Friday Five: bible faves

Today's Friday Five is about the Bible! You may play right here in the comments, or if you write a blog post, link it here.

Since we just finished reading the Bible in 90 Days, this is particularly current/relevant/awesome. :-)

1. What is your favorite Bible verse? Isaiah 55.8 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways, says the Lord..."

2. What is your favorite book of the Bible? Isaiah for sure! If I had to pick from the NT I'd choose Mark, every time.

3. What is your favorite story from the Hebrew Scriptures? Today I think I'd go with Zelophehad's Daughters (from Numbers 27), or perhaps the widow who feeds Elijah and her jar of meal never runs out (1 Kings 17).

4. What is your favorite story from the Christian Scriptures? Mark 2, where the four people bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus and dig through the roof to get him in, and Jesus looks at them, sees their faith, and heals their friend.

5. What verse do you wish people would quote less often? John 3.16. Seriously? That's the best we can do? I might have to start sneaking in something like "1 John 3.16-17" just because it's so much better, and a subtle enough difference that people might not notice until later, and maybe they'll look it up. Or just noting lots of other 3.16s (both letters to Timothy have great chapter 3-verse-16, for instance...).

Bonus: What is your favorite obscure fact or verse or story or thing about the Bible? I don't know if this is my favorite or not, but I think it's my favorite thing I learned this summer when preaching through really strange things during the Bible in 90 Days...Jephthah says to his daughter that he has made a vow and he is therefore required to fulfill it. That's not true. I would never have noticed this if we hadn't just read the Torah a couple of days before, but: in the midst of all the lists of punishment for not fulfilling a solemn vow, there are provisions for what to do if a vow turns out to require something illegal (child sacrifice, for instance), and also monetary offerings that can be made if a sacrifice is impractical. So Jephthah's daughter was sacrificed to his ego and his just-enough-knowledge-to-be-dangerous, not to his vow. #thatllpreach

Thanks for playing!

Friday Five: fall books!

I haven't played the FF in a long time, but today I can't help myself. I've been daydreaming about books, using my library card more than I have in a long time, and today is the kind of sunny breezy autumn day that makes me want to curl up under a blanket next to an open window (yes, I'm that girl) with a stack of books.

This desire is not mitigated by the fact that I really need to do some other things (some work, deal with the apples I picked last weekend, etc).

So I'll play the Friday Five instead, because it's about books! And then I can pretend that I did something, while thinking about reading. ;-)

Share with us some of your favorites:

A cookbook....well, I confess to rarely using recipes, because I find them kind of restrictive. lol. But I do have a couple of favorites that I go back to for different things. Of course there's the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, full of standards. And the Teen Vegetarian Cookbook, which has a chart of nutrients and three different columns of how to get them (i.e., "don't like this? try this. Don't like that either? try this.")

A novel...Just one favorite novel? oh my. Let's go with relatively recent reads...Most of a year later, I am still gushing about The Undertaken Trilogy, which may be the best fiction I've read since The Goldfinch (which was amazing). Don't be fooled by the young adult label, this is a book(series) for all ages.

A nonfiction book...I always have a hard time when asked about nonfiction. Once I responded to someone with "I don't really read nonfiction" and they stared incredulously at my office bookshelves. I had to say "oh, I mean...besides church books." I don't really read non-theology/churchy non-fiction.   If pressed I would probably say something like the Lonely Planet guide to whatever next place I'm going....or maybe the book I co-authored, since it needs some promotional love! :-)

A well-thumbed book to which you turn often, or with affection, used in your profession...besides the bible or hymnal? I just yesterday got out Christianity for the Rest of Us again, to use the hospitality chapter in the new member class. That book gets a workout for sure.

An author you recommend frequently to others... After myself (heh), probably Jane Austen. Because I come across a SHOCKING number of people who have not read Pride and Prejudice, and I just don't think that's okay.

Bonus: what are you reading now? ...Goodreads says I have 7 books going. haha. I am most invested in Original Blessing at the moment, plus We Make The Road By Walking for our current adult-ed class, and also Emotions and the Enneagram. I have plans to stock up on novels for an upcoming vacation though!

Friday Five: guilty pleasures

Today's Friday Five prompt over at RevGalBlogPals is about our guilty pleasures....and I confess I have spent my day engaging in maybe all five of mine (or just about), almost to the point of nearly missing a day of NaBloPoMo!

1. pajama days. I love spending a whole day in my pajamas. Feels so lazy and luxurious and relaxed.
2. historical fiction--whether novel or television. I just watched about 8 episodes of Reign which is, to put it mildly, only barely historical, but so fun.
3. comfort foods. During the course of the week I ate mashed potatoes and green bean casserole almost every day. Today it was black-beans-and-olives (a recipe of my mom's), with flaky pillsbury biscuits...and a root beer float.
4. naps. I love naps. I took two today. (yay days off!)
5. games. I love board games, but those are in no way a guilty pleasure. (plus I live alone so don't get to play many board games.) But I confess to a slight addiction to a couple of internet games--particularly Words With Friends and Pearl's Peril. I can't help myself.

