Anatomy of a dying denomination

OK, so I'm reading through some news recently and I come across the story titled "Archbishop says Nativity 'legend'", and many times one has to really dig in to the story in order to get to the real gist of what was said. Discard the first few paragraphs is a general rule.

Main point of the story is an Anglican Archbishop stating that some of the elements of the popularized portrayal of the Nativity may indeed be legend. Such as: the actual date of Jesus's birth, the visitation of 3 Kings, probably no asses or oxen in the stable.

Christians who are rooted in Scripture don't have a real problem with the contesting of those items: they aren't detailed in the account and are not essential doctrine necessary for salvation. It will come as more of a surprise to folks who are only familiar with the traditional portrayal.

However, it's in the transcript of the interview from which the story gets its genesis (no pun intended) that a truly amazing confession is contained: the Archbishop waffles and does not affirm exactly what his belief is concerning the Virgin Birth. Here's the text (SM is the interviewer, ABC is the Archbishop):

===

SM The Virgin Mary next door to him?

ABC We know his mother's name was Mary, that's one of the things all the gospels agree about, and the two gospels that tell the story have the story of the virgin birth and that's something I'm committed to as part of what I've inherited.

SM You were a prominent part of a Spectator survey in the current issue which headlined' Do you believe in the virgin birth?' there are some people in this survey who would say they were Christian who don't have a problem if you don't believe in the Virgin birth;' how important it is it to believe in that bit?

ABC I don't want to set it as a kind of hurdle that people have to get over before they, you know, be signed up;, but I think quite a few people that as time goes on, they get a sense, a deeper sense of what the virgin birth is about. I would say that of myself. About thirty years ago I might have said I wasn't too fussed about it - now I see it much more as dovetailing with the rest of what I believe about the story and yes.

SM Christopher Hitchens and many others make the point that isn't the translation for young woman rather than virgin? Does it have to be seen as virgin; might it be a mistranslation?

ABC It is… well, what's happening there one of the gospels quotes a prophecy that a virgin will conceive a child. Now the original Hebrew doesn't have the word virgin, it's just a young woman, but that's the prophecy that's quoted from the Old Testament in support of the story which is, in any case, about a birth without a human father, so it's not that it rests on mistranslation; St Matthew's gone to his Greek version of the bible and said "Oh, 'virgin'; sounds like the story I know," and put it in.

===

So it sounds like no big deal if you do or don't believe in the Virgin Birth if you're the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams.

To put it in colloquial terms, if you're not Superman, you can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, or be more powerful than a locomotive. Who you are determines what you can do.

And in this case if Jesus had two human parents then He also was under the curse of sin and liable to pay for His own sin debt, making it impossible for Him to pay for the sins of others.

We see the results in this denomination. There is a sitting bishop that is an open homosexual. And that's because at some point is was OK to have a homosexual as a deacon, and priest, and every other office between. It's become a religion and there is no life in religion itself. Life comes from fellowship with the Creator.

That's the result of systematic denial of what Scripture says for whatever reason we may have. To quote Mark Twain: "It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand."

Jesus said in John 6:63 - "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."

What I believe: the account found in Scripture of the birth of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, including the multiple references about Mary being a virgin.

What do you believe about the birth of Jesus and why? Why not?

It is done!

After much give and take over the past 2 years, the main course at my house for Christmas dinner with the in-laws will be a Turducken.

There were concerns about the mixing of the different birds (tudkey, duck, chicken), what it would mean to food preparation for the day, the type of stuffings available. I realize that it's not easy giving up or changing anything, let alone what's served for Christmas dinner.

When I learned that we were hosting Christmas at our house this year, I seized the opportunity to Turduckenize the gathering.

I went with a relatively safe choice of cornbread stuffing, although I really wanted to go for broke with a seafood stuffing or jambalaya.

I'll report back with a review.

A bit of piping

Had a chance to help out a friend and do some piping at the same time last night.

Brian McCoy, founder/leader of The Kells and multi-instrumentalist (flute, tinwhistle and uilleann pipes) is looking to either purchase a new set of uilleann pipes or augment his existing set of pipes.

And that's not an easy thing to do. There are probably 40 uilleann pipe makers in the world. Brian is a wise consumer and he wanted to play as many sets by different makers before making a decision.

So, my set, made by Seth Gallagher, was on his list and it was a good time with Brian talking and playing about Irish trad music and pipes.

One thing that surprised us both was the different tones we did and did not get out of our respective pipes when we weren't playing them.

But as the night wore on we got used to how the instrument played and responded. It was nice to hear what my pipes sounded like when I'm not playing them. Brian is an excellent musician, so it was a bit of a treat for me.

Since I wasn't the one contemplating a new set of pipes I got the chance to ask some questions about wants/needs given how his current set sounded.

