the one after a month

well, it has been a month since my last post…and i had promised myself that i would make more regular posts to my blog. i’ll have to work on that. mid-year resolutions?

a lot has happened since the beginning of june. the GOOTH had a fabulous experience at the Massanetta Springs Middle School Conference in harrisonburg, virginia. it was CPC’s second trip to the conference. 13 youth and 4 adults attended, including meredith, who is continuing to recover from her surgery. we attended inspiring keynotes and workshops, did energizers, played fun games, sang songs, played in the rain, drank from the springs, survived an electrical storm like i hadn’t seen in a looooong time (including felicia’s near-death experience while standing on metal stairs when lightening struck near the building!!! well, we’re calling it a near-death experience anyway), had a great departing lunch at 5 guys, and made many memories that will stay with us for many years to come.

the General Assembly of the PCUSA met a week ago, taking action on a number of exciting items for the future of the church. it will now be up to the presbyteries to address the equalization of the ordination standards as laid out in the constitution of the PCUSA. i’ll speak more to that in another post.

this weekend, lynda returns to the states for a visit. her college reunion is in two weeks in upstate new york – houghton college. i will be catching up with her in shenandoah national park on the 4th of july, before continuing to new york city to meet up with the GOOTH for our mission trip. then, i’ll head upstate to catch up with lynda again at the reunion itself. she returns to peru on july 16. her term of service ends october 2 and will return to the states at that time.

during the mission trip, i will try to make daily postings so that family and friends of the GOOTH may keep up with the adventures in new york city. i hope that you will check back to hear about the GOOTH new york experience.

until then…peace, love, and chocolate.

ps – the cardinal in the window was still handing around after all this time!

 

the one about gooth’s year-end event

sunday night was our year-end event. and what a night it was. we played about a dozen different outdoor games, and only one of them bombed completely! pretty good odds, if you ask me. we played:

• the spontaneous-keep-the-4-foot-beachball-in-the-air game – we had a huge, 4-foot beach ball that we’d see how long we could keep it in the air. we got it stuck in the tree twice. ian climbed up the tree to fetch it once. we kept hitting the ball on the roof, but it would roll right off. pretty cool. jacob said, “this ball is one of the best things to play with!”
• light sabers (with noodles) – using 3 different colors of noodles among the youth, they used them as light sabers with one another…when one got hit on the leg, they dropped their noodle and picked up one of another color and dueled with someone new. jacob said he liked this game a lot.
• flying noodle relay – using two noodles, you launch one into the air with the other, spinning it off the end…we used this method as a relay race…kinda like the blow-up-the-balloon-and-let-it-go relay…wherever it landed, you picked it up and spun it into the air again…until you crossed the line.
• finger tag – hold one hand with a partner, try to tag their knee with that finger while they do the same
• toe tag – hold both hands with a partner, one tries to tag the toes of the other
• triangle tag – too hard to explain
• inchworm – a rather close & intimate activity, but cool to do and see…several were quite accomplished at it!
• rock, paper, scissors tournament – Molly won
• group juggling – with several objects, including the 4-foot beachball
• QUIDDITCH!! – rather chaotic, but fun to play and watch. basically 3 games happening at once: ultimate frisbee rules, using a ball as the quaffle and hula hoops on poles for the goals; dodgeball for the bludgers & short noodles (1/3 length) for the beaters bats; and keep-away with the seekers for the snitch. two teams played each other, while two other teams lined the sidelines and keep the bludgers flying (dodgeball) and playing keep-away with the snitch. fun times!
• a variation on dodgeball – this is the one that bombed. poor explanation from the leader (that’s me).
• bear (a.k.a. point) – basically, wrestling while trying to get from point a to point b.

then we had a cookout that 3 of the parents had prepared for us. Meredith came to eat with us. she is doing much better, but still having some struggles. it was her first time to the church since her surgery.

overall, it was a great night. the storms stayed away (unlike last year’s year-end event), we laughed together, prayed together, ate together, played together, celebrated together, and grew together, all while making memories that will last a lifetime.

ps – the cardinal in the window is still hanging around, pecking on the window and chirping at me.

