box #5

Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)

I've become addicted to LOST.  Started watching season one on dvd this past month...and I'm halfway through season two (thanks to the local library) and it just keeps getting better and better.  I just finished the episode entitled Fire and Water....having to do with one person on the island seriously insisting that the baby be baptized....whilst watching the episode, I opened the following box.

As part of the rite of baptism, after the person has been baptized and marked with the sign of the cross, he or she (or the sponsor, if it's an infant) receives a candle...and is reminded to let their light shine before others.  I like that I opened the box of miscellaneous candle holders while watching this episode.  Some are goofy...like the witches hat and jack-o-lantern holders for halloween...but others bring back different memories.   The crystal one was an ordination gift from a woman I have known a while through camp and church activities in Connecticut.  Another is one for a candle and scented wax, a gift of sorts from a friend who was thinning out her possessions...it reminds me of Gretchen.

Others are simple holders for votives that I purchased about two years ago when I moved into my last house.  It was a surprise move, of sorts, as I hadn't planned on moving out and subsequently going through a divorce, but the congregation I formally served loved me and cared for me when I needed it.  When the weather warmed up and my stuff was finally moved in, I hosted an open house/house blessing....with candles in every room, I invited my friends and folks from church to see the house, walk around to different rooms and read scripture and bless the house and my time in it.

I have many scripture passages that I could say are my favorite, but John 1:5 always stands out for me...The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot comprehend it.  There is something about light...how even the tiniest spark can be seen across a darkened room.  The light of Christ that shines within us helps to illuminate our lives and the lives of people with whom we live in community.  Whatever our words or our actions, they can either enlighten or darken the world around us...I would lean towards lighting the world, but I know I have those days when my words and actions bring darkness instead of light.  But the light sure does feel better...

I guess I will go place these votive holders around the house in preparation for the blessing of this house...and the constant reminder of Christ's light.

Until the next box . . .

a wookie, a penguin and a magic hat.

It’s another box of fun!  You can see the label:

…but that was not completely accurate for it’s contents.

Cat toys and treats

Backpack and a sassy red bag

Number tag from IU mini marathon

Piles of pictures…everything from bop-it in the snack bar at camp (years ago) to Johns Island trip with cool peeps from LTSP, to pictures from Indiana…

More beads…purple, gold and green…purple, gold and gree-e-e-een. 

Napkins

3 pairs of sunglasses

many many hair ties

scissors, pens and pencils

mobile bike pump and a lock

original cast recording of Annie cassette (I think I'm gonna like it here)

4 different types of chapstick/lip gloss

a star shaped cookie cutter, no doubt packed separately from kitchen stuff because I used it to make star cutouts for my advent devotions last year.

Labels for habanero helly

A pile of coasters from Barley Island Brewery…miss that Dirty Helen on tap :(

More of those red bachelorette bracelets :)

a mother’s day card….let’s see if I remember to send it this year

Easy to unpack a boatload of necklaces…it took at least 3X as long to untangle the necklaces as it did to unpack the entire box.   One of the necklaces is a penguin necklace MSVF made for me in plastics at camp. 

Realizing I need to find a fun way to keep/display my random collection of photos. 

A wookie (not actual size)

Oh, and a magic hat condom…..from my dad. 

Until the next box...

box #2: books of memories

So today, I filled up another shelf with more books.  No Derrida, but more Fitzgerald, a handbook for Literary Criticism (from my Lit Crit class in college...one of my favorites, no seriously) several other random books. 

 Here's the box:

Similar to yesterday's photo, this also has a bit of cat in it.  As you can tell from the close up of the whiskers. 

There were three good finds in the box of the day. 
#1 a book from my seventh and eighth grade Sunday School teacher.  In the front cover she wrote, "Now you know that God loves you, he's been keeping his promises for 100s of years - so spread that love, you can do it!" a)...I'm pleasantly surprised I still have the book....and took time to open it today.  b) then I had to smile when I realized that what she recommended I do is actually what I do!  Pretty fun, huh?  When I told her about it, she was touched. 

#2 Journal A: Reflections on my first semester in England.  While I haven't read all the entries, some were from England and others while I was in Germany for Christmas.  It should make for some insightful reading.  The front and back inside covers were filled with quotations from English & Canadian friends. 

#3 Journal B: From the time I spent working year round at camp.  An interesting year, to say the least. We'll see how much of that year I'd like to relive...but it had some cards and letters from dear old friends...so those will be fun to read. 

Sometimes I am surprised at the things I still have in my possession.  The last few times I've moved, there have been boxes that were not opened...and some of them were gutted and not taken to PA....but at the end of this month, I hope to at least know what all of the stuff is that I brought from Indiana and my other hope is that I have a place to put it all.  I guess I will have enough room for it all...but it may require some creative storage units. 

Until the next box...

box #2: derrida & seinfeld

Day 2....
I'm pretty sure someone attempted to open this box before I got to it...

either that or she was sharpening her nails or dulling them?  Why do cats use a scratching post anyway?

