Congregational United Church of Christ, Evansville, Wisconsin: August 24, 2008; Rev. Luke Bocer; "To Whom Do You Belong?"
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Sermon of the Week: 8-17-2008
Fr. Kevin Dooley; 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time: On Growth; Christ's growth; Our Growth...and much more
Friday, August 15, 2008
Feast of the Assumption of Mary: St. Paul's Church
Sermons of Fr. Kevin Dooley: St. Paul's Church: 8-15-2008. Feast of the Assumption of Mary
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Memories of th Pioneer Drive In: The Spatula Days
Sometime ago, when I graduated from high school, I got a summer job at the Pioneer Drive Inn at Hwy 61 and Hwy 244 in White Bear Lake. It was the first job other than lawn care and I still worked the lawn stuff early in the day and then went to the cafe at night.
It was a time of classic transitions----just a mile from the Pioneer Drive Inn, with its classic canopy and the drive up tray holders with the menu and voice system, construction was in progress on the very first McDonalds for White Bear Lake. In just a few months, McDonalds would be rolling out the menu of 25 cent burgers and coke and fries.....and the Pioneer would surely be out of business and sold. Everyone knew. These were the final days.
One of the regular fry cooks had suddenly quit to take a position on the dishwasher line at Whirlpool in St. Paul, and the back up fry cook position had opened up. I was the "gofer" for the early training period, and was trained to be respectful to our head honcho fry cook, "Tony". He was about 21, rode a brand new Harley, and was dating the head waitress, "Susie".
She sure was a beauty-----that Harley. It was a Duo Glide---and by all Harley enthusiasts it was the most beautiful Harley of all time. It was not the Electra Glide--that came next. This was the model with the kick start and the magneto, not the points. Click on the post for some pictures. And it was beautiful. OK. And so was Susie.
Every Saturday night, just about 11PM, when the traffic started to slow just a bit, Tony would turn to me and say, " Well, it's time to blow this pop joint," and he would ceremoniously toss the spatula to me to take over.
Then with a wink, and a smile, he would shout, "Let's go Susie".
He would quickly punch out his time card and the two of them would head out and mount the massive Harley parked neatly on the side of the restaurant, in eye's view of Tony at the grill.
There was something magical about the way those two took off from the Pioneer Drive Inn. Those were the golden early years of biking and------ As modern folks know..... riding back then was rough. Even with shocks front and back.....the bikes still vibrated a lot. The engines were not balanced like they are today.
Then of course you had the people that did not like bikers and would try and run em off the road. You had to be pretty tough back in those days. Those were the Outlaw days of biking.
My wheels were a 52 Buick with a straight stick. Needless to say, I was not in the league of those wild and crazy Harley guys. In fact. In retrospect. I was pretty darn lucky to be back up fry cook and be the recipient of that tossed spatula.
It was a time of classic transitions----just a mile from the Pioneer Drive Inn, with its classic canopy and the drive up tray holders with the menu and voice system, construction was in progress on the very first McDonalds for White Bear Lake. In just a few months, McDonalds would be rolling out the menu of 25 cent burgers and coke and fries.....and the Pioneer would surely be out of business and sold. Everyone knew. These were the final days.
One of the regular fry cooks had suddenly quit to take a position on the dishwasher line at Whirlpool in St. Paul, and the back up fry cook position had opened up. I was the "gofer" for the early training period, and was trained to be respectful to our head honcho fry cook, "Tony". He was about 21, rode a brand new Harley, and was dating the head waitress, "Susie".
She sure was a beauty-----that Harley. It was a Duo Glide---and by all Harley enthusiasts it was the most beautiful Harley of all time. It was not the Electra Glide--that came next. This was the model with the kick start and the magneto, not the points. Click on the post for some pictures. And it was beautiful. OK. And so was Susie.
Every Saturday night, just about 11PM, when the traffic started to slow just a bit, Tony would turn to me and say, " Well, it's time to blow this pop joint," and he would ceremoniously toss the spatula to me to take over.
