#1 danger of journaling late at night… you might tell the truth!
THOUGHTS:
You have to look at your own life. Your own sins. And then you wonder how you can change. At what point do we recognize that we’re not any better. You try so damn hard to be holy and righteous in the eyes of the Lord and fail so miserably every damn day. It’s funny how you look at the world differently. What do you want?
What if someone actually gives you permission to love? You don’t have to seek anyone’s approval, really not even your own. It is just something you know. Why sit around second-guessing your heart?
The world is full of such beautiful people. Where does hate come from? Why don’t we love the color of their lives?
To have someone pray for you in the language that they understand. Their words touch the face of God.
There’s nothing to be afraid of.
I write these words because I have no voice to speak to Him. I write these words because the sun rose behind the moon and there was no light except for you.
Life should be color. A riot of color.
#1 danger of journaling late at night… you might tell the truth!
What I learned today: see above.
Thought for the day: We need more scars. They hide the fresh wounds.
As the header states, this is a shameless plug for The Golden Fistula. The price has been lowered to $.99 for the eBook and will eventually go to free (just in case you’re holding out for the real bargain.) Trying to do one more sales run before the second book in the series, The Marble Finger, comes out, which will hopefully be by the end of the year. That said, click the image below to order your copy today!
Friday night was the night at the ballpark and a visit from dad, Saturday was a writing day (added 3,500 words to The Marble Finger) and today was the preaching day (the sermon–you can find it here–seemed to work) followed by a nice nap. That, my friends, is a delightful weekend. Now, to ease into next week and get a few more items checked off the list, one of which is Contemporary Koinonia a.k.a. COKO.
COKO is a journal that a priesty friend and I are starting. We both got so tired of hearing all the bad / angry news out there about the Episcopal Church and we both knew that there were some remarkable stories to tell, so we are in the process of creating a resource for sharing them. It is not a local journal, although some stories will be, but we are working to bring the stories of the church into a tool that will allow congregations, clergy, and bishops to see and hear about the great and transformative work that is taking place in our church. More to come on this later, but the first issue–we hope–will be out in October. Don’t worry, you won’t need a subscription. Good news should always be free!
Hard change of gears (hear them grinding) and we’re off to the movies….
After watching Snatch, I’m wondering who does crazy better, Brad Pitt or Jack Nicholson. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” And we all know Jack Torrance is about as crazy as they come! That said, Mickey O’Neil (Brad Pitt) is an excellent nut case and the movie is fun, but I have to wonder if Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson / The Shining) could take him. I’ll let you all weigh in on this one. Oh… it was a bit back we discussed Judi Dench’s laugh… brilliant, but I forgot about Brooke Adams in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1973). It’ll make you happy just to hear it (and the movies is one my favs.)
And now we begin a new week. What surprises will it bring… a friend unexpectedly pulling up in your driveway, a moment to see Jesus in the face of another, a few more words in the novel… who knows. Maybe all of the above. Hoping your week is filled with the unexpected… that reminds me of a sermon I preached years ago: there are no coincidences, there are only God-incidences–it was probably as goofy then as it sounds now, but you get the point.
What I learned today (at least for me): being disciplined requires a goal. To simply say I’m going to do something doesn’t generally motivate me to accomplish it. I need a carrot. Perhaps that’s OK, but wouldn’t it be nice… and perhaps even easier… if you could do something simply for the love of it? I think I need to work on this (although I do love my work and wouldn’t trade that for anything!)
Thought for the day: “Do not be afraid; our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift.” ― Dante Alighieri, Inferno It’s probably one of those that you print on a coffee cup and remember to read every now and then, but… that doesn’t make it any less true.
