The Emergency Room Visit

Yesterday, Bob started complaining of pains on his left side at about 4 o'clock. He thought it might just be flagelent gas, and would eventually pass. We went for a walk to see if it would help, instead I was the one passing gas. OOps and pepe le pew.
Well, we went home fixed supper and then ate. And he was then in greater pain.
I gave him an order, let's go now to the E. R. and not wait until midnight and then not be able to get a baby-sitter. I got up and called one of the members, but she wasn't home. Called another, see we just moved here and don't know which hospital to go to. He told me which one to take Bob. I said come on lets go. We weren't even through eating. Called the family back and asked if they would watch the kids. His response was, well sure, I thought you were going to ask a while ago. Well, my anxiety is rising, and I am trying to just focus. Drive the kids to their house, I do think to send night-night clothes in case this is a long night. Then made it to the ER. So as we are driving I say to him, has the pain got to where you are throwing up, and of course he throws up. The power of suggestion or I know about pain, yes I do. We did the 2 and1/2 hour wait in the waiting area with all the other interesting people. We got back there and had a nice nurse. It was another 1/2 hour before the Doc came in. I thought Bob was going to go get him, he was in such pain. Doc went back to order pain made nauseau meds. Bob can't take phenegren, he gets delerious with it. Another 1/2 hour and the nurse brought the meds. Bob thought it was higher than a kite with that stuff. It took another 20 minutes before it subsided. Sent him to xray, did the pee in the cup, and took blood. Welll all that it showed was a big bubble of gas. But the Doc didn't rule out Gall Bladder. Gave him some thing to get rid of the gas, and magnesium citrate to yes clean him out. We were told if he had more pain to come back today and they would do an ultra sound. Got to leave about 10:30. Took a while to calm down from all the excitement. Bob slept in the other room so as to not disturb me with all the sounds, smells, etc. Thank God.

So this morning he has no pain. So it could have been just a big ball of gas, or a stone that got in the duct and moved out with the cleaning out. But if its gall Bladder he'll go through this again, only worse. I say just take the thing out.

Now you have to know that we went through the ER thing with Bob when we moved to Wadley. After 3 visits to the ER, and trying to convince the Docs that something was seriously wrong, Bob ended up in the ICU with Guillan Barre. Scary Scary. He had a great Neuro Doc who recognized what was going on, and got him started on the meds right away. Bob never did have his lungs paralyzed like some. But it took quite a while to recover. He told me this time I could not move again if it meant getting sick like that again. M-m-m is Bob's body telling him something or telling me something? Will keep you up to date if we go again. Say some prayers that he stays healthy.

I can only Imagine

My good friend Marty Schwartz sent this to me. Now I don't always follow links, but this one takes you to a video on YouTube called Can http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPrL3n63yg

Have a look. And then tell me what you think

I think I will stop complaining of my life.

A Day of Celebration

Today St. John UMC has their homecoming, and they are burning the note for the Christian Life Center. This last month they paid off the note. They built it in 1993, with no huge amount of money. They took a risk to "build it and they will come." However it took lots of work to pay off the note, creative fundraisers, and now they have done it. Yea! It is utilized the community for a basketball league, the school for a basketball league. The youth and adults use it. It has striping for volleyball and tennis, which some have played. You walk it inside especially in this heat. They have had other dreams, but lack of leadership or persons to make it happen. My prayer and hope is that we can see those dreams through and many more that God gives us.

Last week I sat with one of the charter members of the church as she recalled the beginnings of this church. What a story of faith, and hope as they began meeting in people's homes, then in a restored garage for worship, finally building the first S. S. rooms. Slowly building as they had the money and ability to do so, including the beautiful sanctuary. Many of the charter members have died. Most of those left are in nursing homes. The woman I sat with is still an active member of the church, only this last year, her health has started to weaken. She has a continued love and care for the church. But sometimes that is what it becomes a love for the church and for that person it means love for God, but it isn't always. And they forget that it is a building used by God to spread his kingdom, to the least and the lost. At one time this church had two services, full sunday school classes, you couldn't find a parking place, a good size youth group, lots of kids. It isn't that way now. And with those losses have come anxiety, fear, insecurity, loss of self esteem, hopelessness, and a lack of focus and vision.

