shocking news...

Well, southern indiana continues to surprise me.  

When telling wedding stories for today's sermon, I mentioned that I used to have my nose pierced.  And that's the first time I've gotten a gasp response from a sermon...not when talking about God's unconditional love for everyone, not that salvation is the freedom from ourselves in this life to serve our neighbor, not that they shouldn't come back next week if they are looking for some good deeds to get them into heaven....none of those did it.  But mention a nose ring and they all go nuts!  

One of the oldest members, the fellow who rings the bell every Sunday before worship, and the one who said, well if we have to have a female pastor, then it better be Jennifer, asked me on the way out, "You don't have your tongue pierced, right?"  

I wonder if it's safe to tell them I was once a vegetarian!  

I'll save the bellybutton ring for a few years....they aren't ready. 

too long...

Okay, it's been too long since the last post.  

It's been over a year, and I am now at a different congregation and my post from two years ago still comes up on the main page.  The infamous snakes on a cane sermon.  Well, with Holy Cross day coming up, I thought it would be good to read that message again to see how it sounded today.  It's not that bad, if I may say so myself, yet definitely set to be preached to a seminary community.  

Sometimes I long for that community.  For the opportunity to walk across campus and have multiple random conversations...to complain about papers to be written and lectures to attend, but that community was a blessing.  

Being far and away from that community is definitely impacting both my life and ministry.  While facebook (tm) totally helps with the connections to friends and family, it is hard when people are not right around the corner.  Not to mention, not even in the same state.  

Many of my parishioners find that community within the congregation...while that happens to a certain level with me, it is also a challenge to live 45 minutes away from my church family.  And, well, do I really want to spend time off with parishioners....usually, no.  

Ah....the life of a small town pastor.  

In the meantime...the yard has been manicured a bit, and the garden has provided fresh basil, summer squash, a few peppers, and soon to come some late tomatoes and watermelons.  yum.  

love from linton,

jake, eh

time after time

day two in the office and i can't help but think i should be doing something other than reading....
so i take a break and surf the web for spiritual gift inventories and other fun stuff to use with the congregation...and then back to reading: old newsletters, the constitution, taking the random break to quiz myself on names in the picture directory. it's so weird.
6 months is an absolutely awkward time to spend in a congregation. as we sit and plan out the year....i will only be here for some of it. how can i help support different programs without involving myself so much that i will be a gap to fill when I leave? it is a strange feeling to just be here planning for what comes after me.
oh that was terrible - i know it's not all about me. well, maybe it is just a little bit about me. there's a part of me that is investing interest in being involved in the activities in this place. not to mention all this involvement is key in building relationships and an important aspect of ministry.
maybe the struggle for me arises in the desire to be a longer term presence within the context of a congregation. friends and loved ones are beginning ministries where the end cannot be seen. mine, on the other hand, is pretty clear. the congregation had a chuckle when i told them that month 7 on internship is when things started feeling comfortable...month 7 here, is one month too late. how can you speed up that process? i'm not so certain how possible it is. building relationships take time. getting to know one another takes time....and time, it seems is the one thing this match is lacking.
i definitely underestimated my 'nesting' instinct. (no babies here!) but nesting in a congregational setting, being a part of members lives for more than just a year.
don't get me wrong, this experience will be invaluable. as joe said, 'you'll probably be the most experienced first call pastor, ever!' true story. it's just hard waiting.
i suppose i should continue reading...
+paz

soil-icious

well, the hole in the ground is now a flat smear of dirt.

And up until today I couldn't have told you why it smeared so nicely. but after spending an hour chiseling away at this clay soil, i understand its appearance. armed only with a hand spade i tackled an area of lawn by the shed which is now home to 7 iris (irises? iri? 7 iris plants.)



This has been the year of the earth. no, not the summer of george, but the year of the earth.

i've always wanted to get into gardening. now that i have the space for a garden of my own i long for the days when mom would want me to help in the garden and i would shrug and try to help without stepping on anything. and now i face the task of creating my own. creating, there's an interesting way to think about it. creation, that's what i thought about as my hands worked through the soil, breaking up lumps, almost massaging it to become a workable substance, a substance that would support and cultivate plant life.

Over the past weeks I have fallen in love (again) with the sweetness of a garden fresh cuke, the juiciness of a ripe tomato and the crunchy sweetness of fresh corn. I've decided that all my lunches from here on out will be salads. cucumber salad, tebuleh salad, bean salad...all things fresh and wonderful.

I yearn to work and cultivate a space that will bring some veggies in the house from the backyard. What is this strange connection to nature? to earth? to the humus/earth/soil from where our existance began? It's a break from over produced easy microwavable/drive-thru meals and a pause to see life around us. to live in the freshness that surrounds us... to breathe, to eat and to be in God's amazing creation.

+paz

model home part deux

after letting folks know at church on sunday that there was water bubbling in our backyard, this is what we woke up to on monday morning:

perks:

a) the water was only shut off for 10 minutes and now we know how to shut it off when we replace the faucet for the washer.

b) we had not expanded the garden to that section of the yard

c) photo ops on a monday morning

d) live entertainment as i drank my coffee

e) something to post about

the hungry pastor's spouse

Well, let's talk about the perks of being the spouse of a small town parish.

Sunday- we got a sack of tomatoes and 2 cukes

Monday - we ate fresh blts, with fresh cuke on the side

Tuesday - same lunch as yesterday!

Wednesday - a bucket o' cucumbers = a sweet bowl of cucumber salad! not to mention 2 zucchinis from a council meeting

Thursday - a sack of corn on the cob

I'm hungry just thinking about tomorrow...


with all this fresh food, I've had a full stomach to work on my guitar hero skills...which are improving, but i thought, hey...when are they coming out with guitar praise hero? you know, the version where you can jam with all your praise favorites like Sing to the Lord, Shine Jesus Shine and Holy, Holy, Holy. This has got potential for youth events and praise services, don't ya think?








I take it i'm not the only one who's got Shine Jesus Shine stuck in her head. (sorry)

life in the model home

well, this is no bluth manufactured home, but sometimes it seems close.

this is what we faced this week:

The light switch in the dining room, just keeps spinning around. sometimes the light gets brighter, sometimes dimmer, but never in an orderly fashion. It's hit or miss. Luckily, it still works.

Our washer and dryer were delivered, but cannot be completely hooked up. The faucet for the cold water, the water we can't wash without, is rusting away. We need to replace the faucet before we can hook up the washer. And does anyone in the church know how to turn off the water in this house???? Not a one. (I guess we'll wait for the plumber.) In the meantime, we'll just dry everything.


On the happier note, the windows in the house are sturdy. How do we know? Well, we've had at least 5 birds fly into our sliding door. Only one left a chunk of feathers. (ouch) The plan is to either, get a cat, or just put a large cat decal up on the glass, so the birds stay away. I'll let you know how all that pans out.

oh yeah, and the batteries in all of our remotes seem to be dying quickly. either all the batteries just died at the same time, or there is a strange power drain in the basement. not sure what the source of the drain could be...and if it is the washer, i'll just be frustrated that all that power is going to the unusable appliance. i'd much rather it go to the broken sewing machine...