Saint Jean Baptiste prêchant devant Hérode Antipas by Pieter de Grebber
Hibbard “Hib” Johnson was an associate of Thomas Edison and was a partner in the organization that is now General Electric. He is also the Father of the Electric Christmas Tree Light. Given all that, he was fairly well off, being worth about $30M in today’s dollars, which means he could have what he wanted and he wanted a house built by Frank Lloyd Wright and… he got it. Only problem, the roof leaked, and one evening when Johnson was entertaining distinguished guests for dinner, and after several attempts to repair, it leaked again, dripping steadily onto Hibbard’s head. It is reported that Hib, irate, called Wright in Phoenix, Arizona. “Frank,” he said, “you built this beautiful house for me and we enjoy it very much. But I have told you the roof leaks, and right now I am with some friends and distinguished guests and it is leaking right on top of my head.” Wright’s reply, supposedly heard by all: “Well, Hib, why don’t you move your chair?”
I’m sure I can be stubborn at times, but not so pig-headed as to not move the chair. However, when we get our minds set on something, we can get a bit stubborn, whether we know we are right or wrong. Why? Because we want to get our way. We want what we want. After thinking on our Gospel lesson, I believe that was what was behind Herodias’ desire to have John put to death.
A little background, which is the story of three Herods. There was Herod the Great. He was the Herod that the three wisemen came to visit and that had all the young children in Bethlehem put to death. Then there was Herod II, son of Herod the Great. Herod II was heir apparent to the throne and married to Herodias; however, just days prior to Herod the Great’s death, Herod II fell out of favor with dad and it was Herod Antipas (we’ll call him Antipas) who was Herod II’s brother by another mother, that became king. Clear as mud? So, Herod II is married to Herodias and Antipas is married to a foreign princess. Herod II loses the throne to Antipas, and this is where things get really complicated. Antipas and Herodias, have a little thing on the side and both end up divorcing their spouses and marrying one another. Some might say they fell in love, but it would seem to me that Herodias just wanted to be queen, no matter what. She got it and was determined to remain so, but then, along comes John the Baptist, calling them out on their sin: you can’t marry your brother’s wife.
That would certainly be enough to get John in trouble, but as Herod was king and Herodias queen, they would have received criticism from many, and if those critics get too loud, you get rid of them, but there was something about John that was different from those other critics. Our reading said, “Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.”
Enter the dancing daughter. Must have been a fine dance, because Herod offers her half the kingdom. Being the devoted daughter, she asks momma: “Momma, we can have half the kingdom. What should I ask for?” She could have had so much, but instead she asked for John’s death. Why? I think part of the answer lies in the fact that Herod “liked to listen to” John. And what if, in all his talking that Herod like to listen to, one day, John was able to finally convince Herod that he shouldn’t be married to Herodias? Herodias understood that. Herod could as easily divorce her as he did his first wife. She could have had anything she wanted, but she could have lost what she so stubbornly went after: being queen. So, she had eliminated the one that might bring about her demise. “Well, Hib, why don’t you move your chair?” “Well, Herodias, why don’t you stop being so pig-headed and listen to God?”
This incident tells us about the lives of the king and queen and the death of John, is a microcosm of the world that Jesus entered into. A world where those who rule, both civilly and religiously, are corrupt and sinful. A world that does whatever it wants in order to get whatever it wants, whether it be right or wrong. A world that will put to death those who try to speak the word of God into the sinfulness. It is a story about how the world goes about silencing God. The entire incident, therefore, is a foreshadowing of what is to happen with Jesus, for like John, Jesus is going to call them all out on their sinfulness and as we know, they will silence him as well.
Today… today we also silence God. From taking prayer out of schools to perverting God’s word to suit our purposes, whether using it as a weapon against those who are different or by reinterpreting the difficult bits so that we no longer call sin sin. These and in so many other ways we silence God. But not only do we see the silencing of God in the world around us, but we silence him in our own lives as well.
Think of Herod and Herodias and John calling them to repentance. John was performing the same function that the Holy Spirit performs in our lives. With the king and queen, he spoke to them, showing them the errors they were making, and then showing them the path of righteousness. The same is true with the workings of the Holy Spirit in our own lives, and like Herod and Herodias, when that voice in the wilderness speaks to us, pointing out our errors and showing us the path of righteousness, we can become stubborn in our sin and effectively tune out and silence the Spirit. If we persist, then we put ourselves in danger of no longer even recognizing that voice, and then we really are in trouble, but we are not lost. Our God is one that seeks out the lost.
