Summer Reading... turns into autumn reading

At the end of July our local library finished their summer reading program... and I accomplished a record number of pages read.  Many of them were mystery and romance novels.  It had been a long time since I read so much fiction!  Very fun for me!

I am always looking for another book recommendation from a friend or colleague.  I include a few good titles from my summer reading for your faith and/or ministry.

• God Girl: Becoming the woman you're meant to be Hayley DiMarco 
• Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas 
• Stones of Remembrance by Lois Evans and Jane Rubietta 
• Raising the Roof by Alice Mann 
• Size Transitions by Beth Ann Gaede

Behind my desk is another stack of books waiting to be read!  As my husband begins his graduate classes tonight, I have newly designated my Tuesday evenings as "reading night".  So, here it goes again!  

Sharing a good book is sharing a friend!  So, let me know what you're reading!

August 2012's Brown Bag Series

Once a year or so I become brave and take a calculated risk.

August has been one of those months.  Members of the congregation brought me an item from their home which must be Rated G for general viewing audiences. Wrapped in a brown bag the item is brought forward in the sanctuary during our children's message which I typically do because our senior pastor is the primary preacher.  When I preach he takes over the children's message for the morning... unless it is Brown Bag month. Then, on the fly (and in front of the entire congregation) I have to come up with a message about how this item teaches us or reminds about God, our faith or living as faithful people in the world.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?!  But you have no idea the amount of butterflies that appear in my stomach during the doxology which precedes the children's sermon every week.  Egads!?

I have no idea where or how I got the brown bag children's sermon idea... and I must be crazy to torture myself with it.  But the kids and congregation LOVE it.

Singles, grandparent age couples, families with teens and families with kids in every level of school... brought me their brown bags this month.  If you missed the fun here's a list of the items:

1. dream catcher- talked about how God often speaks to us through our dreams and related several bible stories.  Thanks Dan!
2. toothpaste- spoke about how God wants to protect us from harm and things that would destroy us like toothpaste works to prevent cavities.  Thanks Bill and Raki!
3. empty bag- related the story of the empty tomb and how empty things like the tomb are full of meaning and importance for our faith.  Thanks Blake, Stephanie, Tom, Nathan and Brynn!
4. dice- shared the story of the soldiers who gambled (i.e. rolled dice or lots) to see who would get Jesus clothing after his death.  During that experience of suffering, mocking, 'deadly bullying' Jesus remained firm in his faith and shows us how to move through life experiences when we suffer and are bullied.  Thanks Nathan, Stacie, Tim and Jon!

To all the families who participated- thank you!  I am sure you wanted to stump me or come up with something different.  And you have!

What has been the most fun is talking with teens and adults afterwards about all the OTHER ideas or ways I could have gone with the brown bag item... makes us all of us learn how to think theologically... and maybe just maybe that has been my point all along!  *wink*

Denied

Every year I send a handful of devotions to the Upperroom for publication in their daily devotional.  I always send them when I need to work on humility.  Because every time I send a devotion... it is denied!  Working through rejection is a great exercise in fostering humility!

A year after I sent this devotion into Upperroom, I re-read their guidelines and learned that devotions about pets are a big NO NO!  The little devotional is translated and published in numerous languages for cultures outside the US.  And pets are not held in the same esteem in other parts of the world as they are in the States.  (Wish I had known that at the time I submitted the darn thing. sigh.)

Thus, since this will never appear elsewhere... I share with you one of my 'rejects'.

Title: What Dog Obedience Can Teach Us

Suggested Scripture reading: I John 5:2-5

Quoted verse: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments”(I John 5:2).

I learned more this past summer in my dog’s obedience class than my dog did.  He barely passed the class.  What I learned helped me train my new puppy, but it also taught me something about our relationship with our Creator God. 

Dogs naturally want to please their caregivers/masters.  Lovingly firm, consistent, and clear commands rather than punishment or bribery enable dogs even silly wiggly puppies to respond consistently and positively.  This helps the pup trust their owner.  And the greater trust the puppy experiences in their owner the more likely the dog will want to succeed at everything the owner asks.  Then the saying is true: Dog is man or woman’s best friend.

