I read with humor and interest the posts and comments of some within our blog community who spoke of established policies for a day of love such as this.
Here’s one thing I know (after yesterday anyway):
On the day before the nationally recognized day of love, you don’t ask the one you love if we have a Valentine’s day policy.
This will prove to be one expensive day!
The thing about God is (and this is a good thing) you can never be quite sure how he’ll answer a prayer.
In addition to all the accepted "omni" qualities of God I submit one for consideration - He is omnicapable.
I know there won’t be much argument about that.
I’m continually amazed (in a good way) the way God reaffirms he is capable to handle anything.
He approaches, to walk with us, to achieve that same result.
Back in the days of the JOY bus ministry it was the bus barn.
Can I get a shout out for all the JOY bus workers?
Five bonus points if you tell me what JOY stood for in the bus ministry lingo.
Back in the days of the mimeograph machine it was the copy room.
Can I get a shout out for the smell and the color blue?
10 bonus points if you lost your sense of smell from copying the bulletin.
It sits on the back corner of our church property and the barn became the domain of the youth group.
We’ve since rehabilitated the utes and they are now back among us in the main buildings.
The old bus barn sat empty until tonight when it officially becomes the new home of Packed With Pride.
About 25 or so of us will gather together tonight to share a meal together and help this organization support our troops from their new location in the old bus barn.
It’s an interesting story how this opportunity came about.
They were located in a rental property and could stay there up until the owner rented the property.
We’ve been trying to find ways to involve our community of faith in community service.
So, a few of us began to pray for that other space to be rented.
I’ve missed swinging my hammer and wearing my tool belt, although I routinely wear my tool belt in the accomplishment of mundane tasks.
The reason for this of course is because wearing a well worn tool belt conveys the notion of expertise and authority.
So, when the need here at the Iglesia arose to build a shed for the lawn equipment to clear out a room to house a local outreach effort that is relocating here this weekend I jumped at the chance.
Jess, my ministry colleague and carpenter demi-god and I will tackle the timber today.
Can you hear, can you hear the thunder?
Yes, it’s true, I’ve been tagged.
I’m not much into the tagging scene (and can’t exactly figure out why) but will comply with the first part of the exercise in support of meowmix.
The parameters of the tag are as follows:
Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.
With that in mind, from R.R. Reno, In The Ruins of The Church:
But beware of assuming that loyalty to inherited forms impairs rather than empowers.
If anything defines Anglicanism, it is the rejection of this assumption and the affirmation of its opposite.
The more I have studied Anglican divines, the more I have become aware that Anglicanism advances no recognizable "idea of Christianity."
I know you’re rushing right over to Amazon to order this book!
I won’t be tagging anyone else so it’s self-tag if you’d like to carry on the exercise.
We rolled up the last piece of protective paper from the floor surveyed our domain and proclaimed the work in the house done! (except for installing the baseboard trim) But done donetheless!
5 minutes later (really, I’m not exaggerating) our dear friends from Mexico arrived for a planned visit.
It felt like that moment in the film Vacation when they stand for 30 seconds looking at the Grand Canyon.
Remember the scene?
We sat around a table to share a meal and to catch up.
We talked religion, politics, adventures, mis-adventures and other such life experiences.
We laughed quite a bit.
Half the people at the table didn’t understand everything half the time.
Back and forth from Spanish to English from English to Spanish.
A twinge of sadness at the approaching lateness of the hour.
Looking forward, with great expectation, for another such experience.
It’s what I love about (and is the best part of) ministry.
Impressed or disappointed?
Worth watching the game or not?
Here’s my top ten list: (in no particular order)
Coke And Politics
Corolla Badgers
Garmin Saves Napoleon
Tide Talking Shirt
T-Mobile and D. Wade
Vitamin Water At The Races
Bridgestone Saves Simmons (they should have run him over!)
Audi R-8 (I want one!)
Budweiser Horses (another "throwback" favorite)
Diet Pepsi Max - Don’t Hurt Me (very clever)
I didn’t include it in my top ten list but after the Under Army commercial I was motivated to do something macho.
We’ve had a lot of rain here in Stockton over the last couple of weeks.
So much so that we’ve had to fill sandbags and strategically place them around the outside of the garage to keep the water out.
I like the rain (must be those Oregon genes).
But I don’t like getting mud on my tennis shoes.
One of my few quirks.