They brought to Jesus “a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” (Mark 7:32-35)
We can silence God to the point where we become deaf to God, but if we will allow it by not being stubborn in our sin, if we will accept his corrections, then he can once again open our ears and our spirits to the voice of the Spirit of God, that we might walk in paths of righteousness. Consider the first verse of our Psalm:
“I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.” (Psalm 85:8)
Don’t be the one who is too stubborn to move your chair when the water is pouring on you. Don’t be the one who silences God when God is trying to correct you. Pray that the ears of your heart will be opened, then turn your heart to him and listen to what the Lord God is saying and he will be faithful to you and lead you along the path of righteousness.
Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.
Dad is coming tomorrow and tomorrow evening is St. Matthew’s Night at the Ballpark. We shall see if I’m throwing out the first pitch (always an embarrassment for everyone concerned.) I use to play baseball when I was a kid, but some forty odd years later… I don’t remember so much, especially how to throw the ball.
Thursdays are my Fridays and I always find them difficult, mainly because it is no one else’s Friday and I spend the evening at home with the Queen. She’s around somewhere, but not very talkative. So, I’m generally searching for something, but I never really know what that is and no matter what… eat, drink, write, talk… it is never really satisfying. Always looking for something in the void.
I worked on the sermon today and finished up a bit later than I planned. It also was not the sermon I thought I would be preaching. This one came out a bit “harder” than what I’m accustomed to, but still very valid and relevant to the Gospel. It is interesting when we begin to look at the historical application and the immediate application. It is then that we begin to realize the complexity and genius of the Gospels. The “Living” Word is so very true. It moves… now, don’t misinterpret… I am NOT saying that it moves and we are free to interpret according to our whims (Heaven forbid! We would end up with no bookends/brackets/”Law” and it would all be higgelypiggely according to our own desires. “God created man in his image and man returned the favor” type of nonsense!) Grace supersedes it all, but grace does not allow for shenanigans! Can I get an, “Amen!”
This is what I have for tonight. It is a rambling mess, but it is a journal and journals are allowed to be rambling messes.
What did I learn today: I’m not always prepared to listen to my own preaching.
Thought for the day: Richard Baxter (don’t we loathe the Reformers and Protestants, especially when they speak truth! Oy!) “Take heed to yourselves, lest you perish, while you call upon others to take heed of perishing; and lest you famish yourselves while you prepare food for them.” I would die for them. I am so very thankful that He died for me! A room in the basement of Heaven with a cot is all I ask for, but I will give it up for the least of those I’m called to serve. Why should they suffer or be held accountable for my shortcomings?
I have no pictures this evening, so we’ll just settle for this video (fast forwarding) of me writing this particular post….
Eva Lee Matthews was born in 1862. Her father was a US Senator who would later go on to become a Supreme Court justice. She was a debutante. It would seem such a life would have created another woman of society; however, the Lord had different plans for Eva and she was obedient to God’s call.
She was a devout Episcopalian and for a number of years served the poor in Omaha, Nebraska and Cincinnati, Ohio. However she and a coworker, in 1898, did something quite remarkable: they founded a new religious order within the Episcopal Church: The Community of the Transfiguration. It was a house that was to be based in the lives of Mary and Martha. Mother Eva Mary, as she came to be known, believed that the Christian was to be a servant of God and that the light of Christ should flow through them. She once said, “The vision of the King is his beauty and is given that the light may shine through us and guide others to know, love, and glorify him.”
She was fond of writing short poems, one of which she wrote shortly after she and her friend took their final vows of profession.
Life for Life—Yea, Lord, so let it be, My life for Thine as Thine was given for me, How could I think a lesser gift to bring, Some broken, useless, fragmentary thing?
Nay, let it be the perfect crystal, Lord, Offered up whole, unbroken, and unmarred, No part kept back for self or sin or strife, But laid at Thy feet, the full price of a life.
Men see the work which is the outer shell, The humble vessel, be it ill or well, That holds the life elixir for a space ‘Ere it be poured from its discarded vase.