This is what I've discovered so far on day two of 31 Days of Unpacking Boxes....I will unpack all these boxes in a month.  My day was pretty packed today, but on a quick break at home, I looked for a small box so I would at least get one done today.  It was a small box of books.  Boxed in CT, moved to IN, and finally resting on a shelf in PA. 


It's a mix from my college years and beyond, I think.  They look happy on the shelf, but I think I'm going to need another bookshelf as this was box 2 of 3 of books alone...and who knows how many of those other boxes that became compilation boxes have some amount of books in them. 

I've got everything from Derrida and Saussure to Cisneros to C.S. Lewis, Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald, a book entitled 'Sex in the Outdoors' a purchase made after some wilderness first aid class at some point, some books that came from a class in college: women in literature coming of age, coming into consciousness (one of my favorite classes)....Not to mention a few journals that all seem to start with entries relating to a relationship ending....hmmm....I'm glad that is no longer my sole motivation for writing.  One journal has addresses of dear friends I met my junior year at college during my year in England (some of whom I'm now friends with on facebook...thanks social networks)

And yes, on that second shelf is a Seinfeld Forever Magazine: a tribute to the entire series.  Good episode recaps, trivia and pictures. (I'm totally keeping that.) 

If you look closely you may see a nose at the top of the picture.  Apparently the cat was checking out how I put the books on the shelf. 

With another long day tomorrow, I anticipate another box of books...that and I know I need to get a dresser before unpacking another box of clothes. 

Until the next box...

box #1

Day one - box one....

A good day. 

The labeling was fairly accurate.  This is what I found today:
a business card holder
books for home and church
3 ring binders
fun pictures - including some of me running the IU Mini a few years back :) and me & my friend jen at on frightening falls at holiday world!
trumpet music - (note to self... get my trumpet out so I'm ready to play at Easter)
my old laptop...not sure why i still carry it around, i should just remove the files i want and be done with it.
beads...like from st. patty's day...and some from Loogootee basketball (gold & black basketballs)
a pile of thin red bracelets from my bachelorette bash in hartford (good times were had by all...especially the pumas)
the cd containing info about the lenten sermon series we did two years ago (The Lenten Road)
and the best part.... a mix tape :) yup, listened to it on the elliptical..(you try writing song titles on a post-it whilst ellipticaling....it apparently was made for working out (?) ...and it was apparently compiled in the mid/late 90's.

Side A-
Everybody Dance Now
Karla with a K (by the Hooters)
All Fired Up (Pat Benatar)
ABC
Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
Moondance
Midnight Hour (Commitments Soundtrack)
Lumberjack Song
Friends in Low Places
Knights of the Round Table
I know what I know
The Spam Song
Cheeseburger in Paradise
Little Miss Can't be Wrong


Side B
Right Here, Right Now
Mustang Sally (Commitments)
Scenes from an Italian restaurant
Two Princes
Fighting on the same side (The Hooters)
Oh, What a night!
Junebug (B-52s)
Destination Anywhere (Commitments)
Face in a Crowd (don't know the artist...but a fun song about being in love....aw....)
Show me your soul
For your love


If you want a copy, send me a tape.


Until the next box...

The end of another month.

I did walk outside every day this month :) Some of the walks were shorter than others.....
I am truly looking forward to March.  31 days to play and adventure in the next month. 

This past week when I was getting ready for the company to come install the blinds, I had to move a whole bunch of packed boxes...I jokingly wondered how many boxes I still had to unpack.  Now granted, there are a bunch in the basement with kitchen stuff that won't be unpacked until the kitchen is finished, but not counting those I have 31 boxes to unpack.  Weird, right? 

It should be an interesting month...some boxes will be a mix of all sorts of goodness....others just workout clothes....which I still need to find a dresser for.  So perhaps part of the 31 days will include accessorizing the house with more storage units from fun places like antique shops and goodwill ships. 

I'll keep you posted and maybe even post some pictures and hopefully at the end of the month, the house will be unpacked....

Until next time...

belly laughs.

Thankful for the opportunity to laugh today....and here's an attempt to share that joy....

Worship @ 10:45....the third service with the bulletins printed upside down.  It was operator error...when the printing began...so you could either read it on your head or just flip it over...

We had to tweak the slides for the hymn of the day, because in the ELW Praise to the Lord the Almighty has two versions.  The left side of the page is with the music and the right side of the page is just lyrics...and it was lyrics on the right side that I wanted to use...but the other number was in the bulletin and on the slides...so between the two services today, a colleague updated the slides. 

We have the children's message, then begin the hymn of the day with one typo after another....in the first verse we sang praise to the Lord the Almihhhty The lord of creation.