You?

Friday Five: Background Music!

It's been a zillion years since I played the Friday Five. As I sit here (in silence, incidentally), it seemed like a fun way to end my Friday afternoon.

Over at RGBP, Deb invites us to talk background music this week for our Friday Five.

1. At the office: If you have a choice, do you turn it up, turn it off, or drown it out with headphones? 
turn it off! I'm not good at having background music--I mostly find it distracting. I prefer to work in quiet and/or to eavesdrop on other people around. :-)
I will, however, admit that occasionally when I'm stuck on a sermon, I make a playlist of the songs we're singing on Sunday morning and play that for a while until I come up with something to say that ties it all together.

2. At the grocery store or mall: What song (or genre of music) makes you want to hurl? Or throw something? 
"christian" muzak makes my soul hurt. Please, businesses--just say no to the canned Kenny-G-sounding instrumental versions of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and "Shine Jesus Shine."
(please note: there's nothing wrong with those songs, until they are played by someone attempting to be Kenny G, then turned into muzak.)

3. If you were going to create a “perfect playlist”, who are the artists (or songs/pieces) that you would include? 
It would be full of the Indigo Girls, Carrie Newcomer, and David Lamotte, with a smattering of Gungor, Mozart, and the BareNaked Ladies. 

4. Have you ever tried using recorded music in worship? If so, what was your plan, and how did it go over? 
I think there was one instance when we were using a piece that actually faded from recording to live...I would call that a disaster. Most of the times we've used recorded music has been for VBS songs (so, once a year, basically). I'm not opposed to it if there is a good reason for wanting to use music that can't be made live.

 5. When is the earliest you’ve heard Christmas music in the grocery store or mall? 
I'm sure I've complained about it and then blocked it from my memory, because I really can't recall. Probably in October, at least...

BONUS: “Weird Al Yankovich” has been releasing a stream of his parody music videos lately. Among my favorites: “Because I’m Tacky” :) If Weird Al was going to do a music video of your life, or a recent experience, what song/hymn/musical would the parody be based on?
Some days I think that song Ariel sings (in the Little Mermaid) about "I wanna be where the people are..." pretty much sums up my suburban-single experience. It would make a hilarious parody that might make me feel better about that situation, actually...

Friday Five: Favorites!

It's been a long time since I played the Friday Five. This is a great one to get back in with! Jan asks for our favorite:

1. food: Mashed potatoes, of course! mmmm….potatoes…last week I made mashed potatoes with purply-blue potatoes, which was super cool! I wish I'd taken a picture, but I was busy eating them.

2. drink: since she didn't specify alcoholic or not, I'm taking the opportunity to list one of each--though my favorite alcoholic drink is kind of a toss up between the chocolate martini and the french martini (made correctly, anyway). My favorite non-alcoholic drink is Dr. Pepper, though I hardly ever drink pop anymore. I drink a ton of water, honestly.

3. animal: panda! closely followed by kitties, naturally.

4. color: purple! though my favorite color for clothes is burgundy.

5. time of day: late afternoon, when it's about time to cook dinner, the sun is setting, and the work is "done." (ok, as done as it's going to get…)

 Bonus: Any favorite you haven’t mentioned above that you want to bring up!
My favorite place! ok, who are we kidding, I have lots of favorite places, depending on the category. favorite restaurant, favorite US city, favorite place in my own city, etc. But my favorite place in the whole world is right here:

which is directly across the island from here:

Friday Five: food!!!

Over at RGBP, we've been asked to ponder food. Since this is one of my most favorite things in the entire universe to ponder, I'm all in.


1) Is there a food from a foreign land whose reputation led to trepidation when you had a chance to give it a try? Did you find the courage to sample it anyway? If so, were you pleasantly surprised or did you endorse the less than favorable reputation that preceded it?
Hmm...well, the prompt for this particular FF came from my friend Nikki, I understand, who wished to write about haggis. I will say that the reputation of haggis precedes it...and recedes from consciousness because why on earth would you eat that??? I did not eat haggis. I ate a vegetarian version that seems to bear little resemblance to the actual dish, and it wasn't very good either, though I do like all the ingredients so I'm not sure what happened there.

2) What food from your own country/culture gets a bad rap? 
Most of it, and with good reason. We in the USA are known for food that will kill us all. But there's something so delicious about fried foods on a stick...

3) Of what food are you fond that others find distasteful?
Kale! I love kale. I think it's probably my favorite non-potato vegetable. Seriously. Almost everyone I know eats kale out of obligation, or they try it once and then never again, or they only eat kale chips but not any other way. (aside: I think kale chips are gross. yes, I'm that weirdo.) I think I could probably eat kale every day, or at least several times a week...

4) Is there a country’s food, not native to you, that you go out of your way to eat?
Indian! Mexican! Middle Eastern! so....yes. :-)

5) What is your guilty pleasure food?
just one? hmmm...cinnamon toast crunch. lol.