They only see the outside of the cup, Thou seest within the Life that’s offered up. The heart of love in penitence immersed Drink, Lord of Life, and quench Thy loving thirst. (Source)
In our gospel reading today, the woman in Bethany anointed Jesus body. It was to prepare him for his burial that was to come. Speaking of her, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”
There are many men and women throughout the world, like the woman in Bethany and Mother Eva Mary, who go quietly about the business of serving Jesus. They don’t ask for recognition or accolades, but they are remembered by God. They hand themselves over to God’s will and ask to be used by him in whatever manner he chooses. We can all learn from them.
In our Saints Book Club we are reading In this House of Brede. Early on, one of the nuns tells another, “What is really apostolic, what really speeds God’s glory, is not the time given to work, but the holiness of the worker.” That too is our calling whether in great ways known by all or the simple quiet ways of serving a single soul. In either case, we serve Jesus by serving them and the glory of God, the holiness of God is revealed to others through our works, and it draws them into closer relationship with their Savior.
It would not be proper if I did not begin by wishing you all a happy 4th of July! Our nation is now 244 years old. All those years ago we seemed to have been a child that was far too wise for its age, but today… well, we seem to have reverted to some other child, pitching temper tantrums in the middle of the grocery store aisle. That said…
We may not always be happy with the direction of things, but we’ll defend the leaders and the rest of the motley crew to the death.
Yesterday, as I was writing on The Marble Finger and at the end of an intercalary chapter, I added: The Rev. Timothy Powell was always a bit of a coward. And all this talk of the talons of hell had brought on a severe case of nerves in his bowels…. (I’m not going to give things away here!) The question I have: who the hell is this guy? I was minding my own business, writing a book, and then this Rev. Timothy Powell with the bowels shows up! What the heck is he up to? That is one of the joys of writing fiction, but it also makes you feel a bit schizophrenic. There you are, minding your own business, and… BAM!… somebody shows up that you don’t know or someone does something unexpected…. Yeah. It is fun. Tomorrow will be another day of edits… two chapters for that… and writing. I still like Hemingway’s advice on this: “Write drunk. Edit Sober.” Well, I won’t be getting drunk, but the adult beverage on a day off is a given… “Cheers to you!”
For me, with books or movies, if it ain’t no good, I don’t bother finishing. I’ve got other things to do with my time, which is why there is no movie report today. I started several, got a few minutes in (one even 30 minutes) and hit the exit button. Awful. If you’ve got a title, please feel free to pass it along. And, let’s be honest, watching foxes bounce on trampolines are hard to beat, which reminds me… I have discovered the short films on YouTube. Why did I not know they were out there? Between eight and thirty minutes… sci-fi, drama, comedy… some of these are quite brilliant. They are like the “tweet” version of a regular movie. Here’s a good sci-fi short with an excellent moral teaching…
Whichever genre you’re a fan of, you’ll likely be able to find some pretty amazing shorts. I tend to go for the sci-fi or comedy, but there are some that are brilliant, but will break your dang heart.
I’m not real sure how today’s preachy thing went, but I liked the message. Perhaps the Spirit worked in the midst of my ramblings and someone heard a note that resonated with them. Each week I try and do better than I did the previous…. that is accomplished at times and at others… not so much. Like writing fiction, if you are trying to listen, you don’t always know where things are going or the message that is trying to spoken, but the LORD does and I’m confident he will use our most floundering attempts for his purposes. I do know that if I apply myself fully to the task and do the best I can, then I feel that I’ve been faithful to the calling. I’ll find out at the end of days.
I planted rocks a month or so back, but now I’m wondering if I should have planted wildflowers instead. They are lovely… I’m a fan of symmetry, but I think to break it up enhances it in other ways. Thoughts?
What did I learn today? Within each of us is another that is who we truly are. That other wants to be known, because that other is the one that is true. How many layers must be excavated before the other is revealed? There will always be one who knows it… just one… but seek to make the other known, for that is who you were meant to be. Who you were created to be. I said it during the sermon, but perhaps not so clearly: Allow the other one to shine. He / She is your purpose.
