Ice Pellets

I am not complaining, simply stating the way things are....icy, wet and everything is cancelled! While consulting a couple different weather sites on-line this morning, I discovered a couple terms that were unfamiliar: ice chunks and ice pellets. So happens that I was talking to my mom on the phone during this and she said "do they not know the term sleet?" Little did we know that when I walked on that dangerous patch of earth (100 yards or less) between my house and the church, I saw this "pellet and chunk" stuff coming down from the sky. Huge pieces of stuff coming down.

WOW!

So, I raise my cup of coffee and say a hearty cheers to those weather experts out there while I bundle up with my fuzzy socks and attempt to put together a sermon on the quentessential disciple Peter and his confession to Jesus "you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"

Also, there will be no pictures of this weather phenomenon because my camera would not adequately capture it.

Stuck on Todd Agnew

My i-pod "menu" button is not funtioning. Thankfully, it is stuck on my new favorite CD, "Better Questions" by Todd Agnew. I highly recommend it. Those of you out there that are more techy than me, what do I do when my i-pod malfunctions? I have never heard of an anyone else breaking their i-pod, am I the first? Am I really so much of an i-idiot that I will forever be listening to only Todd Agnew.

Here are some of my favorite lyrics from the CD:

I'll admit I'm glad I'm not John the Baptist
In a jail cell waiting for my day to die
'Cause at least down here I know what we're chasing
And it's hard to trust Your dreams
Are so much better than mine

Chorus 3
If You wanted me to die to myself
Why'd You make me fall so deeply in love with life

Chorus 4
If You wanted me to surrender
Why'd You make these hands able to hold on so tight

Chorus 5
And if You wanted me to be like You
Why'd You make me like me

Look at toddagnew.com for more or buy it in the store or on i-tunes.

Special Visit

One of my dearest friends came to see me. She now lives in China, so it was such a precious and rare treat. Thank you, Kara, for being faithful to Jesus! I am one among many who are eternally grateful!

Praying for Our Enemies

"The first thing we are called to do when we think of others as enemies is to pray for them. This is certainly not easy. It requires discipline to allow those who hate us or those toward whom we have hostile feelings to come into the intimate center of our hearts. People who make our lives difficult and cause us frustration, pain, or even harm are least likey to receive a place in our hearts. Yet every time we overcome this impatience with our opponets and are willing to listen to the cry of those who persectue us, we will recognize them as brothers and sisters too. Praying for our enemies is therefore a real event, the event of reconciliation. It is impossible to lift our enemies up in the presence of God and at the same time continue to hate them...Prayer conversts the enemy into a friend and thus the beginning of a new relationship. There is probably no prayer as powerful as the prayer for our enemies. But it is also the most difficult prayer since it is most contrary to our impulses. This explains why some saints consider prayer for enemies the main criterion of holiness."

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Compassion

i-idiots

Am I the only one on the planet that has trouble syncing an i-pod?!

After having asked for one for the last two Christmases...I finally got an i-pod. I absolutely love it! Within a few hours of owning it, I put almost 2,000 songs on it. A lot of these were crazy sound bites that were stashed on my computer un-be-knownst to me.

Will's grandparents and his mother (Joyce) have been with us since last Saturday. We have had a wonderful time with them.

Grandpa enjoyed the i-pod as much as anyone. He wasn't able to help me sync it though!!! RATS.

Christmas Fun

Basil was given a toy that she left at Joyce, my mother-in-law's house last Christmas. It is a sock monkey. Now, as you can see from the video, it has been reduced to fluff.

Who could resist such Christmas fun?

Ice

The sun is shining and the snow and ice look like they should be melting. After cancelling church this morning, we are hoping to have the parking lot clear enough so that people will not slip and slide....break something, etc!

Here is a picture of the ice hanging from the awning on the front of the church building. After venturing out early this morning in order to figure out about the weather, I stayed in the house until I went out to take pictures of the snow and ice.

I'm totally glad we cancelled church because even with boots on I was slipping and slidding!

Patience with the weather

Today is a sleet-snow day and I am finally making time to blog.

