Howie Luvzus

Can you tell your story in six words?

Here’s my entry:

Can’t stand being excluded, Jesus’ story.

Says a lot about me. Explains why losing my job due to Katrina has been so devastating to me. Guess that’s why watching my neighbors wait for days to be rescued from the Superdome makes me so mad too.

Guess that’s why I’ve always identified with the outcasts. Anabaptists were always inspiring to me even when they were wrong.

My friend Michael invited me to the Saints-Falcons game months ago. I was really excited about going, but I really had no clue how special it was going to be. The day didn’t start off too well. Due to misinformation I wasn’t able to get my motorcycle license yesterday. I so looked forward to riding Michael around on it.

While I was at the DMV, my friend Jerry called and said that I would be teaching two classes at XU next semester and would be brought back full-time in the Fall of 07! Good deal! This great news was followed up by a great set by Cowboy Mouth. My voice was gone before I got into the Superdome! Mike and I listened to the Goo Goo Dolls as we waited to enter the dome. Of course, the U2/Greenday/Brass Band opening was really cool.

Then…the game. It was unbelievable! Thanks Michael! Thanks Jerry!

I’ve got an interview Friday morning. It’s not with a college or university though. I’m also sending out resumes to non-profits. I know I’ll make more money than my Xavier job, but the change is a bit scary. I loved teaching. I loved the fact that I was pretty much free to do what I wanted. I actually got paid to read and research how cool is that?

But life goes on. An unemployed theologian. Oh well. I’ll be finishing up the grant soon, so I need to find a job. Hey, I’ve got to look on the bright side, if I get this job I’ll be able to get a new car with A/C and even one of those cool blackberry thingys!

I’ll also have to buy some new clothes. I won’t be able to wear jeans and tennis shoes to work anymore. I’ve gained a lot of weight since Katrina so it won’t be fun to get bigger pants. Must be all the extra beer. I’ve really got to slow down with my calorie intake. Too bad I’m not one of those who losses weight under stress!

Today was a very difficult day for me. Xavier started classes today. I read my friend Michael’s blog and felt really low. He posted a picture of his students and some of them had been in my class at the beginning of the year.

It’s cold and snowing like crazy. Guess I’ll just head back to bed.

Yesterday was a great day. My friend Joey from Memphis called and is coming to see me Sunday! He always makes me laugh. He is a great guy. We’ll have a great time together.

My friend Dan, from Nebraska called and reminded me that it could be colder than it is in Nashville. I don’t know if I believe him! He also graciously asked me to write an article about my experiences as a result of Katrina. Thanks for thinking of me Dan! I’m looking forward to writing this for you.

They ran out of my flavor of beer at the Crescent City Cafe (might be a sign of something) and I drank a Stella Artois beer. It’s made in Leuven, Belgium where three of my former colleagues at Xavier did their doctoral work. Phil, Gerald, and Jerry–it was an honor and so much fun working with you guys. I learned so much from y’all. You treated me with such respect. I’ll always remember Gerald’s outrage when my dissertation committee made me rewrite my dissertation. I’ll never forget Jerry and Angeles’ care for Shirley during her cancer and stopping by to see me in Nashville. I so miss Phil sitting in my office and talking about everything from golf to the real stuff of life. Here’s to you guys I love you and miss you very much.

Sometimes I think I’m bipolar. My trip to New Orleans for Thanksgiving was wonderful, but also a bit bittersweet. I got to take both of my girls to the Quarter and listen to live Jazz while I sipped on a Turbodog. The zoo reopened so we also got to go there. The weather was perfect! I also was able to finish the front bathroom. I installed the shower surround kit and finished the plumbing. (Got to use my torch twice!) Fixing the roof was a major pain, but hopefully Howie Jr won’t get wet next time it rains.

Turducken was great. I was also able to spend time with son #1. He’s such a great guy. I miss him so much. Shirley had the week off so we got to stay up late every night! Shirley Jr was as fun as ever and Howie Jr was very busy as usual.

Driving past Xavier was very difficult. Even if I were to be asked back, it wouldn’t be the same. So in the middle of this wonderful week with my family, I was often gripped with sadness. Life will never be the same. Spending time in New Orleans itself is depressing. All you see on the news and read about in the paper is about the hurricane. I actually looked forward to getting back to Music City.

But, when I got here I realized how much I miss my family. Life will never be the same. I’ll never get this time back. But I must make the most of it. I’ll tell you the good things I’ve learned from this mess.

