2026 March for Life

A great day at the National March for Life this year. Not too cold, and a large contingent of Lutherans. We were near the front this year so the March went faster than usual. 

Here are some pictures . . .

My daughter and friends in from Concordia University-Wisconsin.

Pastor Jonathon Bakker, Campus Pastor at CUW.

Patrick Henry College students, part of our Campus Ministry up there.

Folks from Saint Athanasius.

Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor, head of LCMS Life Ministries.

Rev. Dr. Aric Fenske and his wife Marie, Executive Director of Lutherans for Life.

Pastors Esget and Zimmerman.

Rev Randy Sturzenbecher, North Dakota District President

and President of Higher Things.

Rev. Dr. Greg Seltz, Executive Director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty.

Mollie Hemingway and Julia Habrecht

If you didn't come this year, make sure you come next year!

Just Hangin' Out

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal hanging out at our bird feeder.

Psalm 3

David's son Absalom wanted to be king, so he won the hearts of Israel, gathered a bunch of supporters, and ousted his father from the throne (2 Samuel 15-17).

So what did David do? Did he fret all night? Tossing and turning? Stay up late making plans to get the kingship back? Nope. V. 5: I lay down and slept! That reminded me of a quote I once read: "A good sleep is a great grace." (If you've ever had trouble sleeping, you know how true that is!)

How could David do that? V. 3: The Lord is his shield, his glory, and the lifter of his head. That is, the Lord is the one who gave him the kingship, and the one who would restore him there. 

It's easy to hear Jesus in this Psalm. Many foes against him, too, who mocked him, that God wasn't going to save him. He lay down in the sleep of death, and the Lord lifted His head back to life.

So v. 7, Arise and save me, O God! Yup, that's exactly what He did. He rose from the sleep of death and saved me. So a Psalm that began with the anguish of enemies all around, ends with a note of confidence. Maybe it can be so for us, too.

New Thread

No, not new threads, as in clothes! ;-)  A new thread. For once again my blogging has fallen by the wayside. On one hand, that is good, that I prioritize others things over this. But on the other, I would like to continue writing and posting. I had a list of things to post and either didn't bother or just didn't get to it. 

But I think I will begin a new thread here, and that is to post some thoughts on the psalms. I continue to want to know them better. I have studied them and taught them in the past, but always feel I need to know them more, better. I received two new books on the psalms for Christmas and am reading them each day to go through the psalter this year, so thought maybe I should post a few thoughts here. These will not be exhaustive! Just a few things I've learned . . .

So, Psalms 1 and 2:

The prologue to the psalter.

If I feel dried out and lifeless, it is because I have failed to drink in the Word of God. (The word translated as "law" in Psalm 1 is the word torah, which is really all the words and instructions of God in His Word.)

The words translated in 1:2 (meditates) and 2:1 (plots) is the same word in the Hebrew. In Psalm 1 it could be translated as murmur, for reading silently is really a modern invention. But what a contrast between those who are refreshed by God and His Word and those who plot against Him. Those who plot against the Lord are seeking freedom (2:3), but true freedom is only found in God and His Word.

"The man" who is blessed (1:1 and 2:12, bracketing these two psalms) is Jesus. And we are, too, when we are in Him.

Travel Woes, Part 2

No flat tires this time! I was in Saint Louis at the beginning of November, during the government shutdown, right as the airlines were beginning to cut flights. Yeah, you know what's coming . . .

At first, all was well. I was waiting at the hotel to take the shuttle to the airport when I got the text that my flight was delay some 3-4 hours. Ugh. Lots of waiting, but okay, I can handle that. 

Got to the airport and settled in at a restaurant where I could enjoy a beverage and do some work. After a little while I got the text that my flight had been cancelled. Ugh. Quickly pack up my stuff to head over to a ticket counter to rebook.

On the way, I get another text: I've already been rebooked onto a flight that was due to depart about 45 minutes after my first, delayed schedule flight. Okay. Still a long wait, but I can handle that. 

I sit down to open the app on my phone and get more information, when I see that this flight that WAS schedule to leave shortly after dinner has itself been delayed by 5 hours! So now my ETD is midnight! Really?

That's when I overheard a woman at the ticket counter I was sitting nearby . . . she was on that flight and was having them rebook her to Baltimore, where it seemed flights were getting in better. What a great idea! I'm not sure I would have thought of that. So I jumped up and told the woman at the counter: "I'll have what she's having!" It would get me in Baltimore around 8 pm.

