Time to head to IHOP

Presbyterians greet Lent with about as much enthusiasm as a boring sermon or root canal. We have the wrong perspective, and we’re spiritually poorer for it.

So pause that yawn and let’s take a quick look at the history of this nearly forgotten season.

Lent

From the Old English lencten, Lent means “lengthening days in spring.” It is a time of discipline, reflection and following Christ. It begins with Ash Wednesday and continues for 40 days and the 6 Sundays prior to Easter.

Fat Tuesday

Everyone’s favorite part of Lent comes just before Ash Wednesday, on Shrove Tuesday. Historically, this is when people would confess their sins to a priest and be “shriven,” or absolved from their mishaps. Today, Shrove Tuesday has expanded to include a massive festival in New Orleans. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday. And among other festivities, you will find hordes of people stuffing their faces with pancakes. In years past, people fasted milk and eggs during Lent, so Fat Tuesday pancakes were their last hurrah. Most of us can’t make New Orleans, but IHOP is one tasty alternative to this spiritual adventure.

The Preacher, Plagiarism, & Punxsutawney Phil

On February 2, we mark yet another Groundhog Day. All eyes will be on Punxsutawney Phil, the legendary groundhog who predicts the next 6 weeks of weather without the advantage of Doppler radar or any other meteorological technology. Only an irrefutable shadow.

Some years ago, my son, Andy, wrote a piece about the Punxsutawney Phenomenon. So here’s a little plagiarism for this week’s blog.

1 in 4, 3 in 4, & the 27%...

I am always amazed at those who excel in math.   While I found Algebra and Geometry doable, I never had a class in Calculus, Quantum Physics or Statistics. I hope I am not the poorer for it. Yet, I am fascinated by some modern day stats and what they mean.

I read one the other day that I found most thought provoking. Diana Butler Bass, an innovative researcher and thinker about America and religion, has written a book titled, Christianity after Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. In her research she found that 1 in 4 young adults say they have no religious affiliation.  According to Bass, “They describe themselves as spiritual, not religious, and they are now the third-largest group of believers in America.”

Keep the Dream alive

Today our nation is observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Some of us are old enough to remember exactly where we stood when we heard the news of his assassination in 1968. Those were turbulent times for all of us in America. Still are, in many ways.

The first official observance of MLK Day was in 1986, but it was not universally recognized by all states until as late as 2000.  

And the winner is...

Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman at
the Golden Globes Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

I am not much of a television awards person. I don’t really know the difference between the Peoples’ Choice, the Oscar, the Peabody or the Golden Globe. Yet last night after the NFL playoffs I stumbled upon the Golden Globes just as they were announcing the winner of Best Supporting Actress, which went to Anne Hathaway for her role in Les Misérables. Hugh Jackman also picked up a Golden Globe for his role as Jean Valjean, and the film walked off with Best Musical.

If it's Sunday in Pittsburgh

One of my favorite movies is “Roommates,” starring the late Peter Falk.   The movie never made it big and was not valued in the eyes of movie critics.  But I loved it.

It’s based on the true story of a Polish baker in Pittsburgh, who at the age of 70 raises his young orphaned grandson and puts him through medical school.

In his crusty, curmudgeonly and delightfully humorous way, he loves and cares for his grandson through awkward moments of adolescents, the upheavals of puberty, the turbulent teenage years, the college experimental experience and of course, the grandson’s falling in love for the first time.  

How does the grandfather manage to stay connected to his grandson? 

Blog, Blog, Blog

I was surprised today when one of our staff members said they still had Christmas decorations up, including the tree!  I said, “You have to be kidding me, it’s January 4, 2013.”

Each year on January 1, I pack up all remnants of Christmas, pile them in large plastic bins, and store them away. The last act of all is dragging our live Christmas tree out to the curb for pick up. And despite my efforts and vacuuming, I know I will still be finding tree needles come July 4^th.

With Christmas boxed and hidden under the hallway steps, I turn my attention to the New Year. There is always something special about a new year...another chance to do those things we neglected to do in the year before, or started but never finished.

My thing is blogging! It has been ages since I last blogged any of my thoughts or musings. This year will be different. Our new Director of Communication, “JJ” is keen on blogging. She says it is a MUST in today’s world of technology. In other words, she is going to keep me honest and push me to blog.

So keep an eye open, 2013 is the year of the blog for me. I plan to have a new one each week, and would love your input! So send me your comments and suggestions for blog posts in this New Year. I really do enjoy hearing from you.

Thought for the day from Maya Angelou – “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I hope my blogs will make you think and of course,  smile.   Happy New Year!