Greetings from Wilbur

Hello all -

Lars and I are keeping busy during our summer in Wilbur. The days have been hot and we splurged on two small air-conditioning units and spend most of the days indoors. My brother Will visited earlier this week and we spent several days just north of here at Lake Roosevelt. Beautfiul weather for sunning and swimming, though I have one of the worst sunburns in recent memory. We also picked a huge amount of Raspberries at one of my parishoner's homesteads and I am still working my way through them. Plus we went to see the Crop Circles outside of town - life in Wilbur is far from dull!

We have been busy in our garden (see pictures above). We have had a few squash and some peas before it got to hot for them. Today was the first tomato harvest and the vines are heavy with the promise of more to come. I am really eager to enjoy them!

We have a busy schedule in the fall. I am going to Washington DC for a confrence at the Catherdral College there. It is called Preaching as Testimony and is a confrence specifically for ordained young women preachers. The guest speaker is Anna Carter Florence. I am nervous about the travel but it should be fun. Then later in the month Lars and I will be visiting the Bay Area as some of you already know. That should be a nice break. Other than that the schedule is full with visiting family and the normal church work.

Things continue to go well at the church. They are remodeling my office and I will have to post a photo when they are done. New paint, carpet, blinds, desk, shelves, and wing back chairs. It is a dream. Hard to believe we are coming up on one year in the ministry. Hurrah! I am planning a harp concert for October as my anniversary gift to the community.

Well - thats all for now. Enjoy your summer everyone and I wish you were here to help eat tomatoes and raspberries!

- Love - Heather

Now I understand

I have turned the last page, I have closed the book from the right side of the cover.

what a great ride!

Interesting day

As the church secretary I led my first funeral today, I know seems insane right? The pastor at my church is in the hospital and a member of the church passed away a couple days ago, leaving me as the only person on staff here at the church. After finding a retired clergy person to do all of the stuff required of an ordained person during the service, I was privileged enough to act as pastor to the family. I got sit with the family, organize a service, pray with them, and lead the service (which I did not think I was going to have to do until the visiting pastor looked at me 5 minutes before we started and said "so I just follow your lead then?"). I talked to the pastor of this church earlier today on the phone and he said "what other church has a secretary that can not only redesign the web-site but also do a funeral?" I'm thankful for the opportunity to do all of this and have learned a ton, and I'm asking for a raise.

Heather and I have started training for a marathon in February and are currently free from injury, which is a miracle. Roux is doing much better. We have gotten her to lose some weight and it has alleviated her hip problems enough that we can postpone surgery indefinitely.

Also Braves tickets are only $6 so we have spent a lot of time at the ballpark this summer. Still not a Braves fan, Go Red Sox, but nothing beats a good game, some beer, and a hot dog on a sunny summer day.

We head to Oregon on Thursday for Heather's family reunion up in Sisters as well as her worship exam, we shall see how it all goes. Then on Tuesday we head to Florida for my family reunion where 5 nieces and nephews and my copy of the new Potter book awaits. I don't expect to get much rest.

bit o' this & that (anyone else want to play?)

I'm reading a web site called Decently and In Order which is something of a emergent/web 2.0 thing and links to lots of stuff roughly related to Presbyterianism. Here is a great link to another web site which has lots of entertaining stuff but at the moment holds the Seven Deadly Sins Combo Chart. For example: Glutteny + Pride = fat men in speedo swimsuits. On the same site at the card chart is an amazing remake of M Jackson's Thriller

I'm about 100 pages away from the end of the last Potter book. My elder step son is currently reading to completion and I'm fighting the urge to rip it out of his hands. =sigh= (argg, now he's laughing. why? whats going on? Soon I'll know too....)

A local Interplay group has started up here in Santa Rosa and the isolation for me breaks down just a bit. Heather and Alexis: I miss you!

You know - you don't have to have a lot going on to post on this blog. What is going on out there? Which chapter are you on in H. Potter? Or did you already finish it? What? Elder Step Son is now done, "What am I going to do with my life now," he asks as he hands it over....

Anitra

More Questions

This neighbor is currently running up and down my street - has been for the last hour or so. At least he is wearing a helmet. On an all too regular basis someone is scrapping the body parts of teen drivers off the payment and out of wrecked cars here in Sonoma county. Just a few nights ago some teens were racing through a near-by neighborhood at speeds up to 70 mph (news story) when they crashed into some cars and caused serious damage to themselves. I don't know if there is anything particularly unique to this place - we have a lot of old farming roads with blind curves and a lot of folks who seem to need to drive as fast as possible on those roads. I'm a fast driver and yet more often then not I've got some large pick up truck (my new favorite car to hate now that I'm out of Marin) trying to drive up my exhaust pipe. I want a sign I can turn on - say mounted in my rear view mirror that says: I can't go any faster than the car in front of me just to drive down River Road.