God help us get our focus on you, see your vision and follow you. Help me be the leader you called me to be here for your flock and for your kingdom. Help us to be the church with open doors , open minds, open hearts, and that reaches out to the least the lost, the unloved and the unwanted. We are your servants, Lord.
Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

revgalblogpals Friday Five: Broadway

This week we have a treat: a guest Friday Five composed by NotShyChiRev. Enjoy!
1. Describe the last play or musical you saw. (At least provide the what, when, where, and why). What was your opinion of it? Okay, I'll play, but I am trying to remember when the last time I saw a play or musical. The last one I saw was Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was free, a church member, who was one of the actors, paid for the tickets. It is a Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice colloboration of a lively interpretation of the biblical story of Jacob and his twelve sons. Joseph, his father's favorite, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, who tell Jacob that he is dead. The play follows Joseph's travels throughout Egypt, while trying to return to his beloved father. It was also neat to see one of my members who was a Col. in the army be such a good actor in this and other plays.
2. All time favorite play? Musical? Thank you, NotShyChiRev for your broadway questions. My favorite play or musical? Because I haven't seen one in a long time, I don't know. Can't remember. I did like Les Miserables, the Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. but I guess my all time favorite is Cats.
3. “The Producers,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Hairspray,” “The Wedding Singer”…all were movies before they were musicals (okay “The Philadelphia Story” was a play and then a movie, and they changed its name when it became a musical, but whatever). What non-musical movie do you think should next get the musical treatment? Now this is one difficult question, mmm, The Pirates of the Carribean or Harry Potter or Narnia or Shrek or Devil wears Prada I don't know.?.
4. Favorite song from a musical? Why?

Andrew Lloyd Webber's timeless hit song, "Memory."

Midnight

Not a sound from the pavement

Has the moon lost her memory

She is smiling alone

In the lamplight

The withered leaves collect at my feet

And the wind begins to moan

Memory

All alone in the moonlight

I can dream of the old days

Life was beautiful then

I remember the time I knew what happiness was

Let the memory live again

Every street lamp seems to beat

A fatalistic warning

Someone mutters and the street lamp sputters

And soon it will be morning

Daylight

I must wait for the sunrise

I must think of a new life

And I mustn't give in

When the dawn comes

Tonight will be a memory too

And a new day will begin

Burnt out ends of smoky days

The stale cold smell of morning

A street lamp dies, another night is over

Another day is dawning

Touch me,

It's so easy to leave me

All alone with the memory

Of my days in the sun

If you touch me,

You'll understand what happiness is

Look, a new day has begun...

Enough Said er Sung
5. The most recent trend in Broadway musical revues is to construct a show around the oeuvre of a particular super-group or composer, where existing songs are woven together with some kind of through story. The most successful of these (“Jersey Boys” (The Four Seasons), “Mamma Mia” (ABBA), “Movin’ Out” (Billy Joel)) have made a mint, but many (“All Shook Up” (Elvis), “Hot Feet” (Earth, Wind and Fire)) have bombed. What great pop/rock singer/composer or super-group should be the next to be featured, and what might the story-line be for such a show? I have to go with Elton John, the King of Rock and Roll. The pride of Atlanta and London, Princess Diana's friend, the best dresser of them all. Candle in the Wind comes from too many Saturday Nights with Pinball Wizard, Bennie and the jets and rock and roll madonna plus the tiny dancer doing the crocodile rock but if you must be a Rocket man on the badside of the moon but come down in time because I need some Philadelphia freedom and don't go breaking my heart because there is a madman across the waters and island girl but the bitch is back instead live the simple life so you can feel the love tonight and don't let the sun go down on me, if you can take me to the pilot where someone saved my life tonight and I need you to turn to so good by yellow brick road I'm still standing and I am tired of singing sad songs rather sing a love song but I guess that's why they call it the blues, blue eyes, but sorry seems to be the hardest word, so turn out the lights when you leave, 60 years on I don't want to go on like that and all this is the circle of life nikita, little jeannie, Daniel and levon, its your song.
Bonus question for singer/actors. Favorite part you’ve ever played/sung.

In the church I served in Columbus, Ga we would do Disney night singing songs from Disney, some solos, some sing a longs, some as a group. Listen we had fun but we also practiced and did a good job. It was one of the well attended fun things that church did. They had me do two solos that year. One from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, "God Help the Out Casts". And then the second song was "Someday my Prince will Come" from Snow White. Just as the song was coming to its end, they had my husband, Bob come out wearing a tee shirt that said something like kiss a frog, get a prince and he was carrying a stuffed animal frog. I could barely finish the song for laughing so hard. I had no idea they were going to do that to me.
As always, let us know in the comments if you play! And standing ovations (as well as more visits, no doubt) for those who link directly to their posts.

Woking at the desk, working through thoughts and feelings.

Here I am at my desk, working on a sermon, thinking about some things, trying to get over a headache, and sleep deprivation. So maybe I am not working, more like vegetating.

Here are some thoughts that have been floating through my head about being here in the Shoals area that I have been wanting to write about, but have not known what to say. This area is a big Church of Christ area. They dominate this area, not the Baptist but the Church of Christ. Do you know what Church of Christ believe in, and hold too?

