A young man who has been worshiping with my congregation for a couple of months was arrested this afternoon for attempting to rob a bank.
He has been extremely faithful in coming to worship; he has only missed one Sunday since we first saw him. He never wanted to talk after the worship service, but he had begun to at least greet me in the receiving line. Some of our members, myself included, have wondered if he has some developmental disabilities.
My space bar keeps sticking, so I'll stop now. Please pray, as I am sure he is frightened and I am sure there is much more to this story.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday Five: PJ's
Sophia at RevGals writes: As the weather cools off into a lovely fall, my son and daughter are rediscovering their joy in cozy footed "pajammies"--though not to sleep in. They love to hang out in the pjs before bed or in the morning, but when it's time to actually sleep they strip to their skivvies! Good thing they finally have their own rooms, now that they are getting older.
Without going to TMI land, share with us your sleepwear memories and preferences....
1. What was your favorite sleeping attire as a child? And did you call them pjs, pajamas (to rhyme with llamas), pajamas (to sort of rhyme with bananas), jammies, or ???
I liked any nightgown that made me feel pretty!
2. Favorite sleepwear put on your own little ones, or perhaps those you babysat? (Bonus points if you made it).
I loved those cute little sleep sacks when they were just a few months old in the winter.
3. How about today-do you prefer nightgown, pajamas, undies, or au naturel?
When in my own bed at home, I prefer a simple cotton nightgown.
4. Silky smooth or flannel-y cozy?
neither, really...if it's too silky, I feel cold and usually flannel makes me sweat.
5. Socks or bare feet?
Definitely bare feet.
Bonus: Funny story regarding sleepwear (or the lack thereof).
My mom used to love to buy my younger sister and I matching nightgowns or pj's to open on Christmas Eve. This was charming when we were both pretty little, but became kind of embarrassing as I entered into my teenage years. For instance, when I was 13 years old and my sister was 6 years old, we received Rainbow Brite nightgowns.
You know this obnoxious, stupid character from the 1980's...
Well, about three weeks after Christmas, our house caught fire and we had to run out of our house early in the morning for our safety. What had I put on to sleep in the night before? Yep, that frickin' Rainbow Brite nightgown! Even worse, I had to wear it over to my friend's house because I needed to borrow some clothes because all of mine were now torched. Yes, all of my clothes were torched...except for that damn Rainbow Brite nightgown! Funny how I can still feel my consternation and mortification very, very keenly 24 years later!
Without going to TMI land, share with us your sleepwear memories and preferences....
1. What was your favorite sleeping attire as a child? And did you call them pjs, pajamas (to rhyme with llamas), pajamas (to sort of rhyme with bananas), jammies, or ???
I liked any nightgown that made me feel pretty!
2. Favorite sleepwear put on your own little ones, or perhaps those you babysat? (Bonus points if you made it).
I loved those cute little sleep sacks when they were just a few months old in the winter.
3. How about today-do you prefer nightgown, pajamas, undies, or au naturel?
When in my own bed at home, I prefer a simple cotton nightgown.
4. Silky smooth or flannel-y cozy?
neither, really...if it's too silky, I feel cold and usually flannel makes me sweat.
5. Socks or bare feet?
Definitely bare feet.
Bonus: Funny story regarding sleepwear (or the lack thereof).
My mom used to love to buy my younger sister and I matching nightgowns or pj's to open on Christmas Eve. This was charming when we were both pretty little, but became kind of embarrassing as I entered into my teenage years. For instance, when I was 13 years old and my sister was 6 years old, we received Rainbow Brite nightgowns.
You know this obnoxious, stupid character from the 1980's...
Well, about three weeks after Christmas, our house caught fire and we had to run out of our house early in the morning for our safety. What had I put on to sleep in the night before? Yep, that frickin' Rainbow Brite nightgown! Even worse, I had to wear it over to my friend's house because I needed to borrow some clothes because all of mine were now torched. Yes, all of my clothes were torched...except for that damn Rainbow Brite nightgown! Funny how I can still feel my consternation and mortification very, very keenly 24 years later!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday Five:Child's Play Edition
Thanks Kathrynzj of RevGals for today’s Friday Five which celebrates the spontaneous child in all of us… or at least the one that we admire in someone else:
1) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being I can’t do this now I am about to jump into a pit of plastic balls at the mini-mall and 1 being I can’t do this now until I can get all of the fonts on my blog to match – where are you?
I am a strong "4." I love to play!
2) What is the silliest/most childlike thing you have done as an adult?
I can name a couple: I went on the slip and slide with the kids in the front yard last summer.
A few summers back I went white water rafting with some teenagers from my church on the Arkansas River in CO. About halfway through the trip the guides have all the rafts pull over to the bank for a break. Our guide pointed to a huge boulder on the bank and said that we could jump off of it into the river if we wanted. I jumped up excitedly, thinking that at least half of my group would come with me, but they all looked at me like I was insane. Well, I could not NOT jump off that rock 'cuz, well, it was there. I did it and it was even higher than it looked. Wimpy teenagers...
