is up.
Peace,
Chris
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Drinking Europe
I've had a request from Dan to post about the beers of Europe. Here's what I've got.
Peace,
Chris
What even qualifies me to write about drinking in Europe? After all, I'm a product of Red State America (with a tinge of Blue State College). After all, I'm not a big drinker, in fact I actually waited until I was 21 before non-consecrated alcohol touched my lips.Maybe though, these facts are what make this interesting. After all my experience of drinking really has been shaped by and in Europe.
What were my first impressions of drinking in Europe? I suppose it was the shattering of a myth perpetuated by my High school German teacher. The myth being that Europeans drink, but never with the intention of getting drunk. One of the first weeks I was living at the Abbey I told my European co-workers this myth, they responded by "getting pissed" (pissed being British for drunk). My second impression of Europeans drinking was that everyone has their signature drink. The Slovakian plays to type by chugging Vodka, while the German and the Englishwoman disappointed me, as neither were big into beer, which I assumed would be their ethnic drink of choice. Instead they both go for fruity, but highly alcoholic, drinks.
Enough about the people, lets get to the drinks! Most of my drinks have came from the Temeraire, a Pub in Saffron Walden known for its good onion rings, its Sunday Roasts, and its cheep prices. There I've sampled many a pint. Each week they have a new "guest beer" on tap, I usually have a pint of whatever that happens to be. The highs and lows from these taste tests are as follows, Tangle Root on top and Efes Pilsen, a Turkish Beer, on bottom. As for the local stuff there is Guinness, which is extremely good, as well as Carling, which is (though an Englishman would throw a rock at me for saying this) the British equivalent to Coors. An interesting fact I learned about Guinness is that it was originally brewed in an effort to curb drunkenness, as it is made in such a way that it is actually quite hard to get "pissed" off of. When it comes to the subtypes of Guinness I have to say nothing beats Guinness Draft, its dark, like Black Hole dark, and that's something I appreciate!
There is another place I've encountered alcohol in Europe, my work, Saint Mark's College. These encounters have ranged from buying Tesco's Generic Beer (you get your money's work at 39p a can) to sampling the various spirits we sell from our "tuck shop" and serve to the Anglican Bishops. I've concluded Wiskey is a little too harsh, Sherry tastes like cough syrup, and Meade is divine. Yes, I've drank that honeyed liquor and felt is twist in my bones, felt it glom down my gullet, calling my back deep into some old unconscious bit. Back to where wolf's teeth gnaw on caribou corpse, where the Norse wind blows in billowed sail, dragon stern crashing through cracked ice, thoughts ofdistant lands to raid and plunder, where the ancestors lay entombed in helm and warring splendor, and are thrown upon the pyre. In short, Meade be a very fine drink, but one not to be taken lightly.
Finally there must be something said for sentimental drinking. When I want to think back to that loving continent I left behind I, strangely enough, don't grab a Budweiser, or a Coors, but in fact I grab something from a little farther south, a Corona.
Peace,
Chris
What even qualifies me to write about drinking in Europe? After all, I'm a product of Red State America (with a tinge of Blue State College). After all, I'm not a big drinker, in fact I actually waited until I was 21 before non-consecrated alcohol touched my lips.Maybe though, these facts are what make this interesting. After all my experience of drinking really has been shaped by and in Europe.
What were my first impressions of drinking in Europe? I suppose it was the shattering of a myth perpetuated by my High school German teacher. The myth being that Europeans drink, but never with the intention of getting drunk. One of the first weeks I was living at the Abbey I told my European co-workers this myth, they responded by "getting pissed" (pissed being British for drunk). My second impression of Europeans drinking was that everyone has their signature drink. The Slovakian plays to type by chugging Vodka, while the German and the Englishwoman disappointed me, as neither were big into beer, which I assumed would be their ethnic drink of choice. Instead they both go for fruity, but highly alcoholic, drinks.
