President Hamilton

A local high school is celebrating its 50th anniversary.  This week's newspaper contains a history of the school district.  In 1959 or '60, a contest was held for naming the new school.  One person suggested naming "Hamilton High School after President Alexander Hamilton."

So now we wonder: Is this what they're teaching the kids in the public school?  That the school is named after President Hamilton?  Or was this just the newspaper's own botch-up?

Don't you wish this were a joke?

FALL Flowers?

Goldenrod and wild asters.  Mums and fall roses.  Wildly red sumac.  Yup.  Sounds like September and October.

But daisies and sunflowers?  Tender young milk weed and new Queen Anne's lace?  Dandelions and bird's-foot trefoil?  And a profusion of wild snapdragons, like I've never seen before!

Not sure what to make of this crazy weather....

Oh, Those Children and Their Comments!

So after chapel each day, the headmaster talks to the student body.  Today there were some geography questions in preparation for December's geography bee.  But the initial question was whether anyone knew the location of last night's presidential debate. 

First guess: North Carolina.

Second guess:  Well, not really a guess.  First-grader Cole starts talking about the debate, and how it was "between Barak Obama and ... and ... and ... uh ...  well ... and ... uh ... well, that OTHER guy, y'know, the one we're cheering for."

(Lots of quiet snickering ensued from the adults.)

And What "Issues, Etc" Said

Pastor Bender was on IE today, talking about his Monday night fun: singing at Wrigley.

Close of the Commandments

"Punishing the children ... to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me."  Unfortunately, I always imagine this with a wagging finger and a scolding tone.

"But showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep My commandments."  It was recently pointed out to me the difference in numbers.  "Third and fourth" versus "a thousand." 

How overwhelming is the mercy in comparison to the punishment!

Pastor Bender at Wrigley

Rachel took video last night from the stands, and hers turned out well too.  But John (Pastor's son) was down on the field, so this is the close-up version.

For those who haven't heard the story:
As part of our 50th anniversary celebration, the congregation attended a Cubs/Brewers game.  Brewers won; Cubs lost.  But Josh Vitters hit his first major league home-run that night ... right into our section of the bleachers.  The church janitor was the one who nabbed the ball, and he handed it to Pastor, who is a loyal Cubs fan.  (He jokes that it's very Lutheran to be a Cubs fan, you see.  It's all about the theology of the cross.)  When the Cubs approached him, asking what they could offer to encourage him to return the memorable ball to Mr Vitters, Pastor said he wanted to sing the National Anthem at a home game.  They'd never been asked that before.  But they agreed to try to make it happen.  And when they heard his audition tape, they gave him the opportunity.  And here he is ...