Bonus: What was your most memorable meal (good or bad), either because of the menu, the occasion, the company, or some other circumstance that makes it stand out?
Oh my. I've had so many memorable meals! Do I write about the cheese-and-wine night where I tried desperately to convince myself and others that the cheese whose description included the word "barnyard" would get better with more bites? (that attempt failed spectacularly--it was so terrible.) Or the several zillion-course tasting menus my friends and I have enjoyed at various fancy-schmancy places? The first time I cooked rice (when I was a teenager) and doubled the rice but not the water? The night at the vegetarian restaurant in Edinburgh with a bunch of skeptical non-vegetarians who came away saying that was the place to which they'd most like to return? The vegan sushi at Sipz? A mimosa Saturday brunch that turned into strudel for dinner because that takes so freaking long to make? There are so many...

Friday Five: independence!

Over at RGBP, Pat has a fun holiday Five for us....

In honor of the 237th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Indpendence, I invite you to participate in today's Independence Day edition of the Friday Five! We'll be looking at all kinds of "independence," so please join in! 

 1. How does one typically celebrate your native /adopted land's Big National Holiday? 
The typical celebration involves grilled encased meats, parades, and fireworks. Because this is the Chicagoland experience, though, the fireworks last all week, both official and unofficial. People will be out exploding things and shooting both the air and other things/people as soon as it nears dusk. The suburbs have parades and fireworks on different days--so Palatine's fireworks are tonight, the parade is Saturday...Crystal Lake's parade is on Sunday...it's really more of Independence Week than Day. (And for the record: there was grilled pizza yesterday, not grilled encased meats. I'm a rebel.)

 2. How do you personally celebrate the holiday described in #1? Any unusual twists on the typical celebration? Is it something you enjoy or endure? 
Well, I obviously don't eat the vast majority of July 4th foods. Though I do love me some potato salad! I try to always listen to Capital Steps, which is hilarious (and yesterday was no exception!). Sometimes I go to fireworks, but this year I just listened to the neighborhood fireworks and the attendant dog barking that comes with that. Perhaps lamenting people's inconsiderateness, especially where explosions and pets are concerned, is a new tradition...poor Guinness was so freaked out.

 3. What does the word "independence" mean to you, whether in a political or personal mood? How has that understanding changed throughout your life? 

Hmm....I think it used to mean "being able to do what I want." Now I recognize more than ever that independence is an illusion. We are wildly interdependent beings. I think living into that interdependence brings more "independence" than all our desperate efforts to go it alone and do what we want.





 4. When did you first feel that you, personally, had gained independence? Was there a 'rite of passage' you would like to share? 
I suppose lots of these will be things like "when I could drive" or "when I moved out." I think there's some of that for me too--moving out and into the big city alone was an adventure, for sure, but let's be realistic: I have yet to get to a phase of my life when I'm not being supported by my parents in some tangible way. So I suppose my independence is more a gradual process of thinking as opposed to anything particularly measurable. I have been slowly figuring out how to not be mentally chained to a variety of issues, experiences, and people. Every time I notice one of those chains and let it go, there's a new bit of freedom in that.

 5. Tell us about your favorite "indie" film, music label, book store... 
oh my. There could probably be five things in this category alone. Let's see...how about independent restaurants? I have probably five faves there too. I love the local Thai restaurant, owned by a family that moved here the same time I did. And the local gastro-pub, which has a garden where they grown their own veggies! The mediterranean vegetarian place, owned by a member of the synagogue next door to RCLPC, is an amazing place with incredible falafel and big smiles every time I go in. The Chicago Diner has been bucking the culinary world's dependence on bacon since 1983 and I love it. And Chowpatti, from which I now work just 10 minutes away, is the most interesting conglomeration of foods ever--Indian Nachos are addictively delicious (and what an indie thing to do!).

 Bonus Question: Is there a time you remember going "against the tide" of advice or precedent, or in some other way? Or perhaps a time you wish you had done so? Share it here!
I suspect much of my life has been going against the tide. Here's how I can tell: whenever I meet someone new and tell them what I do, the first reaction is a surprised/horrified "why did you want to do that??????" Joining the church as a young adult was weird.
But in many ways, of course, my life has been exceedingly average: I'm a perfectionist overachieving first born girl who appears to have "succeeded"--at least if you look from the outside. My family and friends are just dysfunctional enough to be interesting without being harmful. So...yeah.
Of course, I've rejected plenty of advice in my day. Too many times to recall or document! Sometimes that's worked out, other times it's been a disaster resulting in lots of "I told you so" moments. And I've followed plenty of advice I should have ignored. Pretty sure that's also a standard set of life experiences, though...

Friday Five: ready for a break!

Over at RevGalBlogPals, Deb offers us a way to grab a little rest in the midst of the crazy. Just when I thought summer was going to be calmer, June was a whirlwind with so few nights at home that I barely remember what my kitchen looks like. Sounds like Deb had a similar month!

Whoosh! My calendar is packed. And June is almost gone! There's the old saying, "Bad luck comes in threes" but I've decided that "Busy-ness comes in fives!" So this week we'll take things five-at-a-time. 