Enough about the people, lets get to the drinks! Most of my drinks have came from the Temeraire, a Pub in Saffron Walden known for its good onion rings, its Sunday Roasts, and its cheep prices. There I've sampled many a pint. Each week they have a new "guest beer" on tap, I usually have a pint of whatever that happens to be. The highs and lows from these taste tests are as follows, Tangle Root on top and Efes Pilsen, a Turkish Beer, on bottom. As for the local stuff there is Guinness, which is extremely good, as well as Carling, which is (though an Englishman would throw a rock at me for saying this) the British equivalent to Coors. An interesting fact I learned about Guinness is that it was originally brewed in an effort to curb drunkenness, as it is made in such a way that it is actually quite hard to get "pissed" off of. When it comes to the subtypes of Guinness I have to say nothing beats Guinness Draft, its dark, like Black Hole dark, and that's something I appreciate!
There is another place I've encountered alcohol in Europe, my work, Saint Mark's College. These encounters have ranged from buying Tesco's Generic Beer (you get your money's work at 39p a can) to sampling the various spirits we sell from our "tuck shop" and serve to the Anglican Bishops. I've concluded Wiskey is a little too harsh, Sherry tastes like cough syrup, and Meade is divine. Yes, I've drank that honeyed liquor and felt is twist in my bones, felt it glom down my gullet, calling my back deep into some old unconscious bit. Back to where wolf's teeth gnaw on caribou corpse, where the Norse wind blows in billowed sail, dragon stern crashing through cracked ice, thoughts ofdistant lands to raid and plunder, where the ancestors lay entombed in helm and warring splendor, and are thrown upon the pyre. In short, Meade be a very fine drink, but one not to be taken lightly.
Finally there must be something said for sentimental drinking. When I want to think back to that loving continent I left behind I, strangely enough, don't grab a Budweiser, or a Coors, but in fact I grab something from a little farther south, a Corona.
A really good defense of the Iraq war
In sum the Status Quo was too bad to do nothing, so Bush at least did something. We have to win the war there otherwise America might turn issolationist, as the cost of the rest of the world. We have to win otherwise conflict in the Middle East will increase. We have to win otherwise other countries, seeing our weakness, might do something rash. For example China might try to regain Tiawan, which would increase instability and could even touch off a truly great war.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Paris
Well, big E and I conquored Paris.
It was really fun, we saw EVERYTHING. Toured the entire Louve, went in Notre Dame, etc.
I'm quite sleepy right now.
Its interesting, returning from a vacation really cements England as home!
Peace,
Chris
It was really fun, we saw EVERYTHING. Toured the entire Louve, went in Notre Dame, etc.
I'm quite sleepy right now.
Its interesting, returning from a vacation really cements England as home!
Peace,
Chris
Thursday, March 23, 2006
My thoughts on Lutheran SpiritualityLutheran Spirituality
So often people say the words Lutheran and Spirituality are antithetical. To them I say, with St. Paul, "By no means!" Sure we don’t do "smells and bells" so well; sure Luther is very "earthy" preferring blood and mud to wine and spirit; sure we shun away from Rome’s mysticism as well as Evangelical fervor, sure we are called the Frozen Chosen, but that just makes for a very particular (perhaps peculiar) kind of spirituality.
I suppose to do this subject justice I should define spirituality. I will define it as a sense of the holy within the world. I think there are several places Lutherans find the holy in a way few others can. Of course there is the pat Lutheran answer that we find the holy in word and sacrament, though this is sort of like saying we find the holy in church. None the less lets look at this a little bit. In the Bible, and in exposition of the Bible, we find ourselves brought from our current world into a specific time and place where God acted. In this traveling of the mind this story becomes our story, our history, our memory, and we are in fact touched by God. In Sacrament we are brought in union with the Spirit and the Universal Church, a holy act yes?
A place where the Lutheran Church finds itself ecclesia par excellence is in the realm of paradoxes. Law and Gospel, Two kingdoms, Already not yet, Saint and Sinner… ah yes Simul justus et pecador that’s the ticket for me.
I own two pendants, a cross and a peace sign… Yes you heard me, a peace sign. I went to college in Eugene Oregon, where football stadiums are hotboxed, where reggae concerts turn into riots, where wearing hemp is the norm, and where a smelly man named Frog actually makes a living selling home made joke books (filled with 30 year old jokes about Nixon). So yes, I wear a peace sign.
