WHY NOT FIRE?

these two morsels found me this evening and have me contemplating whether i have become content with cooling coals...

Abbot Lot came to Abbot Joseph and said: Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and according as I am able I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: now what more should I do? The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: Why not be totally changed into fire? -The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers

Tame worship is easier to agree on than any other kind, and bringing fire requires a lot more energy than simply showing up. When life is pretty good and church is pleasant enough, who needs resurrection? -Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church

i want to burn.

ISLANDS AND HOME

beau and i had a beautiful trip to orcas island. it is an amazing place with lots of natural beauty...plenty of hiking and kayaking to be done and a generally peaceful easy feeling.
we are back now and relaxing with the doggies and i am tending to my beauties (see above)...i have some cool stuff from an OLD nouwen book that i found in our church library...stay tuned...
oh yeah, did i mention i didn't have to preach today? i'm not going to know what day it is all week. ;)
peace!!!

THE END OF AN ERA

beau and i bought a new car this weekend - we love it (more on this later). sadly, this means we have to get rid of my first car that was really mine (i chose it, i paid for it, i loved it)...it has brought us to many amazing places, beau and i had our first date in this car (well - it DROVE us), i have prayed for folks in this car and generally loved it. i hope the next owners enjoy it as much as i have.
if you are interested in a great AWD car, let me know - we will let it go for bargain basements prices. ;)

update: we sold the car last night (less than 12 hours after i posted it on craislist. we had MANY calls, many visits and a few test drives. we had one guy make a full price offer who was a total jerk to beau on the test drive...beau felt strongly that he did not want to sell the car to him, so we didn't. after that we had a wonderful couple who have been serving as missionaries to ecuador for 18 years and recently moved back to the states look at it. it was so awesome to sell it to them and give them a deal and a car that will BLESS them! we are so happy that the car will continue in ministry and adventure. they will move up to the skagit valley soon and have promised to visit us with the car. God is GOOD.

CAUTION: WOMEN PREACHING (& BLOGGING)

one of the action items from my latest trip to kc for the nazarene women clergy council was the formation of a blog. it is designed to be an encouragement, resource, and online networking tool for ladies in ministry. it should be fun...check it out: www.nazarenewomen.wordpress.com

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

i feel more human today...i feel as though perhaps my life may slow down enough for me to savor the living of it.
this morning i woke up in my own bed on a saturday with NOTHING in particular to do (and my husband did not run off to a side job - hallelujah!). it has been a blessing beyond imagination to have nothing planned, nothing scheduled, nowhere to run, nowhere to be...
today has been a good day...
beau and i made a fabulous brunch - waffles (from the waffle maker an elderly woman from the church bought for me at a garage sale), fresh fruit, bacon (mmmm), and a scramble that included herbs from my garden. i have worked in the yard - tending to my beauties (see above) and mowed the lawn...and it is only 1:30...ahhhhh.
i pray that you have a day (and soon) that is slow enough to savor.
peace.

OPTIMUS

our family is growing! beau and i keep adding rescue dogs and vicious cats to our number...the newest addition: optimus. he is a 75 lb. beast of a guy - half pitbull half lab. he looks pitbull in the body and head but has huge feet, webbed toes, and a very chill disposition. he and izzy get along very well and are figuring out their relationship to each other and their beds, toys, and food. izzy is loving having someone to play with...that makes me happy. and this guy...he is more lovey than izzy (if that were possible)...
heres to a growing family and to hoping that when we decide to start having babies we don't get this carried away!

BUTTER MELTS OUT OF HABIT

i have walked through the valley of the shadow of death for much of the year. i cannot think of a time when someone was not dead or dying in the last 9 months. it is just now that the smoke is beginning to clear and i am left to grapple with this overdose of mortality.
yesterday, for example, we went to the birthday party of our friend david's daughter, alaina. she is four. beau has been with her for every birthday (even her first unofficial birthday of the day she was born) and i have been with her since her 1st birthday. her birthday was largely the same as it always is. it was in the same backyard that it always is...it was hot just like it always is smack in the center of july...there were drinks and snacks and sugary cake just like there always is...but something was not quite right - david was conspicuously absent. his absence felt more profound than his precence would have if he were there...
but if i closed my eyes i could imagine him behind me, holding baby tia, and talking to beau about going to see the new batman movie...i kept thinking, just a year ago he was right here...in that picture we have on our fridge he was here...
death is a strange, strange thief.

WELCOME FLUFFY!

I survived the weekend - thank God. Both funerals were beautiful celebrations...I was more than thankful.
In addition to TWO funerals this weekend, we also added to the family. Fluffy...a little boy kitty named by my niece, Else. He terrorizes Izzy...but she mostly likes him. ;) Here are some pictures of him and of a hike we took the other day....
peace!

OFF THE CHARTS WHITENESS

apparently i have a high whiteness factor....my friend giordi shared this with me today. it is an entire website dedicated to "stuff white people like"...be sure to check out the full list...funny stuff.

i need it this week - i am officiating two funerals on saturday (more on that after i've lived through it).

OH IZZY...

if you know beau and i, you know we love this dog...i was actually very reluctant to get a dog, but when beau and i saw this little black pitbull at the skagit valley humane society (www.skagithumane.com), my heart was hers...
here are some pics from our youth group supper club night and izzy cuddling with daniel & kathryn.