I believe now more than ever in Grace. My lowest points seem to always be met by Grace. Yesterday, the maintenance man came to fix my sink. He told me about how he used his vacation time to set up showers in a shelter for victims of Katrina. He told me about Paw Paw in Crowley La and his struggles. He shook my hand and said he’d pray for me. He said that if he could help me in any way to let him know. And he meant it.
Jason is giving me his bike today. I advertised on Craig’s List that I needed a bike and Jason is bringing it to me today. These acts of kindness may not seem like much, but to me they are huge.

I didn’t think I could love my wife more than I did, but I do. She is more beautiful and full of wisdom and strength than ever. I am so blessed I can’t describe it. I also appreciate how good my kids are. Shirley Jr really doesn’t like her school at all. But she looks to the time when she will be back at her old school and she continues to be as positive and sweet as ever. Howie Jr made the honor roll! Damn, I’m proud of him! Son #1 is growing and learning and was so sweet to his little sister!

Life will never be the same. Fortunately, my outlook on life will never be the same either!

Thanks to Joe Kennedy for reminding me I’ve been too negative lately. Returning to New Orleans for the week has done that to me. It’s true that in many cases New Orleanians love to b*tch and are often not thankful when they should be. So here goes—

I’d like to thank the nice ladies in Clarkesville Tn at the Red Cross center for providing me with a listening ear, a possible place to stay in Nashville, and a white credit card! Y’all were so wonderful. I’d like to thank the folks in Houston Co. TN for being so nice to my family. Both my kids (the oldest was at the University of Florida) were welcomed with open arms to their schools. Howie Jr got to play on the football team. #71 rules! Shirley Jr was invited to a sleep-over and my family there was great! The ladies at the library were also very helpful to me as I tried to continue my research. There was even a man at church that slipped Howie Jr a $20 bill. Everyone wanted to help so bad!

I’d like to thank the Baptists folks from Missouri that are STILL feeding folks every day at the church down the street! Thanks for the National Guard guys and gals that stayed in the school across the street from me. Thanks for protecting the neighborhood from looters. Thanks for cleaning up my yard and the school yard. Sorry that the soldier in your company spent 14 months in Iraq only to come to New Orleans and lose his leg. (Got infected while rescuing folks.) Sorry y’all couldn’t drink the beer I offered you! BTW thanks to the guys from Germany that camped out a block away from my house so that the pumping station would continue to run! (They didn’t turn down the beer! Sorry guys, Bud was all I could find!)

Thanks for the MREs, the water, and the ice. Thanks for the free meals, free beer, free prayers. Thanks to all those in Nashville who have made me feel loved and cared for. Thanks to all my friends who have called, emailed, and offered me everything from jobs to places to stay.

I’m thankful for my brother and his wife, My wife and kids, and my former colleagues at Xavier. I’m most of all thankful to my God for providing for me and demonstrating to me that I am loved.

I was saddened this Thanksgiving Day to read about the terrible plight of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn. In todays’ edition of the Times-Picayune, Horn recounts his hurt feelings of abandonment from NFL commisioner Paul Tagliabue. Several players joined Horn as he lashed out because the Saints players have not had a meeting with Tagliabue.

“Guys are pissed off that Mr. Tagliabue hasn’t said, ‘I’m going to New Orleans, and I’m going to hear their frustrations, and I’m going to hear their pain, so at least when I leave and get back on that plane and go back to New York, they will say I was man enough to come there and confront them.’ That’s what the players want.”

Saints tight end Ernie Conwell called Tagliabue an “absentee father” and said many feel the league has “abandoned” them.

The story is especially upsetting because it was printed on Thanksgiving. The fact that one of my best friends is living in a FEMA trailer in his driveway while another of my friends is 1000 miles away pales in comparison to the Saints’ ordeal. The fact that my income will cease this May and that I’ve been forced to live in Nashville, away from my family, for months seems so trivial now. The dozens of my co-workers at Xavier who’ve lost their jobs and their homes will eventually be able to support themselves and be able to have shelter again. But, Horn and his buddies may never recover from the humiliation of being let down by the NFL (in spite of continuing to receive their million dollar salaries).

So pray for the Saints. It’s got to be really hard for them. I may ask the person who donated her bike to me if I can send it to Joe Horn’s kids for Christmas. I know it will be appreciated. Thanks Joe for helping me get my priorities straight!

Holy Crap folks! I’ve found the coolest and most comprehensive site on the Reformation that I’ve ever seen! It’s by a couple of guys from Xavier University of Louisiana. Here’s a picture of Mark Gstohl at the Reformation Wall in Geneva. I’d sure like to meet that guy! Not only is he incredibly good looking, after looking through his site I’m convinced that he’s got to be some kind of a genius or idiot savant!

