Wake, Panic, Ramble & Settle

Mornings begin at different times, most often not being able to go back to sleep after getting up to go to the bathroom (well, facts is facts), all too common with us elderly. Just so this morning, much too early, 2:35, mind starts churning, panic flash: OMG did their plane arrive safely in London? spring up quietly, pick up iPhone and MacBook that charged all night, go to the next room. Open MacBook, click on flight tracker to be sure Tass, Jeremy, Caroline and Charlotte are OK, yep, whew. Read email. Joe has a jury summons. There’s the August Sounding. Scroll NYT headlines. Gore Vidal died last night. Phelps has Olympic record 19th. Check National Hurricane Center: tropical cyclone 50% circling out there. August Sounding with intriguing piece based on Martin Marty -- oops email from Kate (Jeremy’s mother), all’s well, and a pic

August Sounding is in my email box this morning, appreciated Senior Warden’s piece citing Martin Marty. A Lutheran, Marty was popular among Lutherans when I was a seminarian at the Lutheran Theological Seminary Gettysburg Pennsylvania 1980 to 1984, but it has been years since I subscribed to and read Marty. LTSG folks were also big on First Things and Richard John Neuhaus, a Lutheran pastor later Roman Catholic priest, whom also I’ve not read in two decades or more.

Prompted by August Sounding, my early morning reading: Marty's July 23, 2012 Sightings essay on the Episcopal Church, then scroll down to, click on links, and read each of Marty’s references. Back and forth about whether the Episcopal Church is caving in to culture with its LBGT stance.

What comes out most intelligently and meaningfully to me is that rather than caving in to culture, the Episcopal Church is bucking culture in the name of the marginalized. Brave if suicidal. If suicidal, it's no less so than the Way of the Cross.

Thunder. TWC shows green, yellow and orange things moving over our area. Hard, driving rain.

TW+