They don't believe in Women as Preachers or Pastors that's for sure; "In each congregation, which has existed long enough to become fully organized, there is a plurality of elders or presbyters who serve as the governing body. These men are selected by the local congregations on the basis of qualifications set down in the scriptures (1 Timothy 3:1-8). Serving under the elders are deacons, teachers, and evangelists or ministers. " Nope, no women.

You'll find no piano, organ, guitars, keyboard, drums or any other musical instrument in a Church of Christ church; "a return to New Testament Faith and practice - acappella singing is the only music used in the worship. " Nor will you find other forms of worship like "candles, incense, and other similar elements", its not N. T. Can't have contemporary service or Taize or emerging worship there.

They disdain the Protestant and Catholic churches. The Churches of Christ historically do not use the Old Testament to authorize practices, relying solely on the New Testament for matters of practice. They believe that the commands of the Old Testament were to Jews (under Mosaic Law) only and were done away with when Christ died. What no OT?

They believe that only members of the Church of Christ are Christians, the rest of us are going to hell. Well, well, and who made you God?

I have a very good child hood friend who is Church of Christ. I have known about these beliefs and practices for a long time. But the Church of Christ were not in the majority in my hometown or any of the other areas I have lived. But here in Florence, they are. They put a lot of pressure on persons who don't believe the way they do and who are not members of their church. That means they really pressure my members to come to the Church of Christ.
As my members say though, they aren't intersted, they see how these people live their lives outside of church and it is confusing. But can you imagine what pressure they have put on my members that now they have a female pastor? The heat has been turned up as hot as the summer heat wave we are in. My members have been asking what's the best way to deal with some of the things being said to them, what to say? One of my members told a friend of her's this; "now so and so we are just not going to go there. You and I are just going to disagree, and you and are best friends, and I would rather be best friends that get into an argument that is going to ruin our friendship".(That includes playing cards mind you.) So far that has worked for them, but some of the others are really being given a hard time.

This church and I are the big topic of conversation around here.
And we are all going to hell, especially me, according to them.

Egalitarian Marriages Are Happier and Healthier

From CBE comes this word: There is an excellent article on godswordtowomen.org called, “Empirical Data in Support of Egalitarian Marriages and A Fresh Perspective on Submission and Authority,” that reviews many scientific studies that all say that marriages that operate on the basis of equality are much more healthy than those that are hierarchical — in fact that hierarchical approaches actually harm marriages.

Over the last 50 years these studies reveal that significant numbers of egalitarian marriages are happy in comparison to traditional hierarchical marriages. A recent study quantified these results revealing that over 80% of egalitarian marriages are happy while less than 20% of traditional marriages can say the same. That represents over a 4:1 ratio in favor of egalitarian marriages. Spousal abuse continues to be more than 300 percent higher in traditional marriages than in egalitarian marriages.
These research studies accomplish the following: First, they effectively discredit any traditionalists’ notion that dismantling hierarchy destabilizes marriage and that the root problem in marriage is the unwillingness of each spouse to accept the role for which he or she was designed. Second, they prove that hierarchy actually destabilizes and harms marriages. Third, they provide objective data that egalitarian marriages produce the healthiest, happiest, most intimate, and stable of all marriage relationships with the least amount of spousal abuse. (You can go to the article to read the whole post). It is well worth reading.

The Church of the Girly-Man, Ya!

I have been debating with myself whether or not to blog about this. But I finally made my mind up to blog.

David Warnock in his blog 42 writes this :
I don't get it: JOLLYBLOGGER: The Church of the Girly-Man, Ya!.
It seems to me that there is a thing going on that starts with a goal (attracting American men to Church) and then interprets scripture to support it. In my own naive way it seems that trying to create a gospel that appeals to a particular group in society is getting things backwards.
Neither the churches that Jollyblogger criticizes, nor some kind of male authority/testosterone based cult sound very like the sort of churches based on the gospel that I find in scripture. Lets get real about Jesus, this is no way to do it.

I am not surprised that the JollyBlogger's David Wayne would have a major post on what is being called "The Feminization of the church" coming from David Murrow's book Why Men Hate Going to Church. He has referenced several other blogs which have also addressed this issue from the side of feminization of the church and girly-churches. Sean Michael Lucas wrote this : As women transitioned from leadership of mission's organizations and "women of the church" groups to the leadership of congregations, this is viewed as part of the reason why American men have stopped going to church, why mainline Protestants have lost members in droves, and why the church is in crisis today. The answer, according to these recent books and conservative evangelical leaders, is to "re-masculize" the church, freeing men and their sons to embrace their manhood (by drinking, smoking, risk-taking, and other behaviors in smaller male-oriented groupings or by exercising "male headship" in various leadership roles in family, church, work, etc.).

