2 things

Well I have two bits of news from the world of Erik the Super Awesome.

They are good and bad,

The Good: I just got a note from Wartburg Seminary saying that I received the Campus Ministry Leadership Award Scholarship. This is awesome!!! I might be able to afford it now (ok, I could have anyways, but this certainly helps keep loans down) So I am pretty excited about that.



The Bad: I just heard that my good friend Alice's Grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer just this last week, she did not find out about it until Thursday because her mother did not want her to ruin her birthday which was on wed.

So definitely keep Alice and her Grandmother in your prayer's.


laters,

Leo Kottke

As you know I took as my Lenten Discipline giving up TV, during this time I started to really listen to A Prairie Home Companion. I had listened to Leo Kottke before and really enjoyed him. When I found out that he was a frequent guest of the show, I started to look up the shows that he was on.

I found the song, Twice, on an episode from Jan 8th 2005. It is incredibly done and despite what it says on his first album cover, he actually has a very nice voice. His first album states that his voice sounds like geese farting.

umm yeah

Here is the link to the show, the segment with Twice is number 5.

http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2005/01/08/

If you listen to the whole show, the Croatian singers are very good and interesting as well.


Laters,

Hey all, today I bring you pictures from my visit to Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque , IA. I really enjoyed my day there and will attending there in the fall. Starting with Greek in July. As you can tell, it was an absolutly beautiful day there.















View from the back parking lot













Through a break for a view of the clocktower

















Inscription on the wall
"Gottes Wort und Luthers Lehr' Vergehet nun und nimmermehr"
"God's word and Luther's teaching will never pass away."

















Statue of Luther in middle courtyard













View from down hill near living area's

Gospel of Judas

hey all,

Well some might already know but National Geographic revealed the other week the Gospel of Judas, a Coptic Gospel, about the relationship between Jesus and Judas regarding the betrayal, it is sort of interesting, but hard to know what to think about it. There are many such books, and most are held to not be important or at least suspect in terms of their content.

Here is a link about the release from National Geographic


The release and gospel itself has gotten enough press that the Onion did a piece about it in their " In your Opinion" section. http://www.theonion.com/content/node/47451
Laters,

New Book I'm starting

Starting a new book tonight, Got it as an early Easter present from my parents
It is a signed copy of the book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin It deals with Mortenson, who was a mountain climber, decision to start building schools all around the Himalaya region particularly the northern section of Pakistan.
Should be very interesting, he is the grandson of a member at my parents church and was there for a adult bible school session and signed some copies.

I will try to post updates to what I think about the book.


laters

Great blog entry by Andrew Sullivan

Just read a great blog entry by Andrew Sullivan of "The Daily Dish".

He talks about coining a new term for people who use Christ's teachings as political tools. He is defending his use of these words in he entry here.

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/04/christianism_a_.html

look him up, very insightful,


laters

Lenten Disciplines

I don't know if you follow an Lenten discipline, but I have always found it hard. We were talking about Lenten disciplines at Sunday supper yesterday, and I mentioned that I could never think of a good discipline, one that would have meaning and not just be like I'm giving up smoking. or going to mars ... etc. then I decided that I would try and give up TV. (except when others are watching with me, that way I don't have to exclude myself from hanging out) and it's incredibly hard. I am going through withdrawals I think. (ok not really) But it does make me look at how much TV I watch or at least have on. I tend to use it as background noise and side entertainment while doing something else. I find that I am reading more than I was before and that when ever I get to the point where I need to something else for a bit, I think, well normally I would watch TV, but I am not doing that now, that gets me to thinking, Why am I doing this again?

I think it is a good discipline, but I am thinking that many times people give something up for Lent as a Lenten challenge and not a Lenten Discipline, there is a difference to me at least. A challenge is a individual thing while a discipline is personal but not individual, you can learn from it and change how you live. If I just don't watch TV and instead spend all that time just playing video games or reading comic books, it becomes a challenge, can I make it one more day? but if I take some of that time and think about what it means to be giving something up it becomes a discipline, you can share what you are experiencing with others and they can share with you, more than just wow I didn't watch TV today, I rule!!!.

My pastor, Fritz, mentioned in one of his sermons the other week that our relationship with God and Jesus should be a personal one, but not individual and private, that God is indeed important to and with you, but not to the exclusion of others, that God is with all of us at the same time.

Well, there are some thoughts to ponder,

laters

Not sure what to think about this

Link to CNN Article

Here is another link - this time from Aljazeera

This guy converts from Islam to Christianity and therefore must die.

He converted while in Germany, and works as a humanitarian aid worker.

I really don't know what to think about Islam this time.

They preach that the extreme reactionaries are a minority, then something like this occurs and I start to think that maybe that's not true.

There is a difference here between this and terrorism, but at some point they will have to realize that they are part of the larger world and they will have to accept our rules and morals as well as us having to accept theirs.

They can't get angry with people for having freedom of speech and say that it's religious persecution and then persecute religiously themselves.



laters,

Tsunami: Wave of Disaster

Watching "Tsunami: Wave of Disaster" on the Discovery Channel right now, I have seen it a few times before, It is very well done, but this is just one of many documentaries made about this event, how many people are earning money off of this event. I know it is important to document this disaster so that people can learn from this and maybe help people there. But is the money received going just to the filmmakers and TV stations or is some going back to survivors or at least to rebuilding efforts.


It was spring break last week at Iowa State and some people from Lutheran Campus Ministry (still weird to say that instead of ULC ((Fritz thinks that LCM feels more inclusive))) had gone down to New Orleans to help. They mainly helped out with deconstruction, removing trash, refrigerators and such. I have been on such trips before, to the Appalachian area of the eastern US primarily to southern Ohio and the western tip of Virginia. It was a very rewarding experience, but some of the trouble we have had on such trips is the feeling that we are dong this for us, while it is for the people that we are helping. But we are also getting something out of is as well, we are gaining knowledge, emotions and experiences.


Laters,

Horrible Song lyrics

Black Eyed Peas - My Humps



ok, I will say this song does have a good beat and gets in your head, but if you listen to the lyrics they are some of the worst I have found. Not for what they say, just the unoriginality of them. I want to see what the person writing this was thinking ...

ok, first well have

my humps
my humps umm

my humps
my humps
my humps

my lovely lady lumps


(just repeat this about 80 times)

- writer name


k,

Erik