Tell me:
 1. Five flowers you'd like in a bouquet or in your garden: 

I'd love a bouquet of sunflowers, gerber daisies, roses, tulips, and perhaps a calla lily (the only lily I can be around without dying of pollen, apparently). I think sunflowers are so lovely, they just make me happy. And tulips. Roses are the only flowers that smell good. So, there you go.


2. Five books you want to read (or re-read):
OMG, just five? Well, two are sitting on the ottoman, waiting to be read before the library deadline: Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel--historical fiction of the Henry VIII era, told through the perspective of Cromwell. I'm in the middle of the 3rd Game of Thrones book, and several work books. Things I'd love to just stop and read again: Lamb and all of Harry Potter. (Yes, I cheated. oh well.)

 3. Five places you want to visit:

I've been plotting about the possibility of a trip to Europe sometime in the relatively near future, so I'm daydreaming about Paris, Geneva, Wittenberg Cathedral, Berlin, and Prague.
I've also been pining after another trip to Rome, a visit to Australia (perhaps to do a real-life Camp NaNo with Kirsty!), and daydreaming about the Woodstock Inn in Vermont, which is probably the nicest place I've ever stayed in my entire life, and they keep sending emails. LOL.

 4. Five people you'd invite for tea/coffee/beer and pizza: 
Sticking with those currently living, at time of writing:
Michelle Obama
Jon Stewart
Joss Whedon
Nelson Mandela (gonna have to hurry, but it will be epic)
any of the hosts from the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast.
(this would be the most interesting pizza-and-wine party in the history of ever.)


 5. Five chores or tasks you'd gladly give to someone else: 
litterbox duty
dishes
writing meeting agendas
checking the bank balance
can I list unloading the dishwasher as separate from doing the dishes?
(the fact that I found this list difficult speaks to two facts: 1. that I pay someone to vacuum and clean the bathrooms once a month. 2. I don't gladly give control of many arenas to other people.)

 BONUS: A five ingredient recipe! (This is harder than it sounds!)

spinach enchiladas (6 ingredients if you eat dairy...) :
saute spinach, mushrooms, garlic together until soft.
cover bottom of baking dish with enchilada sauce.
spoon spinach/mushroom mixture into soft flour tortilla. Cheese is optional--if you want it, put it in now.
roll up and place seam-side-down in baking dish. When dish is full, pour enchilada sauce over the top. Put a few mushroom slices for decoration on the top of each enchilada. or shredded cheese, if you so desire.

bake about 20-ish minutes, until bubbly. serve with refried beans on the side. mmmmm....

Friday Five: if...

Karla over at RGBP gives us a themeless Friday five today.

 1. If you could hear what someone is thinking for a day, who would you choose, and why?
ooh....well, the evil part of me has many answers for this. But really, I would very much like to hear what my cats are thinking for a day...because really, I do wonder!!

what's going on in there?

 2. If you were trapped in a tv show for a month, which show would you choose, and why?
Doctor Who, obviously. Because think of all the places I could go and things I could experience in a month of time-traveling!! (plus it would totally feed my "I can save the world" complex. haha.)

 3. If you could do any job in the world for a day, what would it be?
Is it wrong to say "a job that pays a lot per day"?? LOL. 
I think it would be interesting to be a foreign diplomat for a day. Think of all the insight you can gain into the world's political systems even in just one day....

 4. What are you loving right now?
That it is not very humid in Louisiana this week!

 5. Use these words in a sentence: bless, cheeseburger, chihauha, skipping, Georgia.
And the chihuahua, skipping to the table, held up the cheeseburger, blessed and broke it, and said "Georgia, this would be for you if I hadn't licked it first." ;-)

Friday Five: Playing along...

Today over at RGBP, Pat offers us a little spring fun... Of course, today it's cold and rainy at my house, but that's all the more reason to dream of sunny days!

It's May! And it smells so good outside. I can close my eyes and remember the golden hours after dinner as the days grew later and later, and we got to play outside until called home. It makes me want to go outside right now and play!

Of course, not all of us are in the northern hemisphere... plenty of RevGals and Pals are experiencing a season that is turning cold and blustery.

So to all of you, wherever you may be, how will you (or would you like to) play this month?

1. Tell about your favorite outdoor play. 
hmmm....I like urban scavenger hunts. I think they're so fun. I love figuring out clues and seeing a city as we look for the answers.

2. Tell about your favorite indoor play.
Board games all the way! My current obsession is Ticket to Ride. I also really enjoy Settlers of Catan, and a good old fashioned game of Clue. (And Scrabble. And Scattergories.)

3. Tell about a game you (or your friends) created. 
Well, I didn't create this game, but I think the youth leaders before me at RCLPC might have. Human battleship--where you pull those wheeled dividers across a room, creating a barrier that you can throw things over. Everyone chooses a spot to stand and then can't move their feet, and throws yarn balls over the divider trying to hit people on the other team and get them out. Sort of like dodgeball only you can't dodge and you can't see who you're throwing at. Very fun.