Anthony Bradley has this to say on his blog: Believe it or or not, decor makes a difference. Many sanctuaries are painted a soft pink, eggshell white, or lavender, with cushiony pews and neutral carpet. The altar features fresh flowers while the walls are adorned with quilts or felt banners. Honestly, how do we expect men to connect with a masculine God in a space that feels so feminine? (pg. 190)
Flowers, soft pink, wall quilts. I laughed OUT loud when I read that. I guess for Murrow some churches look like the sets of Martha Stewart's or Oprah Winfrey's show. Hmm, churches with better (gender blended) aesthetics that fit the image of a masculine God can been found in old-school Methodist, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Presbyterian Churches(ever been to 10th Pres. in Philly--awesome!!), and so on.Fellas, thoughts? Does your church's pink walls, etc. bother you? Should it? Should a guy walk into a church and say to his friend, "wow, dude, this is so pretty?"

Well I can put up with those thoughts for awhile because I know from whence they come. I was a little surprised to see this though at the UMC. org under resources, Real Men Don't Worship by Dean Mcintyre. The year 2006 is the 50th anniversary year of full ordination rights for women in The United Methodist Church. There have been new hymns, liturgies and prayers, worship services, books and articles, and grand and glorious gatherings in recognition and celebration… as there should be. Everyone celebrates the righting of past wrongs. Should we also be concerned with what is happening in the church with the disappearing men? In looking at some of the reasons mentioned above, we may be tempted to ask if it is right and just for men to feel that way. But we must get beyond that question and recognize the simple fact that many men DO feel that way and we must ask, "What shall we do about it?"
Questions about hymns and hymn singing:
Does this mean we should avoid singing "I Need Thee Every Hour" and "As the Deer" (The Faith We Sing, no. 2025)?
Should we sing more of "Rise Up, O Men of God," "Onward Christian Soldiers," "Lead On, O King Eternal," and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"?
Which is better for the language of hymns: getting rid of male pronouns for God or using BOTH male and female pronouns for God?
Do men enjoy singing less than women? Is it socially more acceptable for women to sing than men? Has our culture trained men to disdain singing?
Do people respond differently according to the gender of those who lead music in worship? or those who preach the sermon? or those who lead committees?

Its a good article, asking some good questions. Here are some of the statistics of today's testosterone-deficient churches:
Ninety percent of American men believe in God, and five out of six claim to be Christian (according to Barna Research Group), but only two out of six attend church.
One out of three attendees are men; two out of three are women. This is the case in 70 percent of United Methodist churches, 55 percent of Baptist churches, and 25 percent of nondenominational churches.
One-fourth of married women attend church without their husbands.
Lack of men in church is a predictor of church decline.

I don't know why but the whole thing bothers me. I have the book Why Men Hate Going to church and have read it. I was left wondering about the accuracy of his research behind his statistics, and reasons for why men don't go to church. But I was also bothered by how he really put the blame on women, and on women clergy in particular. I just don't think you can do that if you don't have some studies to back you up. And I think those who are borrowing his book's ideas to back their reason for why women shouldn't be clergy, and why men are to be the head of the house, need to be very careful. I really believe that the church needs to be in ministry to all people.

And I am concerned that young men in particular seem to be leaving the church. When I got to St. John, what I learned was that it wasn't just the young men, it was the young women too. They had a good youth program, but once you were finished with youth you were out of there, and there wasn't anything else there for you. And so many of the young people went to other churches that did offer a young adult program. Now mind you there is a college in Florence, with a good population of students. Alot of the young adults from this church went there. Okay so you got young adults, college students, but no program. Uh I think I see the answer here. Hopefully one of the things we can get started here and grow is a young adult group. I pray for the one's that we can reach out to, and involve, and help find Jesus in their lives.

The Vicar's Study

I just had to wonder when did he visit my office and draw the cartoon. Anybody that knows me and my office will know it looks an awful lot like this. Taken from Church Times. But it was drawn by the wonderful cartoonist Dave Walker at CartoonChurch.com

Now if I can just find my sermon for Sunday, and the report for my District Superintendent, and the notes for the Administrative Council meeting....

cheesecake Bob

Okay Rhiannon asked for a cheesecake picture of my hubby Bob. See the post on the Friday Five about the bonus question.
So here is a cheesecake photo of Bob and cheesecake photo of boy, Zach, as a bonus. Not sure which one is the cheesiest, but the tall dark and handsome guy stole my heart long time ago.

Welcome to MDA's Official On-Line Application

Welcome to MDA's Official On-Line Application

Help, I am being put in Jail, the slammer, Lock-Up for MDA. Help, I have to raise my own Bail money to get out of the jail. So please, please won't you help my by clicking the MDA official on-line application and donating a few dollars to the MDA for my bail money. I have to raise $2600 to get out. I have to raise the money by August 17th. If you are not comfortable with the online stuff just let me know via email revabi@yahoo.com what you are willing to donate, and we'll collect later.