3) Any regrets?
The slip and slide? Yes, it hurts to slip and slide. I won't be doing that again.
Jumping off the rock? No way, that was a blast! Bring on another one!
4) What is the silliest thing you have ever seen another adult do on purpose?
I'm usually that adult- volunteering to be the one who gets the pie in her face, jumping on the inflatables, dressing up...
5) What is something you wish you did when you had the chance?
Velcro jumping.
BONUS: For our ‘I told you so’ sides – what thing did you skip doing and you’re really glad you did!
This girl does NOT bungee jump. Nor do I play games which involve eating gross food combinations. Nope. uh.uh.
1) On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being I can’t do this now I am about to jump into a pit of plastic balls at the mini-mall and 1 being I can’t do this now until I can get all of the fonts on my blog to match – where are you?
I am a strong "4." I love to play!
2) What is the silliest/most childlike thing you have done as an adult?
I can name a couple: I went on the slip and slide with the kids in the front yard last summer.
A few summers back I went white water rafting with some teenagers from my church on the Arkansas River in CO. About halfway through the trip the guides have all the rafts pull over to the bank for a break. Our guide pointed to a huge boulder on the bank and said that we could jump off of it into the river if we wanted. I jumped up excitedly, thinking that at least half of my group would come with me, but they all looked at me like I was insane. Well, I could not NOT jump off that rock 'cuz, well, it was there. I did it and it was even higher than it looked. Wimpy teenagers...
3) Any regrets?
The slip and slide? Yes, it hurts to slip and slide. I won't be doing that again.
Jumping off the rock? No way, that was a blast! Bring on another one!
4) What is the silliest thing you have ever seen another adult do on purpose?
I'm usually that adult- volunteering to be the one who gets the pie in her face, jumping on the inflatables, dressing up...
5) What is something you wish you did when you had the chance?
Velcro jumping.
BONUS: For our ‘I told you so’ sides – what thing did you skip doing and you’re really glad you did!
This girl does NOT bungee jump. Nor do I play games which involve eating gross food combinations. Nope. uh.uh.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
John Calvin 500
I got away with the following in my sermon today about Calvin.
(Please keep in mind that punctuation is not my strong suit!)
Here are some pics of our celebration...
(Please keep in mind that punctuation is not my strong suit!)
One thing to keep in mind as we wrestle with Calvin and his ideas is that while, yes, he is known as the Father of the Reformed tradition; he is not God the Father. And, like my earthly father, whom I accept and admire and respect, I don’t always agree with him. I wrestle with his ideas and find myself oftentimes landing in a different place.
And you know, I’m okay with that. In fact, for me, this is one of the enduring legacies of John Calvin for the church today- we need not check our brains at the door of the sanctuary.
And you know, I’m okay with that. In fact, for me, this is one of the enduring legacies of John Calvin for the church today- we need not check our brains at the door of the sanctuary.
Here are some pics of our celebration...
It wasn't the intention to make these look like
ghost John Calvin masks!
Boo!
The kids worked this up.
The "Picasso" Calvin in the upper left is my son's!
This tasted even better than it looked!
mmmmmm......
Monday, July 06, 2009
Evil Eval Day
Today was evaluation day with my Admin. Assistant. Didn't go too well. It's hard to have a constructive conversation about improvement when she gives herself superior marks on her self evaluation.
We had her sign the improvement plan and told her we would meet again in 45 days and determine if there has been improvement. (It would have been in 30 days, but I will be on vacation then.)
The avoider in me hopes that she will decide to find something else in the meantime.
God, help me to not be a jerk...
We had her sign the improvement plan and told her we would meet again in 45 days and determine if there has been improvement. (It would have been in 30 days, but I will be on vacation then.)
The avoider in me hopes that she will decide to find something else in the meantime.
God, help me to not be a jerk...
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Just Doing My "Duty!"
For better or for worse, I did preach this morning- a sermon on John 3 from my files. My music director and liturgist took up the slack in everything else...save the children's time. Like a knucklehead, I did that. I did tell the kids to keep a reasonable distance from me, however!
Well, we have been traveling through the order of worship the past several weeks with the kids, sharing with them why we do the things we do in worship. It's been quite effective and I think the adults are getting at least as much out of it as the kids. Anyhoo, today we were talking about the offering, so the "Young Disciples' Time" was located at that point in the service. We were having a nice conversation about giving out of gratitude and love for God. All was going just swimmingly until I asked, "Why do we give money in the offering? Is it because it's a our duty?"
Duty.... okay, I know NOW that that is one word you don't say in front of children if you want to maintain any semblance of control. It was mayhem from that point on....especially my 5 year old daughter who was laughing hysterically and saying "duty, duty, bathroom pooty...!"
All I could do at that point was pair them off with ushers and let them help collect the offering!
By the way, the answer to the question I was looking for was, "No, we don't give out of duty, but out of love for God," but I guess don't give God your crap is a good lesson, too!
