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Showing posts from August, 2006

Shorts

I love my cats, and they usually get their way, but this? I just finished reading another Jennifer Weiner book, Good In Bed (#17) , which was, like In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes, very good. She manages to write very funny, good stories, that you know would never happen to you, but somehow manage to seem realistic anyway, and let you imagine them happening to you. The title, by the way, refers to a newspaper column title. Went today to the New York State Fair . Much in the fashion as when I was growing up, which I've written about before , I had a fun experience without spending much. Missed the free concert by Charo , though. When I was little, my favorite thing to do was pick up the free brochures that were at every table. I picked up one on Duchess County and became convinced that I would live there when I was older. Today, I got my handwriting 'analyzed' for $2.00, and found out that I am stubborn (no!) and have an overactive imagination. The Fair is a fun place

RevGals Friday Five: Back to School

I always loved going back to school in the fall, so I thought I'd play this week's edition of the RevGals Friday Five: 1. What is your earliest memory of school? I remember lots of things from pre-school, actually. I remember the one day that I got to stay all day for pre-school instead of a half day, which meant I got to eat lunch there. I remember playing with the plastic cash register, and I remember the playground. 2. Who was a favorite teacher in your early education? I loved my third grade teach, Miss Brudette. Not many of the kids liked her - she had a reputation for being mean - but I thought she was great, and she really pushed me to do things that were challenging. Of course, my kindergarten teacher was also great - Mrs. Merrill - all of my siblings had her. I still see her sometimes around the area. 3. What do you remember about school “back then” that is different from what you know about schools now? When I went, the school system was K-6, 7-9, 10-12. Now it is K

Reflections: International United Methodist Clergywomen's Consultation

I just got back from a week in Chicago where I was attending the International United Methodist Clergywomen's Consultation . It was fabulous. I went not knowing what to expect, other than some time away, and time with clergy colleagues, which was enough for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed my time, the event, the worship, the experience. I went to a college that had a very large, active Greek system, which I could never understand. I was totally turned off by the idea of sororities and fraternities. Didn't get the point. Sisterhood as a concept has never been appealing to me. It seemed to me mostly like a false sense of relationship with people based on - being women? Wearing the same Greek letters? Knowing secret rituals? But, for the first time, I felt a strong sense of sisterhood with my clergywomen colleagues, a sisterhood based on a common sense of call and vocation, a common faith, some common experiences, a common heritage, and hopefully, some common hopes/directions. I wa

Me, In the News

I was interviewed for the Syracuse paper The Post Standard this week, and you can read the story here . Apparently, the exciting life of hip young single pastors is newsworthy. Who knew? Thanks John and Jason for linking to the story!

Review: The Devil Wears Prada

I should have known better. I mean, Prada is in the title! What was I expecting? Still, the book The Devil Wears Prada had a lot of fans, and the movie looked cute enough in an "I can spend $4.50 to see it at a matinee" sort of way. I like to read the book before seeing the movie, so I read Prada (#16), by Lauren Weisenberger. The book, as others have mentioned when it came out, is very similar to The Nanny Diaries , which depicted an unbearable set of wealthy parent-employers in Manhattan. And like The Nanny Diaries , Prada has a rather unlikable protagonist. The main character, Andy, is just not convincing or admirable. The point of the book, sure, is to see her go through these trials of working in the fashion world and then learn a lesson, but I don't sympathize with her along the way. The plot is also boring. It goes like this: Andy's boss, Miranda, asks her to do something outrageous. Andy does it, to keep her job, which supposedly will guarantee her a spot a

Sundays

For clergy: How many Sundays are you out of the pulpit each year? I miss two Sundays each year for GBCS meetings, and two for CCYM, and one for AC as a given. That doesn't even factor in any extra events or any vacation Sundays. I worry about it sometimes. Thoughts?

Two Memes

Two memes to fill time between posts of substance! First, found at Inner Dorothy , the Ten Book meme: Ten Books 1. One Book That Changed Your Life - Process Theology: An Introductory Exposition , by David Ray Griffin and John B. Cobb, Jr. 2. One Book That You've Read More Than Once - The Chronicles of Narnia (in the original order!!) - I probably read these once a year. And most Louisa May Alcott books, especially the Little Women series, An Old Fashioned Girl, and Eight Cousins/Rose in Bloom . Oh, and Harry Potter books. 3. One Book You'd Want On a Desert Island - see question 2. Does a set count as one? 4. One Book That Made You Laugh: Bridget Jones' Diary and Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason , by Helen Fielding. Hilarious. Especially Edge of Reason. 5. One Book That Made You Cry: Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Victor Hugo. He is a heart-wrenching writer. 6. One Book You Wish Had Been Written. "Every Pastoral Experience You Will Encounter and the

Bigger Barns

Last night, I bought several 'containers' - storage bins of different sizes for putting stuff in. The first sermon I ever preached was based on Luke 12, which reads, in part: "And [Jesus] said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” Ah. I can argue, of course, that I d

SWF, 26, Seeks UM Ordination

No, not me. I'm 27, and (yippee!) ordained. But otherwise, I very much related to this article : "SWF, 26, Seeks UM Ordination", written by my friend from seminary for United Methodist Relay , the newsletter of the Greater New Jersey AC. Here's an excerpt: I cannot reminisce about Carter’s presidency, the days before “U” was added to “MYF,” or a time when polio was a threat to children in this country. Contrary to popular belief, I do not need others to remind me of these obvious truths. I grew up with color TV, barely remember the Reagan years, and started using a computer at age four. Even so, I still have a story. Just because my story is only 26 years long does not make it any smaller than 62 or 97 year stories. There is a subtle, “What can you possibly offer beyond that textbook knowledge you’re so proud of?” floating in the air. Is this how we approach all young adults in the church? We as a denomination have not found a good place for these persons in their gr