Our God is lovingly firm with us.  God is always consistent in the expectations of our behavior and personal character.  God is very clear about the redeemed life looks like in action and attitude.  Because God’s character is such, we can have great confidence and trust in God and therefore grow in our desire to be obedient. 

Prayer:

Dear God, you honor me with choice, help me to honor you by choosing obedience to your word and will.  Amen.

Thought for the Day:

Trust and obedience to God brings joy.

Prayer Focus:

People and their pets

Blog that shouldn't

Last week a considerable amount of time was spent writing a series of three blogs.  They were posted on my blog site for about 5 hours and then I deleted them.  Very interesting process that I have not done before.... to write three blogs and then delete them from the internet (of course, I am sure something of them remains on some forgotten computer somewhere...).

I knew their content was controversial... and would stir up my three readers.  but mostly, after I walked away from posting them (during that five hour window they were 'live') the realization dawned on me that i wrote them too early.  The thinking process was incomplete.  Too raw.  Too underdeveloped.  My thought patterns need to mature and my logic needs to line up.

So, I shall continue thinking and mulling.  Maybe sometime soon my thoughts will congeal to the point I shall attempt to share them again with the world.  Or at least to the three of you reading this.

Until then- here's to the blogs that should not have been- yet!

Signs You Live With a PK

I did not become a PK or preacher's kid until my college years so I only have a life experience from then until now.  My daughter however has only known life as a PK.  Frankly, I am not even sure she knows what that means.

There is a staggering amount of evidence that being the daughter of a preacher has impacted her life though.  Here are a few examples.

She is the only kid on our block who "breaks" her bread sticks, sandwiches, and/or garlic bread by holding it up in the air... brief pause...(as if saying the Words of Institution for the Lord's Supper) and then dramatically breaks the bread showing everyone around the table her bread is now broken.  Enacting Holy Communion at the supper or lunch table is truly a sign of being a preacher's kid.

My daughter is the only child on her bus who carries her purple picture Bible with her. She decided recently that she needed to do some reading on the bus.  I suggested she choose a book from her shelf.  Immediately she flew into her room and grabbed (then hugged) her purple Bible to her chest.  I really had nothing to do with it.

Yes, it was my child who announced to her fellow preschool students at our church's preschool one day when she was four years old, "My Momma runs this place.  (whispering) She has a key to every room!"

Last weekend while I did a seven hour stint of scrap booking mania (I am almost caught up).  I set my daughter up with her own crafting table: glue, glitter, tape, markers, paper, etc.  After creating a wild variety of tactile art pictures, she created a building.  Actually, she built a church.  Mind you, this was not prompted by me because I was buried under piles of photos and mementos for her scrapbooks.

Diana's church building only had three rooms.  As she gave me the grand tour, the theologian in me puffed up with pride at her Trinitarian approach to church construction.  My moment of pride was quickly dashed when she announced, "And this room is for Sunday School.  See the picture of the rainbow and Noah?  And this room is for all that singing and talking (i.e. worship)."

"Diana, what is in this third room?"

"Oh, Momma (eyes big and touches my arm gently as if to emphasize the significance of her next words), this is the Donut Room."

Really?!  Seriously?!  The take-away my kid gets from being a PK is that every church needs a donut room?

Summer's Lessons

During the short eight weeks we had a 'summer break' at my house, several lessons were learned without the benefit of a classroom other than what life provided.  My garden may not have grown... but I think I have.

Because there is not a report card at this end of this 'grading period", I thought I'd muse around with a written note of lessons learned.  You can decide how these lessons may apply to your journey.

1. All life requires water.
2. Droughts manifest themselves in many different ways.
3. Ministry is more fun when it is shared.
4. Praying for and loving others through an active prayer life is AWESOME.
5. Even God's Spirit can surprise you.
6. Saying goodbye to good friends as well as old yucky attitudes challenges.
7. You can fall in love with God and your spouse over and over again (and it gets more rewarding and enriching each time).
8. Moms with metronomes are not appreciated until much, much later in life.

What have you been learning this summer?