Friday

The heat has returned to Kyiv. At times, I feel like one of those old people who always are talking about the weather. But the heat, at times, is just unbearable. Enough about that.

It seems recently I have been overwhelmed by the sorrow in the world, the pain in life, the frustration of the unknown. Our group on Wednesday was depressing for me. The story of a 4-year-old who had died of an aggressive cancer. Other sadnesses. Of course there were good things. But the sadness seemed to garner my attention. I also seem to be privy to the heartache of others. I was recently telling someone that full-time ministry is not the cake walk some may think it is. In a way, there is a burden in knowing so much of what is going on in the lives of others. Or, at least I haven't been doing the best job of letting go of that burden recently.

In other news, Thursday night I had a meeting with Oleg about his sermon this Sunday. That's exciting and good. We sat in the Kyiv Polytech Park near the statue of Mendeleev, the guy who invented the periodic table. There was a little kid running around who tried to pee on Mendeleev.

I've also been cooking a bit. Lena's family is here. An apple pie for Lena's mom, oatmeal raisin cookies and white chili for Lena's sister and her birthday, chicken salad for general consumption. I don't mind cooking at all. I mind shopping. It seems I am at war when I go to that grocery store. To combat this warmongering, I have decided to try to do one nice thing for someone else while I am shopping. I let someone go in front of me at the check out recently. She was shocked. Thanked me. Then thanked me after she paid. I guess doing good really is the best answer to the problem of evil. Then, that creates the problem of good for the theologians.

I am now reading Max Weber's controversial The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. I have also been listening to some lectures on the Reformation and the so-called religious wars that followed. The lecturer keeps calling them the religious wars though religion was only one component of the immensely complex causes of the series of conflicts. I am not sure why they aren't called the greedy wars or the land-grabbing wars.

Monday, June 11, is the visa interview. Say a little prayer that all goes smoothly.

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Recently I read several bloggers commenting about blogger fatigue or taking a blog sabbatical. I have never thought too much about this blog to consider that I could experience fatigue from it. I just write about what's going on in our little world, mostly so my supporters can be informed without filling up their inbox or mailbox with too much junk. I do think, though, I have commenting fatigue. I feel guilty if I don't comment on other blogs, especially people I know. I have left a few comments. Generally, later I realized that was pointless. I also hate these blogs where people try to debate things but they don't know too much about the subject or they are mostly interested in posturing. Or it's a huge topic and that only our reasoning ability is being insulted when we think somehow on a blog this can be settled. Or those people who are mean. I really hate that. So I am thinking about turning off the comment function on this blog. I guess this will be the last post with comments. Thanks to everyone who has dropped by. Keep reading if you like. I'll keep meandering--at least until the first set of assignments is due in grad school.