Don't do it, Barack.
I know you want to be principled. I know you believe the use of poison gas is a violation of human rights. I know you're trying to make your mark. But please don't do it.
Think strategy, President Obama. What is the endgame here? What are you trying to accomplish? A missile strike won't stop Assad. It won't change the balance of power between Assad and the rebels.
The only thing it does is draw us into the quagmire of Syria, where there is no good outcome. We should have learned the dangers of escalation a long time ago. Hard as it is, the best thing is to stay out of Syria.
(Posted on Facebook August 30, 2103, receiving 58 likes and 20 comments)
Friday, August 30, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Vicar’s Voice September 2013
I think everyone will agree that the annual picnic on August 18 was a huge success. As the first event on our new property, it was a chance for everyone to see what a marvelous location it is. We celebrated the Eucharist on the grass next to the tall, graceful trees, with the music ringing out across the pasture. Then we shared a generous Sunday picnic under the awnings in the meadow. It was especially good to see some of our neighbors join us. My thanks to all who helped organize this, especially Carrie Rivers and John Stock-well.
You may have noticed the surveyor’s stakes and the freshly dug test pits on the property. These are the work of the architect and engineers who are helping us gather the information needed to submit our conditional use permit to the County. The Building Committee has been meeting regularly to envision the type of development we want to see, and on Sunday, September 15, the architect will meet with everyone in a parish meeting to show us the initial site concepts he and the Building Committee have come up with.
At this point, we are very early in the planning process and we haven’t chosen a design for the buildings. That will come later. For the conditional use permit, all we need to show the County is the basic floor plan and building height, as well as the plans for street access, parking, landscaping, stormwater runoff, and the septic system. Our architect and engineers are helping us put these plans together.
The Building Committee continues to visit other churches in our area, and it’s been very enlightening. I was so pleased that Bill and Chelsea Reeder visited the neighbors of our new property and invited them to our service and picnic. They said they got a very positive response from the neighbors they contacted.
As we wind up our summer and start into autumn, I hope you’ll remember to keep your pledge up to date. It’s normal to have a slow period during the summer months, but our church expenses continue, and we’ve had to dip into our reserves, which are limited. I’m very grateful for the continued support of all our members.
Remember that Sunday, September 8, will be the start of Sunday School, when our children will once again enjoy learning from our excellent teachers. May God bless us as we enter a new season!
Bill
You may have noticed the surveyor’s stakes and the freshly dug test pits on the property. These are the work of the architect and engineers who are helping us gather the information needed to submit our conditional use permit to the County. The Building Committee has been meeting regularly to envision the type of development we want to see, and on Sunday, September 15, the architect will meet with everyone in a parish meeting to show us the initial site concepts he and the Building Committee have come up with.
At this point, we are very early in the planning process and we haven’t chosen a design for the buildings. That will come later. For the conditional use permit, all we need to show the County is the basic floor plan and building height, as well as the plans for street access, parking, landscaping, stormwater runoff, and the septic system. Our architect and engineers are helping us put these plans together.
The Building Committee continues to visit other churches in our area, and it’s been very enlightening. I was so pleased that Bill and Chelsea Reeder visited the neighbors of our new property and invited them to our service and picnic. They said they got a very positive response from the neighbors they contacted.
As we wind up our summer and start into autumn, I hope you’ll remember to keep your pledge up to date. It’s normal to have a slow period during the summer months, but our church expenses continue, and we’ve had to dip into our reserves, which are limited. I’m very grateful for the continued support of all our members.
Remember that Sunday, September 8, will be the start of Sunday School, when our children will once again enjoy learning from our excellent teachers. May God bless us as we enter a new season!
Bill
A picnic and a hike
Hello from the Vicar
Last Sunday we celebrated the Eucharist for the first time on our new property. We gathered near the tall trees, smelling the cut grass, listening to the birds, and feeling the fresh air on our faces. Music from guitars and violin floated out across the meadow as we lifted our voices in song. What a beautiful day in God's creation!
Afterward, we gathered for the annual picnic and enjoyed good food and good company. I was especially pleased that some of our neighbors joined us. It was fun to see the little kids running around with each other while people of all ages enjoyed each other's company.
There's a tradition that says that a new place is consecrated by its use, and so we began the consecration of our new property on Sunday. Many years from now we'll look back and remember this day.
You can see photos of our picnic by clicking here.
This week I joined Tony's Trekkers on their hike in the North Cascades. Tony's Trekkers is St. Antony's hiking group ('Tony' is short for 'Antony'), but you don't have to be a member of St. Antony's to participate. The Trekkers are a band of intrepid hikers who venture out at least once a month on hikes in our area.
We were hosted by Rick and Robin Schoenberg at their cabin on the North Skagit River near Sedro Wooley. They provided us a comfortable base camp while we took hikes in the North Cascades near the cabin. What beautiful country, and what great company!
You can see my photo journal by clicking here.
Picnics and hikes are classic summer activities, but summer's coming to a close. Soon kids will be back in school, and we'll be starting our fall schedule. Sunday School starts up Sunday, September 8! I hope you've been able to enjoy God's creation in the beautiful weather we've had this summer.