Aside from the piping, the wants vs. needs is something we all struggle with - some more than others. They have a tendency to get blurred, lose their distinctions and make our lives a mess in the process.

It's especially true in this Christmas season. Kids (and adults) have their Christmas lists made out and fantasizing about getting gift X, Y and Z.

And it gets back to wants vs. needs.

On the first Christmas God gave mankind what mankind needed: A Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas list

This is a place marker to remind me that I need to make out my Christmas list for the Michael Conners Gift Headquarters.

Hamster update

Last time I updated the hamster situation, Hammy was leaping from the second story of his cage.

He's still doing that, and he's not dead yet. I can, however, see the day that he jumps and breaks a leg and I will end up having to push him in some sort of hamster wheelchair.

So, what's the update for, Mike?

Well, Hammy now has yet another house.

We're visiting the in-laws and Hammy is coming with us and he needed a portable habitat.

And we didn't buy this one. No, no, no. I had to make it out of a Sterilite container and hand tools. Drill holes in it (not too many... maybe not enough... hee hee... just kidding, kids), and a place for the water bottle to hang down from.

It was not easy, and I cracked some of the plastic in the process. Ever wonder what kind of plastic is immune from Krazy Glue? It's the kind that this container is made from, of course.

I'm published!

Well, kinda published. A buddy (Ted) liked a portion of a stream of consciousness email I wrote and he posted it.

I don't know what counts as published any more with the Internet.

Heck, Rap music is legitimate these days.

Days 3 & 4

The 19 Days of Nehemiah continue...

Plenty to consider in Days 3 & 4.

Day 3:

In Nehemiah 2:11-20, Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem and takes stock of the situation. He makes his assessment at night with a small group of men to avoid calling attention to himself and the work.

This chapter sets up the conflict that is to come later with Sanballat.

Nehemiah says to the men with him "Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."

He still has God's interests and glory in the center of his mission and shares his vision with the people around him. Their response is to start to rebuild.

Day 4:

The text is Nehemiah 3, and Nehemiah includes many of the people's names who rebuilt the wall.

He also includes some who were there, but didn't build the wall for some reason or another. In verse 5: "The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors."

No details as to why, but it appears that the nobles didn't want to get their hands dirty. Perhaps they were O.K. with the current situation and didn't want it to change. He shamed them.

What I latched on to with this chapter was how the work was done - in sections and districts. He even mentions that certain people repaired the wall "opposite their house".

And isn't that how God wants us to work many times? Be responsible with what you have in front of you. Your work. But putting it all together it comprised a large body of the wall being rebuilt.

Nehemiah also had a wonderful strategy by breaking it down into smaller doable pieces instead of the ONE BIG THING. The OBT would be too daunting and individuals would lose heart. And they did it with people they knew - family, neighbors.

What work does God have before me and am I being faithful with it?

Nehemiah Days 1 & 2

In the first day's reading, my attention was drawn to an every day exchange between two people.

Nehemiah asks his brother Hanani, "How are things at home?"

His brother says the folks at home are having a hard time and Jerusalem is in ruins. But it's Nehemiah's response that makes the difference.

A response comes from a person's priorities and concerns. What's important to him or her. Nehemiah's priorities and concerns are revealed by what he does.

His priorities extend beyond the physical and extend into the spiritual. He sees the situation from God's perspective, including the state of his people before God. This results in much prayer and fasting and repentance for their sins.

Personal application: How my priorities are not God's priorities. I miss out on opportunities to pray and act as I should.

For Day 2, the second chapter (v.1 - 10) shows Nehemiah courageously acting on his beliefs and repentance before God in the King's presence.

He traded in his privileged position as cup bearer to the King for a dangerous one as a construction foreman. He boldly stepped through the open door, not only getting permission to rebuild the walls but fortifications and a residence as well as raw materials from the King's store houses.

His act of faith and boldness resulted in the starting of the clock for the Messiah to come. Say what? Yes. This is the decree that is referred to in Daniel 9.

Even his countenance before the King was courageous - cup bearers were supposed to be happy all of the time. Not being so implied that they were disrespectful of the King's generosity. The state of God's holy city, its people and their situation before God impacted Nehemiah and he acted in a Godly manner.

When I have opportunities to act boldly in faith, do I act in the same way?

19 Days - I'm in!

I decided to join "19 Days" that Aaron and folks at AC180 started today. It's a walk through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.

I will post my thoughts and observations here.

Hamster update

Our pet hamster, named "Hammy" appears to have mended his ways. No incidents of biting, no more escapes. Lori and the girls have been working on taming Hammy, waiting until he's awake before picking him up, adding fresh food to his diet. He gets out and about in his exercise ball, too.

Actually, I think Hammy is doing pretty well, given how many times he's moved thus far.

What?

