and anyone else interested...
here's the sermon for easter 4.
God's peace y'all
searching for the sacred
Saturday, April 28, 2007
now that the cat is out of the bag
i can now share the secret with you all that i deviously mentioned in a previous post. hubby has a new job! he was offered another call at a church about 15-20 minutes away. this one is full-time and he is really excited about it. it's a process we have been in since last october and we've not been allowed to share it with the general public. this past week he was able to inform the congregation he is currently serving that he is resigning.
the church he is leaving has been nothing but good to us for the last 2 1/2 years. they are wonderful, loving, generous people and we'll miss them being in our lives. but this new place is what he has wanted for some time now and it's the right move.
if you all are the praying sort... keep zion in your prayers as they deal with his leaving and begin the process of finding a new pastor.
God's peace y'all
the church he is leaving has been nothing but good to us for the last 2 1/2 years. they are wonderful, loving, generous people and we'll miss them being in our lives. but this new place is what he has wanted for some time now and it's the right move.
if you all are the praying sort... keep zion in your prayers as they deal with his leaving and begin the process of finding a new pastor.
God's peace y'all
Friday, April 27, 2007
bridges
one of the fun things about having the pobble and lithus visit was the deep, theological, social, and political discussions we found ourselves suddenly involved in at the kitchen table. i am a highly opinionated person and i will tell you those opinions freely, but somewhere in my upbringing and in my life experience i realize that i also have an ability to be in the middle and listen to both sides.
i have ultra conservative friends and ultra liberal friends... they aren't often friends with one another, but they are my friends and i will stand between them and with them. i am not always the best bridge because i am not a moderate (well, maybe on a few issues), but i try. ultimately i want justice done and that love thing that jesus talked about to occur between people who, like me, are highly opinionated.
maybe that's why this cartoon struck me this afternoon:
God's peace y'all
i have ultra conservative friends and ultra liberal friends... they aren't often friends with one another, but they are my friends and i will stand between them and with them. i am not always the best bridge because i am not a moderate (well, maybe on a few issues), but i try. ultimately i want justice done and that love thing that jesus talked about to occur between people who, like me, are highly opinionated.
maybe that's why this cartoon struck me this afternoon:
God's peace y'all
Monday, April 23, 2007
weekend wonderful
the pobble brought lithus to meet the family this weekend and he had the honor of being the only person i have ever baked a pie for. (now i have baked pies before, but never for just one specific person.) we spent the majority of our time together eating really good food, enjoying a bottle of rum, and sitting by the fire bowl in our back yard or around the kitchen table talking life and religion and mostly laughing like crazy.
we got some good news, but it's still a secret so you'll have to wait to hear and NO, i am NOT pregnant.
last night we made s'mores after a dinner of pork loin wrapped in a sage wet-rub and bacon. as the pobble and hubby said, "i can do pig." here's a picture of the pobble's fuzzy pink slippers and the beautiful fire that toasted perfect marshmellows.
lithus is wonderful; we love him already! and since i consider the pobble my sister i can't say enough how happy i am for her. you want your friends to be happy and healthy and this is the relationship where she can be happy and healthy.
she also downloaded the pictures she took during my birthday weekend so here are my shoes. they were my b-day present from the pobble and i love them!
God's peace y'all
we got some good news, but it's still a secret so you'll have to wait to hear and NO, i am NOT pregnant.
last night we made s'mores after a dinner of pork loin wrapped in a sage wet-rub and bacon. as the pobble and hubby said, "i can do pig." here's a picture of the pobble's fuzzy pink slippers and the beautiful fire that toasted perfect marshmellows.
lithus is wonderful; we love him already! and since i consider the pobble my sister i can't say enough how happy i am for her. you want your friends to be happy and healthy and this is the relationship where she can be happy and healthy.
she also downloaded the pictures she took during my birthday weekend so here are my shoes. they were my b-day present from the pobble and i love them!
who doesn't need a pair of fabulous shoes?