Bill
Last Sunday we celebrated the Eucharist for the first time on our new property. We gathered near the tall trees, smelling the cut grass, listening to the birds, and feeling the fresh air on our faces. Music from guitars and violin floated out across the meadow as we lifted our voices in song. What a beautiful day in God's creation!
Afterward, we gathered for the annual picnic and enjoyed good food and good company. I was especially pleased that some of our neighbors joined us. It was fun to see the little kids running around with each other while people of all ages enjoyed each other's company.
There's a tradition that says that a new place is consecrated by its use, and so we began the consecration of our new property on Sunday. Many years from now we'll look back and remember this day.
You can see photos of our picnic by clicking here.
This week I joined Tony's Trekkers on their hike in the North Cascades. Tony's Trekkers is St. Antony's hiking group ('Tony' is short for 'Antony'), but you don't have to be a member of St. Antony's to participate. The Trekkers are a band of intrepid hikers who venture out at least once a month on hikes in our area.
We were hosted by Rick and Robin Schoenberg at their cabin on the North Skagit River near Sedro Wooley. They provided us a comfortable base camp while we took hikes in the North Cascades near the cabin. What beautiful country, and what great company!
You can see my photo journal by clicking here.
Picnics and hikes are classic summer activities, but summer's coming to a close. Soon kids will be back in school, and we'll be starting our fall schedule. Sunday School starts up Sunday, September 8! I hope you've been able to enjoy God's creation in the beautiful weather we've had this summer.
Bill
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Annual Church Picnic Sunday, August 18
On Sunday, August 18, we'll use our new property for the first time! At 10:30 we'll celebrate Holy Eucharist under the trees and then we'll set up tables for the annual picnic, starting at noon.
This property is a beautiful setting, with a long smooth pasture stretching away from Old Frontier Road and several trees that form a natural glade near the road. It's a park-like setting and just perfect for a picnic. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
The Vicar in the mountains
Vicar’s Voice
August 2013
By now you may have seen that I’m growing a beard (What? You didn’t notice?). Right now it’s in its scraggly, scruffy stage, but I trust it will grow out. I’m telling people this is my “mountain man look” because I’m spending time in the Olympic Mountains this summer.
I’m taking my vacation days on Wednesdays and Thursdays so I can take two or three-day backpacking trips in Olympic National Park. For me, there’s nothing more freeing than wandering up the deep valleys and climbing over the high passes.
We’re fortunate to live so close to Olympic National Park, and many of us have spent considerable time hiking in the park. Tony’s Trekkers often venture up the trails of the Olympics to enjoy the wilderness. Even if we’re not hiking into the Olympics, we all enjoy the tremendous sunsets with the mountains silhouetted to the west.
To me, spending time in the wilderness is renewing and refreshing. I leave my ordinary life behind and immerse myself in the challenges of my hike and the beauty of my surroundings. God speaks to me in a special way in the mountains. It’s no exaggeration to say that the mountains are a natural cathedral, a holy place we go to seek the presence of God.
Henry David Thoreau said, “In wildness is the salvation of the world.” I think what he meant by that is that we need wilderness to balance out the technology and science that distance us from the natural world. No matter how sophisticated we humans have become, we are still part of the natural world that God set us in and made us stewards of.
We desperately need the silence, grandeur, and peace of the wilderness to calm our souls and remind us that we are part of the creation. We humans need this reminder to prevent us from destroying the creation with pollu-tion, overconsumption, and greed.
I hope you’ll have a chance to spend time in nature this summer, whether it be in the Olympics or some other natural setting. And I hope your time will allow you to renew yourself and reconnect to God the Creator.
Bill
August 2013
By now you may have seen that I’m growing a beard (What? You didn’t notice?). Right now it’s in its scraggly, scruffy stage, but I trust it will grow out. I’m telling people this is my “mountain man look” because I’m spending time in the Olympic Mountains this summer.
I’m taking my vacation days on Wednesdays and Thursdays so I can take two or three-day backpacking trips in Olympic National Park. For me, there’s nothing more freeing than wandering up the deep valleys and climbing over the high passes.
We’re fortunate to live so close to Olympic National Park, and many of us have spent considerable time hiking in the park. Tony’s Trekkers often venture up the trails of the Olympics to enjoy the wilderness. Even if we’re not hiking into the Olympics, we all enjoy the tremendous sunsets with the mountains silhouetted to the west.
To me, spending time in the wilderness is renewing and refreshing. I leave my ordinary life behind and immerse myself in the challenges of my hike and the beauty of my surroundings. God speaks to me in a special way in the mountains. It’s no exaggeration to say that the mountains are a natural cathedral, a holy place we go to seek the presence of God.
Henry David Thoreau said, “In wildness is the salvation of the world.” I think what he meant by that is that we need wilderness to balance out the technology and science that distance us from the natural world. No matter how sophisticated we humans have become, we are still part of the natural world that God set us in and made us stewards of.
We desperately need the silence, grandeur, and peace of the wilderness to calm our souls and remind us that we are part of the creation. We humans need this reminder to prevent us from destroying the creation with pollu-tion, overconsumption, and greed.
I hope you’ll have a chance to spend time in nature this summer, whether it be in the Olympics or some other natural setting. And I hope your time will allow you to renew yourself and reconnect to God the Creator.
Bill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)