Then with a wink, and a smile, he would shout, "Let's go Susie".
He would quickly punch out his time card and the two of them would head out and mount the massive Harley parked neatly on the side of the restaurant, in eye's view of Tony at the grill.
There was something magical about the way those two took off from the Pioneer Drive Inn. Those were the golden early years of biking and------ As modern folks know..... riding back then was rough. Even with shocks front and back.....the bikes still vibrated a lot. The engines were not balanced like they are today.
Then of course you had the people that did not like bikers and would try and run em off the road. You had to be pretty tough back in those days. Those were the Outlaw days of biking.
My wheels were a 52 Buick with a straight stick. Needless to say, I was not in the league of those wild and crazy Harley guys. In fact. In retrospect. I was pretty darn lucky to be back up fry cook and be the recipient of that tossed spatula.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sermon of the Week: August 10, 2008
Fr. Kevin Dooley, St. Paul's Parish, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: On Walking on Water; On Asking for Help when drowing...and much more
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Sermon of Week: 8-3-2008: St. Paul's
Fr. Kevin Dooley: St. Paul's Church: August 3, 2008: On Bad Investing: On acquiring that which is free and available in abundant supply and whose returns exceed ten fold.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sermon of the Week; 7-20-2008:
St. Paul's Church: Fr. Kevin Dooley: On the Parables---Why not reading every detail of the explanation is best
Sermon of the Week: "Is your Heart In It?"
St. Paul's: Fr. Kevin Dooley: On Courage, On Having your Heart In it; On the Opposite of Courage----Discourage....and much much more.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Nostalgia: A Poscript on the "Wild West"
There is a notion...and it has been pretty doggone persistent over a few hundred years, that back in them there pioneer days, there was just the natural ways...just the wild and free livin of truly lawless and unrestrained individuals-----
There is also the further notion, that if we could just somehow get back to those good old days of wild livin, free of a strong central government....and in fact free of all regulation and inhibition of any kind, that ....well.....we would be perfectly happy....and if one was a business owner....rich....which is the same thing.
As a young boy, I had the freedom to read all the stories of Wyatt Erpe. I know that there was a lot more law in them there parts than some folks remember. I know that the lawmen did their job. Many gun toting hombres were driven from town. Back when the frontier was the frontier. When saloons were saloons. When bricks were bricks. When good was good....and bad was just bad....and not bad to the bone.
There is also the further notion, that if we could just somehow get back to those good old days of wild livin, free of a strong central government....and in fact free of all regulation and inhibition of any kind, that ....well.....we would be perfectly happy....and if one was a business owner....rich....which is the same thing.
As a young boy, I had the freedom to read all the stories of Wyatt Erpe. I know that there was a lot more law in them there parts than some folks remember. I know that the lawmen did their job. Many gun toting hombres were driven from town. Back when the frontier was the frontier. When saloons were saloons. When bricks were bricks. When good was good....and bad was just bad....and not bad to the bone.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Nostalgia; When Denial is the Only Weapon
Over a lifetime, I have become somewhat a specialist in "Denial." When I worked in a health care setting years ago, I picked up a book on Death and Dying and reviewed the four stages of loss----denial, anger, bargaining, and finally acceptance. The problem was, of course, those of us in a health setting rarely saw anything but the first two stages. And I came to a simple amazement of the power of denial in grief, loss, and in a lot of areas of life.
Denial gives me the power to run or bike and pretend that I am 18. Too much awareness of the total risks of life would be too much. A little denial is good. Anything is still possible. Without a little blocking, enthusiasm might be somewhat difficult.
Two other great weapons are blame and resentment. Whenever there is change, count on those two emotions.
This coming week is the week of graduation. It is also a time of huge risk of death on the highway. I hope we as a community, beginning with parents and teens, can pledge not to drink and drive.
Now is the time for responsibiity, not blame. It is the time to see and not be blind to what is clearly before us.
