“GRANDMA SCHMIDT’S APPLE KUCHEN” DISAPPEARS

January 26, 2012

Recently one morning my wife and I hosted the Concordia Retiree Book Club in the East Dining Room. The evening prior Ruth baked “out of this world” rolls  and also “Grandma Schmidt’s Apple Kuchen”. Our guests enjoyed the pastries served on elegant silver trays along with hot steaming coffee or tea. Book discussion completed enough “goodies” remained in anticipation of 0ur morning breakfast for several days to come.  The remaining pastries were placed on a ledge in the mailbox gathering area. Engaging in an extended conversation with a colleague we were out of sight of rolls and kuchen.  Conversation concluded we discovered that Munching Becketwoodian Thieves left a few crumbs for our breakfasts anticipated the next few days.Continue reading ““GRANDMA SCHMIDT’S APPLE KUCHEN” DISAPPEARS”

COSTA CONCORDIA AGROUND – LESSONS FROM THE MANCAVE

Each mid-morning a group of Becketwood Cooperative gentlemen meet for coffee hour in the carpentry-electrical workroom, their mancave, discussing  topics of mutual interest.  Virtually all these men are WWII veterans well into their mid-eighties or early nineties. Upon occasion their war experiences surface for discussion. Such was the case on a recent morning when talk dealt with the capsizing and grounding of the Italian cruise ship,  the Costa Concordia.Continue reading “COSTA CONCORDIA AGROUND – LESSONS FROM THE MANCAVE”

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY – “We Shall Overcome” – HAVE WE?

January 13, 2012

The Civil Rights Decade is bracketed  by the Supreme Court Oliver Brown et. al . decision of 1954  ordering that schools were to be desegregated with “all due and deliberate speed”.  The decade’s bookend is marked by  the Civil Rights Act signed July 2, 1964 by President Johnson in the presence of Martin Luther King Jr. The decade is also remembered as Second Reconstruction,  The Black Revolution,  Second American Revolution, or The Death of Jim Crow.  A split in the Civil Rights movement occurred  ca. 1965 with the emergence of Black Nationalism  with a different strategy and tactic.  Rather than non-violent resistance  Black Nationalism placed emphasis on a proactive independent racial separation of self-determination. Most Americans with a scant grasp of American history were not aware Black Nationalism as strategy was as old as American History. Fear griped many non-black Americans.  The objectives of both approaches was the same, namely,  first class citizenship for the African-American.. One strain sought integration following the leadership of the NAACP, the Urban League, and Martin Luther King. The other fostered Black Nationalisn and leadership of Macomb X, Black Panthers, and such as Stokely Carmichael.  The  Civil Rights Era comes to a close with the conservative national direction chartered by the administration of Richard Nixon.Continue reading “MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY – “We Shall Overcome” – HAVE WE?”

A SIBLING’S CELEBRATORY REQUIEM: Balancing Sadness and Gladness

Funeral service of Holy Communion  for Victoria Ruth (nee Bartling) Bouman  was observed on the Fifth Day of Christmas, December 29, 2011, at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Illinois.  My sister Victoria, eldest of six siblings,  was born  January 14, 1923 and died early morning Christmas Day.

How to frame a eulogy for my sister?  Really, very simple and straightforward . Victoria was gentle, kind, soft-spoken, most supportive of  her younger brother, when reaching young manhood most kindly complimentary.Continue reading “A SIBLING’S CELEBRATORY REQUIEM: Balancing Sadness and Gladness”

FAMILY PHOTOS – MEMORIES – CHRISTMAS (2007), 2011

December 21, 2011

One of my daughters wishes to give her nephew her Christmas table yule log. Our daughter inherited this from her parents who in turn had inherited it from her grandparents (my folks). Did I have information, she inquired, regarding the origins of this family treasure? My wife knew how and when we acquired this treasure. She suggested I view our photo discs to possibly find a picture of the yule log set festively on a Christmas table . Sure enough – a picture in my folk’s home in St. Louis with their grandchildren ranged around (my cousins).  Another similar setting on the occasion of my wife’s fortieth birthday celebrated in St. Louis.  Our grandson, my daughter’s nephew, will be in possession of his great-grandparent’s gift to our Bartling lineage.  Pictures of his -great grandparents, his grandmother, and great uncles and aunts. What follows is some musing on my part regarding  THE CIRCLE OF LIFE   when our children received the family photo discs at Christmas time.