And it just went goofy from there....There was a typo on every slide...after a few I got the giggles and so did the senior pastor....he said, I just want to see if you can still preach...then another typo...and I just keel over laughing...I can't keep it in...and neither can he...I'm not even looking at his family, thank heavens...because they sit in the front row and lost it too! Then my colleague snorts....probably because praise was spelled priase twice on the same slide. I can no longer keep myself together...as if I was together up to that point...
Finally 4th verse....make it through two lines...and head to the pulpit to preach....and I think okay...this has always been my favorite hymn...bust out the final few lines and regain composure and you're good...and bam...I have to sing about the poeple. I'm standing in front of everyone...and I'm like no way....
The hymn ends....I'm in the pulpit....and I just look, take a deep breath.....and laugh...and everyone laughs....then I try to pray and it took a few breaths to get focused...I've never laughed to the point of tears right before preaching....

Luckily I made it through the opening prayer and was able to talk about how comforting Jesus words are when our bulletins are upside down...and when there are like 7 typos in the hymn of the day....and the sermon went smoothly from there. Phew....


Here's the rest of the sermon:

February 27, 2011
Epiphany 8A

Isaiah 49:8-16a
Psalm 131
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Matthew 6:24-34

Please pray with me,
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen. 

What a comforting passage from the gospel today, right?  Do not spend time worrying…those little details are being taken care of.  Do not worry about tomorrow…

Don’t worry…or as Bobby McFarrin sang in the 80’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy. 
In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry, you make it double, so don’t worry, be happy. 
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style, ain’t got a girl to make you smile…but don’t worry, be happy. 

Don’t worry…be happy…but as soon as we hear this passage…we begin to worry.  Isn’t that the case?  That as soon as you’re told not to think about something….bam! You can’t seem to get it out of your mind. 

Yet, Jesus encourages us, tells us, not to worry.  Wouldn’t you like to live a life with no worries…a life with no stress, easy days, everything you need is right there for you…it almost seems as if this worry free life is some place removed from life as we know it.  That it is unrealistic. 

Unrealistic….that’s how it is for one familiar character who tries to live a worry-free life.  Perhaps some of you have seen the movie The Lion King?  The future King, Simba, faces a tragedy in the loss of his father and pretty much runs away from life as he knows it, where he bumps into two new friends…Timon & Pumba who teach him their motto: Hakuna Matata.  Which means, no worries.  They tell Simba to forget his worries and troubles, to just enjoy the carefree life that they live and love. 

So that’s what Simba does, he leaves the life that he knew, for this care-free, easy living with his new best friends.  No worries…what a great life to live, right? 

But for Simba, he lives this life because he chooses to leave the past behind him.  He chooses to walk away from his responsibility as King of the jungle.  He doesn’t want to worry about how others will see him and what they will think of what he has done…so he pretty much begins a new life. 

Now here’s the thing, I think we, too, have that tendency to be like Simba…we long for a life with no worries, anxieties and stresses.  And from time to time we have the opportunity to get away….to vacation, to be away from work, school, and sometimes we get away from family and loved ones, just to be able to breathe and find ourselves.  Which can be a good thing, but not a permanent thing. 

  How can that be…in the world in which we live.  Don’t worry…be happy….that can sound shallow, frivolous and unrealistic.  How are we to live lives that are worry free?  

It seems like an impossible task. 

But Jesus knows us….and Jesus reminds us that living lives of faith does not mean a simple care-free life…like the one that Simba

We still face setbacks, delays, failures, frustrations as well as joys, triumphs, victories and accomplishments. 

The point Jesus is making is that when our lives are focused on God’s call for each of us, then we have no room for worry.  Because it is all in God’s hands….and we are assured that we can handle whatever may happen to us…because God is in control and God’s faithful people belong to one another.  We are not alone. 

In God’s community, people look out for each other and share what they have; people take what they need and leave some for others.  In God’s community we think about each other…we think about our neighbors, their needs, worries and anxieties. 

God’s community is here and now. 

Few of us are exempt from worry and anxiety.  Most live with chronic anxiety, and we are scared of everything…of losing our homes, our jobs, not having enough for retirement, caring for our children until they reach adulthood, and sometimes helping to support them after that, avoiding danger and fear of terror attacks.  Those who have little, fret over having adequate shelter, food and water; finding a decent job; taking care of their families; having enough money to survive.  All of us – rich and poor – privileged and exploited – have legitimate reasons to fret and worry, even through we know such actions do not change the realities we face.  

Jesus understands this; his call to worry-free living is not based on unrealistic views of the world.  His words are for those who understand that God will not leave us without resources or support.  We can face life with all its uncertainties and contingencies with the assurance that we are not alone – that God hears, sees, and cares about us and our situations.  “Don’t worry, be happy,” because God is in control. 

And now may the peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God's people say, amen.  

Folks at the end of worship asked if we did the bulletin and the hymn on purpose... :) yeah, no.... :) just a few God moments of pure and utter joy....

After worship, we got news that a parishioner....passed away this morning....the highs and lows of ministry continue...but I am truly thankful for the joy that we experienced in worship....and felt free to share....for that strengthens us for the rougher, tougher times ahead.  We were reminded in our worry-free lives of faith that the sorrows and struggles do not leave us...but that God doesn't either....thank heavens.

Until the next set of tears....from joy or sadness....