Leaving for Retreat

We leaving. Going to Splitsville. Or at least Indianapolis ( a mere eight miles away).

Our youth director, mentors and I will be taking a whole gaggle of confirmands and their stuff on retreat this weekend. It is our time of year to make this special trip. And we will attempt within a 24 hour time period to:

• teach the Confirmands what Christian worship is and isn't
• teach them what the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism are and are not
• have them experience three different and distinct Christian worship styles
• give them a chance to play together
• help them realize how loved they are by God and our congregation
• consume large amounts of carbonated beverages and calories
• sleep on a hard floor
• get one table (hopefully it will be the Table of Galations) to earn enough points in order to win fabulous prizes!!!

Wish us luck! Send your prayers our way! We will need them and benefit from them. If I have dark circles under my eyes next week- you know I am still recovering from my lack of sleep.

Loved

You know you are loved, admired, appreciated and revered by your co-workers because they leave you colorful, friendly notes on your office furniture.

Just consider the colorful reminder our custodian left for me this morning. He used a blue marker (my favorite Duke Blue color- oh, how did he know? That's right, I have a giant Blue Devil flag hanging behind my office desk) on white paper and created a lovely 'target' with an arrow and a note which reads, "Tissues go here."

This treasured gift was left on top of my trash can to remind me, little ol' me, to put my tissues in the trash can and not all over the floor behind and next to me desk.

Isn't that sweet?! :)

I love you too, Gary! And, next time I shall make sure all my trash is in the trash can and not around it, behind it, or under it etc.

Reading

Well, my reading lately has been a bit weird... since the Christmas holiday these books have occupied my time and attention. I am open for any new suggestions for reading material. Once I finish my Star Wars/Trek Bible study several of these books will be finished until I offer another class.

1. Stones into Schools by Greg Mortonson
2. The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos Markides
3. Gospel According to Star Wars
4. Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant by Eberl and Decker
5. Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture by Porter and McLaren
6. The Gospel According to Science Fiction: From the Twilight Zone to the Final Frontier by McKee
7. Gospel of Luke by Luke
8. Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor

There are a couple of (fiction) murder mysteries thrown into this lot, but mostly I have been showing my geekness off!

Smooch the Pooch

My pooch lays around collecting dust and shedding fur. What good is he, really? His cold nose pokes me in the morning, his sad eyes reveal his mood along with the swish of his tail, and he loves to make sure I am always cleaning my kitchen floor because of his muddy and wet paws.

This evening my husband and I completed the ritual of nail clipping. Ugh. None of us like it. All three of us dread it. Fur, clippings, battles of will. Stubborn human meets stubborn canine. Grr. When it's all over and done, the dog gets a treat and we need a grown up drink!

We should get fish. They don't need their nails trimmed. Like ever?!

Don't tell my husband this, but in spite of all these peculiarities my heart is tugged by this pooch. I cannot help myself. Is this what it's like to be addicted to something that is 'bad' for you? I like my Duke dog. Nuisances and all. I miss him when I am away from him.

He is steady, warm, and likes being present to me... great attributes in any friend.

So, Happy Valentines' Day, pooch!

XXOOXX

Peace Making Kindergarteners

Yesterday one of my pastoral colleagues gave the invitation to join him in 40 Days of Prayer to End Violence in Indianapolis. I have joined the challenge. Hope you will as well.

As I visited with our ten Kindergarten Enrichment students yesterday afternoon, I wondered what wisdom and ideas they would have about peace. They are a smart group and full of creativity. We talked about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount from Matthew's Gospel (see chapter 5). I reminded them that Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers..."

For the next fifteen minutes the children drew with colored markers on a BIG piece of poster board pictures of what they can do to be peace makers! We talked about how important peace is in our world and how destructive violence of all kinds can be. Their ideas are original and not new, but their enthusiasm and honesty are refreshing and inspiring. Here is a list of the amazing colorful drawings that are now hanging in my church office:

• Owen drew a picture of hugging his Mom.
• Allison drew a picture of bringing her mother breakfast in bed.
• Diana drew a picture of her family making Grace (her friend with a brain tumor) happy by playing outside together. That will bring peace.
• Aaron drew a picture of taking care of animals especially a spider (who is missing a leg).
• Ryan drew a picture of asking questions. He believes that if you ask questions you can bring about peace.
• Andrea drew pictures of watching the sunset and of handing out Valentines
• Nathan drew pictures of giving his heart to Jesus, giving away Valentines and of drawing quietly so that his parents have peace and quiet.
• Trevor drew pictures of hugging his Mom and his cousin Rachel.
• Mason drew a picture of a bright sun. He says that we need to watch more sunsets... have quiet moments and admire something beautiful.
• Maddox drew a picture of two people visiting and taking care of a person who is lying in a bed.

These children are peace-makers already! They are bringing peace in their hearts, homes, schools, and community. I am honored to know them and witness their peace-making among us. May it always be so for them and for us!

Grab a marker, crayon or colored pencil... now what kind of picture would you draw about how you are making peace?

What to do in an Ice-In...

What to do in an Ice-In...

• do have plenty of food to eat that does not require electricity to heat; don't try to heat soup on a candle flame.
• do have plenty of candles, flashlights and batteries available; don't attempt to build a bonfire in the living room.
• do have books, games, puzzles, craft supplies, and toys on hand to entertain the young ones in the house; don't expect them to want to do homework or practice their musical instruments.
• do have things for the grown ups do; don't attempt to re-arrange furniture or paint the rooms because your husband will grumble that he gets stuck shoveling ice AND moving furniture.
• do read a book or two; don't presume the rest of the house will want to hear about your story.
• do call the relatives on the cell phone (which you leave in constant charge); don't post a status on Facebook every twenty minutes despite your need for social contact.
• do take a nap; don't stay awake too late watching on TV re-runs (it will ruin your brain).
• do plan the spring garden; don't believe what a rodent in Pennsylvania says about the weather. Spring is always 6 weeks away from February 2nd- that's the joke!

Have fun inside folks! This stuff cannot last forever so let's bet on how soon the ice and snow will melt? 5 days? 11 days? What do you think?

Steelers!

After being iced-in and now snowed-in, we're ready for the Super Bowl! As much as I appreciate the non-for-profit nature of the NFL franchise known as the Green Bay Packers, I still will cheer for my childhood team of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In fact, I learned via Facebook this week that one of my childhood friends is on her way to the game in Texas. (Here' s hoping she made it.)

Party time! Got your pretzels and drinks ready! I'm wearing my black and gold as I type.

Iced In!

One would think that after being 'iced in' for two and a half days, I would have all the time in the world to get some of my church work done. "Ha ha!," I say to that expectation. Not so.

Caring for a sick child, entertaining her while she convalesces, cooking for the family (while husband is home attempting to do a continuing education seminar via the phone and internet), and making sure our winter storm preparedness is prepared- has wiped me out of creative energy.

Depleted and uncertain when I'll ever get this family's life back to normal- I succumbed to pajama days, sleeping in, staying up late watching old X Files re-runs, and playing with the dog and kid. Call me Snow Slug Michelle.

It may be early March before I am able to catch up on how far behind I've become in my work or I'll just have to pull some all nighters. The only good thing about this situation is... everyone I know around central Indiana is as behind as I am.

And to think that darn ol' groundhog says it will be Spring soon.

Sure doesn't look like it out my frosted window pane.