4. Tell about a game that is new to you. 
I'm just beginning to play Letterpress on my phone. It's a surprisingly confusing game, because none of the rules for similar-looking games apply, and the strategy is still unclear to me. Maybe it'll get more obvious as I keep trying.

5. Tell how you would like to incorporate play into your workday
hmmm...good question! I think it would be great if every meeting involved a few minutes of play--it opens us up to thinking more creatively. I suspect lots of people would view that as wasted time, even if it did get our creative juices flowing so we could be better leaders in the long run.
But not every day has a meeting (anymore) (yay!) so...I'll have to contemplate whether there's a way to work something play-like into a regular day when there are just 2-3 of us in the office. (besides taking a Words-With-Friends break!)

How do you like to play?

Friday Five: healing spaces

Deb over at RGBP is "an enthusiastic newspaper reader. Lately, however, world events have made it hard to read and process the pain in the world around me. Perhaps you have struggled with this, too. So, with the events of the violence and tragedy from the Boston Marathon fresh in our memories, I thought it would be good for us to focus on where as RevGalBlogPals, we find healing, peace and strengthening. As a chaplain, there are days where I never seem to catch my breath, and invariably, those are the days that I need it the most!"

 So with all this in mind, share with us these healing things:

1. A piece of music 
hmmm....I think I have several go-tos, depending on the situation. probably here first:

But I might pull out the Indigo Girls. Or a Mozart piano concerto. Or the music for this Sunday. Or I might decide to go with a podcast instead, because learning something new helps my brain let go of some of the crazy badness all around.

 2. A place 

Port Ban, on the west side of Iona

 3. A favorite food (they call it "comfort food" for a reason) 
Mashed potatoes. Mac-n-cheese. things with carbs. But also veggie enchiladas, refried beans...things my mom used to make. (and if anyone says "salad" in the comments...well...I'll try to remain non-violent.)

 4. A recreational pastime (that you watch or participate in) 
reading reading reading! Weeks like this make me want to hibernate--curl up on the couch with a good book, a cat, and a cup of tea. Luckily, I have a stack of books...unluckily, a day or two of hibernating is not on the schedule, even if it is decidedly un-spring-like outside.

 5. A poem, Scripture passage or other literature that speaks to comfort you. 
The end of T.S. Eliot's "Little Gidding"...

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
 Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.

 BONUS: People, animals, friends, family - share a picture of one or many of these who warm your heart.

andrew

ollie

Gao Gao, panda papa of the San Diego Zoo

Friday Five: tech!

Over at RGBP Jan is having an old-school experience, with no internet!! How do we survive? (lol)

In anticipation of the withdrawal, she left us with some questions about our own dependence on technology...

1. What types of technologies, like cell phones, computers, tvs, etc., do you routinely use? How frequently? 
Let's see...I use my phone and laptop a LOT. Like most of the day. I also have a kindle, which gets used pretty darn frequently! And while I own a tv, it doesn't get any channels--it's purpose is for DVDs and Wii, both of which get used less than I might like.

 2. What social media and/or games do you like to play? How often? On which device do you occupy yourself? Which method of social media do you prefer?
Facebook is my big time-suck, for sure. I also tweet, and read blogs. I like to play Words With Friends, but sometimes I get busy and forget to check it, which leads to losing games via forfeiting, because after a few days the game quits for you. :-(
I spend most of my time with my MacBook Pro, but also use my phone for quite a few things now that I have a smart one.

 3. Do you separate online activities between home and work? Or is it all the same everywhere?
The only thing I really keep at work is my work email--I often shut my email program down on my days off, and I don't have work email on my phone. Everything else is everywhere.

 4. Do you have a smart (or I-) phone? 
I resisted for a long time, because the cost was too high--both the bills AND the cost of being constantly connected. I got an iPhone as a Christmas gift, and the monthly bill is actually just a few dollars more than what I was paying before...though the cost of being constantly connected still remains to be calculated. I will say that there are several things that are a ton better with a smartphone, and I'm enjoying it.

 5. What do you wish you had--or do not have--in relation to these devices?
hmmm....I wish I had more self control about facebook. There's so much interesting stuff going on, so many links to click and articles to read and photos to enjoy and people to catch up with etc etc etc that it feeds my voracious brain...but that all takes time that I could also be doing something else.

 Bonus: What is the difference between your attitude towards these means of technology and a generation older or younger than you?
I suspect my attitude toward technology is right in line with my generation, by which I mean that I'm comfortable using it and I understand the benefits of using it in a variety of ways that drive older people nuts, but I also see the value of turning it all off and reading a book or going for a walk without my phone and that makes younger people squirm. :-)

a sneaky friday five

Lent has been sneaking up on people. Over at RGBP, Karla tells us that the second Friday snuck up on her. I think it's because of the BE...I keep thinking it's last weekend when really, well, it's this weekend.

SO, in the spirit of sneaky randomness on a snow day, we have...

