It's a Wonderful Life

Rough life we have today. This is the view of Hampe's camp as seen on the approach in the party barge.

I am loving this time at the lake with friends. It's very renewing to be in such a setting!

Retreat time!

I took this out the top of my convertibe today as I headed out for dinner with friends before the official beginning of this year's women's retreat from my church.

What a gorgeous day!

I am expecting some good things to happen this weekend with our women, not the least of which is a chance to get out of the normal routine for a while. A normal routine is great, but a break in it once in a while gives us a chance to rest and reflect. I, for one, could use it, and I know I'm not alone.

Peace.

I'm being followed...

First trip of the season in the convertible took me to Conway and across to Portland via route 302.

My friend and I stopped at Blacksmith's Winery in time for the Saturday wine tasting. It was a successful stop. For the winery.

At any rate, we made our way to 202 to head home and these six bikers were behind us for quite a while until the opportunity arose to let them pass. It was less noisy when they were behind us, but they disappeared soon enough.

Now we are at Martins awaiting our clams and scallops. It's been a great day!

A painter by any other name

My home group and my friend's home group joined forces to clean this lady's yard. Two groups, two hours and 100 bags later, she showed us her beautiful paintings. They're marvelous!

She lives on the small amount of money she makes selling afew of her paintings, and is actually in need of more paint.

It was good to be able to flex from normal meeting and serve someone who needed help.

Endings

I already miss Battlestar Galactica. I liked the original, and was nervous about this new one when it started a few years ago. But it was great television, and a series of which I would consider the purchase of a boxed set. It was well written, well acted, and had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing all the way through.

On the Bus

This is where I spend several hours of my life each school year - in the front seat of a school bus with my gang hanging out "behind me all the way."

It is not always pleasant to ride on a school bus. They are meant for shorter trips - significantly less than the 45 minutes we rode today. But being with these fine people, and seeing them perform and excel is always worth the sore back and swollen knees in the end.

Today's jaunt was to a jazz festival, and as usual the Triton Jazz Band outplayed itself. Those pesky jazz people always torture me with bad playing, forgotten music and clothing, and a general "hanging on by the skin of our teeth" attitude for at least a week before each gig. I don't know why, because it just means I push them harder in rehearsal, and they leave my class often with those "pouty faces" that so irritate the observer.

At any rate, today was a good day. Now we rush back to the school to rehearse for the musical.

Ash Wednesday

"Remember, O man, that from dust you came, and to dust you shall return."

God created our bodies from dirt - from the stuff of earth. Then He breathed into us the breath of life - the spirit of life. We are all made of the same stuff, and are equal in His sight.

Lent asks of us a recommitment to living as His child. Our pastor identified three themes - almsgiving, prayer, and fasting - through which we can express that recommitment. At home group, a friend pointed out that the gospel says "WHEN you pray...", "WHEN you fast...", and "WHEN you give..." None of these is an if.

Several of us are joining our pastor in his journey of recommitment. Perhaps you, dear reader, might as well.

Just like us?

This is the CEO of Sprint in a commercial implying that the web is for anyone, and we can all use it. That he, like us, can have a wireless "way of living."

At this point in the ad, he calls in that he would be working from the road because he is stuck in traffic.

Funny. When I am stuck in traffic, I'm usually driving my own car.

Policing thought and opinion?

I have now seen two brief news items today that disturb me. Fred Phelps (and a trvel companion whose identity I no longer remember) is being barred from entering a country. And another country is attempting to kick out a holocaust denying Catholic bishop.

Ok, now look. I do not agree with either of these men. I don't hold their opinions. Indeed, I don't even like their opinions. And I think the behavior of Phelps and his ilk is totally despicable. And I know the holocaust happened, and to deny it is foolish, blind, and even hateful.

BUT.

And this is a pretty big but...

Is it really right to decide what opinions one must hold in order to reside in or visit a country? Doesn't my freedom to hold my opinion, and even express it, dictate the freedom of everyone else to hold and express theirs?

Don't get me wrong. I hate the vitriol spewed by Fred Phelps. And I saw the pictures of the atrocities perpetrated on the Jews, and lots of other people, by Hitler.

But we CANNOT start using someone's opinions to decide where they can live or visit or work or shop or eat or anything else. That goes against the most basic of democratic principles, and diminishes us in the process.

And for those of you who think I am wrong, well, wait until "they" decide that your opinion on something is wrong and decide to take your house away. That is the slippery slope we are on.

