Friday Five- time out edition

Our sister Sally writes...

Holy Week is almost upon us, I suspect that ordained or not, other revgal/pals calendars look a bit like mine, FULL, FULL, FULL.....

Jesus was great at teaching us to take time out, even in that last week, right up to Maundy Thursday he withdrew, John's gospel tells us he hid! He hid not because he was afraid, but because he knew that he needed physical, mental and spiritual strength to get through...

So faced with a busy week:


1. What restores you physically?
I am restored by time outdoors...walking, riding my bike, etc. Yesterday I played my first round of golf in 2009 with a good friend. It was exactly what I needed to provide some balance to a week filled with worship planning and pastoral care.

2. What strengthens you emotionally/ mentally?
Adequate sleep and exercise.


3. What encourages you spiritually?
Praying the hours and time in the Word...beautiful, meaningful liturgies. Lately I have been quite grateful for Unfailin Lighta liturgy written for evening communion by Susan Briehl and Marty Haugen. We used this for our Lenten midweek services.

4. Share a favorite poem or piece of music from the coming week.
What Wondrous Love is This

5.There may be many services for you to attend/ lead over the next week, which one are you most looking forward to and why? If there aren't do you have a favorite day in Holy week if so which one is it?
By far, it would be Vigil of Easter. This year our Director of Spiritual Formation is working with several members to creatively share the narrative of salvation history. I can't wait...but I will!

Friday Five - Five Signs of Hope

Songbird writes...
My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:10-13

In the late, late winter, as the snow begins to recede here in Maine, we begin to look almost desperately for signs of spring, signs of hope that the weather has turned and a new day is on the horizon. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Easter and Spring twine inextricably, the crocuses and daffodils peeking through the Earth as we await the risen Christ.

Share with us five signs of hope that you can see today or have experienced in the past.

1. The lengthening of the days is a sign of hope for me. Sunlight is a sign of hope for me. I can easily wake and make my way around in morning darkness, but evenings that bid farewell to sunlight even before we eat dinner are draining for me. We had a sign of hope this week as we could walk the dogs and watch the sunset well past 7:30 pm.

2. The pink buds forming on the branches of our dogwood trees and and the green tips of crocuses pushing through the soil are a delightful sign of hope for me.

3. Personally, fitting into a smaller size pant this week was a very hopeful sign for me!

4. Visiting with a member whose husband of 59 years died a week ago, I was gifted with a sign of hope through the healing tears we shed and the comfort she found as we prayed the Lord's Prayer together.

5. And perhaps the most beautiful sign of hope these past few weeks has been the children whom we now welcome to the Lord's Supper at whatever age their parents feel they are ready. The sight of preschoolers reaching for the bread and being guided by their parents to the cup gives me hope for the faith journey of this new generation of God's sons and daughters!

Slow Cooking Thursday March 5th Edition

What has happened this week so far: Many pastoral care issues, sandwiched between sermons (Sunday and midweek) and parish classes; 2 funerals in 10 days, another pending.

What's up for the weekend:
I'll be working at the Band Contest hosted by our high school Friday afternoon and evening and hearing Peter Cetera in concert with our local symphony Saturday evening. Guest preacher Saturday evening -Thanks Eric! Teen Choir Musical Sunday.

Song In My Head:
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel

Progeny Story of the Week
Music Man landed the lead in local high school spring musical "Bye, Bye Birdie!"

I am procrastinating about:
the taxes STILL!

Scripture I am trying to wrap my head (and heart) around:
^{Mark 5:36} Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Favorite TV minute this week:
2 Hours of 24 Monday night

Unfavorite moment: didn't really watch enough TV to have one of these

What I am serving for dinner tonight (that I never got around to last week):

Chicken and White Bean Stew

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 10-oz. pkgs. refrigerated light Alfredo sauce
• 1 15-oz. can Great Northern or white kidney beans (cannellini beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion (1 medium)
• 1 4-oz. can diced green chile peppers
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1 ounce) (optional)
• Fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle chicken with cumin and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken, half at a time, in hot oil over medium heat until brown. Place chicken in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in alfredo sauce, beans, broth, onion, chile peppers, and garlic.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. If desired, sprinkle each serving with cheese and parsley. Makes 8 servings.