1) What is sneaking up on you, and what have you been thinking about? Well, I thought I had everything under control actually (hahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha!) until yesterday evening I realized I'd sent an email that said "I'm free on the 8th" without even realizing that it was the 7th already. umm...yeah. What day is it again?
What have I been thinking about? Honestly: My friend Aimee. Lent. And food. Because my post-BE kitchen is a little sad.

Also available at Trader Joe's...

2) What will you have for lunch today? Probably chickenless chicken nuggets. Because there's something about a snow day that makes me want to turn on the oven and make some fake nuggets. Plus they're delicious.


3) If you were to get snowed in for two days, and you need to hunker down, what essentials and treats would you store up? Well, I'm not snowed in but I do have snow...in the middle of last night's epically long horrendous commute (in twice the amount of time it normally takes me to get home, I was only halfway home), I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. Apparently the essentials are: macaroni and cheese, spaghetti sauce, and wine. I already have pasta and chocolate and tea in the house at all times...


4) Tell me a story about one awesome thing you have experienced in the last couple of weeks. Just one???? But I went on the BE, which was a week of awesome! Well...okay. My installation was this past Sunday and it was full of people that I love, and everyone in my new church was so impressed and happy, and the people on the commission were so impressed with the church, and so it was an all around fabulous day. There was chanting in Hebrew, great preaching, wonderful praying, reminders that I'm not a superhero, good music, and wonderful friends. And a cake that said "God is Good, All the Time!" It was pretty awesome.


5) What is your favorite office supply to splurge on? (now THAT is random, right?) Again, just one? Let's see: I think it's a toss-up between pens and those little post-it flags. I have a little bit of a flagging problem--I like to flag books. A Lot. And to write on the flags with fun pens. So....yeah.

"it seemed like a good idea...." --a Friday Five

Over at the RevGals we're being invited to ponder things that seemed fun, but weren't. I'm sure I have a whole list of those, but mostly I appear to have blocked out those memories. Ha!

Let's see...

Camping. I don't camp. I'm sure the whole tent-wilderness-bugs-stories-around-the-fire thing has its charms, but for the life of me I can't figure out what they are. Why not just have a fire and roast marshmallows someplace where you can go sleep in a bed afterward? (I probably had some kind of scarring tent experience at some point...the only camping I remember is going to summer camp (aside--I discovered there's a facebook group for people who went to the same Camp Fire Camp), where we slept in bunk beds in cabins. Though when I was maybe 8 or 9 my bluebird group went to spend a night in the 3-sided cabin, open to the bugs and bears wilderness. I'm sure that was a thrill. In high school I went to music camp, which is the same idea but with rehearsals and practicing instead of archery and polar bear swims)

Almost any of my adult summer enrichment activity ideas...like one summer I took ballet class for adult beginners. supposedly. Except everyone else in there was a dancer using the class to augment their workout. I cried like a little girl either during or after every class for 7 weeks. I was 27. (aside: I'm starting today one of those ideas that couldn't fit into the summer, so is becoming a winter activity...this afternoon I'm taking my first ever horseback riding lesson. whether or not this is an actual good idea or a never-again idea remains to be seen.)

Just about anything involving change in the church. It's always so much harder than it sounds...

Cake decorating. I know that's supposed to be fun, but seriously? It's a pretty stressful, detail-oriented, tiring process. I'm glad for people who have that gift, because I'm not doing it. If you get a cake from me, it'll be baked from a box mix and you'll be lucky to have canned frosting spread over the top. And it'll probably be Funfetti, because that is one thing that sounds awesome AND lives up to its potential.

Google Plus. (haha!)

And you? what are some things that seemed like a good idea, had so much potential for awesome, could have been the most fun ever...but now you know to never do again?

Friday Five: Random

1. What is one of the best things that happened to you this week?


There are a few great things this week--a friend made Indian food and we sat on the porch eating delicious homemade Baingan Bharta! I got to have lunch with another friend, followed by my favorite ice cream (Kilwin's New Orleans Praline Pecan, in a waffle cone). It rained, saving my kale plant in the church courtyard from my watering neglect.

2. If you were in a Ms., Miss, Mr. (name your country) Pageant, what would your talent be?


I'm surprised by how hard this question is! Let's see....I think my talent would involve demonstrating the many creative uses of kale. (mmmmm, kale.)

3.  You were just given a YACHT!!! What would you name it, and why?


Again, a hard one! I want to think of something clever. Part of me wants to name it "Hotel California" because it's a place you never leave. but not in a creepy way. haha. Maybe I would name it "Meow-velous" and bring my cats along.

4.  If you were to perform in a circus, what would you do?  (I can't remember if I asked this before...)


I think the Trapeze would be super fun, but who are we kidding--I'd probably be the seal trainer or something much less likely to end with me breaking my arm.











5.  What do you have in your bag/wallet/backpack that best describes your personality?  


A Kindle! I can whip that out and read anywhere...which is just awesome. Contains so many different things, different ideas and genres, a few surprises, and is always ready to provide both entertainment and education as well as to receive something new. 

Friday Five: choose your own adventure

so...I hardly ever post twice on my blog in one week, let alone in one day. but then I had the opportunity to make up the Friday Five for today, so....