If you want to learn more about Muscular Dystrophy you can go here:

And yes this is for Jerry's Kids. But it is also for all those who suffer from the other 43 and more diseases. Bob and I have friends who have suffered from Myasthenia Gravis and other muscular diseases.
So yes I am going into lockup shamelessly to raise money for MDA. Besides some of the best Christians I know were in lockup once.

RevGalBlogPals: hot hot hot friday five

RevGalBlogPals: hot hot hot friday five

Many areas of the United States are having a heat wave. Global warming, anyone? Look on the bright side of melting glaciers and enviro-destruction by taking a crack at the Friday Five:
1. What's the high temperature today where you are? 93 is the predicted temperature with storms coming.
2. Favorite way(s) to beat the heat. Swimming in the lake, pool, or ocean, but mostly staying inside with the air conditioner and reading a good book.
3. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." Evaluate this statement. This is a Southern saying and it is the truth, you can be hot, but the humidity will drag you down, ruin a haristyle, make clothes go limp, makeup run, make you tired and worn out, nothing will dry, and thus it makes the heat feel worse than it is. Football teams from areas that are not use to the humidity will just be wet rags and expereince muscle cramps in the game, and then the local team will win.
4. Discuss one or more of the following: sauna, hot tub, sweat lodge, warm-stone massage. I'll say this it is too hot for any of these right now. I don't like sauna's because I feel like I being smothered. I do like being in a hot tub with my hubby. Will not do a sweat lodge for same reason as sauna. dont' know a thing about warm-stone massage, don't know that i want to. Most often prefer the regular kind of massage, and not the quickie that President Bush did to the Chancellor of Germany at the G-8 conference.
5. Hottest you've ever been in your life I don't think I am hot commodity, but if you are talking about living in heat, working in heat, it was the summer of Junior year of College. I was serving as a Summer Missionary in the Panhandle of Florida, not on the beach though. We would stay in their homes and work in their churches doing vbs, youth, children, whatever they needed us to do. At one of the very small churches, we stayed in a very small travel trailer with no air conditioner, no fan, and no air circulation. I and the other college student got heat exposure. It was one of the hottest summers ever and HUMID. We both thought we would die. In fact neither one of us served as summer missionaries again after that, and prior to that I had served every year. It was a great experience and it was part of how I discovered God had been calling me and preparing me to be a minister.

Non-temperature related bonus: In your opinion... who's hot? I really can't say, I don't get to see movies, I don't get to watch movie videos or listen to music, I don't even get to watch the entertainment news to know. So I would have to say my husband Bob is hot.
As always, let us know if you play--and those of you who are linking directly to your posts? You're hot. And cool.

Alligators, Gators, everywhere

The other night we had supper at Fudpuckers in Destin, Fla. If you have never eaten there, it is one of the touristry places to eat. It is a good hamburger, sandwich place. One of it's attractions is Gator Beach where you can feed the gators, watch the gators while you wait, but don't go swimming with them. "Just attach a piece of specially formulated “gator bait” to a cane pole and lower the food down into the pond!" They also have "Gator Shows" throughout the day.

Seeing all the gators made me think about the gators we have to deal with in life. Alligators are an opportunistic feeder which means they will eat anything that crosses their path if they are hungry. They are people who are like that you know; they will take advantage of, run over, or eat you for lunch. It doesn't matter if you are friend or foe to them. Fortunately, alligators do not see people as a source of food, and you are more likely to get struck by lightening than you are to be eaten by an alligator. However, some people will see you as a source of energy or power or use you. 99% of all alligator attacks are provoked. By feeding an alligator in the wild you are actually provoking an attack. Alligators can associate humans with food and people may be attacked because someone else has fed the alligator.

Seeing the gators lying around in the sun made me think of the gators in the church as well. Sometimes there are people in churches like the gators waiting for the preacher to make one mistake, say one thing wrong, forget something or somebody, and they are ready to eat the preacher alive. Now not all church members are like that though, thank God. They too look for an opportunity to strike usually to bring uproar and dissonance to a church. They are not looking for harmony. They are looking for "gator bait", which might be an unsuspecting new member or new Christian as well as a staff member.

I grew up in Florida on the lakes around Avon Park and Sebring, Florida. There were plenty of gators around, and my parents were very protective of us. Finally they moved into town away from the lakes. But we still swam in them. I have even seen them come up on land into people's fish ponds. I remember being fascinated by them and yet keeping my distance.

Here is some SAFETY INFORMATION about gators

• Don't feed alligators. This is a most important rule. Providing food for these wild animals not only makes them bolder and encourages them to seek out people.
• Keep your distance. Although they may look slow and awkward, these animals are extremely powerful and can move with a startling burst of speed on land over short distances. A safe distance from an adult alligator is about 60 feet.
  
