The Final Five of 2005

Five things I did not accomplish in 2005, but hope to do in the year to come:

1) Clean my studio: since the robbery last Spring, I have not had the heart to clean the mess that was made. I think that I am finally beginning to feel the nudgings of my creative spirit pulling me to sort and to organize my remaining treasures....so who knows, maybe this will happen sooner, rather than later!

2) Open myself more fully to love: deep down, I still believe myself unworthy of love. Won't you join me in prayer for both myself, and for all of us who believe ourselves unworthy of gentleness, hope and compassion? Pray that our hearts soften and that our eyes open to the truth that God has created us in love and beauty. Pray that we touch upon our own precious belovedness, and that once we do, God's divine love will spread throughout our hearts and souls, flowing like a glorious river out into the world around us!

3) Take an art class...any class! Glass fusing, pottery, felting, bookbinding, painting, you name it, I'll sign myself up. I'm finally ready to admit that I need the tutelage of other artists, if I am to grow myself as an artist.

4) Watch less television. I mean, c'mon, do I really need to watch "Unwrapped" on the food channel? No matter how much I love my television shows, whatever "connection" I experience there, isn't real. I want real connection, the kind that means something. The kind that has impact, that is ripple producing...not mind numbing.

5) Try new foods. Would you believe that I tried creme brulée. for the first time yesterday? For years, I've thought "Ugh, custard? Why would I want to eat that?". All these years I've missed the velvety heaven of melt in your mouth vanilla creme brulée.! What other culinary delights have I missed due to my own judgmental, dismissive (and perhaps fearful) attitudes?

As you can see these are simple, realistic goals for the year 2006! Yet, if you read carefully, you will notice how each and every goal listed above is grounded in fear of some form. Whether it be the fear of trying something new, the fear of admitting that we do not know it all, the fear that we are not perfect, or the fear of simply letting ourselves be loved as we are, I think we are all held back from a beautiful and amazing future of possibility by the snares and entanglements of fear.

Won't you take some time today, and reflect upon what, if any, fears are evident in your life which limit and minimize the fuller life that I promise is available to you, to me, and to all of us?

Close the door on one fear and it becomes easier to face, confront and banish another.

Make 2006 your year!

STrange....

Want to know something really strange?

Last week I started an anonymous blog.

It's my place to vent, to purge, to pour out venom.

It's my place to unburden myself of my own sorrows, to cry in words, and oddly enough to even laugh at myself.

So, here's the strange part.

More people have read that blog in one week than come to this one.

This makes me kind of sad.

What accounts for this bizarre popularity of my Jerry Springer-esque blog?

Is it my gut level honesty that is so compelling, or the pitiful nature of my own bile?

Hmmmm strange, don't you think?

Five in 2005~part 3

Five of my favorite scriptures in 2005

1) "Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips"

Psalms 141:3

(I have a (mostly) latent penchant for gossip, and I often speak when I should listen. Hence, this is one of my all time favorite scriptures....some days it is more of a mantra than a bible verse.)

2) "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:45-46

(Christ entered into man's alienation from God, He took it within himself, and experienced first hand the despair of my own separation from God. This is how I know Christ understands what it is to suffer with me. This is what encourages me to reach out to our Crucified Lord, who dares to love me even in my brokenness.)

3) "Now where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom"

2 Cor. 3:17

(Oh blessed freedom! Freedom from fear, freedom from self absorption, freedom for worry, freedom to love, freedom to explore, freedom to truly live! How great is this?)

4) Jesus says, "learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:29

(Our God is gentle and humble in heart....what a thought, what a teacher!)

5) "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

(I just love this scripture! The thought that God would rejoice over me with singing...now that's just something to imagine, isn't it?)

Five in 2005~part 2

Dear friends, as you read through this list, please know that this is not an inclusive list. Many of you will not see your names here; but this does not mean that you have not touched my life in positive and life affirming ways.

Debb, Mendi, Bev, I think especially of you as I write this!

You are all loved and valued; and if I have not said this to you often enough, or perhaps not at all, then may 2006 be a time when each of us is affirmed in our belovedness.

Five people who have influenced my spiritual life in 2005:

1) My husband, a man who truly does model the love of Christ for me and for the rest of our family.

2) Patti, the most compassionate soul I've yet to meet, who is teaching me what it means to hold hands with the creator of our universe!

3) Carol, a theologian of sharp intellect and even sharper wit; a woman who challenges my gray matter to fire in new and unexpected ways!

4) The Neighborhood Lighthouse Group: a small group of Christian men and women who meet monthly to encourage one another as we live out the love of Christ in our daily lives within our neighborhoods.

5) Michele, because you are so nonjudgemental and loving, you have taught me more about the true spirit of reconciliation than you will ever know.

Five memorable events from 2005

1) The Tsunami

2) Hurricane Katrina

3) Kashmir Quake

4) The color purple on the index fingers of Iraqi citizens voting for the first time in 50 years...achieved through the (continuing) blood red loss of life and limb.

5) My own spiritual awakening.

Five friends from 2005

1) Michele~a friend who inspires me to be better than I ever dreamed possible.

2) Annie~a friend who loves me through my times of darkness.

3) Laura~a good friend, perhaps my only friend, who really, truly understands what it means when I say things like, "I don't know my own ass from a hot rock!"

4) Judy~a friend of great wisdom and gentleness.

5) Patti~a friend and spiritual mentor, who is helping me find my way as I hold God's hand through our eternal journey.

Five losses from 2005

1) Miki, a friend gone from this world, and the world is lesser for her absence.

2) Two family pets, Cocoa and Strawberry....two of the sweetest rats this side of domestication!

3) 20 pounds of blubber, gone!

4) Computer, computer software, car, digital camera, sewing scissors, fine silver beads (my own design), finished beadwork (again, my own design), portable air compressor, tool box (including my beloved drill), and some measure of my own peace of mind....all stolen in the great home robbery from Spring, 2005.

5) Hope...at times in 2005 I have felt as if all hope were lost to me. Utterly, completely and tragically lost.

Five in 2005

Five things I have learned in 2005

1) Suffering with God is better than suffering without Him.

2) It is easier for me to let God hold my hand, rather than my constantly grabbing for His!

3) Fasting is a worthy spiritual discipline.

4) Not all Christians are vapid.

5) I possess leadership qualities.

