SteveAndersen.com

So… Some strange things have been happening recently.

For example… not too long ago – there was a woot off (those of you unfamiliar with the woot phenomena are invited to check out woot.com - on your own time of course – eyes front mister!) and rather than sitting at my desk, and updating my blog (yes I know) and mindless hitting refresh waiting to see what new sort of bread-related goodie the woot-off fairy would bring – I went out into my garden and pulled weeds. Completely ignoring the presence of the woot off.

Clearly this is the result of some sort of evil.

Remain vigilant people – or this could happen to you.

Or maybe it is just a result of moving to the country – there is a lot of stuff that is kind of odd out here. Like the water that comes out of my well.

So – recently – or more accurately – a while ago – the more petulant among us have been pointing out the historical fact that Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI was as a young man, a member of the Hitler Youth. Certainly not something one puts at the top of one’s resume’ or even something that one would like to talk about. But it is a fact – the pope was a member of the Hitler Youth.

Now – many of the Roman Catholic hating variety see this as the ultimate in condemnations of the Pope. They see this as an excuse for their hatred, and as further examples of how the Roman church is bloated and corrupt.

The Pro-Roman side has come up with all sorts of techniques for dealing with this – from blatant denials to explanations stating that every German boy of a certain age was automatically, and legally required to join the Hitler youth – but that Ratzinger did not want to join / be a part of the organization.

I think that both are a bit short sighted. For the Pro-Roman side – denials and excuses are not likely to be very convincing, nor are they particularly truthful. The Pope WAS a member of the Hitler Youth – saying he was not does not change anything. The Anti-Romans are simply being counter productive. Let me explain.

Imagine that Benedict XVI WAS a NAZI.

Suppose that he was not just a member of the Hitler Youth, Imagine for a moment that he was the uber NAZI, that he was the most vengeful, virulent, hate-filled NAZI ever, Hitler’s go to man in the extermination camps. Just as many of the Anti-Romans would have you believe.

And now this same man is a, grace filled, gentle, peace loving person who has devoted his life to following a Jew…, teaching others to do the same, and the leader of the worlds largest and most influential Christian church…

That says a lot about the transformative power of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. That says a LOT about the opportunity for reconciliation and redemption that is available through Christ.

Which one matters more? Which is the more powerful message? That the Pope was a NAZI – or that the capacity for change as a result of the Gospel is mind boggling?

Now… imagine for a moment that the Pope was indeed a NAZI, but as the Romans suggest, only unwillingly, as is possibly the case – and ask yourself…

Who cares? Likely most males alive today, had they been born at a place and time in history that would have made the Hitler Youth available to them would have joined – the Hitler Youth started out as the Boy Scouts on crack – it provided opportunities German boys could only dream of outside of the Hitler Youth – Opportunities to learn to fly airplanes, and go camping, and learn to shoot, and build stuff. Yes, all skills that would later be used in the NAZI war machine – but all stuff that most boys LOVE to do. We all would have joined the Hitler Youth – just like the Pope did – and that would not have made any of us little SS officers – just boys who like to do boy stuff. The issue surrounding the Pope – and every person for that matter - should not be membership in a group that ended some 60 years ago – but what it is that Benedict the XVI’s life has been about since then?

God knows we have ALL done things in our youth that we are ashamed of – but those things do not continue to define who we are.

Is Benedict the XVI still a NAZI?

Which matters more, what he was, or what he is?

OK – So when I first looked at the parsonage there was this - …. – lets call it carpet for lack of a better term – in the downstairs. It had previously been a nice, thick, sculptured marbled orange shag. Previously. During the Nixon administration. By the time I saw it, it was beige, mostly, and right out of a Jeff Foxworthy routine. The most unbelievable part however, is that when the church recently paid to replace the linoleum in the kitchen, because the old stuff had several cuts in it, they asked the guy who came out to bid on the job about the afore mentioned “carpet” as well. The guy said – and I swear I am not making this up – “Oh – that carpet is in fine shape – it just needs to be shampooed.” The guy is obviously a crack flooring salesman. Yup – the spots where the sun has faded out the color – the places where it has been trampled down in high traffic areas – the HORRIFICALLY out of date sculptured style … that will all be taken care of with a good shampooing. “Yes friends, you will be amazed at the power of our fine line of restorative carpet shampoos…” YIKES. When I asked people how old the carpet was – no one could remember exactly… the closest I ever got was “Well lets see… we put that carpet in when Pastor Soandso came… and he left in ’72…” But it just needed a good cleaning.

So obviously I told folks that this was not acceptable – and with surprisingly little arm twisting (I think they like me - and they realized that the carpet was – ahem – past it’s prime – which is why they asked the guy about replacing it) I was able to get them to rip it out. Part of the arm twisting was that this house was built in 1920 and there is hardwood under the carpet. That is right – hardwood. Beautiful hardwood. Covered by NASTY carpeting. The hardwood required refinishing, and having a 30 years supply of “carpet fresh” vacuumed off of it (I wish I was kidding) but it looks BEAUTIFUL. Way better than tan / orange sculptured shag.

OK – so I have this hardwood – and I am DELIGHTED about it. But the thing about hardwood is that it has to be swept / vacuumed EVERY bleeding day. If you fail to sweep / vacuum then you will get to walk around on every bit of cat litter, bread crumb, bit of fur, stray bit of popcorn, and general smutz that falls on your floor. If you have never had hardwood floors you would not believe how mangy they get, or how quickly they get that way. It boggles the mind.

Now – those of you who know me, know that like most Americans I am not an enthusiastic house keeper. I just am not. But still - Sandy and I are left to sweep / vacuum the downstairs every day. Or walk on smutz.

Yah – like that is going to happen.

Thankfully however, this IS America, I was not the only one to watch “the Jetsons” as a kid, and we CAN get robots to do our bidding. That’s right friends – Roomba.

I had seen refurb Roomba Reds at Kohls for $85.00 for Christmas – but I was unemployed then I and I was able to guilt myself into thinking that I should just be less lazy and push around an antique upright vacuum. Note: I never was able to guilt myself into actually pushing the vacuum around. So I didn’t get one then – but I have now.

I looked online – to decide which one I needed / wanted and to find good prices… and let me just say that he Roomba website is useless when it comes to product comparisons. I spent hours trying to figure out why the $350 Roomba – “whatever it is” was more than twice as good as the $140 Roomba Red. In the end the only functional difference I could find is that the higher end models come with a $50 charger that I have little use for, and a variety of other bits and bobbles I have 0 use for. So red it is.

So now I have a Roomba Red named Fred. I am not completely comfortable being one of those people that names inanimate objects, but seeing as Fred is animatronic, I am willing to make an exception. That and he does a fine, fine job picking up all of the things my cats, and wife, and I seem to drop on a regular basis. And here is what I have found: you can spend $350 on a vacuuming robot – but all you need is Red, All you need is Red, All you need is Red, Red, Red; Red is all you need. With my apologies to the Beetles.

I put him down, I push a button, I walk away and come back with clean floors. Even I can do that – without a guilt-trip even. All I have to do is some very easy / quick / light maintenance (mostly removing hair that gets stuck in his spinning brushes) empty his basket, and plug him in when he is done cleaning and all is well in the realm. And my feet remain kitty-litter free, which is always a good thing.

I’m too sexy for my robot. Too sexy for my robot. No way I’m vacuuming my floor.