Thought for the day: “When I look through God’s eyes at my lost self and discover God’s joy at my coming home, then my life may become less anguished and more trusting.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Return of the Prodigal Son // What if… and just play along for a minute, because most don’t believe this to be true… What if God really loves you? What if you are a miracle of God and God desires to perform miracles through you? What if it is all true? Then………….
In a Charlie Brown comic strip, Linus, not looking at all happy, is sitting, holding his blanket, with his thumb in his mouth. He then asks Lucy, his sister, “Why are you always so anxious to criticize me?” Lucy smugly replies, “I just think I have a knack for seeing other people’s faults.” Throwing his hands in the air, Linus shouts, “But what about your own faults?!” Without missing a beat, Lucy responds, “I have a knack for overlooking them.”
Lucy, well, Lucy can just be a rather unpleasant person, but why does Linus even care? Shouldn’t he just be able to let the criticisms go and move on? And wouldn’t it be nice if Linus wasn’t the only one that the negative comments actually effected. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were immune to them as well. The crazy thing is… science has demonstrated how we are more or less hardwired to hear and internalize the negative far more so than the positive. It is referred to as the negativity bias. It is the negative things that people say about us personally or in general—about society, life, other people—that sticks. That criticism about us personally can have long term negative effects, but if that negative is about someone else, it has a way of cheering us up, especially if it is about someone famous.
A 2015 study published in Social Neuroscience demonstrated that the “reward center in the brain, was activated in response to negative gossip about celebrities; subjects seemed to be amused or entertained by salacious celebrity scandals.” (Source) That helps explain why so many are captivated by tabloid news and “royals” on Oprah. Are you susceptible? Here’s a test: according to federal statistics, 600,000 individuals are released from prison and some 9 million rotate in and out of local jails on an annual basis. (Source) If I was to ask 99.99% of the people in USA to name one of those individuals, who would it be? Bill Cosby. The news media know of our fancy for this type of thing, so they feed it to us in large doses. Not because its really news, but because it sells advertising. {rabbit trail… sorry} The point: it is the juicy gossip, the scandal, the fall of the famous, that draw us in and in order to be included in society, we join in. If my friends—or those I want to be friends with—are scandalized by the scandal, then I too will be scandalized in order to be a part of the group. The gossip or criticism, the negativity bias came into play, and we can all point our finger together, and the person we are all pointing at loses all credibility and all status. They become the scapegoat for all the things we see that are wrong with the world.
“Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’” Hello. We know this guy and he’s know Messiah. Didn’t his mamma get pregnant before she was married? Don’t you remember that? My goodness… and Joseph married her anyhow. Can you say, ‘guilty conscious’? Enquiring minds want to know.
Jesus went to Nazareth, his hometown, and the people criticized and scandalized. The negativity bias almost infected the entire community, because we are told that only a few of the sick were healed. However, no sooner had he and the disciples left Nazareth that Jesus began to send the disciples out two-by-two, having given “them authority over the unclean spirits.” What was the result? “They went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” They had not been infected by the criticism of Nazareth. They continued in faith, believing in Jesus and believing in the authority that he had given them. Nazareth—only a few, but out in the world, at the hands of those who kept the faith—many demons were cast out and many sick were healed.
I’m not talking about having a positive mental attitude. That’s not part of the discussion. What we’re seeing in the disciples is faith—a deep and abiding knowledge in the one who sent them and belief in the authority he had given them. And it is through the giving of the Holy Spirit that this knowledge and authority have been handed down through the generations to God’s Church and to you, his chosen people and royal priesthood. (cf. 1 Peter 2:9) Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus gave the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a) And within you is the potential to fulfill that commission, but what is potential? Merriam-Webster defines it as, “existing in possibility: capable of development into actuality.” Poise your finger above the smooth surface of the water and you have the potential, the possibility of causing ripples that will reach further than you could have imagined, but the ripples will not actually appear until you act and touch. Within you is the possibility, but only the possibility, and the capability given through the Holy Spirit to cause the ripples, that will bring about the fulfillment of the Great Commission, but one of the greatest hinderances to this work will be falling in with the people of Nazareth and allowing the negative to seep in: Jesus was only a really good person. God doesn’t heal like he use to. There are no more miracles. I don’t know how to do this. I’m not good enough. This is too much religion. If I do that, I’ll look like some freak and then… then people will start talking about me. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18) If they criticized him, they will criticize you.
