* No one in the immediate family gets awards – their significance goes without saying!
* No one gets an award who would expect to get one – that defeats the purpose.
* Awards are presented in random order; I’m giving 7 for no other reason than that it seems like a good biblical number. (and, after two whole years’ worth of precedence, it’s now “the way it’s always been done”)

I’m sure you’ve been waiting eagerly, so with no more waiting, here you go!

Award #1: Synod Peeps
There are three in particular: M. Ehrenfried, T. Goodhart, and S. Midge. I could easily add J. Grevenstuk (but I won’t since she got an award last year ) or any number of others (there are several who could easily be added to that list), but these three have been consistent for several years now. Those who know me well, know that I look forward to the RCA’s General Synod each year more than just about any other event (General Synod is our denominations big yearly meeting). Not only do I enjoy seeing the church work at that level, I love the camaraderie and the unparalleled opportunity to worship, catch up, study, argue, and have fun with one another.

Award #2: The Webster Arboretum
If you live in the area, you must check the arboretum out. It is free; there are several beautiful paths for walking; it has a wonderful little pond, and it borders on a park with an excellent playground. No matter what life throws your way, it is the perfect place for a little bit of quietness.

Award #3: Richard Reinhart
Richard Reinhart is the author of a number of exceptional bread cookbooks. There is absolutely nothing more incredible than fresh bread. Baking it is good for the soul; eating it is good for the body; sharing it is good for community. All in all, there is little better than the smell of bread in the oven and Richard Reinhart’s books make it possible for normal people to produce nearly bakery-quality breads in a home kitchen. I particularly recommend The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and American Pie. You don’t want to actually go through the hassle of making your own bread? It doesn’t matter, his writing makes great reading, even for non-bakers.

Award #4: Letter Writing
I have never really been a letter-writer. Over the past months, however, I’ve grown to love letters and begun writing them. There’s something about putting pen to paper, about addressing an envelope, about affixing a stamp – something that isn’t matched by hitting “send” on an e-mail or txt. I’m not so ignorant as to believe that the “good ol’ days” were actually all that good (they certainly had they’re problems!) but I do appreciate some of the good ol’ things, and letter writing is beginning to rank among the items on that list – especially when done with a fountain pen!

Award #5: the Men who Knit
Whether it’s the men on MenWhoKnit.com or Ravelry, these men have remained a constant source of encouragement and support. Ironically, I have met few of them in real life, yet they are clear proof that online friendships can be strong and life-giving. I could name many, but particular mention certainly go to E. Mason, G. Patrick, B. Rohr, and J. Wilcox. I hope – over time – I can extend to them even a portion of good will and encouragement that they’ve shown me.

Award #6: AIDS Care, Rochester
I have only recently become aware of AIDS Care Rochester, but since then I have become increasingly impressed by the work they do. Testing, counseling, prevention services, etc., etc. The list of what they do is too long for this setting. I tentatively hope to ride their 5-day AIDS Red Ribbon Ride in August 2012. It is a fund raising ride, so stay tuned – in the next few weeks I hope to have my fund-raising page up and running!

Award #7: LuYH & Psalms for all Seasons Committee(s)
For the better part of a decade, I have been working with an awesome group of men and women culled from the RCA and the CRCNA in an effort to produce the first RCA/CRCNA bi-denominational hymnal. It has been an immense amount of work but everyone on the group is wonderful. I love every moment spent with them and, as the end begins to appear on the horizon, I’m looking forward to publication. The award goes to the subgroup who just published an off-shoot project entitled Psalms for All Seasons (you want this Psalms resource!) but also to the editorial committee of the hymnal (publication 2013). Love you all!

Have a wonderfully blessed and love-filled new year!

Grace and peace,
`tim

Anyhow, thought I’d check in… (Of course, not in any particular order…)

Church (Dunningville):
Things are going well at church. Dunningville has been patient with me over the past months as I’ve been working on my thesis; hopefully they will have enough patience to make it through the next month or so, even though some things haven’t gotten the attention I would have liked to give them.

Joyfully, we celebrated the sacrament of baptism on Sunday. Equally as joyfully, I have Sunday off and don’t have to lead/preach/etc.

Our Adult Sunday school class is working our way through the Heidelberg Catechism (for the second time) and currently in the middle of my favorite part (the part on the sacraments). The evening service has finished a study of Galatians (which was perhaps the most transformative series I’ve ever preached – for me, at least, I can’t speak for anyone else!) and we’ve just started a study of the first 9 chapters of Judges — wow… that’s going to be fun.

Church (RCA’s Worship Commission):
The Worship Commission met last week – what a great group of people! We polished up a liturgy we’re hoping to submit to synod this summer for approval as our first official “occasional use” sacramental liturgy.

Church (RCA/CRC Hymnal):
We had our most recent editorial committee meeting for the joint hymnal about a week ago – another great group! I have high hopes for this project; theoretically we are putting together a hymnal that will inform the worship of a generation in some congregations.

Thesis:
Currently, I’m in the middle of my yearly week of “education” time working on my D.Min. thesis. As you may know, I’m drastically behind on it but am still hoping to get it done on a time line that will allow me to graduate this spring. Everything has conspired against it including medial tests for our daughter, surgery for my wife, and my adviser quitting and moving back into the parish – all of which are potentially good things but not particularly helpful when it comes to my thesis. As it sits, the rough draft is done; my adviser has constructively criticized it (truly, he was constructive); I’m rewriting and reworking it this week and hoping to have a “final” draft done to be submitted by the middle of March.

