where i am on wednesdays at 9pm

I'll tell you where I am: I'm watching Lost. Best. Show. Ever.

There really isn't anything profound about this post. I'm just really enjoying the show this year - one of the few shows that I believe keeps getting better and better.

Last week we installed a new part-time pastor at our congregation. It's been awhile since I had heard that service, and I had forgotten one of my favorite bits, which comes as part of a question to the congregation:

"Will you regard him/her as a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God?"

Honestly, that's kind of a weird phrase: "a steward of the mysteries of God." I feel about it the way I feel about having earned a Master of Divinity degree - that's it's rather a stretch to imply that I have mastered Divinity in any way. Odd name. Same idea here: a steward of the mysteries of God. It's very Harry-Potter-esque. Actually, I think I love that phrase. Such a beautiful and bizarre and somehow, completely appropriate name for what pastors do (though we ought to remember we're not the only stewards around).

I think this is why I like Lost: because I like the idea of being a steward of mysteries. Nothing is more mysterious than this show. I love not having the answers. I love that each week ends with Beloved and I turning to each other and saying, " what the hell?" Good stuff.

CRASH.

It's been awhile since I completely, totally, and thoroughly hit the wall on a Sunday afternoon.  But today...

Worship included welcoming new members, temple talks on our global ministry for Epiphany, installing a new part-time pastor, and a baptism.  After typing that, I realize it doesn't sound like much.  But it was.  

I will be retreating to the comfort of my flannel-sheeted bed and watching a full hour of the Simpsons.  Finally time to crash.  Amen to that.

A Cabin Fever Friday Five

Singing Owl has cabin fever - and she's not the only one. Today's Friday Five:

Here in snow country we are settled in to what is a very long stretch of potentially boring days. The holidays are over. It is a very long time till we will get outside on a regular basis. The snow that seemed so beautiful at first is now dirty and the snow banks are piling up. Our vehicles are all the same shade of brownish grey, but if we go to the car wash our doors will freeze shut. People get grumpy. Of course, not everyone lives in a cold climate, but even in warmer places the days till springtime can get long. Help! Please give us five suggestions for combating cabin fever and staying cheerful in our monochromatic world!

1. Hope, thy name is ipod.
Okay, it doesn't have to be via ipod, but my surest solution to cabin fever (to many problems, actually), is music. For cabin fever, I recommend the elusive Ricky Martin/Coldplay/Will Smith/Indigo Girls/J.S. Bach/Aaron Copland combination. If you happen to find yourself at home alone, I would also recommend singing along with your favorite Broadway production (I enjoy The Sound of Music, followed by some selections from Chicago and topped off with a few numbers from Avenue Q.) Sing it loud. Sing it proud. The neighbors will get over it.

2. Brain Candy. Everybody needs it. You know it's true.
For some reason, that wintery-grey-stuck-at-home feeling significantly ups my need for stupid television programs, silly movies, and easy-to-read books. I watch and read the more serious stuff too. But a few episodes of Sex and the City, or a movie like Stepbrothers (warning: not for the faint of heart), or the newest Mary Higgins Clark mystery are good for the cabin fevery soul. A little escape, even if only in your mind. No shame in that.

3. Knit like a maniac.
The knitting part of this might just be me. But, in addition to enjoying the knitting itself, I enjoy doing something that produces results. Admittedly, this might be as much a result of pastoral work as it is cabin fever. But since my other results-oriented release mechanism is gardening, which isn't much of a winter activity, I have to find a substitute. I feel less 'stuck' when I can look at something I created.

4. Get. Out.
This year, Beloved and I decided to get out of town immediately after Christmas. We did it on a budget - frequent flier miles and a condo shared with family, making most of our own meals and mostly relaxing instead of indulging in expensive actitives. And it made all the difference. We saw the sun (an infrequent winter visitor in these here parts). We hung out with great family. We slept in and stayed up late. But mostly, we were simply not here. We can't afford to do this every year, but if you can pull it off every once in awhile - totally worthwhile.

5. When all else fails, wear yellow.
I kid you not. Wear something bright and cheerful. Usher in spring on your shoulders, if not in the rest of the world. Works for me.

preach it, mr. president

Some weeks I wonder what on earth I am going to say about the assigned text for Sunday.

