United Church of Two Harbors

"I saw objects in the air that didn't belong there." - Melissa Hughes, MPR article

Oddly yesterday morning, some 9 hours before the Minneapolis bridge collapsed, I was reading about the history of London Bridge. A bridge of some sort has spanned that portion of the Thames since 60 AD when the Romans first put up a wood structure there. And we all know the song.

Objects in the air.

What strikes me is how much we operate on faith. Faith in bridges, that these objects that span water in air grounded to earth will carry us safely time after time and we don't even think about it. Why should we?

Objects in the air.

And what I love is the audacity of the human race that we impose our will on our geography. Rivers, mountains, deserts, air, space... all are daunting, but not barriers. We launch our minds to span the breech, whatever it may be.

Objects in the air that don't belong there.

[photo by ebrandt78]

My son, Simon, just finished a summer of Pee Wee League baseball this week. He improved a lot over the summer and learned the important skill of how to run to first base.

First, you have to unencumber yourself. The first time he ran to first in a game he took the bat most of the way with him before he remembered to discard it. While the bat was essential to set in motion the events that allowed him to run to first, the bat is no longer useful and, in fact, is a detriment for the actual act of running to first.

Second, you have to detach yourself. Once the ball is hit, it's gone. You no longer have any control over it. It's tempting to watch the ball, its trajectory, its journey, whether it's caught or not, but what if it is? You can't do anything about that. you have to detach yourself from it.

Third, focus yourself on the goal. Unencumbered and detached, you now only have one objective. Run to first. That is your only goal. The ball may get there before you, it may not. That doesn't matter. This is no time for distractions or half-hearted effort. Run!

Once you get to first safely then is the time for further evaluation. Are you out? Are you safe? Do you need to run further? Many permutations and possibilities can be considered, but only after you've made it to first.

I've learned a lot from my son this summer.

Banana Man came and attended our monthly Church Council meeting today as a guest of our Youth Representative, Michael Sterling. Thanks to our Clerk, Kelsey Klug, for capturing the moment with her camera phone.

He observed us talking about our church budget, new members coming into the church, recent weddings and funerals, a request by the county to use our church for a day to educate county employees, and many other things.

When asked for a comment, Banana Man split.

A new official hymnal replacing the now familiar 1989 United Methodist Hymnal is in the works to reflect the ever changing nature of the denomination, according to a recent United Methodist News Service article. It is being proposed for the General Conference to be held next year by the General Board on Discipleship (GBOD).

Rev. Karen Greenwaldt of the GBOD states the case for a new hymnal saying:

"What is the message being sent to young people who come to church and see a hymnal from 1989-a hymnal that is older than they are? We need a new hymnal that picks up new hymns, new texts, new melodies, new words to old tunes that are being created and being sung in our churches."

In an interesting and related article, Dean McIntyre, director of music resources at the GBOD, debunks the widely held myth that the Wesleys used bar room tunes as the basis for some their hymns. A debunking that is sad for me personally.

The GBOD is responsible for many of the publications we use in the church including our current hymnals, Upper Room magazine, Devozine, and other devotionals.