Knitting
I’m currently in the middle of another Baby Surprise Jacket (which is looking more boy-ish than expected) and have purchased the yarn for a girl-ish sweater. One of them will go to some college friends of mine who are expected a new baby just around the corner, the other of which doesn’t have an intended home yet.

I’ve also scheduled a class on Brooklyntweed‘s Habitat which I’ll be teaching at Lizzie Ann’s (my local, and absolutely favorite, yarn shop) and a two-part tatting class for later in March — fun!

If you’re wondering about the Kimono I’ve started for JJ, it hasn’t gotten anywhere. I need absolute attention to keep my count on the chart and haven’t been able to give it that recently.

Beer:
No new beer brewed recently. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks – I’d like a fresh batch ready for the beginning of summer.

Coffee:
Have I told you how much I love coffee? Really?! Currently I’m drinking our favorite (Sweet Maria’s Monkey Blend which we use for just about everything – espresso, drip, mokka, etc). I’m also working on getting the hang of using a Chemex, which I bought using a gift certificate my MiL gave me for my birthday. I’d highly recommend it: smooth brew, low acid. It seems like the filters are overly hefty though.

Ragbrai:
I’m signed up… hoping to make it again this year! Druck your Daumen for me!

Latest gripe?
I recently received an Adeo from Motion Lingo. I’m certain I’ll love it but the blasted thing doesn’t work on Vista. Oh Vista, how I detest thee. Oh, and we’ve done a number of tests trying to figure out what’s going on with Sophia – nothing yet, and I’m exceedingly disappointed in DeVos Children’s Hospital. Don’t get me started! (But, thank you for those who’ve asked about her, we deeply appreciate it!)

Well, that’s pretty much it right now. Hope you’re well; we are.

Grace and peace,
`tim

I suppose some of you might be wondering “Why?” There is the (mis)perception “out there” that hymnals are a thing of the past and that “no one” uses them any more. Anecdotally, let me note that the congregation I serve is a fairly healthy congregation and we use a hymnal for the majority of our songs. (We also have a suppliment entitled “Sing! A new Creation” – which was the RCA/CRC’s first major attempt at song-book-collaboration.) A little less anecdotally, here is what the committee’s FAQ says:

Why another hymnal?

In worship one of the main ways we praise and honor God, give voice to our prayers, and communicate the wonders of God’s works is through song. Though the underlying gospel message doesn’t change from generation to generation, the concerns, prayers, and social context of each generation does. Since the publication of Rejoice in the Lord, and The Psalter Hymnal we have seen sociological change with a move toward postmodernism and witnessed the exponential growth of technology – our world is very different today than it was twenty years ago. The words we use for worship need to express these new realities that form the backgdrop of our worship – a new hymnal for a new generation.

The desire for a new hymnal for a new generation fits with the reality that a hymnal has a lifespan of about 20 years. The Psalter Hymnal and Rejoice in the Lord have both surpassed the 20-year mark. A new or revised hymnal about every 20 years has also been the practice of the CRC, with hymnals being released in 1914, 1934, 1959, 1976, and 1987.

Are there enough churches that use hymnals to make this project worthwhile?

Yes, there are. Before we began this process we did a survey of churches in the CRC and RCA and found that there are still a significant number of churches that use hymnals and will continue to do so. Also, many churches that rely primarily on modern presentation technologies anticipate keeping a hymnbook in the pew as a supplemental worship resource.

The “why” is pretty easy. The “how,” on the other hand, is a very difficult question to answer.

• There are differences in the way our denominations handle hymnals;
• there are differences in the way we handle music within each denomination, and
• there are differences in our approach to worship music between each denomination;
• there is a lot of “baggage” in both denominations about the most recent publications (RCA: Rejoice in the Lord, CRC: The Psalter Hymnal – that is, the grey “new” one);
• there are a variety of genres and cultures that must be reflected in a hymnal such as this that are not well reflected in any other hymnal (denominational or commercial);
• hymnals serve both a reflective purpose (they express who we are) and a pedagogical purpose (they lead us into greater faithfulness);
• the list could go on…

We have begun to answer many of these questions (as a thirteen-member editorial team) and will be interacting directly with a larger advisory committee (made up of about eighty people from both denominations). In short, this is not a “back room” process attempting to hijack the worship lives of the RCA and CRC, it is an open and collaborative project engaging people from…

• both denominations,
• multiple ethnicities/racial backgrounds/cultures/languages,
• a variety of education-levels,
• diverse geographic make-up, and
• different styles.

I can’t wait to share more as we get going… hopefully this gets you excited.

Pray for us…

Grace and Peace,

`tim

I am one of the members of the editorial committee and we are meeting with a larger advisory committee today and tomorrow morning (and will be meeting as an editorial committee tomorrow afternoon and evening).  The groups are great; the presentations are wonderful.  The excitement is catchy, and I am increasingly looking forward to the continuation of the process (and, of course, it’s eventual outcome).

Perhaps the most exciting thing to take place today was a presentation on church history.  Yes, church history.  Bert Polman plowed us through over 2000 years of hymnology and biblical song in less than 2 hours.  Funny.  Powerful. Engaging.  Brilliant.  If you ever get the chance to her him speak/teach take it.  You won’t regret it.

If you’re from Dunningville, watch out: It is my hope to get him to do a similar presentation at our church some time… cross your fingers – you’ll love it!

Grace and Peace,

  `tim