Category Archives: Friday Five

Friday Five: Silly Sentences

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Use these five words (in any tense) in a sentence:


1. pulpit, puppy, wrench, word, mouse
2. weep, love, prayer, bassoon, chair
3. heart, shutter, wish, turtle, walk
4. howl, worry, window, story, trust
5. garden, hat, shepherd, laugh, sigh.



1. pulpit, puppy, wrench, word, mouse.
 
 As the mouse walked her puppy around the pulpit, she slipped in the last lap, wrenched her knee, and uttered a church parking lot word!
2. weep, love, prayer, bassoon, chair
The weeping prayer of the bassoonand the chair was that the love in the room would be felt and understood.
3. heart, shutter, wish, turtle, walk
When I press the shutter, I wish to be Ansel Adams, but the every day miracle of a turtle walking toward the pond is not captured in my photograph, only in my heart.
4. howl, worry, window, story, trust

The best nights with friends ring with howling laughter, have no worries, and are full of trust and storiesthat open a window with both past and future views.

5. garden, hat, shepherd, laugh, sigh
Called to be a shepherd in God’s garden, I wear many hats and laugh and sigh daily. 

Friday Five: Be On Your Way

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This Friday Five (my first in a LOOOONG time) is from Deb: RevGal Jan is under the weather, so we are swapping weeks for the Friday Five. (Feel better, Jan!) Actually, I want to thank her because she inspired me when she recently shared this poem by Rumi:
It’s your road, and yours alone.
Others may walk it with you,
but no one can walk it for you.
So in thinking about our life’s journey, and the rhythm of our lives, here’s five questions on this theme…
1. What “road” is in your immediate future? 
The road I’m currently traveling is one out of depression. I’m trusting that it’s an out road because the path is unclear, but seems soft and in diffused light. I’m not feeling my way in darkness any more.
So many people think mental illness (depression in particular) can be overcome by an act of willfulness. When people say that or imply it, I think of Jesus casting out a demon in Mark 9. When the disciples ask why they weren’t able to do it, Jesus says, “This kind can only come out by fasting and prayer.”
That kind did, but other kinds of demons may require different approaches toward exorcism. The road I’m traveling now needs prayer and counseling, along with other assistance from friends and family. The road may be long and I have to travel it, but others are walking with me.
2. Where have you been “traveling” a lot lately — and are you going back there? 
No, I will not be revisiting the places that I have traveled lately if I can help. The land of fear and anxiety, the dwelling place of exhaustion and hopelessness, the tar pits of anger and self-doubt. I know those landscapes will probably send their own postcards to me occasionally, but I am endeavoring not to visit again.
As for non-metaphorical traveling, we have not done much with a new baby in tow. We are hoping to have a family camping trip in the next month.
3.  Who are your fellow travelers? 
Family, friends, midwife, counselor, colleagues, Holy Spirit.
4.  Who are the unintentional companions (or hitchhikers) that you find on the road with you? 
Hannah Swensen, the baker/detective of the mystery series by Joanne Fluke, is walking along with me. Her stories are engaging, funny, and light. I went through a month of not reading (a serious sign) and her warm little novels helped me move back into feeling like myself.
I discovered a few months ago that I have Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). I’ve had this my whole life. If I hear someone talk in a certain way or listen to a certain combination of sounds, a relaxing wave sort of sweeps over me starting from the top of my head. It makes me feel warm all over and is VERY soothing. It’s not sexual- kind of the opposite because I feel so liquid and limpid when it occurs. Apparently, I’m not the only one with this and I discovered (WHOO-HOO) the variety of ASMR videos on YouTube around the time that I most needed them. Listening to someone speak in a soft voice about tea or bath soaps or watching someone whisper and draw a fake plan for home improvement is very soothing. Thus, some of the “whisperers” have been companions with me.  WARNING: If you don’t have ASMR, the videos will seem odd (or annoying or humorous) to you.
5.  As a family, we always recite “the traveler’s prayer” — a tongue-in-cheek petition as we pull out of the driveway (“Lord, whatever we have forgotten, may it not be important!”) What have you forgotten lately, and did it matter?
I don’t know if I’ve forgotten anything lately. I’ve been writing many notes to myself to try to avoid that. However, I occasionally forget about my efforts toward positive thinking. I recite this poem by Ron Padgett to myself:
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Nothing in that drawer.
Yes, that’s the poem. When I read it or recite it to myself in a moment of panic or high anxiety, I’m able to imagine myself closing a drawer on my dark thoughts. There’s nothing in there for me. Nothing that’s helpful. Nothing that brings life. I imagine the Holy Spirit’s soft voice whispering to me, “There’s nothing in that drawer.”
BONUS: Share a photo of a road you’ve traveled. Or of traveling companions who have made the journey special. Or perhaps there’s a song or another poem that suits your journey. If so, please share!


