Category: Church

Busy weekend

Helping Jerome with concrete this afternoon – hope to run into some friends as well.

Sucked it up and bought car insurance.  I am putting together a list of work on the car to justify my asking price. Paul also helped by sending me a nice pic of Ziva.

Put together a care package for Katie for her move (envelopes, stamps, etc.)  She’s been going nuts buying stuff. Dropped her off at work.  Happy sigh.

Tomorrow church AGM and for supper off to the John B to suck back some Shirley Temples (yes, I’m still not drinking) and pub grub and watch ….. the BLUUUUUUUUUUE MEEEEEEEEEEENIES.  Because I loves them, and Mike and Rozo may come, and Jeff said he’d go too.

I cleaned about half of the kitchen and once I make that list and update the craigslist ad, I’m going to go back to doing that.

I used to be a catastrophist, but I’m all right now

I hear through the grapevine that Keith found a job.  I am so glad to see my kids get their feet under them.

I think Jeff is going to win our contest.

I will be hanging with friends and doing churchy things this weekend, so I am looking forward to a restful time.

Jeff and Katie and I attempted to watch Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and I just got up and left after half an hour.  The kid was amazing but the rest of the movie sucked.  Apparently a lot of people hated the kid, but I sure didn’t.

I hung the Labyrinth quilt at my desk today, as the Tree of Life had to go back to Katie.

Hugs for the hordes of people who appear to be having mental health problems these days.  I am actually struggling towards a composure which has a modicum of happiness in it, which is a blessed and marked improvement over last year.  Vitamin D for the win, folks.  Most of us aren’t getting nearly enough, and you can’t be sane without it.

What a day

Trip was fine, weather was so wonderful when I got home. I realized I had just enough energy to do a small shop and get the stone chip that Ziva collected the last time I went to Victoria fixed, and the guys at Crystal Glass on 6th repaired it for nothing because they liked my car.  I will take them all my glass work in future!

Sue called me to remind me about the minister meeting last night but I’d already told David that it was a travelling day and I was unlikely to attend.  I was in bed asleep by 8 so it’s just as well.  Formal announcement is coming soon.

In the middle of all this I got the reference check call for Katie WHO WILL HAVE HER OWN APARTMENT on May 1.  Huge step forward for her and I hope she enjoys having her own space.

And now, Chipper I’m thinking of you when I post this link.  Farming doesn’t have to be an ecological disaster.

As of yesterday, the story, homily and song are under Homilies to the left.

I can certainly describe the golden moments.

Dennis walking straight up to the hanging mOm made and examining it. The hanging was perfect, and what made me happy was figuring out IN ADVANCE how I was going to affix it to the podium without damaging anything.

The hanging did excite comment.  It ought to, it’s gorgeous.

Working with Rowan on sound and with Sally on aesthetics (I bought creamy orange tulips, which went magnificently with the hanging and which Sally took home after the service).

Rehearsing with Tom and Peggy and Sue.  Happy sigh.

Delivering the children’s story.  It was a little more challenging than normal but every child stayed attentive, which made me happy.

Cleaning up the trash off the front lawn of the church before the service.

MIKE AND ROZO came.  They liked it! First time either of them had been to church for Easter since their teens.

Jason helping with a service for the first time.

Marge and Jim joining us at church for the first time in ages.

Ralph hugging me and telling me it was a barn burner of a service.  Ralph is 95 and I cherish a word of praise from him most highly.

Dennis, eyes watering, embracing me after the service and being almost speechless, which is going some for Dennis.

Finding out Anita will be home from hospital by now.

Performing the song.  Man, I keep forgetting how much I enJOY singing with those folks.  I wish I could do it all day every day.  Honestly.

 

Homily all done

Now all that remains is for me to:

Take down the quilted hanging mOm made for Katie (it was either that or the labyrinth, which in some respects works better but colour wise works worse) to put on the podium.