“Memories come to mind when downsizing our family slide collection to DVD format. 916 photos on four discs dated 1958 to 1985. Family picture taking is usually a time of positive family experience. A quarter century of Bartling family photos suggests a theme similar to the animated film The Lion King:  THE  CIRCLE OF LIFE. Continue reading “FAMILY PHOTOS – MEMORIES – CHRISTMAS (2007), 2011”

POLK – THE MEXICAN WAR – BACKGROUND TO CIVIL WAR

December 14, 2011

Robert Merry’s ,  A COUNTRY OF VAST DESIGNS   is a political biography of President James K. Polk, the Mexican War (1846-1848), and  the conquest of  the American  Continent.  Preparing lectures in American history particularly stimulating for me was the Ante Bellum period, partiularly 1830 to 1860, and raising issues serving as prime causation for The C ivil War.  Abolition of slavery was one movementt of  Romantic Reform.  The Mexican Session in the peace treaty with Mexico resulted in acquisition of the vast Southwest.  Raised, as ressult,was the volitile issue of the extension of slavery into the acquired.territories. Both issues led to the splintering  and realignment of political parties north and south at the eve of The Civil War.Continue reading “POLK – THE MEXICAN WAR – BACKGROUND TO CIVIL WAR”

BUCKLEY – INDIVIDUALISM/CHRISTIANITY

A recent op ed  written by Carl Bogus (Startribune, 11/30/11) arrested my attention.  Bogas’ article is titled:  “Why all black and white,  no gray? For GOP it all starts with Buckley.”  The writer suggests the modern conservative movement began 60 years ago when Buckley published “God and Man at Yale”  Yale was criticized for two things,Continue reading “BUCKLEY – INDIVIDUALISM/CHRISTIANITY”

SURPRIZED BY JOY – NEW MATH OF GRACE

Is there anything unique about Christianity? The incarnation of god’s appearing in human form or religious accounts of return from death are shared by various religious traditions. The respected author, C. S. Lewis when asked what is Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions he replied:  “Oh, that’s easy.  It’s grace.” Continue reading “SURPRIZED BY JOY – NEW MATH OF GRACE”

LOCKEAN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND PARTISAN GRIDLOCK

The bipartisan committee of twelve lawmakers appointed by party leaders to trim $1.2 trillion of the national runaway debt over the next decade on the day their report is due have crumbled. Failing to reach a compromise  just how to lower the federal deficit is resulting in the gridlock  blame trading game. political parties  accuse one another for the failure. Republicans reject out of  hand any new taxes, especially any targeted on the affluent. Democrats , on the other hand, insist that there be no money changes in social programs such as Medicare, or Social Security.  A combination of  spending cuts and new tax revenue is their solution. How to meet this impasse? Continue reading “LOCKEAN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND PARTISAN GRIDLOCK”

RESPECTFUL ECUMENICITY

Something I always tried to teach my students and remind  myself is the following ( blog readers know I harp on this):  “that of which you are most certain – of that be most critical”. That should suggest that even though I am a committed Christian with a discreet worldview does not imply one should not be open to other faiths.How best to learn and understand? Keep myself open and intellectually honest and self-critical. Anything less would not be wise or helpful either to myself or others. I should, however, also be able to “give a reason for the hope that is within me”. If God can find me in Christ in no way implies that God  cannot find others  by whatever path or manner God wills. My blog of 11/11/11 “FRED’S’  THANKS FOR FREDSTOCK ” is my approach to a theological stance, worldview, and, as well, political orientation. Many of  ideas expressed here are, I believe,  common to many faith orientations. That does not imply that, inspite of commonalities, there are no important differences.