God's peace y'all
Thursday, April 19, 2007
hey knucklehead
so i get a phone call and an email (subject line: hey knucklehead) from my brother today to say happy birthday to the silent prince (please read my last post!) and wanting to know where last week's sermon is.
so, here it is:
easter 2 sermon
God's peace y'all
so, here it is:
easter 2 sermon
God's peace y'all
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
FIVE!!!
tomorrow (thursday) my silent prince turns five! today was the 5 yr anniversary of my paternal grandmother's death.
we knew she was going to die soon, but i had gotten the call in the morning that they had stopped giving her the treatments that were keeping her alive and that she would probably not last the day. i made the decision to take the day off from work and take it easy. at about 2:30 my mom called to say that she had died at 12:15pm. her last wishes were that no matter what else was happening my mom would come to be with me the moment my water broke (she knew what the silent's prince's name was and somehow that my water would break)
i called hubby and he told me he would come home then i went to take a shower and cry. i remember standing there under the water and telling God that there was only one thing that would make me feel better.
hubby came home and held me and the 2 of us fell asleep for an afternoon nap.
he went to pick up the princess kitty from day care and i sat down at the computer to write something about my grandmother. i expected that i wouldn't make it to a funeral in my condition and i at least wanted something that i could give to my dad.
my mom called, "i've been thinking," she said. "why don't you write something that could be read at the funeral? maybe sister-in-law could read it for you?" (not sure what made her think of my brother's wife... but it was the right call).
"i have about 2 paragraphs left to write, mom. i'm going to take a break and finish tomorrow."
we had dinner and then i decided to sit back down at the computer and finish my memorial. i emailed it to my dad and sis-in-law. i think i even called her and asked her if she would indeed read it at the service which of course she said she would.
my grandmother was a quilter and i inherited almost all her sewing stuff. i still had the pillow she helped me cross-stich and sew when i was about 8 years old and so i wrote about God's love being like a quilt.
that night i climbed into bed late... about midnight. it was taking me forever to fall asleep and at about 12:15 i rolled over in bed, thinking maybe i needed to go to the bathroom, and my water broke. 12 hours exactly from the time that she died.
we called the dr first and then my mom who was out of the bed and in the car within 30 minutes to begin the 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive to be at the hospital moments after i had told the nurse, "i want my mommy."
i hardly remember them putting him on my belly. (it had been an awful delivery) what i remember is after they cleaned him up my mother carried him into the room and pulled the little cap from his head to show me the red fuzz that was just like my grandmother's hair. "they passed on the way" my mother said as she handed him to me.
my dad called earlier today to see how i was... we spent some time remembering those moments five years ago... "emotional days." we said.
sis-in-law did a wonderful job reading my memorial; even held the pillow that i had made with my grandmother those many years ago as a child. at the service they sang a hymn that i had never heard before but is now one of my favorites; when the prince was baptized we sang it then... another connection.
the second verse always chokes me up:
Thine the life eternally
Thine the promise let there be
Thine the vision thine the tree
all the earth on bended knee
gone the nailing gone the railing
gone the pleading gone the cry
gone the sighing gone the dying
what was loss lifted high.
happy birthday my sweet prince
and God's peace y'all
we knew she was going to die soon, but i had gotten the call in the morning that they had stopped giving her the treatments that were keeping her alive and that she would probably not last the day. i made the decision to take the day off from work and take it easy. at about 2:30 my mom called to say that she had died at 12:15pm. her last wishes were that no matter what else was happening my mom would come to be with me the moment my water broke (she knew what the silent's prince's name was and somehow that my water would break)
i called hubby and he told me he would come home then i went to take a shower and cry. i remember standing there under the water and telling God that there was only one thing that would make me feel better.
hubby came home and held me and the 2 of us fell asleep for an afternoon nap.
he went to pick up the princess kitty from day care and i sat down at the computer to write something about my grandmother. i expected that i wouldn't make it to a funeral in my condition and i at least wanted something that i could give to my dad.
my mom called, "i've been thinking," she said. "why don't you write something that could be read at the funeral? maybe sister-in-law could read it for you?" (not sure what made her think of my brother's wife... but it was the right call).