There seems like there is a lot of anger on the road around here.

A few months ago, Bill & I were in a casual upscale bar in Windsor with a friend from Windsor Presbyterian Church on a Friday night. It was singles night - but the desperation in the room was odd to figure out. Am I older now and can see it better? It seemed like folks were in some form of a dead-end desperation - and were drinking, trying to hook up, as a way to cover over the pain. Is this the new economy? Where is the hope?

Maybe I'm too naive. Maybe I'm too protected. Maybe I'm too old. Maybe there is a need for speed just to feel like you're getting someplace - anyplace - even if its the same old place.

Living in Whine Country

This is my neighbor directly across the street from us. He seems to be a perfectly nice guy, with lots of friends and family in the neighborhood - all of whom seem to drive large, diesel powered trucks and SUV and who seem to have a need to stop and idle for up to an hour in the middle of the street while talking about - well whatever they talk about.

In addition to the bright red powerboat, he also owns a large RV, about as big as a local delivery truck. The normal other car in the drive way is also a pure white SUV. He has recently added about 2 or 3 little four wheel dirt bikes or something and lately I'm noticing a motorcycle running around the front. Furthermore, in spite of there being a major water shortage and daily urging to do the right thing, this man has suddenly produced a gas powered water washing thing so he can keep all his toys very pretty. If we run out of gas in this world early, I'm sorely tempted to hold this man personally responsible.

But it would hardly be fair because look at the rest of the Stepford-Wife Subdivision:

My neighbor to the left - count the SUVs

A view down the street: all suv and/or who-the-hell-needs-a-muffler-american-pick-ups. I should have taken a pix in the evening when everyone was home. There are RV and boats and motorcycles galore. My neighbor on the other side has two SUV - and the middle son has recently acquired one of those damn lawn mower powered scooter things which he enjoys riding up and down the street, helmet be damned.

Has anyone in this neighborhood heard about global warming?

What the heck are they going to do when the oil runs out?

And why does this bug me so much?

Always a good question to ask, in spite of its deep annoying call to self-examination. Its much more fun when its someone else's fault but I've been reading the line about splinters vs logs way too long to not do this.

1) I'm still pretty isolated. I work out of the home and I don't get out much. Its been tough to identify groups that I might get involved with and I use the family as an excuse not to try too much. I did attempt to attend a local evening Jazzercise class but after a year of showing up and not having folks talk to me it was getting rather dreary. The core group had been working out together for nearly 20 years so I could hardly blame them. It just that there I was, still lonely, when standing around in a group of 30 women. Also I was irritating my shoulder rotator cuff and when I went to see an orthopedist he started sharpening up the surgery blades and I'm sooo very against extra holes in my body that I decided that maybe I should pursue another form of exercise instead. Plus, it was a class that meet at 6 pm, tough on family dinner when the boys were around and hard to show up for cuz other events in my life rolled through so I'd pay but not go and that seemed stupid.

But how stupid is it to sit here at my desk and not do anything at all?

2) I don't know my neighbors. I'm pretty sure they do not deserve my judgment. They are just people trying to get by in this world. I'm pretty sure I'm using this as a way to protect myself from - what? My own demons of negativity? I should get out more. I should practice humility. These people deserve mercy, God's love, Christ's reconciling presence. Who the hell am I to be tossing these stones?

Maybe its eating me - my own insecurities about if I'm good enough, if I'm ever going to be ordained, my own decisions that seem decent enough at the time but now, here are the consequences and maybe I was stupid or afraid or selfish or something. So I want to resist being where I am.

A couple of weeks ago I was informed that Covenant Network is downsizing which means: me. This wasn't news actually. I could see it coming from a long way off and I was frustrated that no one else could. And its not like I wanted to be with CovNet forever - its just that I have no idea about what comes next or when. I've recently had cause to encounter written and verbal affirmations of my call to ministry which make this unfulfilled ache within ever more intense. (I can only begin to imagine how this must feel to our brothers and sisters who face significant barriers to ordination)

Ah well.

God is good.
God does not abandon.
If this is where I am to be, then help me, O Lord, to see what needs to be done here
If this is not where I am to remain, O Lord, then help me to see where it is I should go

Rain Anyone?