Some weeks I wonder what the community needs most to hear: words of challenge, hope, comfort, justice, or all of the above.

Some weeks the sermon practically writes itself.

This week, I suspect our new president may have beat us preachers at our own game.

Amen to that.

(And by the way, that benediction, Pastor Lowery? Spectacular.)

Friday Five: Take Me, Baby, or Leave Me

Okay, it's still Thursday. (Hey, guess what? It's my birthday!) But I'm gone at an all-day meeting tomorrow, so I'm doing the Friday Five early.

Five things people should know about me...

1. Yes, I am a pastor; and no, that's not the only thing I am.

I know pastors who think of themselves most fundamentally in that way: as pastors. Part of me admires the fullness of that commitment. And part of me thinks there's something wrong with that single-mindedness. Yes, I am a pastor. I love being a pastor. But I also love being a daughter, and a wife, and a friend, and a reader, and a goofy dancer in my underwear at home (oops! too much there) and a lot of other things. I find that people often talk about nothing else but church around me. Mostly, that makes me want to scream: I CARE ABOUT OTHER THINGS THAN CHURCH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, DON'T YOU WATCH GREY'S ANATOMY OR LOST OR READ NEWSWEEK OR SOMETHING, ANYTHING ELSE WE COULD TALK ABOUT? PLEASE?

2. I love teaching.

Worship, too. I love that. But teaching - there's just something about helping people understand at a new level, or watching them put some pieces together, or helping open up a piece of scripture in a new way. That's good stuff.

3. I actually enjoy cleaning the bathroom.

It's weird. I am aware. But I enjoy the "it's clean, it looks clean, it smells clean, and I did that in only 20 minutes" aspect of housecleaning. It's a good antedote to pastoral work, which isn't particularly results-based. I do enjoy planting seeds. But every once in awhile, it's nice to see some growth. And I like things to be clean. Insofar as this is possible.

4. I don't hike. Or camp.

I realize this will horrify many people, especially in the nature-loving area of the country I call home. Too bad. This is an anonymous blog, and I feel like being honest. I don't like hiking. I've never really been camping, and I have no desire to go. I have no shame about this.

5. I am an introvert.

A surprising number of pastors are, as I understand it. I've gotten much better about being extroverted when I need to be over the past ten years. But when it comes down to it, I need alone time. Doesn't have to be much, but I do need it. I love reading and knitting and all kinds of interior, quiet things. I struggle to balance the needs of an introvert and the demands of pastor-work, but so far it's going okay.

Pumpkin Scones...three days late

I finally figured out the blog problem, so now I'm a.) relieved and b.) posting a recipe I meant to post on Friday. I *heart* these scones.

PUMPKIN SCONES

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chilled butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Combine egg, pumpkin, and milk, and stir well; add to dry ingredients. Stir until moistened, then turn out onto floured board and knead until smooth. Cut into 8-12 wedges. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

argh.

Some nights, like, let's say, Sunday nights, you just want to do something brainless like mess around with your blog template.

And then, somehow, the blog gets completely messed up.

I find that the best thing to do in this situation is to go to bed. Try again tomorrow.

So, good night.

Friday Five: Pancakes!

A light-hearted Friday Five from Sophia at RevGals (and the first one I've done in quite awhile...):

Last week Sally gave us a beautiful, spiritually reflective Friday Five, so it's time for something light and fluffy (literally). It's inspired by the fact that as I write this my dear spouse TechnoGuy, with the assistance of daughter Ladybug, is making a batch of chocolate chip pancakes with two Christmas presents. One is the Knott's Berry Farm mix which came along with jam, boysenberry syrup, and biscuit mix from my aunt (we ended up with two sets, since my parents passed theirs on to avoid sweet and carb-y temptation). The other is the large size Black and Decker electric skillet he was thrilled that I got him online -- our trusty wedding present normal size one still works at going on 20 years, but the Teflon is getting worn, and he wanted more cooking space. So pull up a chair to the kitchen table and tell us all about your pancake preferences.

1. Scratch or mix? Buttermilk or plain?

Krusteaz mix all the way. I'm not a morning person, so there is no "scratch" anything in the mornings. Plus that mix is too good to bother messing with anything else.

