respublica

Call Day 2014

Yesterday afternoon the seminary had a vicarage service for those 2nd year students to learn where in the country they will serve their internship year and in the evening a Call service took place for 4th year graduating students to learn where their first congregation will be.

No rain! and lots of familes present.

Here comes the vicarage processional

I wasn't able to take a processional picture during the evening call service because I was in a seat. Here are some candid student shots.

And the dinner we hosted for the Distsrict presidents between services.

 

A sad truck crash

Another tractor trailer crash this morning on I-64 just west of New Baden. The truck slammed into an over pass and the driver was killed. This is not a part of 64 which has a ton of traffic. These things are all too common.

Signing Day at Collinsville HS

This was a different kind of signing day, not for those who accepted athletic scholarships, but for those who received academic scholarships.

"With all of the attention on student athletes and the day they sign to play at the college level, some Collinsville High School teachers and counselors thought their academic stars deserved some of the recognition, too.

On Monday, they gathered in the library, decked out in purple and white balloon sculptures, to honor about 60 seniors who have earned college academic scholarships at the school’s first-ever Academic Signing Day.

The seniors, joined by their parents and friends, sat at a table covered with a purple CHS tablecloth, signing a special certificate and posing for photos with the principal and representative from their college."

Outstanding!

53,000 cases of beer on the road

If we ever needed anymore proof that semi's are too big, this story from Chicago should be the clincher. A beer truck carrying 53,000 cases of beer overturned early Tuesday across all lanes of the Eisenhower Expressway at Harlem.

I can't even get my mind around the 53,000 number.

Too big, too heavy

I did a google search on how much a case of beer weighs for both bottles and cans. 24 bottles of beer in a case weighs approximately 31 pounds and a case of cans weighs 18 pounds. So...

53,000 cases of bottles equals 1,643,000 pounds

53,000 cases of cans equals 954,000 pounds

The dog by the tulips

Only a couple of more days for tulips this season. How short their days, but how beautiful they bloom after a frigid winter.

Ferdie and his bear love them too. He insisted his bear had to go out and lay in the grass with him.

Night patrol

One of our seminary students is doing a police chaplaincy program which involves weekend riding with a St. Louis city policeman during night patrol. The things he's seen would make most of us turn away, but he does not hesitate to get involved and attempt to help. Here's his short write up on last night.

"Tonight has been rough. First a 17 year old gun shot victim who was in critical condition. Talked to his mother- which was hard. Now a 57 year old woman who was run over three times by a hit and run. I talked with a 7 year old boy crying who saw it. I'm glad he was sad. It means not everyone is jaded by seeing evil everyday. Got to pray with him."

A few weeks ago he also posted this:

"As once you welcomed those cast down and healed the sick, the blind, so may all bruised and broken lives through us your help still find. Lord, join our hearts with those who weep that none may weep alone. And help us bear another's pain as though it were our own." -O Christ, Your Heart Compassionate. A beautiful hymn that reminds us to bear one another's burdens. To be there with the broken, as we ourselves are broken. Praise be to Christ who took every broken thing on Himself."

He is one of the many reasons we so love our students here at Concordia Seminary.

Spring storms

Last night brought storms and tornadoes to the midwest, Oklahoma and Arkansas were hit hard. This kind of thing is almost predictable this time of year. Tragic and horrible.

The Missouri Bootheel got 7.9 inches of rain while we got 2.5 inches. While we had lots of lightning and some loud thunder crashes, the rain was a good soaking rain rather than a damaging downpour. I can tell this by looking at all the flowers we planted over the weekend, none of them have been flattened, torn or flooded out. 

But in April, you just never know how or where the worst of the storms will hit and it pays to be prepared and know how to take cover. More storms possible late today/evening.

Wind, storms, semis

You're driving down the interstate and look in the rear view mirror to see a giant two story tractor trailer cab bearing down on you. Another one is on your right side and a third is in front. Such is life on the highways these days, sharing the road with way over-sized trucks. I say this a lot, I admit, but since January there have been so many truck incidents/crashes/blow overs that it pays to give them lots of room.

They are much too big and their height and length makes it much easier to blow over in a high wind or sudden wind shift. Today was another one of these and it shouldn't be a surprise that these big trucks have this happen.

You just don't want to be right next to these guys or just in front because they can't always stop quickly or behind them for that matter. This was on I-70 east of Kansas City and it appears the driver is ok. Good for that, but what about the next truck? Too big too fast too overloaded.

And as if on cue, here is a video made by IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider advising us to use caution around the big trucks.

The great wall

Someone, either the city of Collinsville or IDOT constructed a huge brick all with undulating curves across the south east corner of Clay and Vandalia behind which is the Catholic church and school parking lot. We rather liked the look of it until recently when they added iron gate-like arches across the top and other things. Now it looks a bit too busy.

It's amusing to read the names this wall is being called nowadays. The Great Wall of Collinsville and the Monument to Bert's Chuckwagon. Bert's of course was the iconic A framed place to get tacos and other fun food which sat at that spot for years.

I found this picture of Bert's on Google and it was taken by the owner at some point in its history.

Haven't had a chance to get a picture of the big wall as yet, but one of these days...

When will it end?

Will IDOT ever stop the road construction on I-64 from 255 to the I-55/70 merge? I mean, seriously, they've jammed that area up for years and seem to be doing the same thing over and over. I had to drive it back to St. Louis yesterday and was shocked to see all the barriers and work going. It's a perpetual construction site. I feel sorry for the people who have to use that interstate every day to and from the city.