To the Retreat!

Last Sunday morning as the students left our classroom, one of our boys asked me, "Pastor Michelle, what is a retreat?" Well, tomorrow he and his twenty classmates will find out.

Our confirmands, a variety of their mentors, Andrew and I will be on retreat. Leaving the world, video games, parents/family, and school behind to focus on stuff of God (i.e. worship and the sacraments). Then, on Sunday morning we will stop talking about worship and go do it with two very different congregations. This is one of my favorite confirmation class events (actually all of the events are my favorite)!

Our prayers will be with our congregation here at home- as we learn, play and worship elsewhere. May we be blessed and may God be honored by our retreat.

My Economic Plan

I'll probably get some hate email from this blog, but I cannot hold back any longer. I just gotta go political. Well, at least economical.

I listened to President Obama's speech last night. I read the bailout bill last fall. I read the new economic recovery bill our Congress and President passed into law last week. I have been following the situation and talking, thinking and praying.

And I have an idea. Small, but radical idea that just might help. I learned about this idea from our Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class last year. My household actually runs our family budget based upon this plan. It works. It saves. It offers a sense of purpose and structure to our family life. It keeps us on our plan. And it prevents us from having a deficit or getting into debt.

Can you imagine a US Government that runs it's annual budget using the cash-envelope system? Yep- an envelope is marked for each item in the budget and you can only spend what is in that envelope. When the envelope is empty- well it's empty. You gotta plan ahead. You gotta be responsible and accountable. Emergencies- well that comes from the envelope marked "Emergency Fund".

Imagine Indiana's state government using the cash envelope system? How about our local church? Or our families using the cash-envelope system?

Now, I am sure that you are thinking the same thing I am thinking. There is a flaw. The problem is that this cash envelope system will take a lot of envelopes.

But that's a small paper problem compared to the ones we are facing...

Happy Fat Tuesday to you!

Pancakes for lunch, madri gras parties, and parades... all that fun stuff culminates tonight because at 12:01am lent begins! Tomorrow inaugurates a time to reflect, be quiet, focus, prepare, wait, watch, read, ponder, pray, and abstain.

Calvary begins our Lent Fitness Challenge. For the leadership team, the challenge has already been a challenge to prepare and coordinate, but we are ready. Hope you are too! Likewise our Lent Devotional begins! The books is published and ready for folks to read. Fantastic stories in there for folks to be renewed by the faithfulness of others.

So, I guess Fat Tuesday means that I can eat all the Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies in the freezer and I don't have to feel guilty about it until tomorrow....ahhh..I am liking this holy day/holiday!

Devotion Dilemna

After our evening meal together as a family we have created a devotion ritual. My daughter calls it " 'votion time".

Our dilemna has been- what sort of devotion to use?

For several weeks we used The Upper Room. I liked this one. It was familiar to me and a devotional format that I grew up using in grade school, high school and college. My preschooler was frustrated because there were no pictures. My husband was irritated because as he said, "you write better than this stuff!" We have since cast aside The Upper Room.

I thought briefly - for two seconds- about using the Alive Now. Pictures yes, but stories that our entire family could relate to, well, no.

Then, last fall we used a variety of children's books on the themes of fall, nature, thanksgiving etc. As Advent approached we switched to Christmas and Advent books. But the problem was having a stack of books at the dinner table every night and trying to keep them clean while also providing room for our dining experience.

Sigh. So after the New Year I was about to give up. Suddenly, in a flash of brilliance (he has these moments) my husband exclaimed, "Let's just read the Bible." Hey, now there is an idea!

The guy two doors down from me (aka Todd) has been yaking about his Bible reading in 2009. Thus, the Knight's have joined in. But what sort of Bible to use? (I do have over 20). Our local library supplied the answer with an NIV Story Bible whose cartoons meet the needs of our preschooler. (I really didn't think of Moses as being well, so muscularly beefy, but he is in these illustrations.)

We are making our way through the Old Testament a story at a time... and everyone is content, all our needs are met, and my husband confessed recently, "You know I get more out of this Bible reading than I ever have!" (That is probably because of my off-the-cuff extra Biblical insights. Maybe its the Duke education rubbing off...or my family just really likes these cartoons.)

Whatever the reason at least we are devoting together as a family. How about you?

Poems Inspired by My Dog

After cleaning up our valentine's mess, it dawned on me that no one in our house got our dog a Valentine. He was left out of the love! Poor thing.

So, in a moment of inspiration today, I decided to dedicate a bit of my worst poetry ever to him...

Roses are red,
violets are blue
all my dog does
is chew, chew, chew!

Here is my attempt at a limerick:

There once was a yellow dog named Duke
and he liked nothing better than to puke...

Hmmm... maybe my dog and poetry should just not go together.

Valentines..

Our little family shared our valentines yesterday. Hope you did as well. We really did things simple. Made pizza or had some yummy leftovers.

Jigsaw puzzles, Chutes & Ladders, and a game of Candyland were our family entertainment (that and watching the dog run circles around the living room sofa!) Funny how the preschooler won both games. Hmmm...

After her bedtime, my husband and I put in Casablanca and poured ourselves two very nice glasses of wine. Now that is a great movie with incredible dialogue.

All in all it was a wonderful day! Our prayer is that all children of God know they are loved whether they receive a valentine or not.

Send your sympathies to...

I am wearing black today. Not sack cloth and ashes although that holy day is coming soon. But my household is in a state of mourning and loss. A regrettable loss. A terrible loss which means that Tyler Hansbourgh has a new record of 4-0 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The ribbing and grief which I will receive from the 2 UNC fans within our church will be heavy, I know. I am trying to find a way to wear a disguise in worship on Sunday. Got any ideas?!

Oh, the pain is deep...but March 8th, UNC's Senior Night, will be our chance to fight back! (I pray.)