 

the one about my yard, my mower, and sam

i don’t have a very big yard…maybe a quarter of an acre…not really sure. i was excited that it was small enough that it could mow it and enjoy it as a fun outdoor lawn activity, but not so large i’d dread mowing it as a chore. i always enjoyed mowing the yard as a teenager, because we had a yard large enough to use a riding lawnmower and it provided great thinking and reflection time. i was so happy the day i got to ride it and mow it by myself. previous to that time, dad would finish mowing and then let me practice driving it around the yard. this slowly progressed into finishing the yard after he did the outer edges and tough corners, to me being able to do the entire yard alone. because i started doing this before i was driving a car, i would even practice parking the mower as if i were parking a car. silly me.

anyway, when i moved into my home here in greater Advance, NC, (and btw, that’s pronounced AD-vance, with the emphasis on the first syllable, with both ‘a’s being pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘apple,’ and adding a southern drawl), i was happy to have a yard to mow. funnily enough, even though my mailing address is Advance, i don’t actually live in Advance…it is 4 miles or so to the south. the tornadoes that ripped through davie county a week and a half ago (while i was at montreat) went through Advance itself. so, i think i live in the middle of a nameless nowhere in davie county, which borders forsyth county, which is where i work. but, i digress…

for the previous 14 years, i had not lived in a house that required mowing…i either lived in a dorm, fraternity house, apartment, or town home during those 14 years. no mowing. as i moved here, i knew i needed to buy a mower. i decided that in our green twenty-first century world, i would try to purchase something environmentally friendly. i looked into electric mowers, having used one once during the summer i spent in washington state. affordability would be an issue. but then i was excited to discover that i could purchase one of those old-timey “reel” mowers…i didn’t know they still made them…or re-started making them.

actually, several companies make them and they are available at several stores. i found a used one at the chattanooga sears parts & repair store (which i recommend those stores for any major appliance purchase, and other hit-or-miss tools & entertainment purchases…great deals on out-of-season, previous season, used/refurbished, and scratch & dent stuff). but i digress…

i got a “reel” mower for $30, i think, if memory serves me correctly. it would have been about $80 new. sears made two models at that time (in 2006): an 18-inch and 21-inch (i think). i have the 18-inch, and i LOVE it! it cuts so smoothly and cleanly…the wheels of the mower do not leave trails as distinct as traditional push mowers…it is lighter weight…and, my neighbors favorite feature, it is much MUCH quieter. i look forward to using it. but, there is a catch…you have to have real grass.

growing up, i never had grass in my yard. we were just lucky the majority of it was green. my yard pretty much looked like the salad you get at restaurants…you know, with the purple leaves, and the yellow stringy things, and the yellow-green skinny leafy thorny-looking things, and the green broad-leaf things that look like they should have dandelions attached to them. yea…but now, i bought a house that where sod was laid when it was built! (not by me…can’t afford that!) so, i can use my reel mower to cut the real grass. but, that is only in the front. my back yard is half weeds, half grass…and i do not look forward to mowing the back. once the grass gets to a certain height, i can’t mow it with my reel mower…the blade guard simply pushes the tall weeds over and prevents it from running through the blades.

while i was gone to montreat, my grass grew a LOT (last time i fertilize!!!), such that i needed to borrow my neighbors mower…which they just bought an electric mower. i’ve used it once before…it is SO cool. my week was super busy, and several evenings were spent at the hospital visiting with meredith (which she is doing much better, by the way…still at the hospital, but in a regular room), resulting in my inability to borrow the mower. so, this weekend i tried to borrow it. i kept crossing with my neighbors and neither of us were home at the same time. when i returned home from a dance recital on saturday night, and drove into my driveway, my headlights no longer reflected upon the shafts of grain at the top of my foot-tall stalks of grass. someone had mowed my lawn! at first, i thought it was the elves that live in the forest, but then decided it must have been kate or sam.