Okay, so for 4 years I whined and complained about no real thunderstorms and not enough summer rains and for 4 years God didn't listen. However, God has decided to make up for it now! There have been only 2 days without significant rain during the month of June. I am beginning to have flashes of Noah :)

Anyway, I am doing pretty well in OK. I have been doing a lot of pulpit supply and my job is going well. That's about it from here.

If anyone wants to join Facebook, there is a SFTS Alum group. I have become kinda addicted to the Facebook phenomenon :)

Take care and have a great day!

Love, Jenn :)

random news

News #1:

From the UMC California/Nevada Conference website:

Mahoney, Kathy

Change Date: 7/1/2007

From: Kernville UMC
To: Windsor UMC

This is a significant congregation in the community - way to go Kathy!

(google view - campus on the left of the main road)

News #2

Sharon LaTour is serving as Commissioned Lay Pastor at Garberville Presbyterian Church. I was in the area camping (Richardson Grove) last weekend and went up to worship with her and the congregation. Sharon was great- the congregation is dedicated - the food spread afterwards is a full on lunch - the sanctuary is beautiful in its simplicity and use of redwood - and she has great musicians. I look forward to hearing how her ministry will grow and serve that community. Ginny Rose was also there and serving as lay reader. Ginny is living in the parish house in Scotia. (google view - church is to the north of the arrow)

News #3

Robert Hattle is back on the Northern Californian Coast - working at the hospital in Arcata for the summer. Ghost Ranch needed to gear up for its summer program and the nursing money is very good at Mad River Community Hospital. Robert stopped by at the Richardson Grove campsite on the way up from a great program on Process Theology at Claremont in LA. It was good to see him.

Got News? Time to post! camping? travels to exotic locations? picnics in the local park?

Anitra

Kai Emily

Just to let you know Heather and I have a healthy new niece in our family. She came this morning at 7:15 am and is 8 pounds 1 ounce. Mother and baby are doing great, especially since mother got an epidural the second she rolled into the hospital this morning at 3:00 am. My sister is aware that Kai means "and" in Greek, but keeps ignoring me when I say it and then she reminds me that it also means ocean in Hawaiian and Willow Tree in Navajo. With a 2 and a half year old and a brand new baby around, please pray that at some point my sister and brother-in-law get some rest.
It also looks like Roux, the dog, may not need to have surgery. We are taking her to have an Orthopedic consult this week, yes we are taking our dog to an orthopedic surgeon (yes I know, good lord).
Also the Red Sox are in town playing the Braves, we are going to two of the three games, just to let you know that makes this the best week ever.

Peace and light,
Alexis
aem-kmcg.blogspot.com

Doug Adams

Bobbie Dykema, a grad student at GTU, sent out an email today indicating that Professor Doug Adams is seriously ill and she is requesting prayers for his healing and strength.

Armstrong Houshold

We had a graduation in our house as Silas graduated from pre-school.

Here is receiving his certificate from the School's Superintendant.

It is also baseball season and the boys are both playing in the city league. They each had there first games this week and had a great time. Did you see Silas smile. He fell this spring on the back stairs and knocked his two front teath loose. The dentist had to pull them. He's pretty cute without them.

Megan and I are doing well. She is on vacation with her mom in Ireland and Scotland before we take our High School students to St. Louis, MO on our mission trip. We would ask for your prayers over the next month as our schedule is packed full. We pray everyone is doing well.

Another Ordination

I was able to attend the ordination service in Denver for Matt Gearke this past Sunday.

Matt will be serving as Associate Pastor (youth and children's) at Spirit Lake, Iowa.

He will be making the move and beginning ministry in July.

Let's all remember Matt in this time of transition.

Holy Ground

Friends -

Some of you may have heard in the news about the shooting in Moscow, ID that involved a Presbyterian Church two weeks ago. A gunman shot and killed his wife at home, shot at the police station and killed a police man, and then entered the church and killed the caretaker there and shot himself in the sanctuary. Needless to say it was a huge tragedy and shock in the small college town. That was my home church and the church that supported me on my seminary journey. I found out the morning of the shooting (Sunday) as I was preparing for worship in Wilbur which was quite a difficult time for me.

Well, last Sunday the congregation re-entered their worship space for the first time. One of my parishoners covered for me in Wilbur so that Lars and I could attend. It was very moving for me to share in the service with my church family and it meant a lot to them that Lars and I came. There was a lot of hope in the service as we sang songs and prayed litanies for healing. Halfway through the service they brought in the communion elements and water for the baptismal font. As the pastor poured the water into the font and we sang "Holy Ground" I choked back tears.

