tomorrow is my birthday or shall i say the anniversary of my 29th birthday (i won't tell you how many of those i have had.)
i have nothing special planned except that i am taking the day off and taking th eprincess kitty for an appt with the ent that did the tubes and adenoids for the silent prince.
today we will go to my parent's house for dinner. she's making oven fried chicken which is a special treat. we haven't had that in a long time.
so happy birthday to me a day early!
i hope it gives you a good reason to have a great day tomorrow and maybe do a little celebrating in my honor.
God's peace y'all
searching for the sacred
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
if you want my two cents
well, now that holy week is over i still don't have time to write anything, but i decided i would take the time anyway.
so much has been going on in the world, but the thing i would make mention of (in the short time i have to write anything) is the whole fiasco surrounding the sermon soundbite that we've been hearing over and over again.
you know which one i'm talking about don't you?
there are a few things i would say about the whole thing. (and for the sake of this post i'm going to use the terms "pastor" and "preacher" to refer to all religious leaders, not just christian ones.)
the first thing is that the media does a terrible job of portraying any religion and if you form your opinon about one particular preacher, church member, or theology on a 30 soundbite on the news you are going to have the wrong opinion. i don't care who the preacher is, what religion he or she is from, what culture they come from, or what ugly words come out of their mouth. you will get it wrong. period. because i know that there are plenty of things i have said in my preaching that if put into a 30 second soundbite would make me look all kinds of bad.
i've heard lots of christian conservative leaders say far more horrible and offensive things than, "God damn America." and they have gotten far more air time than a 30 second soundbite. in fact some of them are now employed by 24 news stations as experts in religion and politics.
racism and every other ism is just plain bad for everyone. i think i mentioned this before. the only way to deal with isms is to get them out in the open and talk about them honestly. isms will still run people's lives, but at least if we talk about them openly and respectfully (which also means listening) we have a chance of making a difference.
as a pastor i think i have an important message to share. it's part of my job. it is a radical message and will offend people. love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, give to the poor... that's radical and offensive stuff because we are taught to mistrust our neighbor, fight back, and get as much stuff for ourselves as we possibly can. so why is it that the only time religion gets any press is when some clergy person has a gay affair, has a politican as a member of their organization, or issues a religious fatwah?
no one should be told that they should disown their pastor just because of something they said. pastors are human. sometimes we make huge mistakes in judgement, say things we shouldn't say, preach sermons that would have been better left unpreached. but many times we do significant things for people that make a difference in their lives.
no one should be judged based on something that their pastor said. we have our own opinons. i don't share all of mine with everyone, but certainly people can guess things like my political party by some of the things i share out loud on sunday mornings and in meetings and on other ocassions. but they are my opinions and i am not under any notion that everyone who attends my church is going to agree with all my opinions.
in order to hear the good news we also need to name the bad news. this is part of the preaching task. life isn't happy all the time. people are angry, hurt, suffering, and full of resentments. those things have to be put out in the open and named otherwise the good news is meaningless drivel.
and that's all i have time for right now.
God's peace y'all
so much has been going on in the world, but the thing i would make mention of (in the short time i have to write anything) is the whole fiasco surrounding the sermon soundbite that we've been hearing over and over again.
you know which one i'm talking about don't you?
there are a few things i would say about the whole thing. (and for the sake of this post i'm going to use the terms "pastor" and "preacher" to refer to all religious leaders, not just christian ones.)
the first thing is that the media does a terrible job of portraying any religion and if you form your opinon about one particular preacher, church member, or theology on a 30 soundbite on the news you are going to have the wrong opinion. i don't care who the preacher is, what religion he or she is from, what culture they come from, or what ugly words come out of their mouth. you will get it wrong. period. because i know that there are plenty of things i have said in my preaching that if put into a 30 second soundbite would make me look all kinds of bad.
i've heard lots of christian conservative leaders say far more horrible and offensive things than, "God damn America." and they have gotten far more air time than a 30 second soundbite. in fact some of them are now employed by 24 news stations as experts in religion and politics.