You Make Everything Glorious

This week, I have chosen a David Crowder tune called "You Make Everything Glorious" as one of the songs we will use for worship on Sunday morning. God can take anything and make it glorious.

Need an example? How about the snow that is now falling here in southeastern NH? Every time I see it, I remember that God has said to me that though my sins be as scarlet, I shall be washed whiter than snow. Glorious!

Look for the glorious in the things you encounter around you each day. God makes everything glorious.

What does that make you?!

At Rehearsal

My friend Nancy was correct of course. I was not sure I wanted to work all day today, but it has been a great rehearsal, and the show is pretty funny. Lots of laughs to be had, and the cast is singing well.

On another note, I hope the folks going to NOLA will set up for mobile blogging so we who could not go along can be part of the experience.

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Apparently, my blog is worth $5,280,313.  Haha!! 

Got Grace?

In considering the idea of what it is to live by the Spirit, I have been thinking about grace. It is by grace that the Spirit is available to us, and that we can access His power to live in a way that pleases God.

I wonder if we just make it all more complicated than it should be. Paul says in Galatians, "Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Like it's a done deal. Like it isn't really possible to mess it up.

I find that the conversation about living by the Spirit often turns to a discussion of getting rid of sin. And no wonder that's the case, with teaching like the aforementioned Galatians passage all over the place in the Bible for us to beat ourselves with. But that very passage seems like the whole grace thing is supposed to be simple. Just don't gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

I find that when I do gratify whatever the desire/temptation of the day is, I find the need to punish myself. I can't imagine that God would actually forgive me that freely and quickly. And so, I find it difficult to accept the forgiveness He gives.

But when I don't just accept that forgiveness, I am saying to God that His grace isn't actually good enough, or strong enough, or big enough. So, aren't I really engaging in unbelief when I don't simply accept His forgiveness and move on like it never happened?

Some people say that's "cheap grace." But I don't think so. Cheap grace is when you are confronted by temptation - by your own desires, and instead of calling on the Holy Spirit to help you resist, you figure you'll just go ahead and sin and get forgiveness later.

That's cheap. That is treading mud all over the gift of God.

Real grace is believing that God actually has forgiven you, and just going on. It's not rehashing the issue, and beating yourself up enough, or anything like that.

Real grace forgives, and gives freedom as a result. Because if I am all tied up in trying to punish myself for my sins, I am saying that the punishment Jesus took on the cross wasn't enough, and I am putting myself into a debtors prison from which I could never earn my way out.

I think I'll take the real thing.

The intellectual side of faith

A realization I came to recently is that I have quite an intellectual faith. Not that I have “head knowledge” without “heart knowledge,” but that the way I am most often amazed by God is when I make an intellectual or academic connection between two things I once thought too diverse, or find out something new about a passage I thought I knew, or get a deeper understanding of the implications of a theological concept. Does that make sense?

So I love the gospel, the good news that it is, and that it is being taught through preaching and music all over the place in so many ways. And I love the more basic worship tunes, and think it is incredibly important to continue doing those songs, and preaching that basic message.

But sometimes I just want something to blow away my brain. The seminar I went to in November with NT Wright at the seminary reminded me of the amazing scope of God and the intellectual side to my faith. I felt like my brain got switched back on. In fact, one of the things I would love to do is to quit working and go back to school – preferably seminary. (So much of the learning I have to do is stupid hoop-jumping so I can keep my teaching license. I'd love to study what really fascinates me instead - currently that would mean theology.)

Sometimes I feel like there are those who would hold the opinion that this is somehow a lesser kind of faith. I don't know if that is just an impression I get from how people talk about faith in general. But it is an impression I have.

Anyway, that's just what I was thinking today.

Church

I am in an interesting conversation over here about church, and whether it is necessary.

I post this link trusting that people will read carefully before making any assumptions about the post and the comments, and that people will know I am not advocating quitting church.

It was just an interesting topic, and I inserted myself into the conversation. That's all.

All About Love

The topic of love has come up several times in reading and conversation of late.

Yesterday, I had a great conversation with a dear friend about love, and how often we mistake it for an emotion. That is to say, the movies teach us that love is when you meet someone and there are fireworks, or your stomach flips over, or something electric like that. But that isn't love - that's infatuation and sentiment. And a silly thing on which to base a life with someone.

Then today I checked out another friend's new blog, where he was talking about much the same thing.