I would like to hear some comments about that last blog and would welcome all....any....comments about patience. Obviously this video is very ammature. Nancy O. who was running the video camera didn't even know that she really had video capabilities on her camera. Brian O., her husband, was caught totally unaware that we were going to video him and he is a bit camera shy;) All of that being said, I really appreciate their help.

Ironically enough, this is one of the texts for tomorrow and who knows if I will even have the opportunity to preach cause it is snowy and icy and they are predicting that it will be getting even worse. So, at this very moment, I am feeling a bit impatient about the weather.

The text (NRSV): "Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and late rains. You must also be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near."

What kinds of things try our patience? How does one become patience? What does strength have to do with patience? Does this strength come from us or is it given to us by God.

James 5:7-11

The Wonder of it All

The sanctuary here was splendidly decorated by a couple of women. The carpet is burgundy and the chair and pew cushions are mauve. There are a few small trees that line the sides in the nave. The tall flowers just behind us are dahlias which I never would have associated with Christmas before but I really like them. It is gorgeous with the lights dim and the trees and cross lit as well as the cross. It captures a small amount of the wonder of advent.

FALL is here!

Fall color! It makes me want to be outside with a camera all day. The funny thing is that pictures never really capture the beauty of it.

I found this on my coffee

The Way I See It #270

Taste is subjective. Taste is democratic. Taste is powerful. Taste – the combination of texture, aroma, temperature, aesthetic and environment – is also a window into someone else’s life or culture. Be confident in your taste, but remain curious and expose yourself to new tastes. Allow your taste to constantly evolve and grow – while keeping and cherishing the memories that taste creates.
-- Marcus SamuelssonChef, co-owner of Restaurant Aquavit and author of The Soul of a New Cuisine

Preaching and Living the Jonah Story

A couple days ago I preached the Jonah story. I told the whole story during my sermon which is not really that unusual for me cause I love to summarize (perhaps even “dramatize”) Biblical stories and none other lends itself to such things better than Jonah.

Here are some details that might have not caught your attention: Notice that we are only given one little episode of Jonah’s life. Notice that we know so very little about the actual person. Notice that it does not end on a bright and cheery note. Notice that it should not be considered a story for children due to it’s graphic nature-violence, adult situations (Jonah considers committing suicide), and perhaps language (since Jonah did have some interesting interactions with sailors). Notice also that Jonah was perhaps one of the most successful evangelists (given the extensive nature of the repentance that happened in Nineveh….everyone, even the rulers of the people turned) in the Bible, but ended up angry and alone. Although most of these details make the book tragic and sad, they also make us laugh because they reflect so much of what we know about human beings….even ourselves if we are brave enough to admit it!

Jonah put a message out to the Ninevites. It says that Jonah should give them the message that he receives from God (3:2). The reader is never privy to the content of the message. We only hear what the Ninevites hear (3:4) “forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” It seems to be an abbreviated message. It seems to just be a threat….it only implies that they should turn to God and be spared. The people of Nineveh believe God. They literally throw themselves at God’s mercy.

The huge irony that has left me baffled and a detailed that I failed to even mention as I preached it is found in this. Jonah prays it right in 2:8 (New Living Translation): “Those who worship false idols, turn their backs on all God’s mercies” or (NIV) “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”

His words seem to be right, but his heart is a long ways from right. His lips wrote a check that his legs couldn't cash. He was serving God on his terms not on God’s terms. (See Matthew 15:8 also Isaiah 29 saying: “these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”)

And our friend Jonah is sulking under a withered plant. Could it be that Jonah had forfeited grace and mercy. What was his worthless idol? What are ours?

Celebrating Accidents

A very popular Italian district of Saint Louis called "the Hill" is the home of a famous eatery called "Cunettos." I learned (Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels is the source) that Cunetto's famous fried ravioli was actually discovered by accident. Easy to picture, the ravioli is set a little to close to the grease pit and oooops with the knock of an elbow, you got fried ravioli!!! Sounds like a real tasty mistake to me. I wonder how the manger on duty acted toward the clumsy cook?!