sunday morning, i saw kate (who is in GOOTH) and sam (her 5th-grade brother who is excited about being in GOOTH next year) and they admitted to mowing the lawn…sam did most of the work apparantly. over cookies and lemonade on the CPC patio following worship, he said to me, “have you been to the mall?” i thought, “random,” and answered, “yes.” “have you been to the food court?” “yes.” “you know how they give you the sample of food on a toothpick?” “yes.” “when i mowed your lawn, that was just a sample.” i laughed out loud. here this 5th grader had got me with his economic prowess and has now suckered me into paying him to mow my lawn this summer! haha. i’ll have him mow it some…i’ll be traveling a lot with the GOOTH, and will need help in keeping it under control. but i’ll get my share of mowing in, too. it’s a time i enjoy to be outside and work in my yard. it fits nicely into the activities i talked about in my previous post “the one about golfing and oak hollow” where i talk about the spirituality of creation and outdoors.

speaking of outdoors, the cardinal in the window is still there all day long, chirping in at me. yay.

 

the one about ARW

what a week i had at montreat! the weather was perfect last week…bright sunshine, clear air, gentle breeze, mild temperatures…montreat at its finest.

if you aren’t sure what ARW is, it is the Annual Recreation Workshop which is held the first week of may in montreat. for more about ARW, visit www.recreationworkshop.org. this is my 8th workshop, and i hope i never miss another one. for more about montreat, a conference center of the presbyterian church (usa), please visit www.montreat.org.

the two classes i’m taking this year are Games Galore and Breaking Bread Together. every morning, we play 2 hours of games of all sorts. i’ve learned some new techniques, tips, and variations on games i know, and a whole bunch of new games. i was also introduced to using common objects for game props…from climbing cords to doggie toys. i can’t wait to get back and try them out with my youth group (aka GOOTH!).

in my second class, we baked many types of breads! it was so much fun! yeast breads, corn meal tortillas, muffins, wheat breads, flat breads, biscuits, scones…we made much more than i imagined we would…including the communion bread for the closing worship service. i’m so excited about trying out the recipes again. i went out yesterday and bought a new pizza baking stone…we used one for baking many of the breads last week…it is a great way to cook.

recreation is an important part of ministry. God gave us our bodies and the joy of play as gifts of creation. playing games together, cooking together, eating together, sharing stories together – these all help to build up the body of Christ in the world. Jesus was a hungry dude…he was constantly eating in the gospels! and what was one of the first things Jesus did after the resurrection? he ate! he broke bread. he cooked fish. he served his disciples as host. the cooking class helped reinforce the tools of hospitality that i’ve learned growing up. i hope to be able to pass those along to others through the art and ministry of cooking.

i was reunited with many old friends and made many new friends as well. friends from california, to florida, to canada, to mexico, to haiti, to ireland were gathered together at Montreat last week…we’re all a part of the body of Christ…and we all enjoy the gift of play and hospitality.

take some time to play this week and enjoy the gift of play that God has given you.

PS – the cardinal in the window greeted me today in my first day back in the office after ARW!

 

the one about voting

i voted today. i live in north carolina, and the primary is next monday. but, i will be at montreat on monday, and unable to vote in my district. so, i went into downtown mocksville this afternoon to vote early.

i live in davie county, which is immediately to the west of forsyth county, which is where winston-salem and clemmons are located. i work in clemmons. davie is a rural county, but growing in places and is quickly becoming a bedroom community for winston-salem. i never go into mocksville, since i work in the other direction. but, today is a beautiful day and it gave me a chance to drive through the country…and what a pleasant drive it was. along the way to mocksville, i pass a vineyard, farms, nurseries, many old houses, and bunches of huge trees that have been around forever. although i rarely make the drive, i enjoy it when i do.