2. Pure and simple, or with additions cooked in?

Generally pure and simple, with powdered sugar instead of syrup for me. I really hate soggy bread-related foods. I do enjoy some chocolate chips dropped in every once in awhile, though.

3. For breakfast or for dinner?

Breakfast.

4. Preferred syrup or other topping? How about the best side dish?

Oops - jumped ahead. Powdered sugar for me (see above comment regarding sogginess), but syrup for Beloved. Beloved loves bacon with any breakfast food; I'm not so keen on it. Pancakes alone is fine with me. Oh - and coffee. Always coffee.

5. Favorite pancake restaurant?

Nothing pops to mind, though I did have really, really good Pumpkin Pancakes at IHOP once.

For sheer entertainment value, though, I loved the Pannekuchen restaurants in St. Paul, where you ordered these huge souffle-like pancakes and, when the waiters brought them out, they had to announce, "PANNEKUCHEN!" in this sing-songy Disney voice. Very It's A Small World After All. Probably totally humiliating for the waiters.

Bonus: Any tasty recipes out there, for pancakes or other special breakfast dishes? Bring 'em on!

I do have a great Pumpkin Scone recipe, but it's at home and I'm at work. I'll try to remember to post it later.

quote of the day

I've been terrible about reading blogs in the month of December, so consequently I missed out on a lot of great Advent and Christmas stuff. In trying to catch up, I found this gem over at Sarcastic Lutheran:

Elizabeth: Barren and pregnant. One of God’s favorite ways to prove that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s ways are not our ways…continually transgressing our polite family values. Elizabeth barren and pregnant. Mary common and favored. This is the transgressive fecundity of God. Willing life where there is no life. Making a way where there is no way. Messing with all of us in the way that only true mercy can do.

Read the whole post here. Well said, Nadia.

which raises us above the beasts that perish

The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching toward infinity - and it is this which raises us above the beasts that perish. - A. E. Newton

This is my favorite quote. It assures me of two things: one, that my inordinate book buying is actually a virtue; and two, at least according to whoever A. E. Newton is, that I will never die.

So, having neatly solved the problem of my personal mortality, I have decided to dust off some of those shelves and get reading. I am, in fact, not only an inordinate book-buyer, but the same kind of reader. And yet, over the last year in particular, I simply have not read nearly as many books as I used to. I'll chalk this up to a year of constant transition, moving, change, etc. - and the fact that, for about six months, I lived apart from my books and could only check out two at a time with my temporary library card. (This was, by the way, the only truly horrifying result of moving. Fortunately temporary.)

Having kicked off the year with a good stretch of vacation, I've finished one book already, one I had read years ago but wanted to read again. The Cider House Rules, being primarily about an abortionist, is perhaps an odd choice for someone facing fertility challenges to read. On the other hand, I think it's a remarkable book. Not quite as fantastic as my personal Irving favorite, A Prayer for Owen Meany, but still great.

So I'm off to a roaring start. Next up: I'm halfway through Breaking Clean, by Judy Blunt. Amazing. I am SO not a Montana farm girl.

Happy reading.

digging out

It's been quite awhile since I blogged anything, for various reasons. One, it snowed a ridiculously uncommon amount here in New Green City this year, which essentially shut down the place for the week before Christmas. I do love snow days. They rearrange my brain into childlike glee. But they also wreak havoc on the pre-Christmas church calendar.

So we have been digging out from the snow, for one, and then from vacation - a week off after Christmas, in the beautiful sun down south. My brain feels like it has been a Snow Day for the last three weeks, which is really hard to recover from on a Tuesday morning.

I do feel as if I'm digging out in other ways as well. Over Christmas, I heard about two new pregnancies, one of which threw me into a fairly significant funk for a few days. We are preparing for a visit with the doctor in a few weeks and will likely begin preparations for in-vitro, and while I am thrilled about that on the one hand, I am terrified on the other, and bewildered that we have actually gotten to this point.

Meanwhile, there are phone and email messages to be returned, a desk surface to find, mail to be read, calendars to be organized, and an Easter liturgy to be chosen. Time to get on with it.