Five things I am grateful to have experienced in 2005

1) The love of family.

2) The love and compassion of God.

3) The gift of friendship

4) Green tea frappuccinos

5) The musical stylings of Jars of Clay (Redemption Songs), Death Cab for Cutie (Plans), and Green Day (American Idiot)~all new groups for me this year!

Five blogs I have read throughout 2005

1) A New Life Emerging

2) Jen Gray

3) My Little Place Online~ and then I always visit Bevvie Tales and Father Bob by following Debb's links!

4) Bad Christian

5) Altered Journey

Five books I have read in 2005

1) Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

2) To Pray and To Love by Roberta Bondi

3) Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris

4) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling

5) Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging by Brennan Manning

Five books I would like to read:

1) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2) The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen

3) The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of His Original Teachings by John Davidson

4) Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini by Leyner and Goldberg

5) Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

Wonky pines with shallow roots!

This morning, as a warm winter wind whistled through the tall pine in my backyard, I realized the shallowness of my own faith. With every gust, I sensed the truth.

Deep down, I know that when the winds of this world blow through the branches of my own life, more often than not, I topple to the ground. My spiritual roots are insufficient to keep me upright.

Truth be told, I am a pitiful and wonky pine in God's eternal forest....

Do you suppose God ever tires of finding me prostrate and fallen, blown to smithereens and broken on the ground?

Do you suppose God ever grows weary of setting me upright again?

Sometimes I wonder how it is that I, a wonky pine with such shallow roots, should ever feel the gentle touch of God's hand...

...and yet, over and over again, that quiet love which saves, and redeems, and restores, lifts me from the muck and mire of my own shallow faith, so that I might once again face the gentle warmth of the sun, and the quiet stillness of the stars!

I suppose in some respects, I should be thankful for such shallow roots.

Some of us go through life and never know what it is to experience the sweetness of God's restorative grace.

If it weren't for my shallow roots, I doubt very much that I would ever feel compelled to cling to that true vine, Christ Jesus!

Even in my weakness, there is blessing!

On this Christmas morning, I give thanks to you Father God!

I give thanks to you for loving this wonky pine, shallow roots and all!

I thank you for the gift of your son, the true vine, and it is my prayer that we each become so entangled in Him, that none of us need ever fall!

What Christmas Figure Am I?

Ah Jerri, you are such a beautiful person!

You are like the peaceful snow on a winter day.

You are considered a calm person.

You find joy in tranquility and beauty.

You are one of those rare people who takes in deep breaths before anger hits you.
You have many great traits, and you get
along with people well.

Merry Christmas =)

What Christmas Figure Are You?

What if?

What if all I had ever hoped for
were suddenly available to me,
right here, and right now?

Would I dare
to receive God's love,
as it seamlessly flowed
through my life,
and through your life,
and onward
through eternity?

Would I have the courage
to live from that sacred place
where soul meets body?

I wonder....

Would I even dare to live at all?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's snowing! It's snowing!

Beautiful white snowflakes are falling from the sky!

How long will it last?

Who cares?

For now, it is ours to enjoy!

Blessed be....

This morning I was up early.

The frost was heavy and the city was quiet.

I decided that I would celebrate the stillness with a Starbucks latte and scone....which took some doing, since I had to scrap the car windows like crazy before I could drive.

Once I had my coffee and orange cranberry scone, I settled in to read from the book of Luke. Luke's gospel account is beautiful. I enjoy Matthew, Mark and John as well, but this morning, it was the book of Luke which beckoned and invited me to once again enter into the Christmas story and into the life of Christ.

For some reason, out of the first six chapters that I read, this is the passage which struck me the most. Here it is:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
Luke 1:68

Here's what happened to me when I read those words.

I cried.

Tears began streaming down my face and gratitude welled up from within me.

I think many Christians understand redemption in the traditional sense; that is to say, as "being saved from the bondage of sin". There's nothing wrong with this of course, and I don't mean to imply that there is; but for me, redemption means so, so much more.

For me ,"redemption" also means the "restoration of worth" and the "restoration of honor".

Don't you see? Yes Christ redeems us from our sin, but he also beckons us to understand our value and our belovedness. Yes, Christ saves us, but then He does something even more amazing. He bows before us and He offers us His kingdom.

Ok, don't slam me. I'm not a nincompoop. I understand that being saved from the bondage of sin is a big deal; but if you've ever felt completely and utterly worthless, if you've ever felt lower than amoeba dung, then you understand the mystery and miracle of finally touching upon your own belovedness.

Christ did that for me.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably upon his daughter Jerri, and he has redeemed her!

Life is for service.

At the center of the universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person.

Anything we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job.

Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds.

Life is for service.

mister rogers neighborhood - fred rogers - 1928-2003

********************************************************

2000 years ago, one tiny heart began beating within the womb of the woman-child, Mary.

That same heart still beats today.

It beats for you.

It is a loving heart. A merciful heart with a steady beat.

....and it beats for you.

Fartlore and a blog plug, all rolled into one!

If you have read my blog for any period of time, then you know that I am not adverse to some forms of "potty humor".

In the past I've reviewed the literary delights of books such as "Walter The Farting Dog" by William Kotzwinkle; and now, at long last, I have yet another suggestion for those of us who possess a perverse penchant for fartlore.

Yes indeed! Check out Jim Dawson's masterpiece, "Who Cut the Cheese? A Cultural History of The Fart"

It's hilarious and surprisingly well written.

Now sometimes people ask me how I find out about these unusual books. In the case of Kotzwinkle's book, let's just say that I've been a fan of Kotswinkle's work since my college days. As for Dawson's intellectual treatise on the history of fartdom, well I happened upon that little gem by reading Ninjanun's blog.

Check out the blog. She's an interesting read.

....fartlore and a blog plug all rolled into one!

Aren't you glad you stopped by today?

Rejuvenation time.

My brain is fried.

My spirit is frazzled.

I need time to rejuvenate, to meditate and to pray.

Please pardon my absence.

I'll be back soon enough though....never fear. (Pfft! Yeah right, like there are hordes of you waiting with baited breath for me to spout my rivers of wisdom! I'm a veritable fountain of something, right? LOL!)

Ok, adios for now!

Nutcracker mania!