• Never disturb nests or small alligators. Some female alligators protect their young and may become aggressive if provoked. A baby alligator should never be captured, even if the mother is not visible. She may be watching you and decide to take action to protect her baby.
  
• Keep your pets and children away from alligators. Large alligators do not recognize the difference between domestic pets and wild food sources. When they are hungry, alligators act on their hunting instinct and might attempt to feed on your house pet if given the opportunity.
  
• Don't swim in areas that are known alligator habitats. Always be careful around water. Splashing can attract alligators that think a prey animal is injured. They may act on instinct and attack. Or, a protective female may believe her young or eggs are threatened and take defensive action. Be cautious when fishing in waters with alligators, as some will not hestitate to grab a hooked fish or eat the fish on a stringer.

Having read those makes me think of some the suggestions that Peter Steinke has in his books on systems dynamics of churches. Be a non-anxious presence. Don't get triangulated. Be direct and honest. Don't keep secrets. Keep your own boundaries clear so you can be self differentiated. Be aware of emotional cutoffs. There's more, and maybe you have learned a few in life or Pastoring you would be willing to share. Just add your comment.

God on the beach

I wish I had a picture to show you. But then I am not sure the picture would really capture it. Today I was with my three kids at the beach. I would stand in the water with them while the waves were breaking around us. They were holding onto me and scremaing everytime a wave came. Then there was giggles and laughter when they got knocked down or the wave pulled them a little bit. Then they wanted to dig in the sand and make sand castles. I sat in the beach chair watching them from not far away. More giggles and laughter. Zachary would dig up the sand and put it in his bucket, smooth it over and then dump it out. He was most intense, yet happy as he did this. Katy and Kara were scooping up sand and water then throwing it out. After awhile they gave up on that and were laying down in the water as the waves came at them. More giggles and laughter.

As I sat there, and even as I write this, I am tearing up and crying tears of joy that I am so blessed with these wonderful children and such a wonderful moment. I rejoice to see them having a good time, laughing and being happy. It is a good moment that I want to cherish. I see the beauty and differences in each one them, how God has made them unique individuals. I thank God for the blessing and for these children. For the time on the beach with them, and for time on the beach with God.
Yes God is on the beach, but God is in the home too.

Hi God, it isn't "From a Distance.." or "What if God was one of us?" You are here, you are close you are one of us. Help me not miss you okay.

Some bits of wisdom for the pastor

I found a wonderful website called Pastor Hacks, by Bobby Hyatt. It is a lot like Life Hacks, 43Folders and Parent Hacks.

The idea is to increase your productivity as a Pastor, to help you understand new technology and how to use it. He also uses as a resource one of my favorite books of recent, and one that I have been using David Allen's Getting Things Done. He also quotes from George McDonald's book "Ordering Your Private World" like this one: "If my private world is in order, it is because I have begun to seal the "time leaks" and allocate my productive hours in light of my capabilities, my limits, and my priorities." and this one; "If my private world is in order, it will be because I have made a daily determination to see time as God's gift and worthy of careful investment." He titles those "memo to the disorganized." I am that disorganized person. He also has quite a bit on using the IPod.

So Pastors get yourself to the website to learn all you can to be able to become more productive.

It's Raining

Oh my it's raining here.
What a beautiful site to see.
It's also, lightening and thundering so
no going out to play in it and feel it on your face.
But thank God it is raining!

If you look for me today at my blog
I won't be here. I'll most likely be blogging
over at revgalblogpals Saturday Party.
And if you call or come by the house, I won't be here either.
I'll be at my office finalizing my sermon.
(Wrote a bit of a rough draft yesterday.)

