BARUCH ...

So it is national "be thankful" day in the church and our little sanctuary in Barnabas overflowed this evening ... and I mean not just the fact that we had to scooch the couches back to make room ...

what began with cupcakes, haiku and music carried into tableaus of hearts, circles, joy, laying down your life, friends, freedom, "on your marks" and the final blob...

I would say that were we to have put a coin in the little blue box for every "thank you Jesus" this evening, UTO would be rich ... little blue boxes or not, we were rich. we were blessed. BARUCH, in harmony with God, in harmony with each other. Things if only for an hour or two exactly as they should be.
Baruch.
Blessed.
Baruch.

prostrate.

So today I co-presented my dear friend, Cynthia to the Bishop to be ordained into the Order of the Priesthood. As I knelt for the prayers, Cynthia laid flat out on her stomach, face down, arms stretched out above her head, in the aisle, on the cold floor, in the midst of the congregation, before the Bishop, before the altar but most importantly, before God. Prostrate they call it. A posture of prayer (just like kneeling; standing; walking; sitting). A posture that some Episcopal deacons take when they are ordained into the priesthood. A posture that the two deacons today chose to take.

Personally today I couldn't help but remember some of Jesus' words. Jesus talked about "laying down" our life in order to follow him. And today those words have a whole new meaning.

Prostrate before God.
Laying down our life.
Prostrate.
Perhaps it's a posture we all should choose to take.

a new tune...

So I got a new favorite song -- yes this happens on a daily basis. But this one we thank Cindy for ... http://mp.aol.com/video.index.adp?pmmsid=1472715&referer=http%3A//music.aol.com/artist/dolly-parton/1759/main&mode=1

"Well I can't tell you where I'm going, I'm not sure of where I've been But I know I must keep travelin' till my road comes to an end I'm out here on my journey, trying to make the most of it I'm a puzzle, I must figure out where all my pieces fit.

Like a poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find what feels like home ... Questions I have many, answers but a few But we're here to learn, the spirit burns, to know the greater truth ...

God made me for a reason and nothing is in vain Redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain Oh sweet Jesus if you're listening, keep me ever close to you As I'm stumblin', tumblin', wonderin', as I'm travelin' thru

I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru

Oh sometimes the road is rugged, and it's hard to travel on But holdin' to each other, we don't have to walk alone When everything is broken, we can mend it if we try We can make a world of difference, if we want to we can fly

I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru"

You know a while back, Sam asked the question one night at dinner ... "what's the meaning of life?" And off the cuff I said: to get back home. After all we're just travelin', travelin', travelin' thru trying to find our way home...

I love flowers!!!!

The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.
- the Emperor in the movie Mulan

A Double Date

So tonight I had a double date: Janey and my standing date (naturally), Bugs. Janey (also naturally) somewhat stole the show when she successfully showed me how she could roll over onto her tummy and push herself up. To Bugs dismay, rolling over on his back is a very frequent occurence and doesn't quite get the same delight. Granted it will help when Aunty Sally manages to rub Bugs tummy and yo delight in Janey simultaneously.

But this was all until we went for a walk: dog and stroller n' all. Janey was quite amused by everything around her while Aunty Sally was quite taken with Bugs. You see, Bugs never left the strollers side - not even for a squirrel or the scent of a rabbit (this is quite a sacrifice on his part). Janey was completley preoccupied with the new world she was seeing for the first time. But it didn't matter because right beside her, Bugs kept walking. Two paws slightly in front of the stroller, leading the way, the rest of him a solid presence beside her.

And I was so struck by this that I couldn't help but wonder: since we were in the stroller (and even before) has not God walked by our side in exactly the same way? Most of the time having very very little of our attention (we're always looking at something else) but still choosing to stay and walk beside us, slightly infront of us but solidly beside us.

hmmmm.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Christ has risen.
The Lord has risen indeed. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Invisible Children

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=2357

or check out

http://www.invisiblechildren.com and the Global Night Commute.

Betty and Al???

so are they singing or cleaning????

http://www.dubcnm.com/rud/Paul%20Simon%20-%20You%20Can%20Call%20Me%20Al.mp3

Entering Holy Week

The Palm Sunday Procession...

preparing to walk with Jesus through this Holy Week...

Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

New Photos ...

click the Flickr Badge. Old photos are archived on there back to the Superbowl.

Photos from the Gulf Coast will be posted after Sunday. Come check them out at YOUTH.

Life grows on...

so back behind those trees is the foundation of Mr. W's house. It's all gone. The debris on the ground is all that's left. Those clothes hanging in the tree were brought in by the water - yep that's how high the water was. The clothes got me first. But what got me next was that sunflower ... life grows back even after Hurricaine Katrina. No one re-planted it, it just grew back. The trees even though they look beaten and bare, have leaves growing on them. The grass is shooting up green. And the flowers are blooming amidst the debris and the rubble left from the storm.

it seems that God teaches us through the sunflower ... life doesn't just go on, life grows on ... life grows back... even after death and destruction: the sunflower stands tall. There is life to be found amidst the hard times. Life is resilient. We are resilient. God made his creation, resilient.

And so the people of the Gulf Coast have hope, have faith - they believe - life is growing back whether they have walls and a roof or not.

Life grows on...

Post Gulf Coast Thoughts

My prayer today back at home - after having a nice shower and sleeping in my comfy bed and where as Bryn put it - "we drive down the street and we can't see straight through house after house after house after house after house" - comes from the Gospel of Mark: Lord, help our unbelief.

The people of the Gulf Coast still believe. They still have faith. They still have hope. Even after most everything was destroyed.

What do they need from us? They need us to believe with them. They need us to hope with them. They need us to help them build back their lives again. They need us to have faith.

So Lord, help our unbelief.

Gulf Coast Mission Team: Ocean Springs, MS. March 29th - April 1st, 2006