Print out children’s story and homily,

Practice the song through a couple more times with Tom and Peggy once we get to church; Rowan already knows about the sound requirements as I remembered just before I lost consciousness last night to email him.  He has already emailed me back letting me know he’s hep.  Which he has to be, being a professional accordion player and all, not just Beacon’s sound guy.

Kill a few more trees and print out the music for anybody who wants it.

Get myself ritually clean (ha ha jk)

Pick out my Sabbath garment (something of suitable size and robustness for an occasion of this nature)

Get there about an hour early to do a nice leisurely shop for yummy treats and flowers for the service as I kinda want to splash out a bit.  After all there’s a good chance Mike and Rozo are coming (let’s just say that my enjoyment of the occasion will not be destroyed if they don’t come.)

After it’s all over I’m going to go visit some Beacon elders, or possibly just one elder, in hospital.  She fell and broke some ribs, poor doll; I phoned her spouse last night and commiserated with him briefly and found out that her loss is my gain; since she’s in the hospital right across the street from the church and her hubby, who would not otherwise have come to church if she’d been released already, will be at church tomorrow.  And I really shouldn’t have put it that way, but I enjoy preaching when they are there since they do appreciate my work.  Healing thoughts and energy your way, folks.  The other elder is waiting for transfer to a care facility, and is apparently a very hard case to go visit because she’s claiming to be imprisoned against her will, part of the whole ‘being unclear on your current role in life’s rich pageant’ gig that is part of being frail and demented elderly.  Dunno if I’m going to have the chops for that, but I can at least plan.

I didn’t visit her.

After that’s all done, come home for the very last SG1 (barring the movies) and hopefully something yummy for Easter Dinner.  I’ll be checking out what Thrifty’s has on offer for that score. I’m thinking roast beast, maybe something over the top like prime rib.  Or maybe one of those stuffed turkey breasts suitable for a small number of diners.  Or maybe I’ll just say screw it and take Jeff out for dinner.  He has fallen host to the Skyrim virus.

Speaking of which… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALbQQzePzt4&list=UUXoIFuHdVHm-Zp9umA2seRQ&index=1&feature=plcp

One of the best fan videos EVER and it’s mercifully short with great production values.

___________

Katie was here briefly last night and went out again (to see a movie with friends).  I didn’t enquire and she did not volunteer.

 

 

Wrasslin’ with Homiletics.

I will have been kicking homiletics ASS!  BOOYAH!  Boy Howdy!  Awright!  Right on! Good one! I’ll say!  Yeehaw! Yoicks! Tally-Ho!  Andale! By Your Command! Hip Hip Hooray! Good Show! Commendable!  Most Impressive! Indeed! Life, Health, Strength!  Blessed Be! Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Oh, yeah, I haven’t finished it yet.  Children’s story is done and thumbs up from the irrepressable Sally and her happy making aesthetics.

A repeat from September 2004

Quoted from Mr. Damon, who has since moved away from the internet.

 

Now let me be clear about something. I am not a Christian, but I am neither anti-Christian nor anti-church. I recognize and support modes of thought and faith and communion that provide people with solace, strength and a sense of vibrancy and blessing. I DO NOT have a high regard for fundamentalist, literalist philosophies and the oppressive, narrow and, in some cases, violent behaviors that they promote. That has little to do with religion and Spirit, in my opinion, and a whole lot do with fear, control and ambitions toward dominion.

To bring harm, hardship, anxiety and death to your enemies — who are in fact your human + natural relations — in the name of a deity, or with a notion of divine guidance + supremacy, is an act of utmost ignorance and an affront to all of that which is our true nature and purpose.

a miscellany of news items

So Paul dragged me out of the house for a walk yesterday (I wore my cloak, as it was the perfect weather for it) and while we were walking up Davies Dave the Plumber and his wife tried to run us down in his truck while we cowered in fear.

Uh, no, but I can imagine somebody watching thinking that.  Dave, a devout Sikh and one of the best plumbers and pipefitters in the lower mainland, has a puckish sense of humour.  We chatted for a bit and continued on with our walk, much amused by our ‘near miss’.

