’s Red Storm stunk and are watching the tournament at home. Pitt won the Big East tournament last week. And, of course, every college analyst is decrying the NCAA Selection Committee’s lack of good judgment is selecting certain bubble teams rather than others.

So with all my college basketball knowledge, I filled out a bracket.

My Final Four:

East: Louisville
Midwest: Kansas
South: Pitt
West: UCLA

In the Final Four, I have Pitt over UCLA and Kansas over Louisville. In the end, I give the nod to Pitt.

My reason? They have a lot of New York City basketball talent on that team. Good talent. They go after NYC players the way my Saint John’s Red Storm did when they were the Redmen.

I have a concussion. I haven’t slept since early Monday morning. And yesterday, I was given an OK by the doctor to sleep.

Last night, after the Rangers-Devils game, I headed to bed. Actually, I got into bed during the shootout. Almost immediately after I turned the TV off, I went to sleep … for all of two hours. I woke up after a vivid dream. Spending a few minutes trying to mentally compose myself, I laid back down to fall asleep. And I did. Until 2:30am. I just woke up. For the next 3 hours, I couldn’t fall asleep. By 5:40, I was sick of being in bed. So I got up. With all of about 4 hours of sleep.

Ugh.

By the way, my brain is getting better. Post-concussion issues will linger for a few weeks after my concussed noggin gets back to normal. That means I will be doing things a little bit slower the next few weeks.

Yesterday was a sad day for many people when it was announced that our church body, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, canceled the only confessional Lutheran radio talk show on the air – Issues, Etc.

As you know, the LC-MS owns and operates KFUO-AM in Saint Louis, a somewhat Lutheran/Christian radio station. I write “somewhat” because when Dr. James Dobson is a part of the line up, Lutheranism isn’t always in the forefront.

Now, this radio station is run by the Board of Communication of the Synod, not by a regular Program Director as most radio stations are run. Apparently, the Executive Director of the Board of Communications made the decision to ax the show, firing the host, Rev. Todd Wilken, and the show’s producer, Jeff Schwarz.

This was a radio show that wasn’t afraid to tackle tough theological issues in a cultural environment that promotes “Let’s all just get along” theology. The core of confessional Lutheranism shone through those microphones, enlightening pastors like me and all laity who wanted to hear and understand what it meant to be a theologian of the cross in a society that rejects Jesus Christ in favor of sin. For all of us who listened to this program, our hearts are heavy.

The Missouri Synod should be ashamed of itself this morning. They killed a radio show that highlighted the best of what our Synod is supposed to be about. Our Board of Communication should hang its head in shame.

To Todd and Jeff, thank you for your ministry and for your years of service. Our prayers are with you and your families.

OK. A short post — on Monday evening, I tried to break up a fight between two drunk morons and I somehow got hit in the head with …. I don’t know.

I went down fast and I don’t remember much that happened. I do know that I have a concussion.

On Tuesday, I tried my best to do my normal slate of things, but my day didn’t go as well as I had planned.

I have been getting better – I can now watch television without my head spinning. The ringing is gone. Still, I can’t move very fast and I can’t turn my head to the right and left very quickly. Right now, it is like I am living in slow motion. Not fun.

I have a doctor’s appointment this morning – a CAT scan is pending – and I will find out more about my little head injury.

Finally, I am back home after an seemingly endless 7-hour tour of a local hospital. Visiting with sick people is a blessing, but emotionally dealing with the entire scope of illnesses that people suffer under is pretty tough. To see how the human body gets destroyed by sicknesses whose names have too many syllables is just something I will never get used to seeing.

For another hour, I will be at home – cleaning up, making a cup of tea – and then I will head out on a church-related visit. Following that, I have a meeting at 5:00pm, which should last about an hour, maybe an hour and half. God-willing, I will get home around 7.

Right now as I type this, I am spent. Pooped maybe a better word. Maybe a dose of caffeinated tea will help.

Over the past couple of days as the stories surrounding New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s trist with hookers has taken over the news, I am getting a little sick and tired of commentators – mostly liberals, by the way – who contend that prostitution is a “victimless crime.”

What a bunch of (expletive deleted)!

An article in this morning’s New York Times brings to light the victims in prostitution. A highlight from the article:

Whose theory is it that prostitution is victimless? It’s the men who buy prostitutes who spew the myths that women choose prostitution, that they get rich, that it’s glamorous and that it turns women on.

But most women in prostitution, including those working for escort services, have been sexually abused as children, studies show. Incest sets young women up for prostitution — by letting them know what they’re worth and what’s expected of them. Other forces that channel women into escort prostitution are economic hardship and racism…

Whether the woman is in a hotel room or on a side street in someone’s car, whether she’s trafficked from New York to Washington or from Mexico to Florida or from the city to the suburbs, the experience of being prostituted causes her immense psychological and physical harm. And it all starts with the buyer.

Women are the victims in prostitution. Don’t believe the garbage being spewed on TV by liberal commentators.

ONEOn Monday, Nicholas Kristof on the NY Times website wrote that in Sweeden prostitution was decriminalized for women, but kept as a crime for the johns. Sounds interesting.