Last weekend in CT

So last Weekend Lisa and I were down in New Haven to visit friends (The Yenters). In short a wonderful time complete with an Ikea run, a grand tour of Yale (as Tim is finishing up his doctoral work there) and great food.

But this is what is crazy. So at Yale there are these secretive societies that have there giant meeting halls right in the middle of campus. (If you have seen the Good Shepherd or Bones they are loosely based on these aforementioned clubs) These clubs are so secretive that no one talks about them (Even George W Bush and John Kerry (who were members) will not talk about it...Its an urban legend to the extreme. The clubs obviously have a substantial amount of power and say .Lets be honest here for a minute whats up with the secretive nature and millions(seriously the buildings alone make the church I serve seem cheap and small by comparison) of dollars that are in these clubs all so rich college students can wear robes and pull pranks and do weird rituals and then 20 years later become actively involved in high levels of government?.....

Contrast:

"What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden." The kingdom starts small and then permeates and transforms the larger world. This is the heart of Jesus political imagination...When mustard is crushed, its potency is released. In the blood of the martyrs lies the seed of the church. So there Jesus goes again spinning POWER on its head again. His power was not in crushing but being crushed. Triumphing over the empire's sword with his cross, with his love. and if that were not enough later in the verse Jesus says "the Birds of the air can rest here." To many Jews the kingdom was compared to giant cedars of Lebanon not mustard weeds. And birds of the air were not the majestic birds that Jewish imagery was used to and believed in (eagles) but were the detestable birds that ate animal carcasses...Bless his heart, Jesus was saying the kingdom of God is "for the birds" the undesirables find a home in this little bush.-S.C.

Sometimes I wonder how we train our future leaders (and for that matter how the past were trained) And I wonder how our empire will be remembered (for peace or for the sword?)

I'm going out on a limb here but I'd prefer this creativity and these resources and time and efforts to go to something like...well really anything else worth while...(a long list with sarcastic over and undertones could follow this comment)

wiki the article on secret clubs at Yale...its full of urban legend but worth a short read... S and B at Yale