Possession #153 - Suit Coats

My first suit was a JC Penny light brown corduroy 3-piece suit that I wore to high school dances. When I got my first job in a church, my parents bought me a blue suit coat to go along with my blue pants, blue tie and even blue shoes (suede). I still own a couple of suits, but only wear a black one when I go to funerals. The rest of the time a tie is about as formal as it gets.

We live in an interesting time in regards to clothing. For some, more formal outfits are a sign of respect. For others, it's way that people show off. Do you dress more informally in order to be a "man of the people" but then make some think you're being disrespectful. Or do you dress "respectfully" and make others think you're trying to be hot stuff! If only I had my JC Penny suit, I think I could manage both at the same time...

Possession #152 - Stetson Hat

This is my genuine Stetson hat from the Stetson hat factory in St. Joseph, Missouri...courtesy of the good Presbyterians in that city. Although, like all good things, the factory has closed down and consolidated with bigger and bigger corporations so that Stetsons are now made...who knows where! I never much liked hats when I was younger since it frequently caused the dreaded "hat hair!" But now such concerns don't bother me and I welcome a little extra cover on my dome. My Stetson doesn't get as much use as my ball cap, but it's certainly more durable and classy.

Someone recently remarked how strange it is that most everyone seemed to have worn hats years ago and now they've mostly disappeared. I suppose it's a result of the casualization of the country in the '60's. Although I'm not a big fan of cowboy hats worn indoors...they still cut a good figure.

Possession #151 - Wall Hanging

Anybody remember decoupage? I learned how to do it in Junior High and then made this lovely wall hanging for my grandmother. I cut the wood with a scroll saw and decoupaged an old piece of sheet music to it. When she passed away I re-inherited it and now it hangs in our laundry room adding a bit of "class" to it. About that time in my life I also learned to macrame and make string sculptures...but I don't have any remnants of those hobbies. My mom still has a few other samples of childhood hobbies - the kinds of things that only a mother could love. I suppose I'll re-inherit them some day too.

Possession #150 - Fire Extinguishers

Why should you own a fire extinguisher? Because you might purchase a new toaster oven that heats up quicker than your last toaster oven so that you set some toast on fire that threatens to burn down the house except that you have a fire extinguisher. It's amazing how adrenaline sometimes makes you move quicker but also slows down the brain cells - I'm glad these devices are easy to use! Want to know how they make them? Watch this nifty video...

Possession #149 - Clerical Robe

In my first church I wore a robe most every week. In my second church I wore it about half the time. A few years ago, I used to wear a robe only on Christmas eve. Now, mostly for weddings and Halloween. Someone once said that one of the most lasting effects of the '60's is the casualization of America...and for the most part, I'm glad. I have no desire to wear coat and tie to work every day like my father did. I love preaching in shirtsleeves. There are moments, however...like at some funerals I attend these days, at which I hanker for a more formally attired decade. But mostly...bring on the khakis and golf shirts...I'm all for it!

More than a robe, I miss the stole. It's not only more decorative and colorful than a robe, but I like its meaning - it symbolizes service to others. This stole was given to me by my wife when I was ordained. It's the one I wear when I really want to impress!

Now all of this professional clothes gather dust in my closet. What would Calvin say?

Possession #148 - Dog Crate

This is how you accumulate a lot of stuff: We bought a crate for our dog. It was too big. We bought another one. It was too small. Now we have three - one upstairs, one downstairs and one in the garage. We only have one dog. The dog has more beds than I do.

Last year us Americans supposedly spent $51 million on pets.

I'm going to crawl into my crate and go to bed.

Possession #147- Fly Swatter

Among my possessions is a device for killing flies. I'm among those who are so very thankful that I live in an age of indoor plumbing, window screens and air conditioning. These modern conveniences which I take for granted, give me a sense of daily comfort that for most of human history were unknown. And yet...at times...I wonder if these things have so separated me from creation that I tend to see the world as I have molded it rather than the way it is. I'm quite certain that my disconnect with creation contributes to my callousness towards all things natural. I find it important for my own well being to try and find a bit of untamed nature from time to time so that I can remember the natural flow of things. And so, I guess, I'm thankful even for buzzing flies ...sometimes...when they're not dive-bombing me at the dinner table...SPLATTT!

Possession #146 - Sermons

In Marilynne Robinson's wonderful novel "Gilead," the retired pastor, John Ames, looks at a box of old sermons and calculates for his son how many sermons he must have preached over the years. Ames figures he's preached some two hundred and fifty sermons and at some thirty pages a sermon he calculates, "Then I've written two hundred and twenty-five books, which puts me up there with Augustine and Calvin for quantity." I look in my file drawer of sermons and wonder if there's even one novel worth of good words in there. It's certainly a bounty of words.

My sermon writing has gone through a lot of transitions through the years - smaller font to a font big enough for old eyes to see. Manuscript to outline to manuscript. From portrait to landscape. From longer to shorter...but never all that long...long sermons were never much of a temptation for me.

I think I probably only ever preach about 6 different sermons - coming up with endless variations on those themes that seem to occur over and over no matter how creative and bold I think I'm being. But for the most part I love this part of my work. I find great joy and challenge in constructing a verbal piece of art every week, hoping that at least some of the time it's worth a look.

Possession #145 - Dummy

When I started performing children's shows full time, I needed something else in my act. I decided it would be ventriloquism despite the fact that I didn't really know how it worked. Every ventriloquist needs a dummy, and Willy was the one I chose from renowned puppet maker, Clinton Detweiler. Here's a nice video of Terry Fator (Los Vegas ventriloquist who won "America's Got Talent")giving a tribute to Detweiler not long ago. Ventriloquism is a wonderful thing to learn if you like talking to yourself a lot. In fact, people will even pay you for it!

Possession #144 - Stuff I picked up off the ground

OK...is this stuff my stuff? It's just sticks, leaves, seeds and rocks. Rocks were one of the things I had a collection of as a child. In fact, my parents bought me a Junior Geologist kit complete with a rock pick (capable of penetrating silly putty) and hydrochloric acid (.000001%). Later on I started collecting all sorts of stuff I picked up off the ground just because it appealed to me. I keep some of it on a shelf in my office. When I can't find the time in my day for a walk in the woods, I look at my little shelf and remember that there's more beautiful stuff out there that I didn't make than I'll ever attempt to create in my own way. Oh, and the rock is a geode...a good Iowa rock!

Possession # 143 - Spinning Tops

Part of my collection of spinning tops. I subscribe to the late Erma Bombeck's maxim that "two or more of anything constitutes a collection." Once you start a collection, it just seems to grow on its own - you pick up more here and there...others contribute to the pile...it goes on and on...or 'round and 'round, so it seems. I love the variety of tops. Some of them make interesting patterns, some flip upside down, some bounce with springs. I have one of those metal gyroscope toys that I had as a kid. I have a "magic" one that never stops spinning. If you want to watch 8 minutes of spinning top tricks, look here. I gotta go.