January Busier than Advent

After doing craziness for years now, the unsettling conclusion has come to me that my month of January is just gosh darn busier than Advent.  Weird, isn't it?!  Epiphany trumps Advent, but it does.

Between the beginning of a new confirmation class, multiple adult classes starting, our Master's Class series, New Member luncheons, publication of our annual Lent devotional, and a few key church administrative meetings- January is crammed to the max!  At least my January is.  Not sure about yours.

And there is no getting around the busyness.  With the holidays behind us, it is the push-push of a new year and the looming work of Lent that fills my January.  sigh.  Not much to do about it, I suppose.  Just ride the wave and hope to land on the shoreline without too much salt water in my gut. 

Somewhere in the middle of Lent will be this brief respite... usually right after the Confirmation retreat and before Holy Week.   Until then I am attempting to find or reuse some coping strategies.  Deep breathing is an excellent strategy!  So are jokes!  And most of all, surrounding myself with amazing people to help fill in the gaps of my faults and failures.  Good leaders surround themselves with great people!

Actually, what I really need to do (in order to de-stress) is scout out teams for our March Madness bracket contest among the staff.  For the past three years that we enjoyed this friendly competition (no monies or betting allowed), I have held the trophy 2 out of 3 years!  I now have a rep to uphold.

Good thing I have ESPN this season... but, not sure when I'll get a chance to watch with all this work in front of me. 

Oh well, at least today is the next to the last day of my busiest month of the year.  Thank goodness for small favors like another January is soon to be over.

Smallness

Jesus often used a comparison and contrast between something great and small to make a theological point about God, God's kingdom or the working of God's grace in the world. 

Today- I bumped into some of the remants of the small-great  Jesus "talk" as we served 295 hot meals to some hungry folks.

• napkins are small, but to a mother with a toddler an extra stack of napkins brought to her luinch table meant a great deal.
• individual yogurt containers are small, but to someone without dinner plans yogurt means another meal.
• balancing a meal tray from the meal line while holding a cane, bag of yogurt, and all your personal possessions is tough...and so it becomes a great thing when a polite sixth grader asks, "Sir, may I assist you?"  Many smiles on tired cold faces were lit up after this question was asked by our youth.
• Eye contact, a smile, and a warm greeting seem small... but to folks who are invisible in downtown Indy- it means a great deal.
• having kids delay eating their lunch so that hungrier bellies are filled seems to be a small thing... so that they can capture the greater need in our world for an end to hunger.

What small thing are you doing today, that has great love attached to it?

Here We Go, Confirmation, Again!

Without much ado or effort or fanfare we have begun another confirmation year!  (Woo hoo!)  Our nineteen students come from amazing families and represent at least four different school systems.  They are interesting, awkward young people- and I cannot wait to get to know them better.

This year we will be mentoring a new leader in our group, Trevor, who joined out staff this past autumn.  I am eager to experience confirmation from Trevor's point of view as much as from the student's viewpoints. Learning for me, just might occur, so watch out!

Be thinking of us this Sunday as we discuss who the church is, why we are here and clarify some of my 'pet peeves' of church nomenclature.  For example, people misuse the word religion all the time. More often than not I hear a person of faith refer to another denomination within Christianity as another religion. Hello?!  No, another religion from Christianity would be Hinduism or Buddhism or Islam or Judaism.  Catholicism, Baptists and Presbyterians, for instance, are examples of other denominations within Christianity.

Sigh.  Maybe one day I will have corrected all the world in it's usage of this word!

May be.  One. Day....

Pastor's Prayer Village

One of my hidden or not so hidden goals for this new year has been to do a better job of asking for help.  Well, this preacher practiced what she preaches because on Friday of last week I sent out a message to all my Facebook friends asking for prayer support and help!  (And what a loving response of kindness and generosity- thank you!)

Did you know it takes a village to raise up a pastor?

Well, it does because we are creatures under construction.  Never fully finished with us God keeps molding, shaping and re-shaping us.  Perhaps to work on humility or to make us more God-dependent or to remind us that the work we do... isn't our work at all, but the movement of God's Spirit through, in, and around us.

So, I am grateful for my village today that has recently been ever so supportive of my tough role of care giving for an ill father, my role of wife of a MBA student, mother of a 2nd grader, and my roles around Calvary UMC as a pastor, preacher, spiritual director, friend and leader. 