I like looking at this picture of Ostia Antica(from my 2005 visit). The ancient streets and walkways- tiled and smoothed dirt- make me think of people who may walk after me. I’m able to see myself floating in history- part of what was and what will be all while being part of what is. This is very centering and makes me feel closer to the heart of God. 


Friday Five: LOVE

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Over on RevGalBlogPals, revkjarla writes:

Hey RevGals….
It’s Valentine’s Day on Tuesday….
So,
Share 5 Valentines you would like to give this year, and why–
but here is the hitch, 
Can’t give them G-d, Jesus, Holy Spirit…
or your mom, your beloved, your sweet child(ren)…tell us about the other amazing  beings in your life. 
Valentine the First: This one goes out to women whose labor did not goes as planned. I spent a lot of time with C-section regret, even though it was an emergency. Even at the time I knew it had to be done so that we both could (and did) live. Still, it can be hard not to feel like I failed. I didn’t. Other women have this same experience or other birth scenarios that don’t goes as hoped. Some women go home empty-handed for a variety of reasons. Mother’s Day can be hard for all kinds of reasons, so one this day I give a free hug to all moms of all sorts, however you became a mom, whatever happened when you gave birth, however things are working out with your kid(s). 


Valentine the Second: This one goes out to people who are happy being single. This doesn’t mean that they don’t want to meet someone, but that they feel complete in themselves and enjoy their lives as they are already! There’s something to be said for knowing who you are, where you are, and being at peace and at home in that. These people only need Singles Awareness Day inasmuch as they would like you to be aware that they are just fine. 


Valentine the Third: This one goes out to people who are into the sixth week of the diet/exercise regimen  they promised to start on New Year’s! Keep it up! You’re doing a great job. (Would this be you if you hadn’t slipped up a little… it’s okay… just keep going… you can do it… and this Valentine can be a little bit for you too.) 


Valentine the Fourth: This one is for C.C. who watches my son, along with two other children, when I’m at work four days a week. She provides entertainment, instruction, structure, and love. Her work, which she enjoys and at which she excels, makes it possible for me to do the work to which I feel called and at which I strive to excel. There are many children in the neighborhood who have been raised by her capable hands and I’m very grateful that my son gets to be one of the privileged few. 


Valentine the Fifth: This one goes out to the families of people who are in prison or other institutions. I know you think of your son/daughter/father/mother/brother/sister each day. Even if you know he or she is where he or she needs to be or has to be or rightfully should be, the separation is still difficult. You’re doing the best you can.  And you are not alone. 


For all these and more, on St. Valentine’s Day, this bud’s for you: 


Friday Five: The A-ha! Moments

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Over at RevGalBlogPals, kathrynzj spurs us along an Epiphany theme: 

This past holiday season is not one I will soon forget, but not for the reason some may think. Certainly, it was a busy one for those involved in the life of the church. The 1-2 punch of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on a Sunday brought more than a few of us to our knees (or hopefully to a more comfortable napping position).

In the midst of the holiday season I had one of those moments where a path suddenly was made clear – A-ha! This experience has prompted me to wonder what some of your A-ha moments may be.

They can be mundane – a realization that you like/don’t like a certain food or that you really look good in that color you never had the guts to try. They can be sacred – a way to better pace your day clicks into place or finally a devotion or meditation practice that really works for you. They can be profound – the moment you realized he/she was the one (or wasn’t)or the moment you realized where your deepest passion could meet the world’s greatest need. 