Friday Five - The Fork in the Road

Singing Owl writes: I am at a life-changing juncture. I do not know which way I will go, but I have been thinking about the times, people and events that changed my life (for good or ill) in significant ways. For today's Friday Five, share with us five "fork-in-the-road" events, or persons, or choices. And how did life change after these forks in the road?

1. The first significant fork in the road in my life was born out of tragedy. As a child of 8, I was molested by a 16 year-old neighbor boy in the woods behind our house. After raping me, he told me that if I told my parents, they would blame me, and I believed him. So I buried the clothing that bore signs of the attack in the ashes of our burn barrel and tried to bury my pain there as well. But as many of you know, it is not that easy. Looking back, my relationship with my parents began to became tenuous from that point on, and my trust in people, especially male people was nil. Our family moved to another community later that summer and I was relieved to not have to look at the place of my attack or the home of my attacker on a daily basis anymore. But it was not until I sought counseling in college, that I truly began to heal from this experience.

2. The second fork in the road was the choice I made to be an exchange student and spend my junior year of high school overseas. It was a year of wonder and amazing growth for me. It bolstered my increasing sense of independence and served to deepen my sense of God's presence with me apart from a community of faith, since there was no Christian faith community with which I could connect meaningfully in the area where I lived.

3. The third fork was surely the choice I made of where I would go to college. My experiences at my alma mater, including the faith community there, clarified the direction of my life journey. I gained friends that I still count among my dearest, and I heard and answered the call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament there, though I did not fully understand that at the time.

4. The next fork in the road came when I was in the call process for the first time, and the prospect of a call to a team and a solo position loomed before me. Although our bishop had his own opinion of the choice that would best suit me, it was not until I leaned toward the solo position and discussed this with him that he confirmed that as his recommendation as well. It was not easy, and the crucible of this inwardly focused congregation nearly pushed me away from pastoral ministry. But in the end, I know that I would have had a far more difficult time discerning my own pastoral identity if I had accepted the call to team ministry at that point in my life.

5. Although there are many more I could reference, the choice to explore the possibility of a relationship with a recently-divorced man from the congregation I served was a very difficult, but clearly God-ordained choice. In him, God granted me a man with whom I could truly trust everything about myself. In time, we joined our lives as one and he has been and continues to be a precious gift of God to me. It is a joy and a blessing to walk the road of life with him, forks and all.

Slow Cooking Thursday February 26th Edition

What has happened this week so far: Lots of time with people in the congregation; not enough time with family at home

What's up for the weekend:

Music Man has his second round of auditions; euchre with friends; maybe a visit from a college friend

Song In My Head:
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire

Progeny Story of the Week
a GREAT pre-contest concert tonight for both sons!

I am procrastinating about:
sorting out my closet

Scripture I am trying to wrap my head (and heart) around:
^{Mark 5:36} Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Favorite TV minute this week:
Seeing the Tribe on TV again...baseball season is here!

Unfavorite moment: didn't really watch enough TV to have one of these

What I intended to served for dinner tonight (but got too far behind this week to lay the ingredients in for): Chicken and White Bean Stew

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 10-oz. pkgs. refrigerated light Alfredo sauce
• 1 15-oz. can Great Northern or white kidney beans (cannellini beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion (1 medium)
• 1 4-oz. can diced green chile peppers
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1 ounce) (optional)
• Fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle chicken with cumin and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken, half at a time, in hot oil over medium heat until brown. Place chicken in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in alfredo sauce, beans, broth, onion, chile peppers, and garlic.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. If desired, sprinkle each serving with cheese and parsley. Makes 8 servings.