I am absorbed in the magic of movement and light.
Movement never lies.
It is the magic of what I call the outer space of the imagination.
There is a great deal of outer space,
distant from our daily lives,
where I feel our imagination wanders sometimes.
It will find a planet or it will not find a planet,
and that is what a dancer does.
~Martha Graham (1894-1991)

This weekend, is our "Nutcracker" weekend.

And we are doubly blessed this year, because we have not one, but two little ballerinas dancing in our community's local production.

After watching them rehearse these past few weeks, I think that I have finally begun to understand the magic of movement and light in a new, and dare I say "inspired" way.

Over and over again....with every jeté and plié, these young dancers have teased the outer space of my own imagination into a new awareness of the worlds both within, and around me.

It is not yet opening night, and already I see how each ballerina has become a dancing, spinning, heavenly body in this universe of magic and light!

I find it puzzling that I experience the tedium of rehearsal in this way; because the funny thing is....

I don't particularly enjoy ballet!

My own little piece of heaven.

Children are the hands by which we take hold of Heaven.

Henry Ward Beecher

Today we celebrate eight wonderful years.

What an amazing child this....

full of laughter,

brimming with joy,

and loving towards all who cross his path.

It was you my son,

who taught me that children are a gift from God.

Thank you dear child,

for extending your hands,

and for pulling this world weary woman

into that peaceful joy,

we call heaven.

Blog Plug!

You know what?

I haven't given a blog plug in a couple of weeks now, so here's a good one!

Above The Orange Trees!

Now this blog is written by Jeff Pitcher and some of you need to be forewarned. Jeff writes with a "salty" pen....or, in other words, he uses the "f" word a lot.

I, myself am not easily offended. Salty language does not bother me. In fact, I have been known to scream the "f" word on a few occasions myself.

Ahhh but I digress, I like Jeff's style and I love some of his music.

If you are into the Indie/folk/experimental music genre, be sure to hop on over to Jeff's "my space" page. Go ahead! You know you want to listen to a few of his tunes!

Alrighty then! That's enough plugging for one Sunday morning!

Adios!

"J" is for Jesus!

This past week my preschooler brought home a little project that she needed to complete and then return to preschool the following day.

The project was something crafty, something my daughter very much wanted to work on by herself, and so I initially I didn't pay much attention beyond preparing a clean work surface for her.

At one point, I was walking by and I stopped to watch her work. She was busily gluing little Christmas trees and stars to a foam rubber cut out, shaped like a "J".

"Wow!" I said, "I just love how you are decorating that little "J" for Jesus!"

She stopped working, gave me an exasperated look and said, "Uhhh Mom, this is a candy cane, ok?" (Heavy emphasis on "candy cane".)

"Oh right, so it is." I replied. "Good job with all that gluing."

"Thanks Mom!"

Now, I suppose some Mothers might prefer that their children be decorating little J's for Jesus this time of year; but, I know that my children understand the reason for the season, so I don't feel particularly threatened by candy canes, Santa Claus, or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

So why do I bother with sharing this little mundane snap shot of our lives?

I share it because it shows just how radically and unalterably my perception of who Christ is in my life, has changed.

You see for me, Jesus has become everything! Where others might only see candy canes, I now see only Him!

You cannot understand what a miracle this is, or how profound this change truly is without understanding that for most of my life, candy canes were just candy canes and Santa Claus was the closest thing to God I had ever known.

Long ago, when I was only eight years old, I learned that Santa Claus wasn't real. When that happened, God became unreal too. For nearly 36 years of my life, Christmas for me, has been nothing more than an annual foray into another season of anxiety and crushed hope.

So now do you understand?

Do you begin to understand how truly miraculous it is that I now believe that the hope of human kind was born on Christmas Day?

Do you begin to sense the significance of Christ in my life.....in all of our lives?

.....Hope incarnate.

........Hope enfleshed.

............Jesus!

What a life!

Ok, I admit it.

I may not read the entirety of our local daily newspaper; but, I almost always read the obituaries.

When I was a little girl I would read the obituary page. I don't believe that this habit developed out of a morbid curiosity over death....or maybe it did. I don't know.

All I know is that my parents thought I was strange for reading the obituaries back then, and that my children think I am strange for doing this now.

So I guess the verdict is in.

I am strange.

LOL!

Well, strange I may be, but if I did not read the obituaries I would have missed this gem. It is marvelous. This is a man I would have liked to have known.

Read on! What a tribute to the life of a man named, Ted A. Conrad.


Ted A. Conrad
December 23, 1928 - December 01, 2005

SILVERTON - I lived marching to my own drummer. So, at my request, no services of any kind were held, my headstone in Silverton’s own Boot Hill will say, “I always did my best,” and I wrote this obit myself.

My life was a superb adventure, which I lived to the hilt, immensely enjoying 99.3% of it. Like everyone else, I was dealt a hand or two off the bottom of the deck but the vast majority were off the top, good hands, well played. I’m grateful. I’m one of the super fortunate that got to accomplish every major goal I set for myself. I proudly served in the Marine Corps at the tail end of World War II. I became the Pacific Coast (seven western states) Champion race car driver. I was an executive in the business world doing work I enjoyed for an honorable company and a fine boss. I retired (quit) early so Aileen and I, with major help from my brother Bob, could hand build our log home way out in the woods of Washington state. A fine adventure.

I married (one at a time) all three of the women I loved: Nancy, Patricia, and Aileen. Nancy and I had a son, Christian, that got off of me like a dirty shirt in the early 1980’s for reasons unknown to me. Too bad. Wish he hadn’t. Bad hand.

Since 1986, I had the truly great pleasure of living in a fine old house in delightful little Silverton. Longest I lived in one place. It was an interesting and (mostly) an enjoyable experience to be a member of the Silverton Fire District Board of Directors and the City Council.

I had a scad of acquaintances, a few good friends and a bunch of enjoyable relatives. Drove fine automobiles, wore tailor-made clothes, drank the best liquor, ate at the finest restaurants. All told, I lived pretty high on the hog.

If you’re feelin’ flush, you could toss a coin into the tambourine for the Salvation Army or the Humane Society.

Along with the Eye of Ra now watching over her, please be especially nice to Aileen now. She is an exceptionally fine lady well deserving of your kindness and support. Unless she decides to leave Silverton, in which case it is OK to hiss at and boo her.

Adios to all. Thanks for your friendship. I always knew it was valuable. Time to put the trusty old portable manual typewriter away now. If I were on stage I would bow to you, with a flourish. Then exit stage left to the strains of the beautiful French horns in Mamzelle Angot as the lights dim to dark. Fare thee well -- especially Aileen.