This summer at RCLPC we've been doing what we're calling a "People's Choice" sermon series--people submitted sermon topics, and the preachers have taken them on. This Sunday I'm preaching my last in this series, about Sabbath. (Why yes, we did blatantly steal this idea from KathrynZJ, who did it last summer...) It's kept people engaged all summer and we've all had a great time. So now it's your turn...

1, 2: What are two texts or topics you wish you could hear a sermon about?
I would like to hear a sermon about Miriam, beyond her role in the whole Moses-in-a-basket adventure. She sticks around for a lot more of the story, but we often forget about her.
I would also like to hear a sermon that takes a creative look at the women who followed Jesus, beyond "and they provided for him out of their resources."

3, 4: What are two texts or topics you wish you could preach a sermon about?
Hmm...well, as a preacher I often get to preach those sermons I wish I could, except there are a few things that I think require more time or depth than a sermon can really give. At RCLPC a sermon can only be about 12 minutes long, and while most of the time that seems fine, it's difficult to address some bigger picture things in that time--for instance, what does it mean to be Church in the 21st century, and how does that affect our involvement in political and civic life? Or how can we nurture God's passion in the life of the church and of individuals, and what does that mean for the ways we think about "church" (especially when it comes to programs and education and mission)? Finding ways to link those big questions with the lectionary and simultaneously break them down into smaller parts that can fit into other sermons because they are way too big for just one is a huge challenge...and then add in the part where people may or may not be there every week or remember enough to make those connections from sermon-to-sermon, and we have ourselves a big ole conundrum!

5: What's your favorite sermon you've ever heard or preached? What makes it your fave?
I can't believe how hard it is to answer questions I made up myself! LOL. Umm....let's see...I think my favorite sermon that I have heard is probably a toss-up between a sermon preached by Otis Moss III at the Proclaiming the Text conference at Montreat in 2009 (it was about re-mixing, starting with Joshua doing a Moses re-mix) and one preached by Anna Carter Florence on the women in the Moses-in-a-basket story at the HerStory Conference in 2008. Both were amazing and have stuck with me for their vibrant imagery, strong good news coupled with challenge, and interesting twists on stories I'd heard or read dozens of times before.

Wanna play? Answer on your blog and leave a link, or play in the comments!

Friday Five: superwomen!

Karla is over at RGBP getting ready for the church women's retreat..."This Friday-Saturday is our annual Women's Retreat at my church. It's one of my favorite 24 hours of the year, because we enjoy each other, we laugh, we cry, we support each other..and all of that good stuff!
So, since I am in the WR mode, let's talk about women in your life!"

1. Name a woman author you very much love to read.

Ooh, just one? I have several I really enjoy. I like Margaret George's historical fiction. I like Julia Spencer Fleming's clergy-sleuth mysteries. I like basically every book ever written about a princess, Tudor or otherwise, and many of those are written by women--notably Phillippa Gregory. I loved the Margaret of Ashbury series by Judith Merkle Riley.
2. Name a woman from the Bible with whom you would like to enjoy a nice long coffee talk.

hmm...Miriam. Or Rebeka. Or the woman at the well.
3. Name a famous woman from history with whom you would like to have lunch.

Catherine de Medici.
4. Name a living famous or infamous woman with whom you would like to go out to dinner.

like probably every other woman in the country...Michelle Obama. Such grace, and such a wonderful laugh, and so so smart!
5. If you could be SuperWoman (o.k., I know you already ARE) what three special powers would you like to have?

I definitely want to be able to apparate/disapparate (fastest way to travel!). To slow or speed up time would be handy (especially for naptimes!), though I have no idea how that would actually work--just repeating time (a la a timeturner) would be fine. :-) And the power to eat whatever I want...aka, a faster metabolism.

And you?

Friday Five: winter essentials

Over at RGBP Kathryn writes:

I'm heading from unseasonably warm temperatures and no snow to a place of GREAT SNOW. Sadly, for reasons that don't need to be boringly laid out here, I am sans decent winter boots at the moment so I need to find some... NOW! In the meantime I am shaking my head at myself. How could I possibly be without one of the key essentials for living in my environment?
Every area is different. What are the 5 key essentials needed for where you live?

Well, I'm extrapolating that we mean winter essentials, because of course spring and summer require different essentials, at least around here.

For winter...

Scarves. Plenty of them. I may have been seen wearing more than one scarf at a time on occasion. You know, one that matches my outfit, and then one that's on the outside of my coat too, for extra warmth. (I may also be in possession of more scarves than outfits. so?)

Coat(s). I know Jesus says that anyone with two coats should give one away, but here you really do need different levels of coats. There's the windbreaker, the fleece, the rain coat, the jacket, the wool pea coat, and the serious puffy coat. Sometimes it is possible to wear these in combination.

Good Tires. Do not let your tires wear out and think "oh, I'll just get new ones in March."