racism and every other ism is just plain bad for everyone. i think i mentioned this before. the only way to deal with isms is to get them out in the open and talk about them honestly. isms will still run people's lives, but at least if we talk about them openly and respectfully (which also means listening) we have a chance of making a difference.
as a pastor i think i have an important message to share. it's part of my job. it is a radical message and will offend people. love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, give to the poor... that's radical and offensive stuff because we are taught to mistrust our neighbor, fight back, and get as much stuff for ourselves as we possibly can. so why is it that the only time religion gets any press is when some clergy person has a gay affair, has a politican as a member of their organization, or issues a religious fatwah?
no one should be told that they should disown their pastor just because of something they said. pastors are human. sometimes we make huge mistakes in judgement, say things we shouldn't say, preach sermons that would have been better left unpreached. but many times we do significant things for people that make a difference in their lives.
no one should be judged based on something that their pastor said. we have our own opinons. i don't share all of mine with everyone, but certainly people can guess things like my political party by some of the things i share out loud on sunday mornings and in meetings and on other ocassions. but they are my opinions and i am not under any notion that everyone who attends my church is going to agree with all my opinions.
in order to hear the good news we also need to name the bad news. this is part of the preaching task. life isn't happy all the time. people are angry, hurt, suffering, and full of resentments. those things have to be put out in the open and named otherwise the good news is meaningless drivel.
and that's all i have time for right now.
God's peace y'all
Friday, March 21, 2008
holy week
this is the holiest week of the year for me and therefore the most stressful.
i've wanted to write about all sorts of things, but usually i can't bring myself to expend any creative energy here since it's mostly been wrapped up in the 3 sermons i have had to write this week.
and if that was all i had to do...
maybe next week when i can think and relax i will share something more than this.
in the meantime you can certainly read the sermons i've written at my sermon site.
God's peace y'all.
i've wanted to write about all sorts of things, but usually i can't bring myself to expend any creative energy here since it's mostly been wrapped up in the 3 sermons i have had to write this week.
and if that was all i had to do...
maybe next week when i can think and relax i will share something more than this.
in the meantime you can certainly read the sermons i've written at my sermon site.
God's peace y'all.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
things that suck - in no particular order
racism. racism sucks. there is not one good thing about it. there are no redeeming qualities within it. it just sucks.
white guilt. white guilt sucks. it especially sucks when it causes a person to do something they think is not racist at all, when in fact it is actually worse than overt, in your face, white-hooded racism.
vomit. vomit sucks. or perhaps it does the exact opposite. no, i don't mean it is actually great. but who wants to suck vomit?
children's vomit. children's vomit sucks. especially when it is your child and your child is developmentally impaired and it is impossible to explain to them where they should aim if they need to vomit again or where they should sit until you have cleaned up said vomit.
day light savings. day light savings sucks. i don't care if we leap forward or fall behind, my internal clock is now off and won't completely readjust until it is time to change the clocks again.
mornings. mornings suck. with all due respect to morning people... what is wrong with you?
mornings when you haven't gotten enough sleep. mornings when you haven't gotten enough sleep suck. this is especially true when you have spent the night cleaning up children's vomit, slept in a bed that is not comfortable so you can be near said child just in case they vomit again, and you lose an hours sleep.
wow, i feel better... and that doesn't suck.
God's peace y'all
white guilt. white guilt sucks. it especially sucks when it causes a person to do something they think is not racist at all, when in fact it is actually worse than overt, in your face, white-hooded racism.
vomit. vomit sucks. or perhaps it does the exact opposite. no, i don't mean it is actually great. but who wants to suck vomit?
children's vomit. children's vomit sucks. especially when it is your child and your child is developmentally impaired and it is impossible to explain to them where they should aim if they need to vomit again or where they should sit until you have cleaned up said vomit.
day light savings. day light savings sucks. i don't care if we leap forward or fall behind, my internal clock is now off and won't completely readjust until it is time to change the clocks again.
mornings. mornings suck. with all due respect to morning people... what is wrong with you?
mornings when you haven't gotten enough sleep. mornings when you haven't gotten enough sleep suck. this is especially true when you have spent the night cleaning up children's vomit, slept in a bed that is not comfortable so you can be near said child just in case they vomit again, and you lose an hours sleep.
wow, i feel better... and that doesn't suck.