Be honest now -- wasn’t reading this much better than feeling halfway obligated to attend some somber old drag of a funeral? Damn rights!

Broken hearted....

Today my heart is broken.

I feel the sliver shard ache of a heart splintered by the news that a friend has made a series of mistakes that will have serious life consequences.

Consequences that will involve the loss of freedom to incarceration, the loss of a child to the Department of Human Resources, as well as the possible loss of their home.

The tears have come and gone; but the sorrow lingers and the sliver shard ache of my heart brings me to my knees in prayer.

Merciful Father,

do you feel how my heart splinters

and my soul sorrows for the brokenness of your children?

Forgive me Father.

Today I cannot find the words to praise you.

I cannot find the words to thank you.

I have only one question Lord.

How much longer must we all suffer?

Hot chocolate confessions!

We had just returned from a puddle stomp. (Puddle stomps are defined as follows: forays into the wet Oregon rain with the sole purpose of stomping through every rain puddle within a five block radius.)

Our coats were in the dryer.

We had changed into dry clothing.

We were warm.

We were dry.....

...and we were sitting at the kitchen table sipping hot, vanilla chocolate with whipped cream.

Quite unexpectedly my five year old daughter looked up over her hot chocolate and in that sweetly pitched voice of a five year old child announced, "Momma, I think this is the best day of my life!"

OMG!

For a moment, time stood still and as I gazed into her chocolate mustached face, I swear the bottom dropped out of my soul. My love for her spilled out of my toes, welled up out of my eyes and it was all I could do to reply, "Oh yes! This just has to be one of the best days of my life too!"

Laughing, we "clinked" our cocoa mugs and toasted to the best day of our lives!

Dear God in heaven, does life get any sweeter?

Blog fodder...

How Does Jerri Live Her Life?

Jerri is honest and direct. She tells it like it is. Jerri tends to avoid confrontation and stays away from sticky situations. Jerri's friends tend to be as quirky as she is - which is saying a lot! Jerri tends to always dream of things within reach - and she usually gets them.

How Do You Live Your Life?

So, here's one more goofy quiz....a small innocuous piece of uninspired blog fodder to fill the void.

Evil creeps in on beautifully manicured toes.....

More often than not, evil creeps in disguised as beauty.

This time, an evil has revealed itself disguised as two gorgeous, blonde haired, blue eyed girls. Their names are Lynx and Lamb, and they call themselves "Prussian Blue". They are the young, thirteen year old sisters/musicians who are being hailed as the Olsen Twins of the White Nationalist Movement.

"Nurtured" from birth in their racist beliefs by their mother April, the twins sing songs which praise the characters of men like Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy Fuhrer.

If that isn't enough to disturb you, try imagining Lynx and Lamb modeling this:

Happy Hitler Girly Tee

Yes, both girls modeled this same tee shirt for Aryan Wear....scarey, huh?

Am I saying the girls themselves are evil?

No. I am not.

The Nazi symbols and Aryan philosophy that both of their parents are stuffing into the girls' hearts, minds and souls are evil.

The hate speech these girls spew in the form of their sweet singing, is evil; but the girls themselves are just pawns.

At this point in time, they are merely beautifully dangerous pawns in the hands of a greater evil....

I don't know about you, but this scares the patooties out of me.

Bodily disdain

I have been fascinated with the early Christian mystics for some time now.

Women like, Angela of Foligno, Catherine of Siena, Hildegard von Bingen, Julian of Norwich, and Mechthild of Magdeburg are fascinating to read if one has the energy to probe through their writings for the little gems of truth and love that are present and available for discovery.

Recently, I happened across this quote by Mechthild of Magdeburg:

Do not disdain the body
For the soul is just as safe in its body
as in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mechthild writes: "Do not disdain the body."

Do you "disdain" your own body?

Disdain is a feeling of contempt. One online dictionary defines disdain this way.

Disdain
intense scorn: extreme contempt or disgust for something or somebody

So, I ask again.

Have you ever felt disdain for your own body?

I know that I have.

Over the past decade and a half, I have born and nursed five children. Without question, motherhood has irreversibly changed my body. Gravity has taken its own toll. All the while, I've been growing older, (an inevitability we must each face if we live long enough) and that too has altered my body scape in surprising and undesired ways.

In no way do I resemble Western society's vision of feminine beauty. If anything, I am its antithesis.

It would be easy for me to scorn my own body, to hold my body in contempt, to look upon myself with disdain.

I confess now that I sometimes do.

The thing is, I don't want to do this. I believe the Bible when it says that this body is a temple. I believe that this body is sacred. I believe that this body will be resurrected and that every stretch mark, every skin tag, every wrinkle will be glorified.

So what does this mean for me, here and now?

Well, quite simply, it means that the little things matter. Drinking enough water matters. Proper exercise, matters. A diet rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, and whole foods, matters. Rest, matters. Prayer, matters. Relationships matter!

These are the simple ways that I show respect to this body. This is how I honor this body's holiness.

So, take the time.

Attend to the little things.

Honor yourself.

Which Soft Drink Are You?

Me?
Which soft drink am I?
Well, I'm a Pepsi of course!



According to Quizilla, "I'm very popular, and way better than coke; but unfortunately for me, coke has a way better logo!"

(There are waaay too many "way better's" in that last sentence, but what the hey! Who cares anyway?)

Want to see which soft drink you would be, if it were possible to be a bubbly, liquid beverage?

Click here!

Just look at those eyes!

Yikes!

This little guy looks like he's about ready

to poop a brick!

Poor thing!

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

The fullness of a fast.

Early this morning I stood on the front lawn, and I watched the sun rise.

I was intentional about doing this.

Why, you ask?

Why in the world would I choose to stand on our frost crunchy lawn, and watch as the new dawn slowly creeped across the chilly eastern sky?

Why?

Let me see if I can begin to explain....

Yesterday I began my first 24 hour spiritual fast. Now, to some of you this might not seem like such a big deal; and I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn't. Truth be told, abstaining from food and drink wasn't as difficult for me as I had imagined it might be.

I did suffer from one desperate craving for a steaming cup of java; but other than that, the cravings and hunger pangs were fairly manageable. What wasn't, and isn't manageable however, are the new insights I've gained into my own character.