Happy Birthday: Friday Five: RevGalBlogPal Anniversary Edition

Can you believe it has been a whole year?!?!!Last summer, in the midst of a hurricane threat to a clergywoman blogger somewhere on the Gulf Coast, a dozen or so bloggers began to realize they had become a community. That clergywoman suggested we needed a t-shirt, and in a thread that grew to more than 100 comments, the RevGalBlogPals were born. St. Casserole posed the question on July 19, and by July 21 we had refined the suggested name to connote inclusivity (yes, that was my doing), opened a Cafe Press store (thanks, reverendmother!) and started a WebRing and blog page (kudos to reverend mommy!).From the beginning our numbers included clergywomen, other women engaged in churchwork as both Christian Ed professionals and devoted volunteers, seminarians and women discerning vocations to Protestant ministry and Catholic sisterhood. We are happy to include several men among our BlogPals, too. For some of us faith is the primary focus of our blogging, while for others it is the quiet underpinning of all we do and blog. We are preachers, mothers, poets, fathers, dog-lovers, cat-bloggers, married and single. We live in the US, Canada, the U.K., Finland and Australia. Our denominations include, but are not limited to, PCUSA, ECUSA, UCC, UCCan, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Baptists of various stripes, Church of England, AOG, RCA, ELCA and Disciples. And even one UFMCCer! (Thanks, Rainbow Pastor!) (If I left you out, tell me in the comments, and I will keep editing later today.)I think we could all agree that Hurricane Katrina galvanized this community. Our collective concern for St. Casserole and her family made checking in at this blog a more frequent occurence, and guided our decision to donate profits from a writing effort to Hurricane Relief. reverend mommy suggested the book project and with help from many others we have now self-published two books, A Light Blazes and Ordinary Time.
On a lighter note, we have achieved some modest sales at our Cafe Press Store. There are some 80 pieces of "pulpit" merchandise out there floating around! After a discussion on the blog, we agreed to raise the prices of each item in order to generate mission money, and we designated Heifer Project as the destination. To this date we have given about $80 to Heifer, for beehives and most recently two gaggles of geese! Thank you to reverendmother for continuing to work on this project.A council meeting of RevGals took place at the Festival of Homiletics in May, and so did a happy meeting between Rev Gals old and new; read about it here.
Many people wonder, when will there be a RevGalBlogPal gathering? In hopes of making such an event possible, your Matriarchs have engaged in applying for incorporation, the first step in becoming a 501(c)3 group able to receive grant money. Great thanks are due to Quotidian Grace for her efforts in this area. Look for further announcements here when there is official news.

And now the Five:
1) What is your first memory of the RevGalBlogPals? Finding it through someone else's blog, maybe reverend mommy, maybe live preacher, maybe talk to the preacher, and feeling like wow, people I can relate to.

2) Have you met any of the other ring members in real life? Yes, I have. I met Reverend Mommy, songbird of Set Free, The Almond Branch, and St. Casserole at the Festival of Homiletics. It was really neat to meet them. I know Rachel from Gonia Gleanings because of Society of St. Andrews, North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Although Rachel is in Birmingham, 2 hours away.

3) Of those you haven't met, name a few you would love to know in person. A Church for Starving Artists, Bad Alice, Cheesehead in Paradise, Clever Title Here, Contemplative Chaplain, bethquick.com, Dylan's lectionary blog, FollowingFrodo, Gallycat's Lounge, Grace Happens, Hipchickmamma goes to seminary, in the open space: God, Inner Dorothy, LutheranChik's, maggi dawn, PamBG's Blog, Pearlbear's Blog, Philosophy Over Coffee, Pink Shoes in the Pulpit, Possible Water, preacher, blogger or procrastinator, Promise Land--Disney Land--Chaplain Land, Quotidian Grace, Rebel Without a Pew, Rev-to-be-Mibi, Rev. Dr. Mom, Revem, reverendmother, sense and nonsense, Shield the Joyous, Sojournering, Talk With the Preacher, The Big Dunk, the lone barista, The Mercy Blog, The Owl's Song, The Psaltery,
the sacred art of living, I don't like choosing sides either, but given the choice, I would like to meet them all.

4) What has Ring Membership added to your life? Well it has new friends, new peers, support, enlightenment, encouragement, thoughtfulnesss, openness, love, and care. I really like the new format for Saturday, being that I am usually waiting to the last minute. I know I am not alone on that day.

5) Describe a hope for the future of the WebRing. I hope that we continue to grow, and continue our openess. It would be something for a reginal meeting or a gathering of us all. I think we to need to write more, a collaboration of our learnings as female clergy for female clergy, and perhaps some fiction. I like to see us continue to raise money for Hurricane Relief, Heifer project, other worthwhile missions. Build a Habitat House. Go tdo a mission trip together. Get on the Ophrah show or other talk shows, NPR, CNN, etc. Start a foundation for women going ot seminary, so they don't come out broke totally and beyond. Mentor the younger owomen. Have a Carnivale on the subject. There is probably more, but I am tired and ready to go to bed.

Prayers work

Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, and hugs. We both felt lifted up by them. The news is good news. The ultra sound is clear and the biopsy is clear.

Benign enlargement of the prostate. Yea! Poor Bob though is in a bit of pain from the number of needles they poked him with to get the biopsies. 14. Ouch.
He is taking it easy.

He wants all to know he is grateful for the prayers.

And oh yes, it is raining here for the first time in a long time. I guess the rain dance er prayer worked.