Now for the latest in my file of crap (or duty!) I don't have time for...
First of all, I may have to eventually fire my Admin. Assistant. It would take too long to give all the reasons why, but I've been avoiding it since I arrived and now it's beginning to bite me in the butt. It's not just me, I am getting calls on a nearly daily basis from folks complaining about her mistakes and lack of professionalism. I hate it. She is a very sweet woman. She and her husband have just bought a house and her 92 year old mother has just moved in them. However, supervising her is taking waayyy too much of my time and, no matter what, things still don't get done right. Also, I have some questions about her integrity. Not big stuff, like embezzlement, but wrongful use of her time, that sort of thing. The latest earfuls I got today was several people telling me that on the days I was sick this week, they couldn't get anyone on the phone after 2:00 pm. hmmmmmmm.....
If there are any Interim pastors out there, please hear me... do your best to take care of obvious staff issues while you're there. The Interim even told me that he left that for me to take care of...grrrrrrr!!!
My plan is, with the Personnel Committee, to do an evaluation of her work and put together an improvement plan that we will share with her. We will meet again with her in a month and if there isn't significant improvement, her employment will be terminated. I can't think of a better way to go about it. I've never had to personally fire someone, so if any of y'all have some wisdom, I'm eager to hear it.
Also, I am going to have to talk with our main children's ministry person about not smoking in front of the kids. GEEZ LOUISE! I can't believe I have to have that conversation! This woman is a rock, I love her. She's on Session, board of Trustees, active in Presbytery. I love her, but when my kids come home from a day at the zoo with her and tell me she smoked in the car while driving them, there's a problem! Please pray that I will find the right words when I approach her.
This is all part of the gig, right? It feels an awful lot like "duty" to me!
Well, we have been traveling through the order of worship the past several weeks with the kids, sharing with them why we do the things we do in worship. It's been quite effective and I think the adults are getting at least as much out of it as the kids. Anyhoo, today we were talking about the offering, so the "Young Disciples' Time" was located at that point in the service. We were having a nice conversation about giving out of gratitude and love for God. All was going just swimmingly until I asked, "Why do we give money in the offering? Is it because it's a our duty?"
Duty.... okay, I know NOW that that is one word you don't say in front of children if you want to maintain any semblance of control. It was mayhem from that point on....especially my 5 year old daughter who was laughing hysterically and saying "duty, duty, bathroom pooty...!"
All I could do at that point was pair them off with ushers and let them help collect the offering!
By the way, the answer to the question I was looking for was, "No, we don't give out of duty, but out of love for God," but I guess don't give God your crap is a good lesson, too!
Now for the latest in my file of crap (or duty!) I don't have time for...
First of all, I may have to eventually fire my Admin. Assistant. It would take too long to give all the reasons why, but I've been avoiding it since I arrived and now it's beginning to bite me in the butt. It's not just me, I am getting calls on a nearly daily basis from folks complaining about her mistakes and lack of professionalism. I hate it. She is a very sweet woman. She and her husband have just bought a house and her 92 year old mother has just moved in them. However, supervising her is taking waayyy too much of my time and, no matter what, things still don't get done right. Also, I have some questions about her integrity. Not big stuff, like embezzlement, but wrongful use of her time, that sort of thing. The latest earfuls I got today was several people telling me that on the days I was sick this week, they couldn't get anyone on the phone after 2:00 pm. hmmmmmmm.....
If there are any Interim pastors out there, please hear me... do your best to take care of obvious staff issues while you're there. The Interim even told me that he left that for me to take care of...grrrrrrr!!!
My plan is, with the Personnel Committee, to do an evaluation of her work and put together an improvement plan that we will share with her. We will meet again with her in a month and if there isn't significant improvement, her employment will be terminated. I can't think of a better way to go about it. I've never had to personally fire someone, so if any of y'all have some wisdom, I'm eager to hear it.
Also, I am going to have to talk with our main children's ministry person about not smoking in front of the kids. GEEZ LOUISE! I can't believe I have to have that conversation! This woman is a rock, I love her. She's on Session, board of Trustees, active in Presbytery. I love her, but when my kids come home from a day at the zoo with her and tell me she smoked in the car while driving them, there's a problem! Please pray that I will find the right words when I approach her.
This is all part of the gig, right? It feels an awful lot like "duty" to me!
Friday, June 05, 2009
Question for you...
What do you do when you are too sick to write your sermon?
Just not sure I'm gonna get it together this week. I've been running a 100-102 degree temp since Wednesday morning. Did go to the dr. yesterday and got some antibiotics because she said my throat was definitely not going to get better on its own. So far, I can't feel any effects from the meds. I hate being sick!
Hope your Friday is better!
Just not sure I'm gonna get it together this week. I've been running a 100-102 degree temp since Wednesday morning. Did go to the dr. yesterday and got some antibiotics because she said my throat was definitely not going to get better on its own. So far, I can't feel any effects from the meds. I hate being sick!
Hope your Friday is better!
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