What were those insights?

Put quite simply, I have so much and I am grateful for so little.

It's not a pleasant moment when one is rocked by the sheer force and depth of one's own ingratitude....

So, just take a moment and try to imagine me in the darkness of early morning.

I'm standing there, shivering, and cradling a cup of sweet, creamy coffee. The coffee I am holding is steaming hot, and sweet, and rich. My belly is empty, but my hands and my heart are full.

For me, this coffee represents the fullness I feel in my own soul even though my belly is empty. It represents the fullness of the plenty I experience day in and day out. A plenty that is both spiritual, material, and relational. It represents my new found gratitude and my desire to share what I have...a gratitude that is warm, and rich, and steaming with invitation.

That is why I intentionally rose earlier than normal. That is why I stood shivering in the icy stillness of the early dawn with a cup of coffee in my hands.

I was determined to begin this day by acknowledging the fullness of my own life.

I was determined, if only for the moment, to live from a place of gratitude.

I was determined to thank God for the entirety of my whole life: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

....and I must say, that when I took my first sip of coffee, neither the coffee, nor my life had ever tasted so good!

Simple Thanksgiving

When I awoke this morning, the air was crisp and clear.

The sky was a glorious mirror of blue.

Has there ever been a more perfect morning?

I do not know. I only know that when my eyes first saw the glistening white of the evening frost and the azure calm of the morning sky, an irrepressible bubble of thanksgiving welled up from within me.

The words of Carl Sandburg immediately came to my mind...words I have memorized just to recall on mornings such as these.

Let me share them with you now, on this, a most blessed day.

Bless Thee, O Lord,
for the living arc of the sky over me this morning.

Bless Thee, O Lord,
for the companionship of night mist
far above the skyscraper peaks I saw
when I woke once during the night.

Bless Thee, O Lord,
for the miracle of light to my eyes
and the mystery of it ever changing.

Bless Thee, O Lord,
for the laws Thou hast ordained holding fast
these tall oblongs of stone and steel,
holding fast the planet Earth in its course
and farther beyond the circle of the Sun.

carl sandburg

Jerri needs...

The latest MEME (whatever that means) is to plug your name plus the word "needs" into the google search engine and then share whatever pops up!

Here are the top five things that appeared when I typed "Jerri needs"

Five simple things that Jerri needs....

1) Jerri needs to walk!
Uhhh, heck yeah Jerri needs to walk! Jerri loves to walk, she just doesn't walk often enough! (Jerri feels a little like Bob Dole when Jerri writes like this! Cracks Jerri up!)

2) Jerri needs chocolate and sex, in that order!
Ooooh! Jerri likes this one!

3) Jerri needs to change her attitude.
Jerri is the first to admit that her attitude can be a problem. She is an ardent believer that an attitude of gratitude makes all things better.

4) Jerri also needs to shut up.
Yup, Jerri needs to practice the art of listening. Rambling, self-important chatter often contributes to Jerri's own down fall!

5) Jerri obviously needs a slap!
Hmmmm, the only person who gets to bitch slap Jerri is the Holy Spirit. Jerri won't tolerate human hands hurting herself, or anyone else for that matter. The Holy Spirit now, well that's a whole other matter. The Holy Spirit has Jerri's permission to slap her into holy awareness where ever, and when ever the need is evident!

My blog plug of the week!

Would you like to visit a blog that will delight both your eyes and your soul?

Then check out Jen Gray's blog!

This gal rocks!

Really...she does!

Bread of Life!

For some time now, I have been toying with the notion of implementing the discipline of weekly, spiritual fasting.

I am very drawn to the idea of practicing a 24 hour fast once a week and I believe that I am ready to commit to doing this for a two year period.

I don't think playing with this discipline and just trying it once or twice will serve any useful purpose. I do think however, that if I commit to this practice, in the simplest, most straightforward and intentional way possible, that God will accomplish great things in and through me.

The other day, I read a line from a blog that said, "If you have a pulse, God has a purpose for you."

That line prompted a deeper thinking in me, as it relates to both my own purpose and to the discipline of fasting.

You see, I believe that my purpose in this life, is to be a living bread for others. I believe that I am here to nourish, to enrich and to "feed" others. I believe my purpose is to help satisfy the hunger of individuals, who like myself, are hungry for more than mere physical sustenance.

Somehow, in some mysterious way, I think spiritual fasting will help me to become a more wholesome and satisfying bread for others.

No, I am not elevating myself to the level of God. I know that God, and God alone sustains all life; but isn't it wonderful to think of each of our lives as a kind of living bread?

Isn't it wonderful to think that each of us has the power to sustain and to nourish life in unimaginable ways?

I want to be like Christ Jesus. I want to be living bread for others!

Lord, bless this unworthy vessel and make it so!

5 Random Thoughts!

It's a foggy day outside, and my brain is even foggier inside. I have so many random thoughts running through my head, that I thought it might be fun to lasso a couple for our mutual entertainment!

Five Random Thoughts!

1) Good parmesan cheese is a blessing! I recently bought an off brand can of parmesan because our pennies are tight this time of year. Baaaad idea! Trust me, a good quality parmesan cheese is worth every dollar per pound!

2) Why do my children need to use an entire roll of toilet paper every time they have a bowel movement? Their poopers are smaller than mine, so what's the deal? Poor wiping technique?

3) Is it possible to affect a person's life now, by praying about a traumatic event that happened years ago? How does this affect the spiritual world? After all, God isn't bound by time.....

4) I have become a blasterball addict! How could this happen? Blasterball is such an insanely stupid game. A monkey could play blasterball.....

5) I don't want to clean! I don't want to clean! I don't want to clean!
(So I blog instead!)

Breasts

I've been thinking a lot about breasts lately.

Specifically, I've been thinking a lot about my own breasts.

Now, if this topic either offends or arouses you, I would suggest that you quit reading. I'm fairly certain that many of you will find this particular post offensive and I'm equally certain that not a single one of you will find it arousing! So just quit reading now!

Here's the thing.

Over the past seven months, I have had my breasts poked, prodded, bombarded with radiation, as well as sliced and diced for a biopsy. I have taken oral antibiotics, applied an entire pharmacy of topical ointments trying to control a medical condition that up until recently, no one could diagnose.

Now that I am on the other side of this whole experience I've realized something rather important.

I love my breasts.