Now what does this have to do with anything? Well, I originally wore these two symbols together with the symbolic meaning being that Christ was crucified for peace (yeah, there are issues with this interpretation) then one day I was told I was wearing the cross of the Anti-Christ. My Lutheran mind took flight, and I realized each time those two symbols clinked together that sound was the sound of Saint and Sinner smashing together. Each jingle against my chest is an affirmation of the fact that I can not not sin; each jingle is also an affirmation that it is God alone who saves me, it is God alone who is gracious. I am shit, yet covered in snow (I believe that’s Luther). I am dust, yet animated by the Spirit of God. So for me each step I take is an act of Lutheran spirituality, an affirmation of a holy truth within daily life.
A job I’ve grown fond of as a Lutheran missionary here in England is folding laundry. Yes, you read right, folding laundry. There are times when I just get into the grove, when the action of folding becomes a sweeping natural motion like a crane flying or a leopard pouncing. With the background noise of whirring washers my body too hums with a rhythm. As some hipsters would say "it’s a zen thing," though I find a more apt description in Daoism, that of cook Ding.
"Butcher Ding put down his knife and answered: "What your servant loves is the Dao, which goes beyond technique. When your servant began to carve oxen, what he saw was nothing but oxen. After three years, he saw no whole ox any more. Today, however, your servant meets the ox with his spirit and does not watch it with his eyes, as his senses know where to stop and his spirit desires to advance."
While I could stop by simply saying, "I’ve found a sense of Daoist spirituality in my work as a Lutheran missionary," I think I can go a little deeper. I believe the oneness of action, the "methodless method," that the Daoists talk about is vocation!
Luther disliked the hierarchy of Catholicism, specifically the idea that somehow the job of Priest was more laudatory in the eyes of God than other jobs. So when Luther thought of vocation he thought of it within the paradigm of the priesthood of all believers. That is God sees all jobs that are "useful to his fellow" as actions of priestliness. So I think when I finds that zenlike spot within my work it is because I am acting in such a way that I am living into my vocation. It is the same feeling a Pastor gets while performing word and sacrament, and the same feeling a parishaner gets when receiving the Eucharist. It is a feeling of God’s kingdom and the kingdom of man existing simultaneously in one space.
This is obviously a less than well thought out look at possible Lutheran spiritualism, and it is very centered on my own feelings and experience, but that tends to be a major thrust of spiritualism.
I suppose to do this subject justice I should define spirituality. I will define it as a sense of the holy within the world. I think there are several places Lutherans find the holy in a way few others can. Of course there is the pat Lutheran answer that we find the holy in word and sacrament, though this is sort of like saying we find the holy in church. None the less lets look at this a little bit. In the Bible, and in exposition of the Bible, we find ourselves brought from our current world into a specific time and place where God acted. In this traveling of the mind this story becomes our story, our history, our memory, and we are in fact touched by God. In Sacrament we are brought in union with the Spirit and the Universal Church, a holy act yes?
A place where the Lutheran Church finds itself ecclesia par excellence is in the realm of paradoxes. Law and Gospel, Two kingdoms, Already not yet, Saint and Sinner… ah yes Simul justus et pecador that’s the ticket for me.
I own two pendants, a cross and a peace sign… Yes you heard me, a peace sign. I went to college in Eugene Oregon, where football stadiums are hotboxed, where reggae concerts turn into riots, where wearing hemp is the norm, and where a smelly man named Frog actually makes a living selling home made joke books (filled with 30 year old jokes about Nixon). So yes, I wear a peace sign.
Now what does this have to do with anything? Well, I originally wore these two symbols together with the symbolic meaning being that Christ was crucified for peace (yeah, there are issues with this interpretation) then one day I was told I was wearing the cross of the Anti-Christ. My Lutheran mind took flight, and I realized each time those two symbols clinked together that sound was the sound of Saint and Sinner smashing together. Each jingle against my chest is an affirmation of the fact that I can not not sin; each jingle is also an affirmation that it is God alone who saves me, it is God alone who is gracious. I am shit, yet covered in snow (I believe that’s Luther). I am dust, yet animated by the Spirit of God. So for me each step I take is an act of Lutheran spirituality, an affirmation of a holy truth within daily life.