Please tell us – what are five (more or less) of your ‘A-ha’ moments. Where have you had a moment of clarity?



1. From the time I was five, I really, really, really wanted to be President of the United States.  I played church, using the clothes hamper as a pulpit. People found their way to me to unburden themselves of problems. I was interested in what I would later figure out was family systems and developmental issues. Nevertheless, I really wanted to go into politics, which I perceived as an avenue for helping people. I went to many events around my state and outside it, designed for high schoolers were interested in politics, government service, and law. Then the Clinton impeachment dovetailed with my first class in psychology. Suddenly, I could see clearly what I wanted to do and where it wouldn’t happen: the White House. Not only was that not too likely to happen, but I didn’t have the drive to pursue that end through the means necessary to do so. I liked stories, forming relationships, and personal touches. “Hail to the Chief” will never play for me and I’m okay with that. A-ha!


2. A-ha #1 led to A-ha #2. When I transferred to a four-year college, I was majoring in psychology. I specifically picked a school that had a strong psych department, with an emphasis in developmental disabilities. In particular, Meredith College had an autism intervention program wherein students were trained and children were helped in reaching their highest level of functioning. I was (and am) very interested in this work. I had a client with whom I enjoyed working and I looked forward to taking on more. Then one day, after working for several weeks to get the client to use a spoon, I arrived to see him eating Cheerios with his hands. His very tired mother said, “I just didn’t want to fight with him about it today.” A-ha! came the epiphany. This work was exhausting and led to much frustration, with occasional bursts of hope and inspiration. I saw myself burnt out at 26. Yikes. I looked at my colleagues in the program and they didn’t have the same feelings. I realized this was not my vocation, for this time in my life, possibly ever. I finished with that client and never took another intervention rotation. I declared a second major in religion (with my first in psychology) and, well, the rest is history. I remain extremely interested in developmental psychology and read frequently about the new concerns, developing interventions, and the latest in disability issues. 


3.  A-ha! Sometimes you have nothing but good choices and God will be with you in which ever path you choose. I understand through physics that time moves both forward and backward, but as a human being- I live it forward and learn from it backward. When I was graduating from college, the path I thought I would take fell through in November. Then in late March and early April, I suddenly had three choices for my future: a position as a caretaker in a L’Arche community in Boston, a position assisting in a congregation in England through the Young Adults in Global Mission program of the ELCA, or a position, through Americorps, with KNOM Alaska Radio Mission in Nome, Alaska. I decided against L’Arche before I got to the final steps, but I was offered the other two spots within one week. A pastor told me that sometimes we get to choose from among blessings, part of free  will and part of God’s faithfulness to us and in us. A professor told me I should take the job I didn’t think I’d get again. So I moved to Nome, Alaska to be the Deputy News Director for KNOM (Yours for Western Alaska) from August 2002- July 2004. Two years in Nome changed my life. It was neither a better or worse choice than England. It was a different 
choice. 

4. I had a list of things I wanted in a life partner (in my case, a husband). When I met the man I eventually married, he was so many things I never expected or planned for. His career wasn’t what I would have picked, I wouldn’t have described him if you asked for physical characteristics, our meeting in a bar wasn’t my dream encounter. Yet he met what I really wanted and, more importantly, showed me what I couldn’t live without- so I married him. Those things I couldn’t (and can’t) live without were a real A-ha! 


5. My final A-ha! happens again and again. Within one’s sense of call to ministry, within seminary, within the process of call, no one tells you that you will eventually look up from presiding at the table or praying or the announcements and realize that you love the congregation you serve. I mean you LOVE them. In the moment that it happens, you will feel punched in the stomach because you will realize 1) the power they have to hurt you, 2) the hopes you have for them, 3) the hopes GOD has for them, and 4) like Moses, you will not likely be with them when they reach the Promised Land. Oh, it hurts! It burns! You will rejoice with, ache for, mourn among and swear about the flock for whom you pray. The only relief comes from knowing that you cannot save them and that’s not your job. The congregation I serve is a part of me in a way I cannot describe and that will not let me go. So I care for them and they care for me and we move forward together toward, God willing, more epiphanies. 