Denial gives me the power to run or bike and pretend that I am 18. Too much awareness of the total risks of life would be too much. A little denial is good. Anything is still possible. Without a little blocking, enthusiasm might be somewhat difficult.
Two other great weapons are blame and resentment. Whenever there is change, count on those two emotions.
This coming week is the week of graduation. It is also a time of huge risk of death on the highway. I hope we as a community, beginning with parents and teens, can pledge not to drink and drive.
Now is the time for responsibiity, not blame. It is the time to see and not be blind to what is clearly before us.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Nostalgia: Markets: What a difference 9 months makes:
Click on the post for a reflection from last October.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Nostalgia: On Being 18; on Being a Pioneer: and a FryCook; The Harley Days
Sometime ago, when I graduated from high school, I got a summer job at the Pioneer Drive Inn at Hwy 61 and Hwy 244 in White Bear Lake. It was the first job other than lawn care and I still worked the lawn stuff early in the day and then went to the cafe at night. It was a time of classic transitions----just a mile from the Pioneer Drive Inn, with its classic canopy and the drive up tray holders with the menu and voice system, construction was in progress on the very first McDonalds for White Bear Lake. In just a few months, McDonalds would be rolling out the menu of 25 cent burgers and coke and fries.....and the Pioneer would surely be out of business and sold.
Everyone knew. These were the final days. One of the regular fry cooks had suddenly quit to take a position on the dishwasher line at Whirlpool in St. Paul, and the back up fry cook position had opened up. I was the "gofer" for the early training period, and was trained to be respectful to our head honcho fry cook, "Tony". He was about 21, rode a brand new Harley, and was dating the head waitress, "Susie". She sure was a beauty-----that Harley. It was a Duo Glide---and by all Harley enthusiasts it was the most beautiful Harley of all time. It was not the Electra Glide--that came next. This was the model with the kick start and the magneto, not the points. Click on the post for some pictures. And it was beautiful. OK. And so was Susie.
Every Saturday night, just about 11PM, when the traffic started to slow just a bit, Tony would turn to me and say, " Well, it's time to blow this pop joint," and he would ceremoniously toss the spatula to me to take over. Then with a wink, and a smile, he would shout, "Let's go Susie". He would quickly punch out his time card and the two of them would head out and mount the massive Harley parked neatly on the side of the restaurant, in eye's view of Tony at the grill. There was something magical about the way those two took off from the Pioneer Drive Inn.
Those were the golden early years of biking and------ As modern folks know..... riding back then was rough. Even with shocks front and back.....the bikes still vibrated a lot. The engines were not balanced like they are today. Then of course you had the people that did not like bikers and would try and run em off the road. You had to be pretty tough back in those days. Those were the Outlaw days of biking. My wheels were a 52 Buick with a straight stick. Needless to say, I was not in the league of those wild and crazy Harley guys. In fact. In retrospect. I was pretty darn lucky to be back up fry cook and be the recipient of that tossed spatula.
Everyone knew. These were the final days. One of the regular fry cooks had suddenly quit to take a position on the dishwasher line at Whirlpool in St. Paul, and the back up fry cook position had opened up. I was the "gofer" for the early training period, and was trained to be respectful to our head honcho fry cook, "Tony". He was about 21, rode a brand new Harley, and was dating the head waitress, "Susie". She sure was a beauty-----that Harley. It was a Duo Glide---and by all Harley enthusiasts it was the most beautiful Harley of all time. It was not the Electra Glide--that came next. This was the model with the kick start and the magneto, not the points. Click on the post for some pictures. And it was beautiful. OK. And so was Susie.
Every Saturday night, just about 11PM, when the traffic started to slow just a bit, Tony would turn to me and say, " Well, it's time to blow this pop joint," and he would ceremoniously toss the spatula to me to take over. Then with a wink, and a smile, he would shout, "Let's go Susie". He would quickly punch out his time card and the two of them would head out and mount the massive Harley parked neatly on the side of the restaurant, in eye's view of Tony at the grill. There was something magical about the way those two took off from the Pioneer Drive Inn.