These breasts have served me well my entire life; they have served my husband well for more than 22 years; and what's more, they have also nourished all five of our children.

My breasts are worthy of respect.

Gravity has taken its toll. These breasts of mine are no longer the perky 36 C's of my younger years. They aren't beautiful by modern society's standards; but to me, and to those who know and love me, they are more beautiful than there are words to describe them.

Last April, I was ashamed of my breasts. Ashamed of their size, of their shape (or increasing lack there of), and of their overall appearance. This experience has given me a whole new perspective and a new understanding not only of my breasts, but of my entire body.

This body, like these breasts, has served me well.

Oh, I know that my physical body is made of mere dust; but while my spirit and the spirit of God dwell within this fragile shell, it is both a temple and a sanctuary.

From this moment on, I vow to love, to nurture, and to honor this body of mine.....

...and I urge you to do the same!

Singing the mammary blues

Today is the day I finally get to see a "breast health specialist".

As some of you know, I've been struggling with a breast health issue for some time now. Two mammograms and one breast biopsy have ruled out breast cancer; but my breast problem remains unresolved and undiagnosed.

The concern at this point is two fold. First, my "condition" is worsening; and second there may some undiagnosed disease process at work.

So, today is my lucky day! I get to whip out the ole mammaries one more time for yet one more examination.

I cannot help but wonder if I weren't under insured, older, overweight and generally less "valuable" to society, if my medical care might have been better?

Yes, well I have no time today to ponder such things. I must shower and powder and prepare for my appointment!

If you are inclined to pray for me.....for wisdom, for patience, for whatever, I would be deeply appreciative!

***************

Doc Appointment Update: Good news! I finally have a diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan! Yippeee!

Blog Plug of The Week!

I don't think I've made a blog plug in quite a long while.

Everytime I write "blog plug" I crack myself up! For some reason, those two little words sound so damned funny, forbidden and irreverent!

Ahhh, but I digress!

Would you like to read a blog that is intelligently written, funny and irreverent in its own right?

Then check out "A Redneck Mother's" blog!

Now I must warn you, if you are of a conservative bent, or easily offended, this blog is not for you. Don't bother clicking the link. You'll only ruin your day.

However, if you enjoy sharp wit and good writing check out this blog!

You won't be disappointed!

Where the heck are Honeydew's eyes?

According to Quizilla, if I were a muppet I would be Dr. Bunson Honeydew.

So who was Honeydew anyway? Do any of you remember Dr. Honeydew?

And where the heck are Honeydew's eyes?

LOLOL!

You are Dr. Bunson Honeydew.
You love to analyse things and further the cause of
science, even if you do tend to blow things up
more often than not.

HOBBIES:
Scientific inquiry, Looking through microscopes,
Recombining DNA to create decorative art.

QUOTE:
"Now, Beakie, we'll just flip this switch and
60,000 refreshing volts of electricity will
surge through your body. Ready?"

FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST:
John Cougar Melonhead

LAST BOOK READ:
"Quantum Physics: 101 Easy Microwave
Recipes"

NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
An atom smasher and plenty of extra atoms.


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Merry Mince Pies!

Can you feel it?

Christmas is in the air!

...or maybe it's a tad early for you to sense the Christmas cheer that most certainly awaits us all after the gluttony of Thanksgiving?

Oh lighten up!

Go see this hilarious ad for Merry Mince Pies!

Sacrebleu!

FRENCH RIOTS

One man killed
4,700 cars torched
1,200 people arrested
17 people sentenced
108 police and firefighters injured
Figures as of 7 November

And of course, let's not forget the two teenagers, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore, who were electrocuted after climbing into an electrical sub-station in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois on October 27, 2005

Mes prières sont avec vous tout !

Ordinary Acts of Faith

Last week, my husband and I were part of a teaching team at our church. The topic was "The Faces of Christ".

Here's a small portion of what Tom and I shared which I've modified somewhat for the blogging format:

Speaking in front of you all today is very uncomfortable for both Tom and myself. I think the reason it's so uncomfortable for us isn't necessarily because we fear public speaking, but because we live a "show", "don't tell" kind of life.

Consequently, ours is a "show", "don't tell" kind of faith. I've come to believe that this is actually a quiet evangelism; and because it is done so quietly, I think it is vitally important to share how this "quiet evangelism" is lived out in our lives and in the life of our family.

So, I've compiled what I like to call, "Jerri's laundry list of ordinary acts of faith, lived out in everyday life", and it reads like this:

We call on elderly neighbors to check on them, to visit with them, and to pray with them if they desire prayer.

We buy tamales from a family in our neighborhood, whom we know supports their family through this income.

When a teenager rides by on their bike and bites the pavement, we invite them in to wash and bandage their wounds.

We introduce ourselves to our neighbors.

When we see new neighbors moving in, we offer to help them with their heavy items when they arrive and we assist them when they leave.

We help scrub soot off of a neighbor's walls when there has been a house fire.

We prepare and deliver meals when there has been a new baby born into our neighborhood and community.

We help trim blackberry bushes for elderly neighbors, who lack the strength and the means to trim and clear by themselves.

Tom and I believe it is love in action, expressed through relationship that has the power to reach, and to transform both the world within and the world around us.

Love in action, expressed through relationship.

Quiet, simple, and intentional acts of faith lived out in everyday life.

God's love, flowing through me, through you, through each one of us, out into a world which hungers to know the simple truth that it is loved by the one who has made all things.

.........I won't bore you all now with the remainder of our "speech". I'd just like to conclude this blog entry by saying one thing.

The world is a very broken place. People are hurting and afraid.

Words are no longer enough to woe this wounded world back to its one true Lover and Healer; but words spoken in love, combined with love in action have the power to transcend time, space, life and even death.

...and I believe this is how, even now, God is transforming our world.

PS-The concept of a "show", "don't tell" faith was introduced to me by Kathleen Norris in her book, "Amazing Grace". I did credit the author when I spoke last Sunday, but failed to do so earlier in this blog post.

The remaining 20 of Jerri's top 40!

Yesterday, my sister was razzing me about my "Jerri's top 40" post.

Zaftig wrote: "Where are the other 20? Your title says "Jerri's top 40". Any contempory music in there???"

I responded: "I'm old. Old people don't listen to contemporary music. Every now and then I do spin a piece of vinyl instead of the eight tracks; but that's as "contemporary" as I get! LOL!"