God's peace y'all
Friday, March 07, 2008
some t and a
first, get your heads out of the gutter. i'm not talking about that kind of t and a.
secondly, the silent prince and his very tired parents are home from the hospital where he had his Adenoids taken out and Tubes put in.
the day started early (especially for me because i am NOT a morning person.) we were supposed to be at the hospital, which is a good 45 minutes away, at 8:35am. we gave ourselves an hour to get there but at 8:20 we were still a good 20 minutes away because of an accident. i called the hospital in a panic, but was told that his surgery wasn't scheduled until 9:35 and we could just take our time.
there were a few other minor hiccups, which are inconsequential. the prince did great despite the fact that he kept trying to find sippy cups and food in my pockets and in his book bag. poor kid was hungry. he didn't like the meds they gave him to start with, but by the time the anesthetists came to take him back for the surgery he let one of them carry him to the o.r. without assistance from mommy or daddy.
it only took about an hour before the dr came to tell us it was over and take us back to see him. he woke up the moment i put on my coat to go out and call the grandparents and find some food for hubby and me. originally the dr thought he would have to spend the night, but the nurse in the recovery room agreed that there was no need for an overnight. grandpop even had time to come and visit and take me for lunch.
so, here we are. grandmom is on her way to pick up the princess kitty for a sleep-over. there is a special event being held at the same hospital tomorrow for siblings of autistic children. there will be a sculptor there and clay for them to make their own masterpieces and the grandparents have agreed to take her. thank God for grandparents.
tiem to go pack her bag. thanks for all the prayers out there!
God's peace y'all
secondly, the silent prince and his very tired parents are home from the hospital where he had his Adenoids taken out and Tubes put in.
the day started early (especially for me because i am NOT a morning person.) we were supposed to be at the hospital, which is a good 45 minutes away, at 8:35am. we gave ourselves an hour to get there but at 8:20 we were still a good 20 minutes away because of an accident. i called the hospital in a panic, but was told that his surgery wasn't scheduled until 9:35 and we could just take our time.
there were a few other minor hiccups, which are inconsequential. the prince did great despite the fact that he kept trying to find sippy cups and food in my pockets and in his book bag. poor kid was hungry. he didn't like the meds they gave him to start with, but by the time the anesthetists came to take him back for the surgery he let one of them carry him to the o.r. without assistance from mommy or daddy.
it only took about an hour before the dr came to tell us it was over and take us back to see him. he woke up the moment i put on my coat to go out and call the grandparents and find some food for hubby and me. originally the dr thought he would have to spend the night, but the nurse in the recovery room agreed that there was no need for an overnight. grandpop even had time to come and visit and take me for lunch.
so, here we are. grandmom is on her way to pick up the princess kitty for a sleep-over. there is a special event being held at the same hospital tomorrow for siblings of autistic children. there will be a sculptor there and clay for them to make their own masterpieces and the grandparents have agreed to take her. thank God for grandparents.
tiem to go pack her bag. thanks for all the prayers out there!
God's peace y'all
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
doctors and diagnoses
yesterday we had a meeting at the princess kitty's school with her principal, teacher, school psychologist, school social worker, special ed teacher, and speech therapist. these meetings are also known as ppt's (which stands for planning and placement team). we all agreed that we needed to have the princess kitty tested for a learning disability and we were getting the results of those tests.
as it turns out she does indeed have a learning disability. for the most part she scored at an average intelligence. which is just fine. she doesn't have to be a super genius for me to be proud of her. her problem is in something called her working memory index. according to all the paperwork they gave us the working memory index (WMI, not to be confused with WMD) involves the ability to attend to information, to hold it in short-term memory while attempting to process it in some way, and to then give a response either orally or in written form.
