Bob Kaylor

Summer Reading

I picked up several new books while browsing at Conference and thought you might like to read along. These books (listed under "What I'm Reading" on the left column of the blog) will be in my backpack. If you have any other suggestions for great summer reading, pass them along!

Summer Sabbath

Just got back from Annual Conference in Denver, which was once again a celebration of all things institutional. Lots of meetings, sitting, legislation that no one will ever see again, that sort of thing. Still, it's good to see old friends and spend some time sharing ideas. I wish that Conference would be more like the early Methodist model, with preachers and lay people doing some discernment, learning from each other, discussing and debating theological issues, doing some real worship together, etc. Maybe it's just me, but I have a really hard time sitting still for most of the on-droning proceedings. There's surely a better way to spend four days together as the leadership of the Church. Well, at least one can hope.

I'm taking a break for a few weeks of R&R, seeing extended family, attending my niece's wedding, and celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. As a "gift" to myself and as a way of modeling Sabbath time, I'm also taking a break from my computer beginning tomorrow. Look for new posts around the second or third week of July. I'm currently working on ideas for a sermon series in the fall as well.

If you're a PCCC member, make sure you get to worship on Sunday to hear Laurie preach. It's great to have a skilled colleague on board to provide continuity when I'm out of the pulpit. I'm looking forward to coming back refreshed and ready with some new ideas and insights.

At Least We Have Paris...

I spent most of today at home dealing with my annual late spring head cold. Between sneezing fits and multiple tissue runs I did a little catching up on some writing and kept pace with the days internet traffic. Dominating the news, of course, was the flash that Paris Hilton had once again been forced to go back to jail after a brief reprieve of house arrest. It's the lead story everywhere. I even checked some newspaper sites overseas (London) and there it was.

I have a really hard time trying to figure out why this is news, but I don't get the whole Paris Hilton thing anyway. I think she's iconic, though--the poster child for a culture that I think Jerry Seinfeld summed up quite nicely--"It's about nothing."

Paris is famous for being famous and gets way more face time with us than she (or we) deserve. It's easy to bash her, I suppose, as many are doing. But I find her a tragic figure and emblematic of the whole bent of our culture toward style over substance. It's amazing that a society dealing with global warming, insane energy policies, a bogged down war, and a host of other issues is focused on an heiress who doesn't seem to understand how the justice system works. Sad thing is, most of the people who are following her escapades don't understand it either.

Neil Postman was right. His book "Amusing Ourselves to Death," written in the 80s, was pretty prophetic. We're bombarded with information we can't possibly process or do anything about, so we tend to focus on that which provides us some form of escape. Paris's misadventures seem to make others feel like they're not so bad themselves.

I'll not lose any sleep over Paris's incarceration, but it does disturb me that the average American knows more about her than they do about, say, the presidential candidates. 

This Sunday's Sermon: "The Lost World"

Recent new discoveries of untracked wilderness in Indonesia and new and possibly life-sustaining planets in other solar systems can give us pause to reflect on the wonder of God's creation. This week I'll be looking at Psalm 104--a creation psalm--as a template for how we can be be better stewards of the world God has given us. Perhaps you'll discover something new about yourself, too!

We'll also celebrate communion at both services this week. See you there!