"i have about 2 paragraphs left to write, mom. i'm going to take a break and finish tomorrow."
we had dinner and then i decided to sit back down at the computer and finish my memorial. i emailed it to my dad and sis-in-law. i think i even called her and asked her if she would indeed read it at the service which of course she said she would.
my grandmother was a quilter and i inherited almost all her sewing stuff. i still had the pillow she helped me cross-stich and sew when i was about 8 years old and so i wrote about God's love being like a quilt.
that night i climbed into bed late... about midnight. it was taking me forever to fall asleep and at about 12:15 i rolled over in bed, thinking maybe i needed to go to the bathroom, and my water broke. 12 hours exactly from the time that she died.
we called the dr first and then my mom who was out of the bed and in the car within 30 minutes to begin the 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive to be at the hospital moments after i had told the nurse, "i want my mommy."
i hardly remember them putting him on my belly. (it had been an awful delivery) what i remember is after they cleaned him up my mother carried him into the room and pulled the little cap from his head to show me the red fuzz that was just like my grandmother's hair. "they passed on the way" my mother said as she handed him to me.
my dad called earlier today to see how i was... we spent some time remembering those moments five years ago... "emotional days." we said.
sis-in-law did a wonderful job reading my memorial; even held the pillow that i had made with my grandmother those many years ago as a child. at the service they sang a hymn that i had never heard before but is now one of my favorites; when the prince was baptized we sang it then... another connection.
the second verse always chokes me up:
Thine the life eternally
Thine the promise let there be
Thine the vision thine the tree
all the earth on bended knee
gone the nailing gone the railing
gone the pleading gone the cry
gone the sighing gone the dying
what was loss lifted high.
happy birthday my sweet prince
and God's peace y'all
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
i-mus wash my mouth out with soap
so i've been trying to figure out what i might say about the idiot who used offensive and derogatory language about the rutger's ladies basketball team.
and i've been having trouble deciding exactly what i should say.
do i think he should have been fired? if i employed him i would have fired him that same day. GONE... DONE... don't let the doorknob hit you... because he was too dumb to keep his big mouth shut when those thoughts came into his head. yes, i have certainly said some dumb things in my life-time... and i support free speech even when i don't like what is being said... but his job is based specifically on what he says and he blew it.
so i've been home with the kids and hubby who are all sick with strep (again!) and all day as i have flipped channels on the tv every white faced pundit has been complaining about gansta rap and why it's ok for them to use offensive language, but not poor ole imus.
sigh
i suppose there is some good answer for that question... i just have a hard time answering it for the media.
then i go and read abb's comments on the whole thing and think... oh thank God someone is making sense.
"I don’t support banning words. I’d like this to be a world where my blog doesn’t average an anonymous n-word comment a day…but I do not support banning words.
Banning people? Hmmm. But that’s for another post.
Now, if I had a dollar for every long skirt wearing, Wednesday and Sunday all day church attending, well-read yet still misunderstood bible carrying sistah who took more time to communicate her dislike of my blog title than she has ever taken to participate in the community she alleges to defend against me I’d own CBS Radio!
Regulating language...no matter who is using it... doesn’t get anyone off the hook for what we do or fail to do in our communities.
My brothers and sisters we need to engage our community with consistency and authenticity, not only when some a**hole on the radio touches a nerve."
she is always worth the read. just be warned she does use strong language to get her point across.
God's peace y'all
and i've been having trouble deciding exactly what i should say.
do i think he should have been fired? if i employed him i would have fired him that same day. GONE... DONE... don't let the doorknob hit you... because he was too dumb to keep his big mouth shut when those thoughts came into his head. yes, i have certainly said some dumb things in my life-time... and i support free speech even when i don't like what is being said... but his job is based specifically on what he says and he blew it.
so i've been home with the kids and hubby who are all sick with strep (again!) and all day as i have flipped channels on the tv every white faced pundit has been complaining about gansta rap and why it's ok for them to use offensive language, but not poor ole imus.
sigh
i suppose there is some good answer for that question... i just have a hard time answering it for the media.
then i go and read abb's comments on the whole thing and think... oh thank God someone is making sense.
"I don’t support banning words. I’d like this to be a world where my blog doesn’t average an anonymous n-word comment a day…but I do not support banning words.
Banning people? Hmmm. But that’s for another post.
Now, if I had a dollar for every long skirt wearing, Wednesday and Sunday all day church attending, well-read yet still misunderstood bible carrying sistah who took more time to communicate her dislike of my blog title than she has ever taken to participate in the community she alleges to defend against me I’d own CBS Radio!
Regulating language...no matter who is using it... doesn’t get anyone off the hook for what we do or fail to do in our communities.