Seriously though, I guess I don't listen to much contemporary music. Oh, I do have CD's by Damien Rice, Beck, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire....but that's about as contemporary as I get.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a little Norah Jones. I'm even down with the Kaiser Chiefs or The Killers now and then; but it's the moldy oldies I love the most!

Here are the remaining 20 songs of "Jerri's Top 40"...some contemporary, some not so contemporary!

21) "Hurt" Johnny Cash

22) "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" Marvin Gaye

23) "Always Love" Nada Surf

24) "You and Me" Lifehouse

25) "Respect" Aretha Franklin

26) "Oh Holy Night" Chappeau de Roquemaure

27) "Tears in Heaven" Eric Clapton

28) "Slowburn" Revelation Theory

29) "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" Paula Cole

30) "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music" Larry Norman

31) "Complicated" Avril Lavigne

32) "Thrill is Gone" BB King

33) "She Will Be Loved" Maroon 5

34) "Amie" Damien Rice

35) "Beautiful" Christina Aguilera

36) "It Is Well With My Soul"

37) "Women Should Be" Sweet Honey in the Rock

38) "My Immortal" Evanescence

39) "Stormy Monday" Bobby Bland

40) "The Promise" Tracy Chapman

Me? Einstein?

E=mc²

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Sheesh, I take a famous leader test and instead of Ghandi, I get Einstein.

Go figure!

I'd be stylin!

Day of the Dead Beads

Michele Goldstein

Oh, how I wish that I had one of Kate Mckinnon's ring shanks and one of Michele's slammin Day of the Dead buttons!

I'd pop that button in the shank, slap that ring on my finger and I'd be the hippest old bird in the neighborhood!

Waaahoooo!

I'd be stylin!

Jerri's Top 40!

How quickly would you be able name 40 of your favorite songs?

Here are the first 20 that popped into my head....

Some of mine surprised me in a pleasant kind of way.

"Buring Down the House." for example, brought back fond memories of The Top Hat bar in Missoula, Montana.

I can still remember shaking my booty to the nitty gritty blues of such artists as Tag Mahal and BB King (both of whom often performed live at the Hat)....

Those were the days my friends.....but hey, that's another great song (by Mary Hopkins) from long ago, isn't it?

Yes, well, read on McDuff!

The first 20 of Jerri's top 40, in no particular order:

1) "Fat Bottomed Girls" Queen

2) "Tangled Up In blue" Bob Dylan

3) "Frog Kissing" Chet Atkins

4) "What if God Was One of Us?" Joan Osborne

5) "Tainted Love" Soft Cell

6) "Burning Down the House" Talking Heads

7) "Whip It" Devo

8) "And They Will Know We Are Christian, By Our Love" Jars of Clay

9) "Neighborhood #1" Arcade Fire

10) "If I Should Fall Behind" Bruce Springsteen

11) "Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?" Delirious

12) "Stairway to Heaven," Led Zeppelin

13) "Imagine" The Beatles

14) "Light My Fire" The Doors

15) "California Dreamin" The Momas and the Papas

16) "You Can't Always Get What You Want" The Rolling Stones

17) "The Power of Two" Indigo Girls

18) "Yesterday" The Beatles

19) "Fire and Rain" James Taylor

20) "The Sound of Silence" Simon and Garfunkel

Labyrinths

Labyrinth is a strange word.

It rolls uncomfortably off the tongue, almost as if it doesn't really belong in the human mouth in the first place.

It is a hard word to say. You can't just rush it out of your mouth the way we Americans have a tendency to do with our words

It's one of those "slow " kinds of word, that demands a certain amount of effort on the part of the speaker.

Labyrinth, is one of those tongue twisting kind of words, which requires the whole mouth.....lips, tongue, everything, in order to roll and form the word sounds before pushing the word out.

It seems fitting somehow, that labyrinth is also a term used to describe the portion of the middle ear that is responsible for balance. Just saying the word requires a certain balance....

This morning I spent the better part of a half hour, walking a mediation labyrinth. Well, I didn't actually walk the labyrinth. It was a cyber jouney, done online, accomplished inside and out of the cold Oregon rain.

Would you like to know more?
Click here!

Perhaps you are ready to walk the labyrinth now?
Then, click here!

I personally found the experience very interesting...centering, and I would do it again!

Why not give it a try and see if this ancient meditation practice holds the power to speak into your (post) modern heart?

It did mine.

God loves you.

If you read my blog on a regular basis, then you know that Rick, the writer of "A New Life Emerging", is my blog idol. On Wednesday, Rick shared a powerful message about loving the world and about moving "beyond the fear and control of shame and into the messiness of love."

I encourage you to go to Rick's blog and to read his Wednesday message; but I'd also like to share a recent experience of my own.

The other day, I was helping a young woman with her GED studies. We've been meeting together for several months now. We study, we laugh, and sometimes we even cry as we share our lives.

Recently, "Margie" shared some particularly painful experiences that had occurred in her life which were related to spiritual abuse and abandonment. She was crying softly throughout and when she had finished she stopped crying, looked at me and asked, "Jerri, why do you keep meeting with me week after week? I'm such a freaking mess."

I took her hands in mine and I simply said, "The reason I meet with you Margie, is because God loves you and because I love you too."

"What?"

"God loves you."

She started crying again and I just sat there, not quite sure what to say or do next.

"No one's ever told me that before." she sobbed.

This time it was my turn to ask, "What?"

"No one's ever told me that God loves me before."

At this point I jumped up, wrapped my arms around her and I whispered over and over again, "God loves you! God loves you! God loves you!"

I later took some time to be alone and to process the enormity of what had happened earlier that day at my kitchen table. A beautiful young woman, who has loved and served God, who has been faithful to her husband, her family and her church, had never been told that God loves her.

But then, I don't think I've ever heard another human voice say, "Jerri, God loves you." either.

I had a different experience. My experience went like this....

I was having eggs and toast with Jesus. (Yeah, sounds crazy, but I do this often.) I was feeling especially low that day. I felt unloveable, worthless and I was very surprised that Christ had even shown up for our morning date together.

So there we were. I was crying in my coffee, literally. Wondering why Jesus would waste his time with me, when so many were worthier of his time than I.

