Well.
The whole time I was in the search process I tried to be real professional and not blog very much about it. I figured I'd just tell you everything when I had an actual job.
Now that I actually am finishing one job, trying not to think too much about the next one (when it's MUCH on my mind) househunting and also enjoying unwrapping the big present which is Seattle summer, I find I don't have any time to blog after all.
So this blog is going on hiatus for a little while I figure out what to do next. I'll still be reading yours, though, so look for me in your comments box.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Rocking the Bible
Thanks Mrs M for the link! I always feel like kind of a doorknob about bible - I usually feel that I'm not very smart art just remembering things, and that I have to forever be looking things up over at Bible Gateway. But guess what? Smarter than I thought I was!
You know the Bible 100%!
Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!
Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes
Monday, June 11, 2007
Scientist
Overheard this week at Casa Juniper
Act One
Child: Chlorine is a metal, right?
Mother: Ummm.....
Act Two
Child: I'm allergic to salt.
Mother: How do you know?
C: What?
M: What happens to you, when you eat salt?
C: I'm THINKING about SWIMMING.
M: Oh, you mean you can't drink salt water, if you are swimming in it?
C: YES! I have to keep my mouth closed, like this!
M: You're right. If you drink salt water, you get sick. But you can eat dry salt. You are not allergic to that.
C: Why?
M: Ummm....
Act Three
C: I heard the sun sneeze!
M: What?
C: The sun is in OUTER SPACE!
M: (ignoring the sneezing part, and glad to finally have at least one fact at her fingertips) That's right. The sun is in outer space!
Act One
Child: Chlorine is a metal, right?
Mother: Ummm.....
Act Two
Child: I'm allergic to salt.
Mother: How do you know?
C: What?
M: What happens to you, when you eat salt?
C: I'm THINKING about SWIMMING.
M: Oh, you mean you can't drink salt water, if you are swimming in it?
C: YES! I have to keep my mouth closed, like this!
M: You're right. If you drink salt water, you get sick. But you can eat dry salt. You are not allergic to that.
C: Why?
M: Ummm....
Act Three
C: I heard the sun sneeze!
M: What?
C: The sun is in OUTER SPACE!
M: (ignoring the sneezing part, and glad to finally have at least one fact at her fingertips) That's right. The sun is in outer space!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Woman At the Well
When Elijah was about 8 months old, I was out of my mind. Looking back, I can now see a little undiagnosed post-partum depression (yikes, did I really wear those maternity clothes for whole 'nother year after he was born? yes, I did) along with the total shock, which I have heard from some other women too, of not being as "good at parenting" (whatever THAT means) as everyone had always assured me I'd be.
In this zombie state, I went one day to a play room at a nearby community center, and got dissed as usual by some other moms, who always in those days seemed to travel in clumps and be deeply versed in the mysteries of teething, while I hung around the edges trying to get someone to talk to me. After a while, that made me cry (there was nothing that didn't make me cry in those days) so I went to a coffee shop nearby for a cup of tea where I met a pregnant woman.
"What's it like?" she asked with hungry eyes, "I'm worried about getting bored."
"It's never boring. Lonely. Yes, definately, lonely. But never boring."
I thought of that conversation today, wondered as you do about people you meet in passing, what ever happened to that woman, to her baby. Because, in all those first crazy months of Eli's life, she was one of very few people with whom I made a real connection, to whom I told the truth.
I thought of her today because my dear friend was talking about a book she's reading about having a rule of motherhood, about keeping a ritual and rhythmn to every day life. Which sounded so lovely, but so foreign, the way someone talking about keeping a rule in a monastery sounds lovely and foreign to me. I looked around my living room at the women gathered there - all good friends, all moms for whom mommying is their biggest job right now. And with these good friends I felt the way I often feel when moms gather. I felt myself sitting on the edges, wondering what I was missing.
These are not strangers in the park - these are very dear friends I'm talking about. Individually and even collectively I know I love them, know I treasure their children. But I have no idea what they're talking about.
The rest of the day, I've been wondering if I've just become a fundamentally unfriendly person. But having given it some thought, I dont think so. I think instead that the information I need now is not the kind that is passed in a group like this. The information I need now is about how to leave my son for the third night meeting this week, about how to help a church organize a stewardship campaign, about whether a theology of atonement has any relevance in the 21st century.
And these dear, loving, good friends dont have that information right now, because they need something else - the simple company of other women, the assurance they are not alone. I remember needing that, that one day at the community center and days and days before and after, but I just dont need it now. I try not to let this make me feel sad and guilty, but it does.
There are not many other women pastors in my area, in my denomination who have little children (some of the guys do, but it's different for them, isn't it?) - let's face it, there are not many pastors in my denomination young enough to have young children. Virtual support is probably not the very best way to be understanding or understood, but for now I am very very very grateful for the revgals. Thanks ya'll.
More soon, I promise, on the sweet new church.
In this zombie state, I went one day to a play room at a nearby community center, and got dissed as usual by some other moms, who always in those days seemed to travel in clumps and be deeply versed in the mysteries of teething, while I hung around the edges trying to get someone to talk to me. After a while, that made me cry (there was nothing that didn't make me cry in those days) so I went to a coffee shop nearby for a cup of tea where I met a pregnant woman.
"What's it like?" she asked with hungry eyes, "I'm worried about getting bored."
"It's never boring. Lonely. Yes, definately, lonely. But never boring."
I thought of that conversation today, wondered as you do about people you meet in passing, what ever happened to that woman, to her baby. Because, in all those first crazy months of Eli's life, she was one of very few people with whom I made a real connection, to whom I told the truth.