It was amazing to see the way the church as a whole reached out to this community in need. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance had been in to help work on the church so there was no sign of the violence that took place there. They had also visited with church members and community neighbors to talk about emotions surrounding the tragedy. There were cards and emails from all over the country expressing support for the congregation and their healing process.

My biggest realization from the experiance was that God never left the space. That while we were re-claiming, re-dedicating the space for worship, the truth was that it never stopped being a worship space. That even though tragedy and evil entered in - God was still present and the holiness of the space was still intact. It was a moving lesson on the presence of God in our lives in times of pain as well as in times of joy.

For those of you who may have seen the news and remembered it was my church thank you for your prayers. It was the prayers of people around the country that have helped this congregation to survive and will continue to help it thrive. Thanks be to God!

Nothing new really.

It's funny how much a dog can become just like its owner. We just found out this morning that our dog Roux has torn her Anterior Cruciate Ligament( ligament in the knee, also known as the ACL) and has arthritis in her knees. Apparently she is not as much as a mutt as we thought because she is predisposed to this injury as an almost pure breed Burmese Mountain Dog. For those who don't know every single member of my family has arthritis in our knees and wrists, we have all had at least one knee surgery, and my mother, sister, brother, and father have all torn their ACL's. So Roux is going to have surgery next week, and if you pray for dogs, pray for Roux. And if you know how much I love my dog, pray for my sanity during her surgery and recovery. Thanks.

Another Walk Across the Stage

Audrey Margaret Rasmussen graduated from Wilson High School in Portland Oregon last Friday night.

There is something about that silly song - Pomp and Circumstance - then when it cranks up and lines of young men and women start walking into the room - lines that include my daughters - well, I have this tendency to want to break out into deep sobbing. It comes from nowhere, I'm just fine, kinda bored, waiting for it all to begin and then... that music cranks up and the robed ones begin to appear and there it is....

I ran into Jill Holseth. She walked SFTS just this last month. She is still doing on-call chaplain work at Providence and is getting ready to take on the ords. Her daughter and second and last born also graduated last night.

Blessings from Taize

Hi folks! I've got just one month left in Europe - it's hard to believe it's almost time to come back to the U.S.A. I finished my masters thesis last week and am now waiting on comments from my advisor, after which I have a few weeks to kick back before I defend the thesis and hop a plane for home. I would covet your prayers for June 10 when I'll be preaching a sermon in Calvin's Auditoire (I hope not to get struck by lightning...)!

After finishing my thesis, I spent the past week with my dad at the Taize community in France. Let me tell you, the ritual of Taize worship three times a day, interspersed with simple living, Bible study, sharing with others and personal time for reflection, is not a bad way to spend a week. The photo here shows the brothers sitting inside the sanctuary. About 2,000 people were there this week (most of whom are young adults, teens to 30ish), and they can accommodate something between 6,000 and 10,000. Singing those Taize songs with hundreds of others is quite an experience - the music just washes over you. The existence there is rustic - think church camp for adults - but it's worth the trouble it takes to get all the way to France. Once we all have study leave (time and budget) built up, we should take a class trip...

Magna Cum Laude

We flew back to Washington DC on Saturday the 12th - we got in around 5 pm local time to Dulles Airport. We decided to get around as much as possible on the Metro - so our hotel was in Dun Leaving (the daily rate was at least below $200/night!) a block away from the local Metro stop but about 30 minutes from downtown DC. I love the metro. I think about Aimee whenever I ride the escalators (ride on the right, walk on the left).

On Sunday we got up, got ourselves organized and rode the orange line to the Metro stop, then switched over to the red line and continued north to the American University campus at Tenlytown. There is a shuttle from the metro stop to the campus and there were lots and lots of somewhat confused but very proud parents heading back from the first round of stage walking.

Meanwhile, another great gaggle of family dressed in their sunday best stood around outside the auditorium with young men and women dressed in blue gowns and hats. Looking around I could recognize the master's gowns and hoods plus the Phd hats. I couldn't help but remember how it was to walk - just a year ago...

We walked over to Dana's dorm where she was puttering around still packing up, talking to friends and generally hanging out. The room is the kind of room I lived in when I was in college. Concrete block walls, built in dressers and closets and two beds, two desks, two bookcases and a rug that has seen perhaps way more then should be contemplated. We talked, then she dressed and we walked out to find her friends, a suitable place to take photos and eventually, to go our all too rapidly approaching diverging ways but in this case - we to the bleachers and her to line up into the blue gowns. They marched in and if I hadn't been holding a video camera I would have broken out into deep deep sobbing the need for which surprised me. I remember dropping her off at the kindergarten door on the first day of school and then turning away and how I started sobbing then.