My brothers and sisters we need to engage our community with consistency and authenticity, not only when some a**hole on the radio touches a nerve."
she is always worth the read. just be warned she does use strong language to get her point across.
God's peace y'all
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
beep beep
in case you've been wondering how the big honk for jesus scandal is going...
you can read this
or this
or this
or this
or this
or any of the other "about" 54,100 possible links to this story on google.
or you can read what the pobble has to say... in my mind, she makes the most sense.
and i should note that i was misinformed about how many time one was supposed to blow their horn for jesus. i apologize if i inadvertently got you to honk in support of satan...
God's peace y'all
you can read this
or this
or this
or this
or this
or any of the other "about" 54,100 possible links to this story on google.
or you can read what the pobble has to say... in my mind, she makes the most sense.
and i should note that i was misinformed about how many time one was supposed to blow their horn for jesus. i apologize if i inadvertently got you to honk in support of satan...
God's peace y'all
Saturday, April 07, 2007
saturday
of all the nights in our calendar this is the holiest for christians. the vigil of easter marks the night that God did something amazing and miraculous, the most miraculous thing in fact. sometime this night Jesus rose from the dead, or so we believe. i consider it a truth... a reality. it might be unexplainable or impossible... but the truth of it is in my very soul. plenty of people try to disprove it, many discount it, and plenty would call me a fool for it. but it is because of what happened on this night some 2,000 years ago that my life is livable and purposeful and filled with hope and love.
whatever your faith... i hope you find the holy in this night... that it sweeps you up and fills you.
God's peace y'all
ps... this night happened because of yesterday (Good Friday). if you're interested in what i preached about that... look here. and now that i am done my easter sermon you can find that here.
whatever your faith... i hope you find the holy in this night... that it sweeps you up and fills you.
God's peace y'all
ps... this night happened because of yesterday (Good Friday). if you're interested in what i preached about that... look here. and now that i am done my easter sermon you can find that here.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Holy Week
this week has gone by with tremendous speed. i've been waiting for the pobble to send me the pictures she took during my birthday weekend and i promise to post them as soon as i get them from her including the picture of the FANTASTIC shoes she bought me as a surprise while shopping at target.
already it is good friday. my next service is in 1 1/2 hours with the other local churches which means i have to shower soon and hope i can find a clean black clerical shirt to go with the white collar i wear. if not... at least i will be wearing a a robe to cover whatever i do find to wear.
last night was maundy thursday and it went fairly well. we do a foot washing to rmember when jesus washed his disciples' feet and i was surprised by the amount of people who came forward... more than i have ever had. maybe it was the sermon i preached... maybe it was the spirit. and we had 2 visitors... an odd thing for a service during holy week.
tomorrow the princess kitty, a friend, and i will make easter eggs and cupcakes with marshmellow bunnys for the 42 people who will be at easter dinner at my parents' house. right now my mother is frantically trying to finish cleaning and getting ready for said 42 people. it's supposed to be colder on easter than it was on christmas which means we will all be inside rather than out on the back deck like we usually are. ever had an intimate dinner with 41 other people?
well, now it is time to bathe and search for my pastor's costume.
God's peace y'all and blessings to you in this Holy Time!
already it is good friday. my next service is in 1 1/2 hours with the other local churches which means i have to shower soon and hope i can find a clean black clerical shirt to go with the white collar i wear. if not... at least i will be wearing a a robe to cover whatever i do find to wear.
last night was maundy thursday and it went fairly well. we do a foot washing to rmember when jesus washed his disciples' feet and i was surprised by the amount of people who came forward... more than i have ever had. maybe it was the sermon i preached... maybe it was the spirit. and we had 2 visitors... an odd thing for a service during holy week.
tomorrow the princess kitty, a friend, and i will make easter eggs and cupcakes with marshmellow bunnys for the 42 people who will be at easter dinner at my parents' house. right now my mother is frantically trying to finish cleaning and getting ready for said 42 people. it's supposed to be colder on easter than it was on christmas which means we will all be inside rather than out on the back deck like we usually are. ever had an intimate dinner with 41 other people?
well, now it is time to bathe and search for my pastor's costume.
God's peace y'all and blessings to you in this Holy Time!
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