when the primaries began for this election, i didn’t think that the north carolina primary would play a significant role in the outcome of the party conventions. i figured that, as is often the case, the clear winner rises to the top well before all of the state primaries are conducted. that happened with the republican party, of which i was a registered member. when i first registered to vote at age 18, i registered republican because that was with whom my parents were registered. unfortunately for me, my 18th birthday fell between the deadline for voter registration and the november election in 1990. although it was not a presidential election, it was a gubernatorial election year in tennessee. i did not get to vote. sad. as this primary approached, i began to realize that the primary would have an impact on the election – but only in the democratic party. at the same time, i realized i’d be out of town on election day. so, i switched my party affiliation to the democratic party and looked into early voting.

i am not a very political person. in fact, as knowledgeable and experienced as i am with many things, and although i was a history teacher before becoming a pastor, i know squat about politics. i tend to avoid deep political discussions, because i can’t really participate knowledgeably beyond the surface. i tell myself that i should do research more often on the candidates and pay attention to the current events in the media…but only to the media to a certain extent. one reason i am not too political is because of the media. i hate how the media spins politics, among other things. who cares if obama’s pastor made offensive remarks? obama did not make them. obama did not condone them. so why associate obama’s character with the character of another individual? if i were to disassociate myself with everyone with whom i disagreed politically, theologically, socially, or in any other topic-ally manner, i’d not have any friends. none of us would. if the media can’t drag up stuff about obama to hold against him, don’t hold the actions of other people against him. seems silly and pointless to me.

besides the media, i’ve always disliked mudslinging politics. it’s just like commercials for competing products. i want to see why certain products are good products on their own and maybe how they contrast with others in performance. i want to be influenced by positive reasons. but i do not need to see, nor do i want to see, how the other product is inferior, bad, not up to standard, or lacking. i do not want to be influenced by negative reasons – at least from one’s point of view. if one’s product isn’t good enough to stand on its own, one should work harder at making one’s product better and showing it in a positive light. one shouldn’t make one’s product seem better by discrediting the other, relying on negative information to bolster interest. in the end, one hasn’t really said anything positive about one’s own product…one has only trashed the other. i don’t want to see candidates telling me that they are better for the position, simply because they have bad things to say about the other candidate. tell me that the candidate is better for the position because of their merit, success, ideals, innovation, foresight…whatever…anything but negative advertising for the other side. any guesses on who i voted for?

i hope you voted, or if your state hasn’t yet voted, you will use your right to vote. that is, if you are 18.

the cardinal in the window is still hanging around

 

the one about the cardinal in the window

i’ve got this cardinal that has been pecking at my office window for more than a week, now. he showed up last monday…crash flying right into my window. then he tried flying in a couple more times, but not from quite as far away. felicia (our dce) was even standing there when he flew into the window once. i didn’t react, so she looked at the window, startled, before looking back at me. i casually said, “oh, it’s this cardinal that’s been flying into my window all afternoon.” after giving up on flying in, he settled for sitting on the sill, pecking the window, and chirping. he hops & flies between my window, bill’s window (our head of staff), the bush outside our window, and a tree. i’m not sure why. early on, i thought maybe he was like lassie, trying to signal me to come and save timmy or something…but there are no dangers right outside my window.

several folks have been in to visit the cardinal. ok, so they come to see me, but the cardinal has been there multiple times to greet the same people. kinda weird. you can even sit in my couch by the window, and the cardinal does not fly away. he doesn’t get startled…he just sits there are looks at you. i’ve even gotten to the point that i don’t notice the chirping any longer while i’m working at my desk. it is just part of the background noise.

but, while i don’t notice every chirp any longer, i haven’t forgotten about the cardinal. i actually find myself looking over at the window every once and a while to see if he is there. i find it kinda cool that he is there. how often does a creature from creation set up home and talk to you every day?!?! i don’t know yet what he may be saying to me, but maybe someday i’ll figure it out. could it be God reminding me that spring is here and that while i spend most of my day in an office, God has created a whole playground outside for me to explore? maybe so.

i’m going to montreat next week. i hope the cardinal in the window is still hanging around when i return.