A job I’ve grown fond of as a Lutheran missionary here in England is folding laundry. Yes, you read right, folding laundry. There are times when I just get into the grove, when the action of folding becomes a sweeping natural motion like a crane flying or a leopard pouncing. With the background noise of whirring washers my body too hums with a rhythm. As some hipsters would say "it’s a zen thing," though I find a more apt description in Daoism, that of cook Ding.
"Butcher Ding put down his knife and answered: "What your servant loves is the Dao, which goes beyond technique. When your servant began to carve oxen, what he saw was nothing but oxen. After three years, he saw no whole ox any more. Today, however, your servant meets the ox with his spirit and does not watch it with his eyes, as his senses know where to stop and his spirit desires to advance."
While I could stop by simply saying, "I’ve found a sense of Daoist spirituality in my work as a Lutheran missionary," I think I can go a little deeper. I believe the oneness of action, the "methodless method," that the Daoists talk about is vocation!
Luther disliked the hierarchy of Catholicism, specifically the idea that somehow the job of Priest was more laudatory in the eyes of God than other jobs. So when Luther thought of vocation he thought of it within the paradigm of the priesthood of all believers. That is God sees all jobs that are "useful to his fellow" as actions of priestliness. So I think when I finds that zenlike spot within my work it is because I am acting in such a way that I am living into my vocation. It is the same feeling a Pastor gets while performing word and sacrament, and the same feeling a parishaner gets when receiving the Eucharist. It is a feeling of God’s kingdom and the kingdom of man existing simultaneously in one space.
This is obviously a less than well thought out look at possible Lutheran spiritualism, and it is very centered on my own feelings and experience, but that tends to be a major thrust of spiritualism.
Friday, March 17, 2006
The Wilderness
The Wilderness
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." To those who watched, they were words of comfort, words that said "I’m here my children, I’ll make you safe. The exile and exodus will really be over."
But to the Man the celestial bird that rested on him was like a hot coal upon his skin; he coal that anointed the lips of the prophet was upon him fully. It led him like that pillar. The blasting wind/breath/spirit descended, draining into his ears, swirling into his mind, blasting down upon him. It led, no it chased/pushed/tugged/took, the Man to the wilderness.
Out there all the questions implied with the spirit’s amplified affirmation of every experience he had previous to that moment, that Baptizing like the kings of old, that anointing and calling, rumbled up inside him. "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
He hid his face in brambles, remembering Absalom caught upon a tree. He clenched his teeth upon a branch, trying not to think of food. "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," rangs clearly in his head.
How do you prepare to live into such words? For forty days he sat there, birds and other animals his only company. His stomach groaned. The words "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," came more and more urgently to him.
Then came the form. A handsome form, to be sure. Beckoning to him, offering him some Matza. It looked good, so good the words of the Spirit, which glistened and blazed upon his body lost some of their luster. Only briefly though, for what is the mouth of man compared to what is issued from the mouth of God? "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
The world around the Man seemed to change; he was above the city, which permeated his dreams and his nightmares. The urge was there, to jump, to show them all self evident truth crashing inside him crying to be let out. But was it not God’s to reveal or withhold that, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
High still they climbed, these two, passed Olympus, passed Sinai, passed that holy mount where he would be transfigured, until they had arrived, high above it all. It could all be his. An act of worship up here. A simple act of worship that was the only price. A high price. Too high a price, a son ultimately serves his father. "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
The birds and other animals came, found him there. Like angels they were, singing, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." To those who watched, they were words of comfort, words that said "I’m here my children, I’ll make you safe. The exile and exodus will really be over."