Friday Five: Summertime Edition

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Dorcas over at RevGalBlogPals encouraged some general sharing today and I’ve been longing for the perfect…something… to get me back to regular writing.

She writes: Share five things that are happening in your life, personally or professionally or some of each, in this season of life.


1. Exercise! In training for a triathlon in June, I managed to push myself from seeing as exercise as something I needed to do to something that I enjoyed. It has become something that I need to do. I bought a bike rack and drive with my bike on the back of my car at all times and I keep gym clothes and a few shower items in a bag in the car. This past Sunday, I managed to grab a 6 mile bike ride in between services (morning and evening) and visitations! I felt great. I’m really trying to get my tolerance and speed up so that when I have to go back to the gym in the winter months, I will be faster and leaner. I do miss my weight-lifting, so that will get back on the agenda when the weather is cooler too. 

2. Toddler love: My son is not-quite 2 years old, but for sure the cutest thing I’ve ever experienced. I love his soft neck, his giggle, his excited discoveries. He yells in the car about what he can see and we’re in a “buck” phase. Buck= truck. There are a lot of bucks around. It’s never been easy to leave him and go to work, but it is so much harder to leave a toddler than an infant. I’m making a kissy-face right now in my office, thinking about how I will just squish him when I pick him up in about 45 minutes. 


3. Bible exploration: I’m big on the book of Judges, which was left out of this year’s narrative lectionary passages. I’m trying to figure out how to slot one of those stories in and which one. The bonus of Deborah’s story is that it includes two powerful women, but it’s early in the book. I once wrote a paper on Jepthah’s daughter’s story as the hinge of the Old Testament, but that’s a different kind of preaching. I’m thinking, maybe, Gideon. Pondering, pondering… 

4. Watermelon: Don’t tell my nutritionist, but I haven’t quit the watermelon. I’m supposed to stick to the higher fiber, less sugary fruits. She wouldn’t actually be surprised, though, because I told her I would still eat watermelon in season and I refused to feel guilty about it. If you are going to take watermelon, garlic or lemons from me… I might as well throw in the towel now. Blech. No watermelon in Alaska tastes like the sun-warmed watermelons of my Southern youth. I can only get decent watermelon in the short season when we get them from California. So I’m eating it while the eating is good. I would say you can have my watermelon when you pry from my hands, but I’d stab you before you got that far. (Not somewhere too essential, but serious enough to be a distraction while I finish the melon!) 


5. Ecumenism: Our congregation is starting to do more and more with the United Methodist Church up the street, which makes sense in many ways- not the least of which is our mutual love of Jesus! (Imagine that!) However, I’m surprised at all kinds of ecumenical gatherings when so much of the time is spent rejoicing in how alike we are and how small are our differences. How true. 

Five Fave Verses

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The Friday Five is to list five of my favorite Bible verses.

In no particular order and feeling limited:

1. But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’ (Jonah 4:9-11)
This verse always tells me that God has a sense of humor, that God loves and intends all creation for salvation and that God is very, very, very patient. I know someone who likes to point out that the greatest miracle in the book of Jonah isn’t the whale, it’s a whole city repenting. Indeed.
2. When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:12-14)
I don’t tend to believe in that God has orchestrated all the details of our lives, but I do believe that God’s hands are always at work in us and around us and sometimes we just look up and, um, suddenly the world’s need and our skills and passions meet. (Buechner’s definition of vocation) Sometimes you are where you are for reason and God goes before you and the Spirit pushes behind you. And you try not to screw it up in your bold sinning.
3. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
I think we should beware verses that get plaque-ified, ubiquitious and impotent. But I don’t see why we don’t see THIS verse a lot more.
4. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. (Revelation 21:3-6)
I know the author is citing Isaiah, but I like it summed up in this post-resurrection, end-time way. God makes all things new, not all new things. I can’t say anything more since I can’t think over the sound of “Blessed Assurance” in my head.
5. Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34-36)
Every Reformation Day I think, “This text, again?” Then I read, gulp down the lump that forms in my throat and think, “Thank God for this text. Again.”