Those were the golden early years of biking and------ As modern folks know..... riding back then was rough. Even with shocks front and back.....the bikes still vibrated a lot. The engines were not balanced like they are today. Then of course you had the people that did not like bikers and would try and run em off the road. You had to be pretty tough back in those days. Those were the Outlaw days of biking. My wheels were a 52 Buick with a straight stick. Needless to say, I was not in the league of those wild and crazy Harley guys. In fact. In retrospect. I was pretty darn lucky to be back up fry cook and be the recipient of that tossed spatula.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sermon of the Week: 6-15-2008; Fr. Kevin Dooley
On the Story of Tyko Intl; On Jeremiah; On Judas ; On using the grace of the Lord and not resisting, hoping to do it our own way .....and much more.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Video: St. Paul's; 1 of 2; Fr. Kevin Dooley: 6-8-2008
Sermon of the Week: Graduation Day: 6-8-2008: Graduating Up to a Merciful Heart; 1 of 2 Video.
St. Paul's: 6-8-2008
Sermon of the Week: Fr. Kevin Dooley: Graduation Day 6-8-2008; On Graduating Up to a Merciful Heart 2 of 2 video.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
I have Everything I need------a true story
Recently I bought a turntable so we could play some of those oldies and goodies from the 50's that I have stored in a stack in the carriage house. When I mention the stack, and ask friends where theirs is---they know excactly the spot. It probably has stayed untouched for a couple of decades.
As I sorted through the LP's, between my favorites, Johnney Rivers , Bob Dylan and such, I stacked hers and mine in separate stacks. After I had them all in order, I counted the big 5 vinyl records from my high school days----that is correct----five.
I then quickly went over and looked at the stack of cd's that I have accumulated---presto. I had added more than five in the past week. Many kids probably download more music in a day than we used to buy and collect in a year during the 60's.
I reflected on all of this as I was wandering my gaze while Nordic Tracking last week, and thinking of the huge job I faced in cleaning up my treasures of the past. I am not sure whether the sore muscles from Nordic Tracking or just the thought of all that heavy lifting, but I announced my new concept at the dinner table last night: " I have everything I need. Period."
Before you even think of trying that out in your family, be warned. It is an explosive concept.
My wife quickly spoke up. "Speak for yourself. I need the following items..............." Quite a list.
Suffice it to say we are still discussing my "problem" and considering a joint decision in the matter. However. It is clear to me that while the "War on Terror" and "Urban Sprawl" are big sized problems, as is the everypresent "Energy Crisis" ---- I would list the "Consumption Crisis" right up there with the best.
In fact. I would issue the challenge. Announce at dinner tonight that you need not buy another thing. See what happens.
You make the call.
As I sorted through the LP's, between my favorites, Johnney Rivers , Bob Dylan and such, I stacked hers and mine in separate stacks. After I had them all in order, I counted the big 5 vinyl records from my high school days----that is correct----five.
I then quickly went over and looked at the stack of cd's that I have accumulated---presto. I had added more than five in the past week. Many kids probably download more music in a day than we used to buy and collect in a year during the 60's.
I reflected on all of this as I was wandering my gaze while Nordic Tracking last week, and thinking of the huge job I faced in cleaning up my treasures of the past. I am not sure whether the sore muscles from Nordic Tracking or just the thought of all that heavy lifting, but I announced my new concept at the dinner table last night: " I have everything I need. Period."
Before you even think of trying that out in your family, be warned. It is an explosive concept.
My wife quickly spoke up. "Speak for yourself. I need the following items..............." Quite a list.
Suffice it to say we are still discussing my "problem" and considering a joint decision in the matter. However. It is clear to me that while the "War on Terror" and "Urban Sprawl" are big sized problems, as is the everypresent "Energy Crisis" ---- I would list the "Consumption Crisis" right up there with the best.
In fact. I would issue the challenge. Announce at dinner tonight that you need not buy another thing. See what happens.
You make the call.
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