Storytelling

My school had an arts fest today. I volunteered to lead two workshops on storytelling.

In addition to tips about storytelling, I performed several pieces. It's been so long since I told stories  in such a format. It was a blast. It made me realize how much I miss storytelling.

I wonder if there is much of a market for storytelling these days? It seems to have faded in popularity.

I used to be a member of the local storytelling guild - but stopped going, and later when I checked into possibly being involved again I discovered they met the same night as my Franciscan fraternity. I'm not even sure they are still meeting now anyway.

I used to belong to a national storytelling organization, but that membership lapsed years ago and I never renewed.

I basically stopped storytelling when I returned to teaching - I no longer had flexibility in my schedule to tell stories in schools or libraries during the school year.

I must do some checking.

Pax et bonum

Bad Religion

I finished Ross Douthat's Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics. Great book. Thought provoking.

He captured many of the vague ideas and "feelings" I've been having about the state of faith in America.

I highly recommend it.


Pax et bonum

Last night I had the strangest dream

I had a dream the other night.

In it, I was driving, and I blacked out. I awoke to find myself skirting the right edge of the road, just missing some workers there. I thought I might have been overtired and had nodded off. I pulled over, and realized I had no idea where I was. I looked up at the road signs, and they were in a language I couldn't read. I wondered how I was going to get home. I wondered where home was.

I saw a police car drive by. I thought of trying to get his attention, but I was afraid.

Then I was talking to an officer. But I couldn't understand anything he was saying. I couldn't even understand the words coming out of my mouth, and it was clear he did not understand me.

And suddenly I was with a group of people. I could understand none of them. They could not understand me. A television was on; I couldn't understand any of the words.

I looked at a book: I couldn't understand any of the words in it. I tried writing; what came out on paper was total gibberish to me.

It dawned on me that I had no way of communicating with others verbally. I couldn't teach or work, or do anything involving language. I didn't know if it was permanent.

Then I thought of drawing or painting. Maybe ...

In the back of my mind I wondered - is this what having a stroke is like? They do run in my family.

Strange dream. It's still bothering me.

Pax et bonum

Huckabee in 2016 ... maybe

 

I'm of a divided mind. I still like many things about him - but not all (death penalty, for example).

 

And I wonder if he will have any realistic kind of a chance, given that he seems of an earlier time, and given the way the media is already trying to paint him as a kooky outsider/conservative.

 

I was actively involved in 2008 - even registered as a Republican so I could vote for him in our primary. (Switched to Right to Life Party immediately after he lost the nomination.) But will I have the same commitment this time around?

 

Hard to say.

 

Pax et bonum

 

Supreme Court to Rule on Homosexual So-Called Marriage

The Supreme Court has announced it will be making a decision regarding the constitutionality of homosexual so-called same sex marriage.

The Court might rule that deciding about the issue is, as the Constitution says, up to the states individually.

But the Court could also rule that such so-called marriages are a civil "right," and that states may not have laws that violate that right. There is precedent for that - states may not, for example, prohibit marriages between races as civil rights legislation takes precedence over states' rights to set marriage rules.

If the Court does rule this is a state issue, then the current battles will continue - but the trend seems to be toward legalizing such unions in more and more states.

But if the ruling is that such so-called marriages are a right and must be recognized, I strongly suspect that the current war on people of faith over this issue (and others) will escalate. I think churches and church groups and people of faith will be subject to lawsuit after lawsuit. Even if the church groups keep winning the cases, the drain on time, energy, and money will wear some down so much they surrender, and will damage the others who refuse to give in. And individuals may be even more vulnerable.

But then, Jesus did not promise us complete peace in this life if we follow Him.

Pax et bonum

Music from today's Mass

Our electric guitarist has recovered from a broken finger, and the college student who used to sing with us came back for one Mass while on break, so today Rock of Faith was at full strength.

Here's some of the hymns we did:

www.westsidetechsupport.com/ROF/20150111/01TestifyToLove.mp3

www.westsidetechsupport.com/ROF/20150111/02CryOutWIthJoy.mp3

www.westsidetechsupport.com/ROF/20150111/03LordEveryNation.mp3

www.westsidetechsupport.com/ROF/20150111/04GodOfWonders.mp3

www.westsidetechsupport.com/ROF/20150111/05WeComeToday.mp3

www.westsidetechsupport.com/ROF/20150111/06LetTheRiverFlow.mp3

Pax et bonum

Ordain a Lady (untintentional satire!)

Still a hoot.

Pax et bonum