Northwoods Seelsorger

Talk of reparations is again in the news.  The 2020 presidential election has given it a renewed voice.  Reparations is defined as " the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged."  In the current case the "wronged" involve African-Americans and the wrong done involves our country's history of slavery.  According to CBS news " House lawmakers held a hearing last month over a bill that would set up a commission to study paying reparations for slavery. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Texas, is sponsoring that bill." I am a Caucasian male, so to speak to this issue may be considered inappropriate.  I cannot relate, personally, to current issues affecting African-Americans.  True enough.  However, I am a citizen of the US and how we address the past in the present does impact my life.   Although I have done some genealogical research into my family tree, I cannot tell you if any of my de

Proper etiquette informs us that the use of an honorary doctorate is in association with the institution that granted it.  In other words, you can be addressed as "Dr." in correspondence to and from that institution or while there.  Outside of it, however, you may list the degree as a post-nominal, such as (if I had one): The Rev. Donald V. Engebretson, D.D.  I have noticed for some time, though, that many ordained clergy quickly begin to use the title in most settings.  A notorious example would be Bill Graham.  He had only an earned undergraduate degree (and a non-theological one at that), yet most addressed him as "Dr. Billy Graham."  This goes well beyond the famous.  Many in my own denomination freely use the title despite the fact the doctorate is not earned.  I understand the temptation.  If I was granted an honorary doctorate it would be neat to see my name listed after "the Rev. Dr."  Yet I know in my heart this constitutes pure pride, someth

I have a friend in the ministry who loves to learn. He described himself as an autodidact.  An autodidact, simply put, is a self-taught person.  You can check the internet for lists of famous autodidacts.  They come from all fields of work and learning.  Some dropped out of school already in their teens and never returned.  Yet they mastered their craft, made money doing it, and many became quite famous.  I have three degrees beyond high school, so I'm a product of the educational system.  To a point.  I am fortunate that going to school did not kill my love of learning.  In the best sense I gained tools to use to further my education beyond what I learned in the classroom.  My last degree, a second-level research master's degree (which required a master's degree as a prerequisite) was one of my most valuable.  The capstone of the degree involved a thesis.  Since the degree was originally described as "interdisciplinary" I attempted to write a thesis that combin

It has been a little over seven months since Romeo died.  He was 17 years and 7 months old, a very long life for a cat. I am still grieving. As a pastor and emergency service worker I have dealt with death in many forms for years.  Recently I responded to a house fire that claimed the lives of six people, four of whom were children.  The next day another response to the house where a woman with stage 4 cancer had died.  Perhaps it's the conditioning over the years, but I don't tend to get overwhelmed by these deaths.  But Romeo's death hit me hard.  I have grieved his death in a way I have not grieved for a long time. People without pets will hear this and be confused.  It's only a pet, they might say.  It's not a person, certainly not a family member.  Or maybe that's not entirely true.  Romeo was part of my family longer than my adopted father who I had as a father for only about 16 years.  Romeo was with me closer to 18.  And comparatively speaking Romeo an