Plenty of hot cocoa. I actually ran out of cocoa earlier this winter, and wondered how I had let this happen. It was exceedingly strange, because normally I stock up so I'm never stranded in my house without the opportunity to have a warm delicious beverage in the evening...

earmuffs. Yes, I pick earmuffs even over gloves. I don't wear hats very often (I have hair issues), but my ears get cold...and particularly if one is going into the city, where the wind whips around like crazy, earmuffs are fantastic because they keep your ears from freezing off AND they act like a headband keeping your hair from blowing in your face! I have earmuffs next to my door and on the shifter in my car, so I'm always prepared. :-)

and a sixth: car emergency kit. Okay, you need this in every season. But in winter dead batteries are more likely, and the importance of flares increases with snow or fog. My emergency kit is a black case that contains jumper cables, flares, flashlight, a bottle of water, some snacks, and a bunch of things you need to fix cars (tools and stuff). I also have a super warm blanket back there.

Now, to be clear, this winter has been so mild that I've only worn my earmuffs a few times, and have yet to double up the scarves. And though I stocked up on hot chocolate, I haven't needed it as often--I haven't once been stranded at home due to weather. Yet. Since winter here lasts practically until Memorial Day, there's still time.

A few non-essentials that really make winter a lot better?

Scraper and brush, for the car windows. or, if you have a van, a push broom in the back for getting the snow off. Though if you can't find yours, letting the car run until the windows defrost is also an option. It won't help your headlights being covered in snow though--you'll still have to brush those off, possibly with your bare hand if you can't find your gloves either. (what voice of experience???)

Heated mattress pad. This may be just about the best thing I've ever spent money on. I pre-heat my bed, then turn it off when I get in...so it's all warm and cozy when I slip between the covers. mmmm.....

Cat trained to sit on your feet. If you can make this happen, you're amazing. I have about a 20% success rate, between two cats. But when it does happen, omg awesome.

Friday Five: movies!

Over at RGBP Jan asks....

Thinking of movie-watching, what do you prefer?

1. At home or at a theater?

Definitely at home. movie theaters weird me out--they're so odd. They smell like gross stale over buttered popcorn, the floors are sticky, and people always talk--except that I'm always trying to remember NOT to talk...sigh. But the seats are ridiculously comfortable, so there is that...

2. With whom? Whoever is willing to watch what I want to watch!

3. Movie you look forward to seeing? I've been wanting to see Hugo...and I love the colors in the Lorax trailers, so can't wait to see that. I might even go to a theater...

4. Movie you like to see repeatedly? The Princess Bride. heehee. The Lord of the Rings.

5. Food with a movie? It's so interesting how we're basically conditioned to eat while we watch movies. During the 30 Hour Famine we often watch a movie while fasting, and it's strange how much harder it is to fast while watching a movie than while doing other things. I don't love popcorn (though I do love kettle corn!) so my usual movie food is something like lemon heads or milk duds.

Bonus: Recommendations for home/theater viewing. I loved loved loved Puss In Boots. That's one I'll want to have so I can watch it again.

What movies do you recommend? I'm always looking for things to put in my Netflix queue!

Friday Five: AHA! moments

Over at the RevGalBlogPals, Kathryn asks us to share five of our aha! moments...moments of clarity and understanding. I have some that are silly and some serious. naturally.

1. The day I realized that the song did not say "Secret Asian Man." I had always wondered what that was about--how could one be a secret Asian? Why would one want to be a secret Asian? Was this a song about living in the Seattle area during WWII? so confusing...and so much clarity the day I realized that just wasn't what it said at all.

2. The day I finished my petition to major in clarinet performance, was accepted to that major, and realized almost instantly that I didn't want to be a professional clarinetist after all. Of course, I argued with myself for a long time about that because it was something I'd worked so hard for...it was another year or so before I realized what I actually should be doing. And, honestly, I wouldn't trade a minute of that performance degree program.

3. I spent several of my pre-teen years on a small farm, and a lot of our food came from local friends with small farms. When I read Diet For A New America, and saw the pictures, and realized that most people in this country get their food from factory farms (and that we were now city people who would do the same), that was the moment I realized I couldn't be a part of that system. The raising of animals for the purpose of eating them, when it was unnecessary and inhumane and was a major part of the world's food crisis, was suddenly out of the question for me. (of course, we were also poor, and my mom was way too practical to cook two meals, so it wasn't until I was 17 that I could make my own choices about not eating meat and trying to eat as local as possible.)

4. When I returned from my weekend visiting Columbia Seminary (the last of 4 seminary visits), I went straight to church and then shared a cab ride home with my pastor. When he dropped me off at my house, he said "congratulations on your decision to go to Columbia." Of course, I hadn't consciously decided that, but he obviously could hear something I couldn't. I'm glad he shared that with me.

5. A couple of years ago, at Christmas dinner at my aunt's house, she made brussels sprouts that were not disgusting. I had no idea they could be not disgusting. Then this Christmas, Amy's (now husband) Dave made roasted brussels sprouts. I'm pretty sure I ate about 50. Who knew those could be good?

What's one (or more) of your realization-moments?