And then today's sermon was about how God is love, and that His love is real and complete and unconditional and he showed it by taking residence in human flesh and dying for us. And that the sentence stops there - God loves us. No "but..." at the end of that.

Love is an action. Or maybe it's better said that it's a series of actions and choices. When I am angry with a friend, I choose to love anyhow. I don't break off the friendship. When a person is angry with his or her spouse, he or she chooses to love that person - through forgiveness, through discussion, or even just by staying.

Sometimes I wonder about how we make things rocket science that aren't. You choose love or you don't. Seems simple, right?

But it isn't. Because sometimes it costs us something - some time, some money, the right to be right, our pride. For Jesus it cost his life. That's the example we are supposed to follow.

I hope people see in me that kind of love.

Hello, 2009

I started 2009 with good friends in a comfy place, watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, playing a game, with great food and lots of laughs. The kind of laughs it is very difficult to explain, because whether a thing is funny or not can have a lot to do with circumstances. In short, it was location humor.

At any rate, we're off to a resounding start.

I can't remember a time when Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve was not on TV. I was born in '66, so it is actually possible that within my lifetime there was never a New Year's Eve without it.

Today I shall attend a movie with friends. I don't think I have seen a movie in a theater since last New Year's Day.

As far as 2009, I think we are all in for some challenges. Economically, we are in trouble - more trouble than we have had since World War 2, which, oddly, helped get us out of the Depression. And I don't always know that we can trust those who are high up in business and government to always tell us everything, and I have noticed that those people will take care of themselves first. If that were not the case, we would not see them getting their exorbitant bonuses.

And, according to my aunt, the oil companies, who have been posting record profits through this whole thing, should be the ones bailing out the car companies, who helped them post those profits by purposely building inefficient vehicles when the technology has existed for YEARS to give us 50 or more miles to the gallon.

The oil company/car company marriage is one that should take care of itself.

Yet, I cannot help but feel some optimism that we will come out the other side of this better than what we are now. Our president-elect has called on us to be our brothers' and sisters' keeper. Shouldn't the followers of Jesus lead the way in that?

Goodbye to 2008

I read an editorial earlier this morning about how it is so easy to look back on a year and wonder where it went. I am relating to that premise, as I wonder where 2008 went and try to remember some of the stuff I did during it.

I golfed twice a week all summer, and even golfed into the fall during marching season. And I finally broke 50 - twice in a row. Of course, ending the season with my worst score - 65 - was a bummer, but I choose to remember those two 47s, and the time I parred two holes in a row.

The Worship Team's annual Prayer Summit was probably the best it's ever been.

I became president of my teacher's association, and it has been a great experience so far.

I traveled to Florida with my music students, and marched down Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom. And discovered that other than doing that, I really don't care if I ever go to the Magic Kingdom again.

I not only played golf, I watched a bunch. I watched Annika eagle the 72nd of her last US Women's Open. And was there anyone who could not see how compelling golf could be when Tiger pulled a ... well, Tiger ... and won the 2008 US Open Championship?

I got a new convertible. Well, new to me, and my second one. And I found a bluetooth device that works in my car with the top down!

I got a BlackBerry, to which I have fast become addicted. Who knew? I will be forever grateful to my brother for selling me on the idea. My phone bill will not.

I discovered Viigo and Twitter, and am thinking about the best ways to use them, one as an information goldmine, and one as a method of connection with people.

I lost a dear friend, and gained a few.

And I got to 270 Facebook friends. Oy.

So, 2008 was pretty good. And more happened than I thought, as I sit and think about it.

May 2009 be as good, or better.

bertie the alien dog

Ok, this is such a crazy shot, I had to post it to my blog. Bertie here is such a good dog - the green lasers just aren't really him.

Gone Quiet

Gone quiet.

A term used for when a submarine suddenly cannot be contacted and is not heard from. They say it's "gone quiet."

But as I drove to Mom and Dad's house for the Christmas festivities, I heard that phrase echo in my mind as I passed the malls.

Gone quiet.

This day, this one day, Christmas Day, is the one day in the year when everything pretty much stops. The majority of people have a day to spend with family. The commercial machine that sometimes seems like it IS our life, our country, comes to a nearly complete halt, and for one day it isn't about making money.

Oh, sure, I found an open Dunkin' Donuts at which to get my iced coffee. But they were running a short day. I was very grateful they were there, though I could have lived without it.

Oh wait, and there is LL Bean, open 24/7/365. And the Richdale downtown.

But mostly, we've gone quiet.

In the quiet, I hope we hear the voice of peace.