Absent without Leave - changing in 2018

Blog friends, I have been absent half of a year and most of the months previous. I hope to change that in 2018. I am retiring! Without a 'pulpit' I hope to share my thoughts on texts and life back here soon.

Lots to do in the last 2 weeks so it is unlikely that I will post prior. BUT, I am also a new grandmother so be prepared for a few baby photos now and then. I'll try not to overwhelm the net waves...

Speaking of net, I wonder if I will be able to afford the eventual layers of pricing that will come with the end to net neutrality.?.  We shall see.

Until 2018.

Nancy

Ready for vacation.

Tomorrow is my last preaching day before vacation. I've been sick all week with a cold and it has really knocked me down. Therefore, I am very ready for vacation. The hard part is trying to maintain focus for one more day. AND thinking about what I should have in place before I go.

Dreamin' of beach days, sleeping in (without being sick), quiet mornings, golf in 'way too hot temps', walks with hubby, reading, and more beach. Is this what retirement is like? Hmmmm

I just don't understand how the weeks AFTER Easter have been so busy. Maybe there is just no difference, except busy and busier! Every once in a while I get a "slow" (relatively speaking) week. I have learned to grab those, not feel guilty, and take a little time. Sure enough they are followed by funerals, crisis and lots of extra work.

I will finish my work for tomorrow. Look at what needs finishing for the next 2 weeks. Then concentrate on what to pack, what to take, what movies to put on my iPad. Ah the good life.

Until later...
Nancy

Church Bullies

Do you have a church bully? (Or more than one?)
Is there such a thing?

You know, a person with good intention, at least we assume so, who always gets their way? Have you looked into the minutes to see if this special "position" rotates among a couple people? Or perhaps just one has seniority..

Or is it that we church people are so sensitive, for our jobs? for people's feelings? to eliminate all confrontation - that we ALLOW the bully to be created?
Bow to their every request.! (It avoids future confrontation)
Anticipate their needs above everyone else's. (Eliminates the late night phone calls, messages on the church machine, or sometimes emails.)
    (I remember a story of one who not only sent Monday morning emails, they sent it to the whole church email list!)

I'm assuming we all have some version of them. I just wonder how much we contribute to their development by our responses. Where and when do you drawn the line? Do you see a bully in development and stop the process? How do you do it?

It seems to be that as much as we promote healthy relationships, this is one that slips by - to our detriment and the congregation's.

What do you think?

Working late in Lent

It seems to be a weekly and sometimes daily theme, this working late in Lent.
I hear it again, again and again from clergy friends and then,
I echo it, as if
were were in a race to see who could be, or not be
the busiest bee that Lent could see.

It's silly really.
We who tell others to take time,
slow down,
prayer matters.
Yet find so little time for it ourselves.

"I forgot to pray," said a pastor yesterday.
(and none of us were surprised.)

This working late in Lent theme,
turns out not to be in the Lectionary - in any season.

from @StudioPelican

I love this video and plan to use it on Sunday...along with some Mary Poppins.

Welcome to Studio Pelican. pic.twitter.com/Ff9HvcRNlG

— Studio Pelican (@StudioPelican) March 3, 2017

Study Day in Lent, "A Jolly Holiday..with Mary"

I know that I can easily get lost while looking for resources for Sunday. Today I've sent the emails I needed to and found the resource and then some. But now it's time for plain old reading. So glad to have this time set aside. I was assisted in this routine, by a former spiritual director. When she asked about my week which had contained a funeral, she asked where I find time for the meetings and preparation. With a study day, there's always a few hours for meeting, visiting, or doing what is necessary but wasn't planned.

AND the study is needed. So back to the work. I've schedule the video I found for use on Sunday to publish on Sunday morning. But here's another I plan to use, thanks to the idea from Nurya Love Parish in Christian Century. (Be warned, the music will stick in your head for days...)

so much for keeping up to date on blogging. Perhaps this is something to do when I have less on my plate?

I had a good run with 90s songs for sermon titles. So I've decided to give the boomers a shot at this and have suggested we use 60-70's songs. (late 50's for the older boomers) But so far, no suggestions. I will wait a bit and see if they get with the program.

Meanwhile, here's a pic from our recent (this week) little trip to 7-Springs.

Not too far above where I caught an edge and went down on Wednesday when the snow got soft at the bottom of the runs. A great and varied 3 days of skiing. A few hours of powder on Monday night, some powder then frozen on Tuesday, then frozen rain and rain, "Spring-skiing" on Wednesday. All this on January 9-11!