The air is hot and so am I. Work in the yard and garden is restricted now to just the earliest hours of the morning, and even then, I come in drenched with sweat. Like most other people, I’m keeping the temperature in the house much higher than I have before, but the compressor still seems to run most of the time anyway. At least it is comfortable. I know what it is like to live in this area without... Read more
I am very tired today of being a pastor, even as much as I love this church. I’m weary. I’m tired of people refusing to talk with me, and hearing about things being said about me and my pastoral leadership only after the fact. “Did you know such and such is leaving?” “Do you know about all the controversy and unhappiness?” Well, no, I didn’t. Sorry. I came to this church three years ago, and found a lovely community of... Read more
I recently accompanied a friend to the Denton County Courthouse. When we entered the courtroom, a trial was taking place. The judge called for a 15 minute recess, warning the defense lawyer that he might want to make sure his client understood her fifth amendment rights before taking the stand. During the recess, four divorces were finalized. Four women, each with an attorney to make sure all was done legally, saw the end of something that had been entered with... Read more
The latest fashion among child rearing experts is to bemoan the lack of free, unscheduled time among children and adolescents. Time to daydream, create, come up with their own games, set their own rules, work out their own relational problems. Yes, those things are important . . . but I was pondering the purpose of the break from school this summer and thinking perhaps we need to take a different lesson from history. Summer breaks were originally scheduled in the... Read more
Dogs, according to dog whisperer Cesar Milan, live fully in the present. There is no past or future for them. So, whatever happens happens right at that moment, without regard for future consequences, and, apparently, without learning much from the past. Now, I have two dogs–a yellow lab, Jake, and a golden retriever, Lacey. They were rescue dogs, found running across a highway near Roanoke by a couple of friends of my husband’s. These dog lovers picked them up, took... Read more
This came out from the Associated Press last week: “A fiercely debated, nine-year investigation into Ireland’s Roman Catholic-run institutions says priests and nuns terrorized thousands of boys and girls in workhouse-style schools for decades – and government inspectors failed to stop the chronic beatings, rapes and humiliation.” I looked at parts of the 2,600 page report–mainly skimming the abstract and seeing how much detail went into the reports. Although some students tried to bring to light was what happening during the worst... Read more
Our church is holding a yard sale at the end of May to raise a little extra money to finish out the furnishings of our new building. As I’ve also got numerous house guests coming shortly and am motivated to clean before they come, I have grabbed the opportunity to sort out drawers, closets, cupboards and garage. A yard sale is a form of barter. It’s out of the mainstream retail economy, and serves multiple purposes. Those doing the selling... Read more
Last week in Boston, a trolley went ran a red light and hit another trolley. Forty nine people were injured. According to the report in the Boston Globe, the operator of the trolley that did not run the red light was text messaging at the time. He looked down at his phone to do so, and when he looked up and saw the other trolley in the intersection, he couldn’t hit the brakes in time. Now in response, all trolley... Read more
Fear has won. We are shutting down. All, just in case . . . just in case someone gets sick and dies, or, more likely, someone gets sick and sues the school district or the county or church or business or what ever organization was so irresponsible to actually hold an event where someone might, just might, pick up a virus and pass it on. Yes, the swine flu is contagious, as are all types of influenza and lots of... Read more
As a female pastor, I’m still an object of curiosity to Adriana and Rocio, both raised Roman Catholic and educated in RC schools in Colombia. During lunch yesterday, we had some conversation about their spiritual lives and their willingness to abide by certain Roman Catholic doctrines, particularly the ban against any kinds of artificial birth control. Essentially, they were told by the nuns who taught them to ignore that requirement, which they have both quite firmly done. We also talked... Read more
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