Anyway, the site is called Theological Perspectives of the Reformation. It has the coolest chronology section I’ve ever seen. You can compare what’s going on in particular movements such as the Magisterial Movement or the Catholic Movement.

Want to know information about the women of the Reformation? It’s here! Want to see a poem about Martin Luther written by a Catholic woman? It’s here!

Speaking of Luther. Want to read his 95 Theses? It’s here!

There are even hymns of the Reformation on this site! Not only classics like A Mighty Fortress by Luther, but also lesser known hymns like Jesus Christ Our Blessed Savior by Jan Hus.

There are over 270 links and over 100 images taken by Dr. Gstohl on his trip to Europe a few years ago.

Still not enough? You’re too picky! But, there is more! Information about over 100 people related to the Reformation. There are almost 30 works of the Reformation that are either supplied in their entirety or summarized. Want to know what John Calvin thought about Osiander? Who doesn’t? There are quite a few examples of Reformer’s critiques of each other. Some of them are quite amusing!

There’s also a comparative theology table that shows what Reformers thought about such issues as the Eucharist, Baptism, Justification, etc.

Today has been very difficult. It’s my first day back in Nashville. My time in New Orleans had its ups and downs. I arrived in NO Thursday and had a great time with Shirley! However, I received a call from the chair of my department that was very disturbing. (I don’t feel comfortable sharing info about work so call me if you have any questions-504-460-1354)
Shirley took Friday off and we went driving around NO. It was terrible. The east bank is still pretty much empty. Our trip down Carrollton was traumatic. Only a Subway Sandwich Shop was open. We saw very few people. We tried to go to my friend Gerald’s home but his street was blocked by Entergy workers. I wish that I’d been able to stop in because he had just learned that he had lost his job.
Saturday–Shirley, Shirley Jr, and I went to a cornfield maze outside of Slidell, LA. It was lots of fun. Shirley Jr got her face painted, painted a pumpkin, shot a corn cannon, went through the maze (with Shirley) and went on a hayride. It was so much fun being with them again! Unfortunately, while the girls were in the maze, I got a phone-call from another of my colleagues who had lost her job.
Sunday–we went to church. It was great to see our friends again. However, there were many who we didn’t see. We might not see many of them again. Even though our neighborhood did not sustain a lot of damage, many lost their jobs or left and won’t be back for other reasons. Churches in NO are in really bad shape. Some pastors are homeless. Some have literally no congregations.
Monday–sent a few resumes out. That’s so hard to do. Ate lunch with my pastor and listened to some really awful stories. Picked up Howie Jr from rugby practice and got to hear all about his latest athletic adventures. Hope he doesn’t get hurt. He seems to think it might be cool to tell people he broke his arm playing rugby. I don’t. That evening, we had a Halloween block party. With all the debris and empty houses it’s still dangerous to walk around at night. Shirley Jr had a wonderful time getting to know new people. I was jealous of the two ladies who work at Loyola and did not lose their jobs. They were getting pretty drunk and having a great time. I didn’t let it bother me too much because my girls were having a great time. The picture to the left was the best costume there.
Tuesday–headed back to Nashville. Got an encouraging call from my brother. Had a few beers at the Crescent Café, finished up some cover letters, watched NCIS and went to bed.
Today–hard to get up and get going. Went to Brueggers for breakfast. Started reading friends blogs and was overcome with emotion. One friend had decided to have children before Katrina and is now putting it off. Another friend feels guilty because he was not fired, but those who had been there before him were. I had emails from friends asking how I’m doing. I couldn’t get up the nerve to write them. Another friend emailed me and invited me to join them on Saturday. I wanted to go to the office, but I was afraid when the wonderful, caring receptionist asked me how my trip was I would start to cry. Oh hell, why wait? I started to cry right there. I’m sitting in Brueggers with my head down and tears streaming onto my laptop. I soon ran out of those sand-papery recycled napkins and started to use my sleeves. The assistant manager, who knows me pretty well, noticed me and shot me a look of concern. They were extremely busy. I rushed out and cried all the way to my room. I prayed for about 20 minutes and gathered my senses. I headed to the office with a present for my friend Lyn and her family. I received a call from my friend Michael on the way there. He’s such a great guy. I miss him so much. Maybe some day we’ll get together and spend $350 not catching fish again.
The receptionist was not at her desk when I came in. Thank God! I’m back to work and ok now. I appreciate the emails and call from my friends. They mean more to me than you can know. My family and I will be fine. It’s just not that easy some days.

You can view pictures of my trip here.

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