Yep. He's moved 3 times. Not location-wise, but cage-wise. He went from a starter cage to a larger cage, and to his now 3 level cage.

Pretty sweet for a hamster. Check out the image. Same cage style.

One thing that's got us a little concerned is that Hammy doesn't always use the climbing tubes between the upper levels. He just jumps from the middle and sometimes top levels inside the cage to the floor.

Lori thinks "he's going to hurt himself". He may.

The exercise wheel isn't as quiet as I thought it was going to be. We can put a man on the moon but the wheel still makes noise.

Birthday list

OK, it's getting to be that time of year again - my birthday is coming up and I need to get some ideas out there.

In the past I've done it on my web site but for different reasons I'll post it here on the blog. Thanks in advance!

No particular order...

Guitar picks - get the 1.0 mm (black) ones. A dozen should do it.
Strings - I've used Ernie Ball regular slinkies for years.
Just for fun - I like the yellow one
Maintenance kit
Boonie hat

Good on-line Bible study

Over the past year or so, I've been looking for some sort of on-line Bible study and think I have found a good one and wanted to share it.

It's called "Christian Courses" and it's sponsored by Radio Bible Class. We've been receiving the RBC devotional booklets at home for the past few years and kind of stumbled onto the site.

Currently I'm taking the course titled "10 Reasons To Believe In Christ Instead Of Religion" and it's thought provoking and Scripture based. Some of the classes include multimedia (videos) and an interactive portion via message boards.

It's self paced, web based. Good stuff.

Patter of little feet

This past Friday I received a plaintive call from my 5yo daughter, breathlessly asking if we could go to the pet store and look at hamsters.

So we did, and $60 later we brought home a male hamster.

The first cage we purchased ended up being mis-used by the hamster. The exercise wheel is up on a rotating 2nd level and he ended up using it as a sleeping nest, spraying seeds and hamster urine over the area.

Second cage is working out better.

First day in the house, the girls were loving the hamster a bit too much and he sunk his teeth into our oldest daughter's index finger. Drew blood and everything. She hates seeing her own blood so it was bedlam for a few minutes.

Second night in the house the 5yo (instigator of the hamster) didn't close the cage door well enough and we had a situation that my wife feared most: a hamster jailbreak.

We started around the cage and eventually found him in the kid's playroom - 15 fear-filled (for my wife) minutes all told.

And today, Sunday, the hamster took a nip at the 5yo.

So far:

Hamster: 2 nips, 1 escape
Humans: 0

I need one of these outfits

At the Dublin Irish Festival, each year there is a historical re-enactment group that camps and presents aspects of like from Brian Boru's Ireland - about the year 1000 A.D. (That's right - A.D., not B.C.E.)

The family went to the DIF after the Feis and one of the things we did was to explore Brian Boru's Ireland.

The girls were very interested in the crafts, musical instruments, the work being done. We participated in a demonstration of some of the fighting arts and listened to a story told by the local herbalist.

One of the reenactors portrayed a medieval abbot - the spiritual and physical leader of the monastery they were recreating for us 21st century folks.

He was wearing a long, white flowing robe, a Cross around his neck, and a staff in his hand. Yes, he has a long gray beard. After he pronounced a blessing on me and my family, I later struck up a conversation with the abbot and learned a few things and saw some things that were a little out of the ordinary.

Turns out the abbot's day job is pretty close to his day job. He's a bishop in the Oriental Orthodox church (not Greek, not Eastern) and is based in a monastery near the inner city of Columbus. He related some harrowing tales of living where he does and his ministry to the people that live in the area. He said that he has been giving last rites to as many people outside the hospital as in it due to gang violence.

But while we were talking just off the main drag at the Dublin Irish Festival, we had a couple of interruptions.

First one was a couple of young fellows came up to us and started talking. He related a dream to the abbot that by all accounts was satanic in nature. It consisted of a circle, with inner rings alternating white and black. The circle beckoned this young fellow into it. He asked the abbot "what would you say if you had a dream like this...?"

The abbot then asked him - "Well, did you go in to the circle?"

At that point, the young fellow gave us both a blank look and walked away.

The whole time I was praying for the situation and for this troubled young man.

The abbot said that it had been a while since he last had an encounter like that, but often times satanists would make contact like that in the process of seeking freedom from satanism.

I don't think that's the experience that the DIF wants the usual festival-goer to have, but I was OK with it.

Then not a couple minutes later 2 young ladies came up and asked the Abbot, "Are you Jesus?"

He said, "No, but I work for Him."

One of the young ladies then asked for the time, which I supplied because I was wearing a watch.

5 minutes, 2 opportunities to share his faith.

I need one of those outfits.

Competition Results

The Columbus Feis has come and gone and the Conners family fared pretty well in our competitions.