Okay, but then to get from Baltimore down to Reagan National so I could get on the Metro and go out to where my car was parked. Train? Not sure if they'd be running in that direction in the evening. Rental car? Yikes! Expensive for a one way rental. So texted my wife, who was working. Could she come pick me up? (usually about an hour drive.) YES! She's the goat. So, while it took her a little longer because of traffic, and even after working all day, she got me back to my car and home by around 11 pm.

Found out that Reagan National DCA was the worst airport that day, seeing (as the notice screenshotted below says) more cancellations than any other airport in the world.

But I made it home safely. I am thankful for that. I'm sure lots of folks had it worse than me.

Travel Woes, Part 1

So a couple weeks ago, I was driving to a Pastors conference near Pittsburgh. While cruising along on I-70, I ran over some debris in the road I didn't notice in time to avoid (some wood of some sort). Both right side tires ran over it. But afterward, nothing seemed to be wrong, so I kept going . . .

But a little ways down the road, the tire pressure light came on. Uh oh. Fortunately there was an exit in just a couple miles. So I got off and found a little garage. My front tire did seem low. Two very nice guys found two places/gashes side-by-side where air was leaking out, so they plugged them for me. They also let me know that two plugs that close together wasn't good and I should get a new tire. I told them I still had about 2 hours yet to drive, and they said no problem - it would last that long.

Famous last words.

1.5 hours later, and on a two-lane stretch of Rt. 30 in PA, the steering started feeling a little funny . . . then I heard what sounded like a helicopter . . . (Spoiler alert! There was no helicopter!) . . . and then the tire went. Fortunately there was a spot for me to quickly pull off. Not big! But enough. But also close enough to the road and on not-very-level ground, so I thought it best to call AAA to help me change the tire and put on the spare. As I began to take stuff out of my trunk and put it in the back seat so I could get to the spare (I was taking a lot of stuff to the conference), I noticed it - not ONE flat tire, but TWO! Both the tires on that side of the car! When I had stopped before, the rear tire seemed fine. It wasn't.

So, call AAA back. Gonna need a flatbed. Okay. 

So I wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . . 2.5 hours later (!) the guy comes. Nice guy, but apparently, there are only TWO guys who work for AAA in the rather large section of Western PA I was in! By the time he arrived, all the tire places were closed - so where do I want him to drop my car? I DON'T KNOW! So a quick search on the phone finds "Tiny's Tire and Auto." Okay. Drop it there. 

Uh . . . let's just say not a good choice! Kinda sketchy looking place. But it's getting late, and I still need to Uber to the conference center, so okay, drop it. I'll see to it tomorrow.

The next morning, I arrive right when Tiny's is supposed to open. No Tiny. Wait a little while. No Tiny. So I call another garage in town. Can you come get my car? Where are you? Tiny's. OH . . . Tiny's! Nice guy, but he kinda marches to the best of his own drummer. If you wait, he'll probably show up in a bit . . . 

NO THANK YOU! So they come get me, charge me an enormous sum of money to pick up the car and tow it all of one mile! But they did put on two new tires and got me going again the next day, so thankful for that.

Then driving home, guess what? The tire pressure light starts blinking and comes on again! Oh no! Finally find a place with an air pump and check the tires - they seem fine. Turns out the blinking means the sensor is bad or going bad. Okay. I can deal with that. Then farther down the road and closer to home, the light goes out. Guess it's okay now!

Moral of the story (maybe a couple): 

#1 - Be more vigilant for debris on the road.

#2 - Don't run over debris on the road!

#3 - Don't get your car towed to a place called Tiny's! 

#4 - If you have AAA and are going to break down, don't do it in Western PA.

Next: Travel Woes, Part 2

Election 2025

I know, I know, long time, no post! I just get so busy that the last thing I think of and want to do is post here! But I do have some things to put up over the next few days, so . . .

What happened with the Virginia elections yesterday? The following graphic tells the story:

Virginia is not a purple state! The saddest part of this is that now the Constitutional Amendment allowing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, making a Virginia an abortion destination, shielding doctors, and threatening crisis pregnancy centers is going to move full steam ahead. And by the looks of this map, unless something drastically changes, will easily pass.

Kyrie eleison.