Another thought about accidental food discoveries: have you ever had broccoli and guacamole? Don't laugh! It totally rocks. I discovered by accident when I thought I would drop the last couple pieces of broccoli into a taco salad that I was putting together. Now, there is no better match up. I even told Will that we should open a deli called BROC-GUAC cause it is so good it could go with anything. (if someone steals this idea, they MUST give me credit, if not money, for it)

A week ago today, all the schools and government offices around here (and perhaps everywhere else, but I have no evidence to prove or disprove this) were closed. The holiday was Columbus Day. He is one among many great people we now celebrate who had absolutely no intention of doing the things that they did. His "discovery" of the Americas was commonly thought of as failure in his day. Yet, in the long run, this little accidnet turns into something big and history is made. Other "greats" that happened to be at the right place at the right time and considered themselves more "accidental" leaders than intentional leaders are Harry S. Truman and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Great testimonies to the randomness of life....you head out to do something and you accidentally discover your niche.

When I fall into something...make mistakes...accidentally discover my niche, am I gracious enough to see the humor and laugh at myself? Am I so aggravated that things did not go according to my plan that I fail to see the humor in it? Am I too prideful to admit that sometimes these accidents are God's way of throwing me curve balls and helping me enjoy the crazy game of life with which he graced me?

What do you say that we create a holiday....maybe even set aside a day every week that we intentionally regard mistakes as things to be celebrated!

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra

Last evening, Will and two other friends of ours enjoyed a special night out on the city. It was such a massive treat to eat a scruptious meal, have good conversation with lots of laughter, and experience the pure delight of music.

This picutre is of the foyer at Powell Theatre. It is breathtaking. Look at the ornate celing with gold etching. The theatre used to be St. Louis Theatre and was constructed in 1925. It has always served a facility for live entertainment and for a time also served as a movie theatre. The last movie to be shown here was the Sound of Music. The Symphony Society purchased it through a generous $500,000 gift. The renovation of the building cost $2 million dollars. It is thought by some to be one of the world's finest concert halls.

The program included pieces by Rossini, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Elgar. The Conductor, Nicholas McGegan radiated love for the music. His energy was electric and would have been entertaining even if the music was not.

What a wonderful evening in the city!

Sign You May Be Going too Fast

This is too good to not share. I got it in an e-mail.

A Hymn by Anne Steele

Here is a hymn written by Anne Steele written upon hearing the news of her fiance's death. "From its mving words, it is evident that she was able to bring her lament before God and receive solace from him." from Prayer and Worship, by Renovare, page 87.

When I survey life's varied scene
Amid the darkest hours
Sweet rays of comfort shine between
And thorns are mixed with flowers...

In grief and pains Thy sacred Word
(Dear solace of my soul!)
Celestial comforts can afford
And all their power control

When present sufferings pain my heart
Or future terrors rise
And light and hope almost depart
From these dejected eyes

Thy powerful Word supports my hope
Sweet cordial of the mind
And bears my faiting spirit up
And bids me wait resigned

And oh whatever of earthly bliss
Thy sovereign hand denies
Accepted at Thy throne of grace
Let this petition rise

"Give me a calm and thankful heart
From every murmur free
The blessings of Thy grace impart
And let me live to Thee

Let the sweet hope that Thou art mine
My path of life attend
Thy presence through my journey shine
And bless its happy end.

"Get Over it"

It has been a year since our initial onslaught of crime: the various burglaries and the destruction of our CRV by gun fire. It may be that it was coming upon the one year mark or a full moon or something, but here recently and very poignantly one day this week I felt the fear and anger and grief all come rushing back. Above is the picture of our demolished CRV, although the picture is not that clear, if you look closely you can see the windshield is totally shattered. Periodically when we were traveling the country I would see a CRV of similar color and year and feel grieved, but since living in Vandalia where there are only 2 CRVs and none that resemble my beloved "Lt. Dan" I rarely feel that. There are times when all of us hear certain words or see something or smell something that makes us recall something that once so dear.

Though I frequently become impatient with myself, chastising myself saying things like "get over it!" and tell myself that things are great here and life couldn't be better, etc..... I sometimes get a whiff of something in the air and cry like it was just yesterday. I grieve the loss of close friends and my beloved Heartlanders, my friends of the Great Plains Conference, the familiarity of Kansas City with all the arts, entertainment, restaurants, and sports, etc. There are so many dear things that I have lost that I will never get over. I will do my best to put them in perspective and trust that the Gentle Shepherd Jesus will lead me, comfort me and challenge me.

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