The Feis runs concurrently with the Dublin Irish Festival, and it's held at Dublin Coffman High School.

The girls each were entered in 2 dances - a Jig and a Reel, First Feis.

Samantha won a gold medal in the Jig and a Bronze in the Reel.

Erin won a gold medal in the Jig and the Reel.

The actual dancing was on separate stages and I wasn't able to watch Samantha's competition, but I did for Erin. She was a little nervous but her teacher, Katie Regan, spent a couple minutes with her just before the Jig. Katie had a lot of students dancing that day and for her to do that was great.

For my competition I played a different air than I intended to - changed it earlier in the week. I played "Dark Woman of the Glen", and the jig was the same "Trip to Athlone".

I nailed the air, and did OK on the jig.

The girls got their results back reasonably quickly - about 20 minutes or so. My music competition results were available at 5pm, so we went to the Dublin Irish Festival for the afternoon.

The girls liked seeing the Celtic Canines (they like animals a lot), did some crafts. Our youngest, Emma, made a red sash with shamrocks and sparkly glue and sequins that she was very proud of. Sashes are a very Irish thing to wear - denoting a title or position.

We took in a fair bit of the Kells set (they are very good musicians, great folks) and then the girls wanted to see the historical recreation display - "Brian Boru's Ireland". They really enjoyed it.

5pm came quickly, and when the results came in, I won the Miscellaneous Irish Musical Instruments competition - a gold medal.

Total medal count for the Conners family: 4 Gold, 1 Bronze.

A Strange Sighting

One of the guys I work with lives not too far away from me, about a mile south.

Jim jogs in the morning through my neighborhood, and on occasion he'll notice something out of the ordinary and mention it.

And what he saw was definitely out of the ordinary: he said he saw a fox, not once but twice.

I asked if he was sure and he said "Definitely, it had the big bushy tail and his two ears right on top. Too big for a cat, didn't move like a cat."

This explains why I've been seeing fewer bunny rabbits in my area. We had a litter of rabbits born in our back yard this past spring and the rabbit holes started appearing. Foxes definitely like rabbits.

I've seen possums in the 'hood before, but not the fox.

Better that the fox takes care of the rabbits before I have to.

Competition

Coming up this week is the Dublin Irish Festival and the Columbus Feis.

Lori and I have 3 girls, and the 2 older ones take Irish Step Dancing lessons. They love to dance and they take lessons with some other girls in the neighborhood. Our family room on occasion becomes an Irish dance studio when the girls get out their music CD and practice. It's one of the reasons we got the house we did - plenty of room for this sort of thing. (We've had as many as 3 girls dancing simultaneously...)

They will be competing in their first Feis this coming Saturday of course we'll be there to cheer them on.

Part of my heritage is Irish, and playing the uilleann pipes is one way how I express and live out who I am.

So, I've entered the Columbus Feis this year in the "Miscellaneous Irish Musical Instrument" category.

I won the Gold Medal in the category in 2001.

Competition consists of playing one Air and one Jig or Reel, so a total of two tunes.

The Airs are slower tunes that usually have lyrics that go with them, and they are derived from Irish "Sean Nos" singing. Sean Nos is a capella singing, usually in Gaelic. The songs will tell the story of love, tragedy, turmoil or skullduggery. It's the piper's job to imitate the singer.

It does help to know Gaelic and hear the song actually sung but that's not always easy to do.

The next best thing is to hear another piper play it, and learn it that way.

Airs provide a way for the musician to express themselves in the Irish musical tradition, and that's because the Air is in itself a tune that is more free-form than the Jigs and Reels.

Jigs and Reels are, well, Jigs and Reels.

Jigs are in 6/8 or 12/8 time, and the reels are in 4/4. There are a couple other types of tunes in the tradition - hornpipes, polkas, slip jigs, slides.

With the dance tunes there is opportunity for variation, but it's all within the format of the tune. The melody is set, but it's in the ornamentation of the melody where the expression and variation comes in to play. Lots of different types of ornaments in Irish Trad.

That's in contrast to much of our modern music where there is free-form expression throughout the song (you may not be aware of it).

So, right.

Looks like the tunes I'll be playing will be the slow air "Ned of the Hill" and the dance tune will be a jig, "The Trip to Athlone".

I learned the air from a recording of Seamus Ennis, a master piper of this past century. The jig is from a recording by Neil Mulligan, one of my favorite pipers.

First post

Thanks for checking out my blog.

What's with the name, you ask?

Glad you asked.

One of my interests is playing music, and one of the instruments I play is the Uilleann pipes. It's not an easy instrument to learn, takes a lot of practice and that practice takes place in my basement, also known as...

The Piper's Cove.

Other important stuff happens there - I listen to the radio, fix stuff that's broken at the nearby workbench.

And I get to think about things. I'll post some of them here.