When Paul and I first got this house outfitted for a gas stove, Dave did the work.  I came back from my first interview with (previous x 2 company) all bubbly and happy and then I got all sad face because when I asked how the work was coming on and both Paul and Dave with straight faces said “Terrible, it’s not working”, and then when I got testy they burst out laughing.  They had not actually prearranged this little gag so you can see why Paul and Dave were two peas in a pod.  I am thankful to know such good tradesmen, and I particularly thank him for the amazing work he did when the ‘spring’ happened in the back yard at the Augur Inn.

Paul’s on course for six weeks and has weekends off and no nights.  I’m sure he’ll enjoy that.

Jeff is still feeling crappy but he took some small amount of food yesterday.

The idiot ex has quit harassing Katie.

Keith came in to the office on Friday and we played Forbidden Island with the D-man.

I made borscht for the Sasamat soup lunch this morning.  It is FREAKING AWESOME, but I betcha I’m gonna be musical in the office tomorrow.

I have one more load of laundry to do and then all my laundry will be clean.

I told the Worship committee Easter will be my last homily for Beacon, as I am going to have a stressful 2012-13 year at church (I am taking on a much bigger role in terms of governance) and I need to reduce stressors big time.  I think King Jesus is a great topic and I’m going to be going out with a ‘bang’ so to speak.

I have decided that I am going to write a book about customer service.  mOm is going to help me with it.

I took food to Sue on Friday; her knee is ow-ie.  I asked her how the hell she’s going to be in two plays between now and the middle of May and she laughed and said that the roles require her to be in bed for most of the shows.  I thought this was a stupendous coincidence and congratulated her on what appeared to be prescience.

I have pulled so much fur off Margot in the last three days (she’s doing the spring shed) that she’s having existential angst as it appears to her I’ve pulled a Margot-equivalent of fur off her already and she doesn’t understand that she can still be here.

Well, it’s that time again.  I’m doing the coffee in church today so I won’t be upstairs listening to the service.  Tom’s friend is being memorialized this afternoon so no rehearsal for my new song to be performed in church, we’re hoping Monday night now.

If you don’t have a will please write it up now.

Laughing so hard I hurt myself

I just read on about.com (in a column about “The Worst Car You Ever Owned”) “Owning this car was like being married to A Supermodel with a Cocaine Problem.”

The latest round of repairs to Ziva appears to have more or less fixed the running rough on start up issue, and the rad had to be replaced because it was leaking and we have indoor outdoor cats.  This will stop rad fluid from getting into the head gaskets.  Thus the amusement about the above noted comment.

Margot’s blookhy eye is MUCH better, the pus is less, the redness almost entirely absent, although she yowls like a serval when I grab her to put the eyegoop from the vet in her eye.  I need to trim her whiskers again, as they curl back into her eye and I think that’s what caused this last ailment.

I am coughing, sneezing, wheezing and I feel like I’ve broken a rib.  Everybody in the house has been sick with a cold; feline and primate cheerfully shedding virus all over each other.

Music 2night with Cindy, possibly Paul too, who knows.  I think I’ll stick with playing, because all that comes out when I actually sing is a hideous croaking noise.

Sunday I go corrupt the minds of our youth.  Yes, I am participating in youth RE and talking about “My Life So Far.”

A new member of the family

I have to apologize for the title, ’cause mOm has specific ideas about what constitutes family and I’m being a bit more general.

This afternoon I’m going to a friend’s place and in the company of some church worthies gang interview a prospective minister.  If it doesn’t work out we’ll be all, like, sadface primate, and if it looks hopeful we’ll be hooting and hollering. And if’s meh, we’ll deal as always.

Church music – 1st verse and chorus – I am having a remarkably productive Feb, song wise

PS, the choir practice was interesting but not inspiring for me.  For other people, mos’ def.

 

 

When we choose to look back at how far we have come

The change will take our breath away

But as far as we’ve come, much remains to be done

And we learn life will ever be this way

In the

hall of remembrance x 3

Where all the heroes go

In the

hall of remembrance x 3

Where all the heroes go