The graduation itself was classic: speakers, name calling and stage walking. No one went long and mercifully most of the speechifying was interesting. At the end, the class stands and walks back out. Dana passed in front of us, not knowing how close we were, and then away from me - out the doors into the world beyond. "Wait!" I wanted to cry out. "Where are you going? How can this happening so soon?" But without looking back she marched out with her head lifted high and a proud smile of accomplishment.


Dana has her first grown up job: Para-Legal in a Bethesda Estate law firm Now she needs a place to live but in the meantime.... she is spending a couple of weeks here before work starts. If anyone knows of a nice place to live in Bethesda, we're taking suggestions. We're also shopping for the professional clothes and apartment stuff and so on. And I'm stocking up on Kleenex boxes for the drive back from the Oakland Airport on May 30th. How did my Mom ever do this?

Fresh Start

In the Atlanta Diocese of the Episcopal Church there is this wonderful clergy resource called Fresh Start. At the beginning of any new ministry, whether or not you are a new rector, an old rector in a new church, an associate pastor, a chaplain, or any ordained clergy person who starts any new job anywhere in the Atlanta Diocese you are required to go to a clergy support group three times a month that meets at the diocese every Thursday for the first year of your ministry; and then after that you are required to go once a month for the next year. And then after that you can come whenever you feel the need for some connection. They also hold monthly support meetings for clergy in urban churches, in suburban churches, rural churches, chaplains, pastoral care clergy, older adult ministry clergy, and youth and family clergy. I don't think the Episcopal church does support any better than any other church, or that being forced to spend every Thursday out of touch and in a meeting is great, but can you imagine during your first call getting to sit around and talk to other people going through the same thing and getting advice from clergy who have already been through it? As well as getting to get away from the pressures of your job for a few hours on Thursday morning, plus they have a free breakfast. (who doesn't love free food). I only post this because apparently support like this can be done, clergy can be connected and according to the pastor's who go, it is a lifesaver during the first year of ministry. I just emailed the Bishop for the local Methodist District saying maybe this Fresh Start thing isn't such a bad idea for the Methodist's here in Atlanta. Now who should I contact to get in touch with a Presbyterian who can contact their own leaders? (note sarcasm)

Tulip Time & Elephant Ears

Yes, it's Tulip Time in Holland and that means Elephant Ears are back! Seems that many folks live for the deep-fried batter, slathered with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. This is as close as I ventured to said ears as folks were claiming space before the parade. Instead, I opted for a safe, rather ordinary hot dog and chips from the vendor next door.

Meantime, back at the ranch...Sammy is enjoying watching the birdies on the feeder we have mounted on the deck. Jim took 2 days to stain/seal the deck in, what felt like, gale force winds! We've also started working in our yard -- see all the green green grass in the yards across the little lake? We are coaxing our little yard into becoming pretty and green, too. The little oak tree that we brought with us from San Anselmo (Jim found it growing out of a crack in the cement at the SFTS Maintenance Shop on Ross Ave) has just this week shown signs of new life. We celebrated by planting a weeping willow, a Japanese maple and 2 Douglas spruces.

Happy Easter! St. Luke's Episcopal, Kalamazoo. Jim's first Sunday was Palm Sunday and we all gathered out in the courtyard, the daffy-dills, hyacinths, forsythias all in bloom. The next Sunday -- Easter -- we were bundled up, ringing bells and singing our Aaaa---lle-llllu-iiiias through chattering teeth! It's a lovely church -located right across the street from First Church, K'zoo. (No, I haven't been there...yet.) Jim is serving as the interim rector and seems to really enjoy that kind of work; there are 18 openings in the Diocese of Western Michigan.

Well, I reckon that's enough for now. When I saw this sign on the marquee at the Knickerbocker Theatre, downtown Holland, I couldn't help but think of you all...and us all! How strange it is to remember where we all were less than one year ago and to be writing you from this new space and place. What a dance it has been! Hoping this finds you all well and enjoying "bright sacred days and warm blessed nights."

The potential dangers of the BLOG

I had a sad reminder the other day of the potential harm a BLOG can do. I know we all know to be careful but it doesn't hurt to remember before we post that anyone, and I do mean ANYONE can read what we write. (Including your CPM) Recently an SFTS student has gotten into some hot water with his CPM because of his personal Blog. How who got ahold of what I do not know. I do know he goes up for candidacy this week and has been told that the issue may come up on the floor of the Presbytery. YIKES!
That said I do love having our BLOG to keep track of what's new with all of us and hope we will continue.
love and blessings to you all,
Cheryl