The story is told of a judge who had been frequently ridiculed by a conceited lawyer. When asked by a friend why he didn’t rebuke his assailant, he replied, “In our town lives a widow who has a dog. And whenever the moon shines, it goes outside and barks all night.” Having said that, the magistrate shifted the conversation to another subject. Finally someone asked, “But Judge, what about the dog and the moon?” “Oh,” he replied, “the moon went on shining—that’s all.” What did my friend St. Josemaría Escrivá say: “Don’t waste your time and your energy — which belong to God — throwing stones at the dogs that bark at you on your way. Ignore them.” (The Way, #14)
Through Christ Jesus, you have great potential to do amazing work. If the dogs bark, let them bark. If the critics criticize, ignore them. You… you continue to shine.
I give you this blessing today: May God give you more than you can ever think or ask; May He use you far beyond the boundary of your task. May God lead you further than your vision can yet see; May He mould you, day by day, more perfectly. May God guide you and keep you in the way He sees best; And may he bless you—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—so that every life you touch is blessed. Amen.
Homemade bread… so good when it is fresh out of the oven. This is an artesian round loaf. Very simple. Rises for 24 hours then… deliciousness. Make that fabulous dipping sauce of Italian seasoning, ev olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Eat until it is time for supper. Oy!
But then, it is not done, because there is… homemade bread sandwiches, homemade bread toast, homemade bread toast with local honey, homemade bread toast with the center cut out and the egg fried in the middle (like they do in Moonstruck), and then there’s homemade toast slathered in butter with peanut butter (and you absolutely must spread the peanut butter while the toast is still hot so that the peanut butter gets all melty and gooey)… Yes, Lawds. M.O.O.N…. that spells Tom Cullen! And Tom Cullen knows what he likes (not the Dark Man!) You’ve got to keep up with the movie references on this blog! Speaking of which….
Hector and the Search for Happiness was a delightful film. I’m going to give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2⭐️. To describe it in terms of other movies… It has got a bit of Lost in Translation, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and a touch of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (all of which are exceptional movies.) Two lines: “All those faces. All those hearts. I am such a lucky woman.” and “Listening is loving.” Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead… brilliant!) and Rosamund Pike (I Care A Lot) are great together. “How many of us can recall when we experienced happiness as a state of being?” I can. It was at night, a hallway, a goodbye, tension…. M.O.O.N. If you are looking for something that is more than just a touch twisted, you’ll want the slow-burn, violent (as a priest, I’ve never watched this 😉 only heard about it) and more than slightly deranged… The Loved Ones. Very messed up. That’s it for movie reviews.
For the priesty work… today I preached a sermon on confession (acts of penance) that I felt really good about. Probably more instruction than sermonating, but I believe it worked… so much so that I included it as the cover article for this month’s newsletter. This was actually closely related to the sermonette from Morning Prayer today, which was talking about Simony and how we relate giving to the church in a commoditized culture. I then got to go out and give $1,000 to two organizations in town that are doing remarkable work. One of those gifts purchased 6,000 diapers, which equates to a LOT of dirty bottoms, but happy moms. Love my church!! Tomorrow is Sunday sermon writing time… working title: Limits or Limitless? I feel like it will preach.
Looking forward to a long weekend, although I’m more and more convinced that we would have been better off with old King G., but lets not go down that road. Friday and Saturday, I hope, are dedicated to writing on The Marble Finger and taking some nice long walks… I’m getting fat again: why is this a constant battle {shaking head]…. probably all that bread I talked about earlier!
What did I learn today: my dad is coming up next weekend for a couple of days and we’re going to a baseball game together. Need I say more?
Thought for the day: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ― Anaïs Nin Still love this quote! We all have options and at the top of the food chain is our decision to Believe (read the sermons if you need to know what I’m talking about [hint: Jesus].) Next on the list is the option to live or die (keeping in mind that many people have died, decades before they are properly dead).