But to the Man the celestial bird that rested on him was like a hot coal upon his skin; he coal that anointed the lips of the prophet was upon him fully. It led him like that pillar. The blasting wind/breath/spirit descended, draining into his ears, swirling into his mind, blasting down upon him. It led, no it chased/pushed/tugged/took, the Man to the wilderness.
Out there all the questions implied with the spirit’s amplified affirmation of every experience he had previous to that moment, that Baptizing like the kings of old, that anointing and calling, rumbled up inside him. "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
He hid his face in brambles, remembering Absalom caught upon a tree. He clenched his teeth upon a branch, trying not to think of food. "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," rangs clearly in his head.
How do you prepare to live into such words? For forty days he sat there, birds and other animals his only company. His stomach groaned. The words "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," came more and more urgently to him.
Then came the form. A handsome form, to be sure. Beckoning to him, offering him some Matza. It looked good, so good the words of the Spirit, which glistened and blazed upon his body lost some of their luster. Only briefly though, for what is the mouth of man compared to what is issued from the mouth of God? "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
The world around the Man seemed to change; he was above the city, which permeated his dreams and his nightmares. The urge was there, to jump, to show them all self evident truth crashing inside him crying to be let out. But was it not God’s to reveal or withhold that, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
High still they climbed, these two, passed Olympus, passed Sinai, passed that holy mount where he would be transfigured, until they had arrived, high above it all. It could all be his. An act of worship up here. A simple act of worship that was the only price. A high price. Too high a price, a son ultimately serves his father. "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
The birds and other animals came, found him there. Like angels they were, singing, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Thursday, March 16, 2006
One Christian's thoughts on the War on Terror (700th post)
They are strict monotheists who hold their collective noses at what they perceive as the polytheism of our faith. They use our most advanced communications and travel technology against us. They are fundamentalists who believe theirs is the only true path, and they are disgusted and repulsed by the pluralism and tolerance of our culture.
While they on some level see us as their forbears they also see us as people who have went the wrong way, and they see themselves as the proper and fulfilled version of our faith.
Their radical leaders condemn our morality and way of life. Theirs is the fastest growing religion in the world.
Now… am I talking about early Christianity or radial Islam? Hum? MLK’s speech about Vietnam inspired me to look at the world from our "enemy’s" perspective. Perhaps the administration should ask the question of what could the Roman Empire or Judaism of the time could have done to stop or contain Christianity.
Peace,
Chris
PS quick caveat. I am in no way saying Paul is the same as Osama, or that the goals of Radical Islam are the same as that of the Early Church.
While they on some level see us as their forbears they also see us as people who have went the wrong way, and they see themselves as the proper and fulfilled version of our faith.
Their radical leaders condemn our morality and way of life. Theirs is the fastest growing religion in the world.
Now… am I talking about early Christianity or radial Islam? Hum? MLK’s speech about Vietnam inspired me to look at the world from our "enemy’s" perspective. Perhaps the administration should ask the question of what could the Roman Empire or Judaism of the time could have done to stop or contain Christianity.
Peace,
Chris
PS quick caveat. I am in no way saying Paul is the same as Osama, or that the goals of Radical Islam are the same as that of the Early Church.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Lent Day 8
Life is messy, sick mothers, stink filled land, Pharoah has a heard heart, and the Messiah has no place to lay his head.
God will shame Pharoah, and many shall be healed.
As always we live in an interesting place, intersected both by hope and anguish, and we can do little more than live faithfully in the midst of it all.
Peace,
Chris
God will shame Pharoah, and many shall be healed.
As always we live in an interesting place, intersected both by hope and anguish, and we can do little more than live faithfully in the midst of it all.
Peace,
Chris
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Lent Day 6
Where is my treasure?
Have I forgave enough?
Who do I serve?
Do I worry about tomorrow?
Do I focus too often on what I can not do?
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"
(Matthew)
They peer out there, dimming, lighening, two eyes for two choices. "Child of Darkness, Child of Light."
Perhaps they fall too often on those "horror shows" a "Clockwork Orange" round like my peering, inquisitive eye, roaming to catch it all, take it ALL in. Perhaps after so many sights, the simple stillness becomes dull.