I don't quite know how to explain this, but it's almost like there was a little bubble that began to well up from within in me. Call it what you will, a "soul bubble", a "love bubble", it doesn't matter. What matters is that when that bubble hit the surface of my consciousness, the words, "Jerri, God loves you!' were whispered into my very soul.

I don't know if other people have experiences like this; but I know that because I have, I cannot resist those unexpected moments when I feel compelled to grab a hold of another and whisper, "God loves you."

I don't know many things. I'm not a theologian. I don't even have a college degree; but I do know this much.

I know that God loves you.

I know that God loves me.

I know that God loves all of us.

Someone told me once that my "theology" smacks of the doctrine of universalism.

I'm not sure what to think about that. I only know what I know.

God loves you,
....me,
.....all who have ever been or ever will be.

We can make a difference!

In Faith and Hope the world will disagree, But all mankind's concern is charity.

- Essay on Man (ep. III, l. 307)

Alexander Pope

We may never agree on issues of faith, or politics; but what remains indisputable, is the urgency of human need as it exists in so many ways, and on so many levels.

Individually and collectively, we are capable of great and miraculous acts of giving.

Click here if you would like to see one beautiful example of collaborative art created entirely for the benefit others!

If you are in a position to bid, please bid generously!

If nothing else, share the link. Pass it along.

Together we can all make a difference!

Company's coming

We have family flying out to visit us from a state far, far away.

I've spent the day rocking out to old U2 tunes and mucking out the ground floor of our home. I'm somewhat chagrined to admit that I spent more time shaking my bootie and howling with Bono and our sheltie than I did cleaning....

Yikes! The house isn't clean, the shopping isn't done and you know what? That's just the way it is going to have to be.

Oh well, there are worse things, right?

Anyhow, I probably won't be around to update the bloggedy blog for the next week or so.

I'll try, but you know how it is when company visits!

Thank goodness the continuation of this world does not depend upon the cleanliness of my home, or the regularity of my blogging.

We'd all be SOL!

No greater joy...

This beloved child of mine turned five today.

There are no words to describe the exquisite pleasure of sharing the life we share.

If I were to say...

Today, we ate Jumbo Jack burgers and drank pumpkin spice milk shakes for dinner.

We feasted upon homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and we played pin the tail on the donkey until our sides ached with laughter.

......well, those words would not capture the joy of our laughter, the sweetness of our smiles, or the strength of this love that is shared between us.

There is no greater joy, no better life, than the life of shared love.

Language cannot capture what must be lived.

So love.

Be it,

give it,

soak it in.

There is no greater joy than to love and be loved.

Music to my ears...

Yesterday I overheard my 15 year old daughter say to a friend on the phone, "Oh I don't know, I kind of like my Mom."

I smiled inside when I heard her say that. Not in a self-congratulatory way mind you, but in a grateful, I-love-you-too kind of way.

My teen daughter and I still enjoy a warm relationship. We don't always agree, we argue sometimes, and we even embarrass one another on occasion; but all in all, we genuinely love and respect one another.

Our relationship is an incredible gift for both of us.

I know that relationships change and I expect that ours will as well; but for now, I'm just grateful to know that my daughter is transforming into a woman whom I both love and like!

Thinking out loud...

For some reason, I haven't been able to shake the dream I had several nights ago about the church physically uniting to surround my neighborhood with prayer.

I think about it all the time.

I find myself wondering what it would be like to actually do this.

Would the staff at my church be willing to entertain this kind of endeavor? Would they be willing to support those of us who want to participate? Would announcements appear in the church bulletin and be heard from the pulpit?

Would people even be willing to show up to pray? Would the neighbors join in? Would this be a truly effective way to "cover" our neighborhood in prayer?

And do you know what?

I think people would show up. I think neighbors would join in; and scarier still, I think I should do something to try to make this happen.

You see, I'm beginning to think Lavagirl had it all wrong.

"Everything that is or was, began with a dream."

should read,

"Everything that is or was, began with prayer."

Several nights ago, I had a dream that the people within my church joined hands with one another, and with others, to bathe our neighborhood in prayer.

Today, my heart and my soul are telling me that this dream is destined to become more. I do not know how this will happen or when; but I do know, that for this dream to become a reality it will begin and it will end in prayer.

What an amazingly beautiful thought this is to me. To breathe a dream to life through prayer...I believe that it can be done. It will be done.

And at this juncture, I believe the only thing left for me to say is, "Amen!"

The Human Prayer Chain

"Everything that is or was, began with a dream."

~Lavagirl

Last night, I had a dream.

I dreamt that my entire church joined together to surround my neighborhood with prayer.

Men, women, and children.....thousands of us, joined hands and formed a human prayer chain around the entirety of Grant neighborhood.

We prayed for healing in our lives, we prayed for peace, for strength and for hope! The entire neighborhood echoed with the voices of young and old, as the spirit of Christ moved and rumbled through the streets.

I live in an inner city neighborhood.

Addiction, murder, prostitution, domestic violence, children bringing hand guns into our elementary school...all of these things happen here.

Known or unknown, seen or unseen, these things happen here.

Wouldn't it be an amazing moment if the body of Christ literally rose up, and then showed up to surround this neighborhood with prayer? We could invite all people, of all faiths to join us.

I have this vision of the "saved" and the "unsaved", the "haves" and the "have nots", the english speakers and the nonenglish speakers, all of us joining together and uniting together to pray for blessings upon this neighborhood.

It would be a powerful thing and a good thing.

Which is precisely why it may never come to pass...but still, a person can dream, can't they?

Ode to Tad!

Tad, the triops

My children and I love to grow triops .

They are ancient, and uncomely creatures. (See what I mean by clicking here!)

Triops are much larger than their sea monkey cousins, and can grow up to three inches long. Yes, you read correctly, three inches long!

Recently our ever curious feline Maddie, ate two of our larger triops. Alas, with one deft swoop of her paw, Maddie snagged two clueless triops to consume as her morning kitty treat

Baaad kitty!

Tad, this ode is for you!

The Lance Family Ode to Tad

written by the Lance Family Children, 2005

Tad the triops, swam with glee

No happier triops was there than he.

Until one day, the cat took note

How Tad would bob, and dive, and float.

The cat began to plan her attack

determined to make poor Tad her snack.

Tad was so busy swimming and sunning,

that he never saw our kitty's paw coming.

And thus it was on this cloudless day

that Tad the triops passed away.

Boo hoo, poor Tad is dead.