P. S. A.s and the male Prostate

Posting today about my husband's prostate, is a little difficult for me. I think I have been in some denial about Bob's P. S. A. numbers, (Prostate-specific Antigen). Bob is good about having his PSA's done every year like a good boy should at his age. He takes Palmetto Saw Grass to help. Right before we moved he had his PSA ran, and it had gone up a couple of points. That means he went to see the Urologist. Well, the Urologist referred him to one up here in Florence because we were moving. This urologist reran the PSA, and did the DRE (digital rectal examination), and he didn't feel anything wrong. Because the PSA was still up, Bob goes today for a biopsy. This is the next step in determining if he has Prostate cancer. So please pray for my dear Bob. And men please get your yearly PSA's done, starting at age 40. They are as important to men as they are to women to get their yearly Pap smears and mammograms done. Dreaded, uncomfortable, humbling, intrustive, but important(The PSA's aren't that bad.)

I was Pastor to a man who died of Prostate cancer the year before because it was found too late, and one who found it early enough to have a successful surgery. I am pastoring a man who they found his late, and well it isn't a pretty story. We are waiting to hear about my Pop, my 100 year old Grandfather, who also had prostate cancer and radiation treatments years ago. It is a possibility it didn't get it all and it has returned. Men, this is a VIP healthcare issue for you. Don't wait because of your pride, your fear, your laziness, your thinking you are immortal. Those things will cost you. I have posted several links for you to go to enable to get more information about Prostate Cancer. And spouses, friends, and lovers you should be informed to for your man's sake.

And women for God sake go get your yearly exam done. It is the best prevention you can take against cancer. I know I had cervical cancer that was found early and removed, because I do yearly exams. I also have yearly mammograms, I had a small fiborous turmor removed at age 26. Okay so this was more than just about the prostate.

But please say a prayer that the biopsy comes back clean, and if not that we will be able to handle and do what has to be done.

Chaplain to the Fashion Industry

Anglican Priest to Bring Holiness to Fashion World

This is actually not a humorous article, but it would be humorous if my appointment was to be Chaplain for a college of Fashion. I only say this, because those who know me, know I am not a fashion plate. I do know how to dress well, but I don't like to take the time to do it everyday, especially in this heat. You can tell I have somebody to meet, some meeting, some conference, somewhere to preach or something like that by how I dress. Take today, I have slacks on with a blue denim shirt on with the Camp Sumatanga logo on it. So where am I? I am in the office working on the bible study for tomorrow night and the sermon prep. (The church's air conditioner needs repairing.) I might change for tonight though, the women are going out to eat, and then I have a finance comittee meeting. I will look up what colors will say what, and choose accordingly.

Now if you really want to find out about how to dress, then go to Beauty Tips for Ministers. This woman says it all. I have even begun to take her advise to heart. And Clergy men she includes you all too. And what's great about her, she does it with a sense of humor, prayer, and love. Perhaps we should suggest The Rev Joanna Jepson of the Church of England go read the Beauty Tips for Ministers blog before she makes an absolute fool of herself and the Anglican church.

Seriously, what a risky thing to do, and the Jesus thing to do to reach out to those in the Fashion Industry. Wouldn't it be great if we all would take a risk and reach out to those in the very industries, and walks of life that we instead condemn. But that would be too much like Jesus, wouldn't it. And we wouldn't want to be criticised like he was by the Pharisees for hanging out with sinners, and "tax collecters" or be accused of being a gutton, or a drunkard.
(Mat 9:11, 11:19). No sirree, not me. Oh, God forgive me that I am not willing to risk that now. God give me courage to be like you and hang out with whomever you would hang out with. Prayers for the Rev. Joanna Jepson as she moves to her new ministry in Sept.

This is a little from the article: The Rev Joanna Jepson of the Church of England is swapping her full-time ministry as curate of St Michael’s Church, Chester, for the glamorous design studios of the London College of Fashion where she is hoping her new role will help the church to take a first step into an industry that exerts enormous influence on society."The fashion industry has a huge impact and influence on vast numbers in our society," she said. "It has a particularly powerful role in shaping the self-image and views of young people, and it's important for the church to be involved with this type of community. It's amazing that it hasn't had this link before."

"We cannot merely remain in holy huddles in parish churches. It is imperative that there are more of these kinds of chaplaincies that reach into cultural networks and communities, which would otherwise be untouched by the church."

I think she is right, we can no longer remain in "Holy Huddles". Why was Jesus so successful? He went out and was with the people more often than he was in his office, meetings, etc at the local synagogue. God get me out of my office, meetings, study groups, "Holy Huddles" to where you are, your people are. May I have the courage that Rev. Joanna Jepson has, and other have had to go out to the highways and byways of life.

Mental Health Day

Hi friends,
You can read my major post for the day, which is the one before this one. But I am writing no more, I am taking a mental health day. Even thought I got a boat ride on Saturday, it was not enough. And So I am taking care of myself, my mind, my heart, my body and soul today. God be with you all today, and I'll see you in the blogs tomorrow.