Edgar Rex

Snow, blowing snow, highs near freezing

The Edgar nominations have just been announced and St Martin's Minotaur did extremely well! John Hart and Ken Bruen are both shortlisted for Best Novel, and Derek Nikitas is nominated in Best First Novel for Pyres. But, not to be too parochial, it's an amazing achievement for anyone to be nominated, regardless of imprint. So, congratulations to all the nominees!

Had marvelous news from a woman who is a great supporter of the Three Pines series and has become a sort of 'pen' pal. Anny Robinson wrote a couple of days ago to announce the birth of her great grandson! His name is Leonidas Rex, after a Greek hero. But he'll be known as Leo. Or, as Anny pointed out, Lion King. Imagine having a great grandchild.

And - it's a day for interesting news and information - had a message from a member of the Moravian Church after I wrote about the world's oldest bookstore in yesterday's blog. Al Reynolds wrote to give us the good news that they are alive and well and indeed have a fascinating history. Here (with his permission) is part of his message to me. I found it extremely interesting, and humbling. The well of information I don't know just gets deeper!

From Al Reynolds:

Hi, Louise -- You noted the Moravian Book Shop and wondered about the Moravian Church. We are one of the two still-surviving "Pre-Reformation Protestant" communities. We trace our heritage to John Hus, several generations prior to Luther and Calvin and the other well known Reformers.

We are not an ethnic group, just a "different flavor" of the entire worldwide Christian community, with a different heritage and history but the same substance -- we are fully involved with our neighbors.

If you attended a Moravian worship service, it would feel a lot like a Lutheran event except for a different musical heritage and minor peripheral variations. Our forebears, after their stressful 1547 decision to become a community separated from the Roman Catholic Church, corresponded with both Luther and Calvin in hopes that the groups could grow together. But everyone was stubborn about "Our own way" and nothing worked.

Now, in the 21st century, we have a Full Communion Agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that allows us to call a Lutheran pastor to one of our pulpits and allows the Lutherans to call a Moravian pastor to one of theirs. The Executive Directors of the Minnesota Council of Churches and Pennsylvania Council of Churches are Moravians, as is the editor of the standard reference Handbook of Denominations in the United States, so we "play well with others."

Additional details (some quite boring) are at http://www.moravian.org/

That's probably more than you wanted to know, but I'm glad you've had some exposure to our Moravian community. I leave you with our motto:

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love."

That was sent from Al Reynolds, and I really, really appreciate the information. Makes me want to visit the Moravian Bookstore even more. Which reminds me, I must run - Mary Pat Beebe, from the store in Bethlehem, is calling any minute now.

Be well and we'll talk tomorrow. Now I'm off to sit with a hot chocolate by the fire and talk with the good people at the bookstore. Rotten life.