this affects her ability to read and spell words. and it affects her ability to do math, which she is actually pretty good at.
she's also a sensitive kid and wants to please others, so her ability to do well in school affects her self-esteem.
the good news... and there is good news here, is that now she is going to get extra help. currently they are doing the cmt's or mastery tests. instead of doing them with the rest of her class and being timed to do them she is doing the testing in a small group, with a reader (someone to read her the questions so she isn't struggling to figure out what she is trying to do), and she won't be timed.
it also means that she has a chance to focus on the things she's good at while at the same time work on those things she doesn't do well. for instance, her expressive vocabulary is excellent, but she has trouble writing down her thoughts. this way she'll be able to express herself in writing assignments.
honestly, i am thrilled. she's also going to be able to talk to the social worker once a week about life, which she needs. it isn't always easy being her and now she has another person who she trusts to be able to talk to.
and then there is the silent prince. on friday he is having his adenoids out and tubes put in. we spent time today at a pre-op visit and are feeling pretty comfortable with the whole thing. tomorrow he sees the developmental pediatrician. the last time we saw her was a year ago. it will be interesting to see what she says about his progress because he is doing really really well. (except for the fact that he has regressed yet again with potty training. he refuses to go for me anymore at home and i'm starting to get frustrated like you wouldn't believe!)
he now waves hello and good-bye. he can sign "more" and "eat." when you ask him where his nose is he points to his nose. when you ask him where his belly is he pulls up his shirt and then expects to get tickled. he can put on his own jacket and shirt. and he can get undressed all by himself and put his clothes in the hamper. and he is a puzzle wiz!
he has also learned how to climb over the gate between the tv room and the kitchen and occasionaly he can even open it. (which is why his mom-mom calls him a monkey)
and just because i've burdened you all with all this talk about them both i'll treat you with a picture:
as it turns out she does indeed have a learning disability. for the most part she scored at an average intelligence. which is just fine. she doesn't have to be a super genius for me to be proud of her. her problem is in something called her working memory index. according to all the paperwork they gave us the working memory index (WMI, not to be confused with WMD) involves the ability to attend to information, to hold it in short-term memory while attempting to process it in some way, and to then give a response either orally or in written form.
this affects her ability to read and spell words. and it affects her ability to do math, which she is actually pretty good at.
she's also a sensitive kid and wants to please others, so her ability to do well in school affects her self-esteem.
the good news... and there is good news here, is that now she is going to get extra help. currently they are doing the cmt's or mastery tests. instead of doing them with the rest of her class and being timed to do them she is doing the testing in a small group, with a reader (someone to read her the questions so she isn't struggling to figure out what she is trying to do), and she won't be timed.
it also means that she has a chance to focus on the things she's good at while at the same time work on those things she doesn't do well. for instance, her expressive vocabulary is excellent, but she has trouble writing down her thoughts. this way she'll be able to express herself in writing assignments.
honestly, i am thrilled. she's also going to be able to talk to the social worker once a week about life, which she needs. it isn't always easy being her and now she has another person who she trusts to be able to talk to.
and then there is the silent prince. on friday he is having his adenoids out and tubes put in. we spent time today at a pre-op visit and are feeling pretty comfortable with the whole thing. tomorrow he sees the developmental pediatrician. the last time we saw her was a year ago. it will be interesting to see what she says about his progress because he is doing really really well. (except for the fact that he has regressed yet again with potty training. he refuses to go for me anymore at home and i'm starting to get frustrated like you wouldn't believe!)
he now waves hello and good-bye. he can sign "more" and "eat." when you ask him where his nose is he points to his nose. when you ask him where his belly is he pulls up his shirt and then expects to get tickled. he can put on his own jacket and shirt. and he can get undressed all by himself and put his clothes in the hamper. and he is a puzzle wiz!
he has also learned how to climb over the gate between the tv room and the kitchen and occasionaly he can even open it. (which is why his mom-mom calls him a monkey)
and just because i've burdened you all with all this talk about them both i'll treat you with a picture:
God's peace y'all
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
"and vivian followed."