Alternatively, the other eye sees that starvation causes blots of sight to be peeled away and not return, scurvy, ship wrecked, sailors.
Look everywhere, yet keep it all in focus!
(Exodus)
All these names
Out of which you pluck me
From the river, to the desert
The bush, the court of pharoah
Me, a man of weak tongue, and little confidence.
Peace,
Chris
Perhaps an impossible task?
Have I forgave enough?
Who do I serve?
Do I worry about tomorrow?
Do I focus too often on what I can not do?
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"
(Matthew)
They peer out there, dimming, lighening, two eyes for two choices. "Child of Darkness, Child of Light."
Perhaps they fall too often on those "horror shows" a "Clockwork Orange" round like my peering, inquisitive eye, roaming to catch it all, take it ALL in. Perhaps after so many sights, the simple stillness becomes dull.
Alternatively, the other eye sees that starvation causes blots of sight to be peeled away and not return, scurvy, ship wrecked, sailors.
Look everywhere, yet keep it all in focus!
(Exodus)
All these names
Out of which you pluck me
From the river, to the desert
The bush, the court of pharoah
Me, a man of weak tongue, and little confidence.
Peace,
Chris
Perhaps an impossible task?
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Lent Day 5
Matthew chapter 5 is an overload of beautiful maxims. Exodus is interesting, God's entering into things leads to lots of doubt and the threat of the Egyptians "falling on us with swords."
The Lord is with us in our dependancy.
Peace,
Chris
The Lord is with us in our dependancy.
Peace,
Chris
Monday, March 06, 2006
Its all Greek to me
I'm finally translating simple sentance in Greek! It feels like quite an accomplishment!
I have to say Greek is SO much easier than Hebrew. In comparison to Hebrew its bastardized English! I did find it interesting that Kai in Greek means "too, as well, also" in Hebrew it means because, indeed, but etc.
One problem I'm having is getting Greek and Hebrew characters confused when writing them out. For example my Hebrew L's and Greek D's are one and the same, which is fine except I sometimes make dallets instead of deltas and lameds instead of lambdas.
Just thought I'd give a quick update on how Greek's doing, especially since I'm not the only one trying to teach themselves.
Peace,
Chris
I have to say Greek is SO much easier than Hebrew. In comparison to Hebrew its bastardized English! I did find it interesting that Kai in Greek means "too, as well, also" in Hebrew it means because, indeed, but etc.
One problem I'm having is getting Greek and Hebrew characters confused when writing them out. For example my Hebrew L's and Greek D's are one and the same, which is fine except I sometimes make dallets instead of deltas and lameds instead of lambdas.
Just thought I'd give a quick update on how Greek's doing, especially since I'm not the only one trying to teach themselves.
Peace,
Chris
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Lent Day 4
Tonight there is still a real sense of calling in both these books.
In Matthew we get the essense of Lent, the 40 days in the wilderness, which we'll get later on in Exodus and the other books of Moses.
In Exodus there is the bizzare story of God forcing Moses to be circimcized. This brings my mind to an interesting thought, why didn't Paul use this example (as opposed to Abraham) in Galatians 3 etc? You might say "but Moses' bit was cut off" but look, Moses approached and was called by God before the bit was cut off! A polemical point for Paulian Christianity, yes?
I find it amazing, and actually quite true to human nature, that after God provided Moses with all these miracles he still doesn't think God wil provide. He still looks at his weakness, the weakness of his tongue.
Peace,
Chris
In Matthew we get the essense of Lent, the 40 days in the wilderness, which we'll get later on in Exodus and the other books of Moses.
In Exodus there is the bizzare story of God forcing Moses to be circimcized. This brings my mind to an interesting thought, why didn't Paul use this example (as opposed to Abraham) in Galatians 3 etc? You might say "but Moses' bit was cut off" but look, Moses approached and was called by God before the bit was cut off! A polemical point for Paulian Christianity, yes?
I find it amazing, and actually quite true to human nature, that after God provided Moses with all these miracles he still doesn't think God wil provide. He still looks at his weakness, the weakness of his tongue.
Peace,
Chris
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