Marriage is important, but LOVE is even moreso

305278_844352798272_871992134_nMarriage is important, but LOVE is even moreso

If I speak in the tongues of humanity or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

What it comes down to…are we on the side of love?

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

All we need is Love (doo-doo-doo-d00-d00) All we need is love (doo-doo-doo-doo-doo)

Brokenness in t…

Brokenness in the Real World “When we fall, as we always do, we pick ourselves up and start again. And when our trust is betrayed the only response that is not destructive is to trust again. Not stupidly, you understand, but fully aware of the facts”

Madeline L’engle a quote of Grandpa Austin’s p. 144 of “The Young Unicorns”

…why I now love Cat in the Hat

My almost 5year old has started a loving obsession of Dr. Suess. It all started when we saw a play version on Netflix. Now the first movie Franklin ever, ever loved was The Grinch that Stole Christmas (we saw it everyday for almost a year) so it makes sense that my “more mature” child now likes Cat in the Hat.

It was sort of a perfect storm of events though.

I had just done a play version of Charlie Brown Christmas (live) at my church, Franklin learned he loved plays, the play version of Cat in the Hat appeared. He then decided to act it out via paper props (which he made new ones every day complete with a skinny belt as a tail and at least 3 paper striped hats). Our house was full of crafty scraps for literally a month! He would spread out to make all his props–appropriately referencing the book of course (that’s our librarian’s child). Double, Plus Dr. Suess’s birthday was upcoming, and he re-found his book version of Cat in the Hat.

I have never been too big on Cat in the Hat. I’m more on the anxiety end of life (my family and I have a theory that you react to stress either with depression or anxiety–if your really luck you get both). Like I said, anxiety end–so when the cat appeared in the house, it worried me. And the character of the fish totally voiced all of my worries….which didn’t help..

However, Franklin, and the actor in Cat in the Hat, made me realize that the Cat in the Hat is just a mischevious child. It isn’t that he “isn’t listening” its that “he isn’t able to listen because he is having so much fun” and to me that is the essence of child.

My grandmother was a little more concerned with propriety than my parents (heck the whole world is probably more concerned with propriety than me and my family). But, she love, love, Loved Kids–so if you told her that a child “just couldn’t resist……” she could be So forgiving.

My parents were out of town when our whole front lawn had to be redone due to some town plumbing issue (YAY for free new plumbing and free new front yard). After they dug everything up and before they planted the new yard, it rained…so naturally my brother and I ages 10 and 8year old had a glorious mud fight 🙂

(not my bro or me)

My grandmother thought it was messy and gross…but we were like the Cat in the Hat, we couldn’t resist (besides I knew they would be replanting it anyway, but you know it was still mess and gross)….That and a snowball fight I started in 7th grade all contributed to my own Cat in the Hat moments. And you know what? They were great.

Yay Cat in the Hat!!

Here’s the Play-Movie if you want to start an obsession in your household

(by the by currently he’s starting in on Horten Hears a Who which does not have such a great version…but the story is awesome can’t beat  “A Person’s a Person, no matter how small!!!)

“I am for marri…

“I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs — I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

Rob Bell “comes out” on homosexuality http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-carey/rob-bell-comes-gay-marriage_b_2898394.html

Reflections of females in ministry, church and life—

Erin Lane's avatarholy hellions

056I had my first ever, official media interview last week. It felt major. I mean, I’ve been practicing for this moment since I was seven and figured out that hair brushes were the universal stand-in for microphones. I propped myself in front of the mirror for hours, practicing my Julia Roberts-horse laugh whilst answering questions about my professional goals (to star alongside Christian Slater in Kuffs 2) and giving advice to other little girls about how to make it in the biz (lots of practice and a premature perm). So it caught me off guard to be stumped by a question I’ve thought about for years: “What can the Church do to better address gender in its day-to-day life?”

Earlier in the interview, I had mentioned the upcoming anthology I’m co-editing, Talking Taboo (White Cloud Press, Oct 2013) and how it was hard for many contributors to even admit that sexism is…

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Currently I’m i…

Currently I’m in the middle of The Mary Russell Series, Wrinkle in Time Quartet and Strangers in Paradise–all of these are re-reads, all of them are theologically relevant, and all of them balance into the complex person that I am 🙂 Cheers!

“I don’t think it’s going to work….

“I don’t think that’s going to work” This remark was not made as a criticism, but as a statement of what this person saw as the facts of the situation.

“I don’t think people are going to let go”

“Well, that is what we are going to have to learn” I responded

Ultimately we discussed the matter a little more and it ended with the remark “I don’t think people are going to change”

To which I replied “I have to believe they can, or I can’t be a pastor–I have to believe people will change for the better an learn to work together, otherwise what am I doing here?”

Ah, Truth!

What controversial issue was I discussing? Something about technology or homosexuality, something to do with theology or principles? Some issue about the order of worship or where church takes place or who is sitting in what pews (these issues are so often where the rubber hits the road in ministry)

Nope:

Name: Pastor Katy

Quest: To minister to the body of Christ so that we can build the Kingdom of God

Current Mission: To get people to share in the leadership of the Farmer’s Market.

That’s it, the issue is the people who ran the farmer’s market last year have some very important grandparenting duties this summer, plus it was a super-duper-success last year

So I told them, I wanted to put two people in charge of the Farmer’s Market in June, July  and August (with me to open and close in May and Sept/Oct). I started out by noting that

a. delegating is harder work than doing it yourself

b. people are not going to be doing things exactly as we want them

c. BUT its important that people are invested.

Here is the test of ministry, not on theology or worship but politics. How do we work together as a community–but I have said it before and I’ll say it again. I believe the church exists ultimately as community builders–that is true https://i0.wp.com/radiofreebabylon.com/RFB%20Images/CoffeeWithJesus/coffeewithjesus500.jpgKingdom building work, and its hard, its messy and its dirty–but there it is!!!

Now to figure out how to do it!!!!