I thought of her today because my dear friend was talking about a book she's reading about having a rule of motherhood, about keeping a ritual and rhythmn to every day life. Which sounded so lovely, but so foreign, the way someone talking about keeping a rule in a monastery sounds lovely and foreign to me. I looked around my living room at the women gathered there - all good friends, all moms for whom mommying is their biggest job right now. And with these good friends I felt the way I often feel when moms gather. I felt myself sitting on the edges, wondering what I was missing.
These are not strangers in the park - these are very dear friends I'm talking about. Individually and even collectively I know I love them, know I treasure their children. But I have no idea what they're talking about.
The rest of the day, I've been wondering if I've just become a fundamentally unfriendly person. But having given it some thought, I dont think so. I think instead that the information I need now is not the kind that is passed in a group like this. The information I need now is about how to leave my son for the third night meeting this week, about how to help a church organize a stewardship campaign, about whether a theology of atonement has any relevance in the 21st century.
And these dear, loving, good friends dont have that information right now, because they need something else - the simple company of other women, the assurance they are not alone. I remember needing that, that one day at the community center and days and days before and after, but I just dont need it now. I try not to let this make me feel sad and guilty, but it does.
There are not many other women pastors in my area, in my denomination who have little children (some of the guys do, but it's different for them, isn't it?) - let's face it, there are not many pastors in my denomination young enough to have young children. Virtual support is probably not the very best way to be understanding or understood, but for now I am very very very grateful for the revgals. Thanks ya'll.
More soon, I promise, on the sweet new church.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Something new
As of this weekend, I've officially been called as full time pastor and teacher at Hillsdale Community UCC in Portland Oregon!
About which, much more to come, but for now let's all just pause for a big whoop.
(woooo hooooo whooooooop!!)
About which, much more to come, but for now let's all just pause for a big whoop.
(woooo hooooo whooooooop!!)
Friday, June 01, 2007
Friday Five - Hopes and Dreams Edition
1. Think back to the time you left High School, what were your hopes visions and dreams for your life/ for the world?
Honestly? When the boss of my summer job asked me what I really wanted to do when I got to college, I answered that I wanted to "stay out all night." Evidently, this was an issue. When I got to college, I realized pretty quickly that if you have no usual curfew there's not that much of a thrill in staying out all night and in fact it just feels yucky.
I dont remember having any particular academic or career ambitions. My parents say that when I called home my first week, I talked alot about my new friends and the parties I was going to, but when they asked me about the coursework, I said, "Huh? Classes?"
I know I wanted to get married and have a large family.
And, like every other 18 year old girl in America, I wanted world peace.
2. Have those hopes visions and dreams changed a lot, or are some of them still alive and kicking? (share one if you can)
Well, I'm pretty much all over staying out all night. After what seemed like a long time, I got married to just the right person, and now we have a small family that is just the right size. World peace? Still working on that one.
3. Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. " Comforting, challenging or frustrating?
Comforting, especially in a hard week of ministry like this one.
4. If resources were unlimited, and you had free reign to pursue a vision what would it be?
Wow, unlimited. Well, start with ending the war in Iraq. Then take care of AIDS in Africa. A creative end to global warming. Cure MD. Stop the violence in Darfur and Colombia. Create a climate of peace and justice between South and North Korea. In general, as a seminary prof once shared his shortened prayers for tired nights: "more of the good stuff, less of the bad stuff." The reign of God.
But really, if you want to know the truth, for myself, right now, in the world as it is, I think things are pretty much going just like they're supposed to. That's a good feeling.
5. Finally with summer upon us- and not to make this too heavy- share your dream holiday....where, when and who with...
For some reason, ever since I was a real little girl, I've always wanted to go to San Diego. With son and husband would be lovely. And during a PNW February would probably be good.
Honestly? When the boss of my summer job asked me what I really wanted to do when I got to college, I answered that I wanted to "stay out all night." Evidently, this was an issue. When I got to college, I realized pretty quickly that if you have no usual curfew there's not that much of a thrill in staying out all night and in fact it just feels yucky.
I dont remember having any particular academic or career ambitions. My parents say that when I called home my first week, I talked alot about my new friends and the parties I was going to, but when they asked me about the coursework, I said, "Huh? Classes?"
I know I wanted to get married and have a large family.
And, like every other 18 year old girl in America, I wanted world peace.
2. Have those hopes visions and dreams changed a lot, or are some of them still alive and kicking? (share one if you can)
Well, I'm pretty much all over staying out all night. After what seemed like a long time, I got married to just the right person, and now we have a small family that is just the right size. World peace? Still working on that one.
3. Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. " Comforting, challenging or frustrating?
Comforting, especially in a hard week of ministry like this one.
4. If resources were unlimited, and you had free reign to pursue a vision what would it be?
Wow, unlimited. Well, start with ending the war in Iraq. Then take care of AIDS in Africa. A creative end to global warming. Cure MD. Stop the violence in Darfur and Colombia. Create a climate of peace and justice between South and North Korea. In general, as a seminary prof once shared his shortened prayers for tired nights: "more of the good stuff, less of the bad stuff." The reign of God.
But really, if you want to know the truth, for myself, right now, in the world as it is, I think things are pretty much going just like they're supposed to. That's a good feeling.
5. Finally with summer upon us- and not to make this too heavy- share your dream holiday....where, when and who with...
For some reason, ever since I was a real little girl, I've always wanted to go to San Diego. With son and husband would be lovely. And during a PNW February would probably be good.
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