At least no one has yet to identify me as the village idiot!  (Ha ha...)

Thanks everyone for the love and kindness!

Favorite Christmas Moments...

Our Christmas 2012 held several special moments of warmth, light, hope and love... my two most favorite moments were

1) the welcoming of the Peace Light from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Israel.  We enjoyed tending the light so much.  It stayed with us all the way into the new year and the first winter storm of 2013 that comfort and peace lingered with us.

2) our daughter's complete joy at her American Girl doll from Santa.  She now has a doll that looks exactly like her!  Here is my most favorite picture from Christmas! 

She and her doll, Zoe, are seated on Diana's bed.  If you know my kid you know her favorite stuffed animal has been her caterpillar.  We've carried that poor creature around for the past 8 years!  When Diana was three she never left her caterpillar alone for fear he/she would turn into a butterfly and fly away. 

Santa made sure that Diana and her doll, Zoe, had matching nightgowns.  Here they are on Christmas night... all packages have been opened; the tree is empty of surprises; and now Diana and her doll wear their matching nightgowns with yes, they are snuggled up with their matching caterpillers!! 

Makes me smile and get teary every time I see this photo!

New Goals for New Year

I have been hesitent to write my new goals this year because I just have not been ready and willing to commit.  Ever felt that way?  Unsure whether to commit and therefore, you wait to make a decision or come up with an idea or take an action.  Sort of a weird place of limbo.

Last year I had very clear sense of my goals...this year I am bumfuddled.  (If that is even a word...)  Or feeling lazy or just disinterested or confused or lost or something other that proactive and excited about goals. 

Most likely my lack of enthusiasm to embrace goals and what not is because a majority of my introspection and reflective energies have been channeled in another direction for the past two months... and I have just run out of steam.  Bleh. 

Perhaps I can narrow my goals into the following:

1. be the best wife I can be
2. be the best mom I can be
3. be the best friend (to my friends and myself) I can be
4. be the pastor I can be
5. be the best daughter, aunt, cousin, neice, etc I can be
6. I will ask for help more often this year.
7. I will admit my mistakes more readily this year.
8. I will walk at least three 5K events and 1 mini-marathon this year.
9. I will write and submit at least four items (poems/devotions/etc) for publishing this year.
10. I will swear less often (and work on my short patience other wise known as my feisty, quick Lithuaian temper too).

Well, there you have it!  Goals to live by for 2013!

The January Hustle

After a much needed break post Christmas... ministry is up and going- again!  Not much rest for the weary!

My January hustle each year centers around the beginning of another Confirmation class (20 students this year!); preparations for our Master's Class; recruitment of writers and submission for our Lent Devotional (watch out Lent is early this year!); and the normal swing of things around a busy, active, vibrant congregation!

My husband continues and resumes his MBA studies in a few days and my daughter will soon start her practicing for her annual piano festival.  With all these deadlines, I have not had time to start writing my new goals for 2013.

Must make a To Do List and put that item on top!  (Ha ha!)

2012 in Review

While filling ourselves to overflowing with various delicious cheesecake, my little family reviewed the year past.  Fascinating how much more reflective our 2nd grade is now than a year ago. 

I thought I would share some of my personal highlights from our conversation...

• Saddest Moment- learning during Holy Week that Eric's mothers breast cancer was back for a 3rd time and located in her brain.
• Favorite and Best Accomplishment- walking the Mini-Marathon!
• Worst Books Sales in a year ever- our book, He Said, She Said
• Best Vacation Spot- wave pools at Holiday World & Great Wolfe Lodge
• Best Dressed- for my birthday dinner at the 'space ship restaurant' with E and D!
• Most Blessed Moment as a Wife- too many moments to name (ex. birthday gift, help with my dad, prayer support, and all around good guy!!)
• Hardest Accomplishment- assisting my father through his multiple crises this fall.
• Most Relaxing Time with family- driving the Mustang with the radio blaring, the top is down, and driving to get some ice cream!
• Most Grateful Moment- sharing Thanksgiving with the entire Knight family and delighting Mom Knight with a great family day!
• Most Proud Moment as a Mom- helping Diana share her music in worship at church.
• Most Pathetic Moment- our drought ridden garden!  :(  pathetic, it was.

Well, there you go.  Some of my year's worth of highlights.  What are yours?  And better yet, what do you think 2013 will hold in store for us?!