Had to force myself to go to EfM class last week, so angry at myself for letting Juanita get under my skin like that. And, I was in Middletown which required me to follow the class on my smartphone since all I have is a lousy chromebook to connect to the internet ( Read more... )

I felt like the Duke of Edinburgh slapping shut his laptop, the most expeditious and soul satisfying way to exit a Zoom meeting (evidently he had no fears of accidentally leaving his camera on. I do - which is why I always push the little red button that says, "Leave Meeting ( Read more... )

So, The Education for Ministry class met for the umpteenth time this year, another panel of zoom squares arrayed across my laptop screen. It was the same evening as the Derek Chauvin verdict so, people were already discussing it when I tuned in. And, of course, by the time I arrive I am already ticked off because the facillitator never emails a ( Read more... )

I spent a good deal of Sunday afternoon texting Crosby during various football games. It wasn't until EFM class the following day that Colette reminded me that he's probably still in church for most of the games being played in the Eastern time zone. Similarly, he's probably just getting into the 8:00 Pacific time games just as I'm starting fall ( Read more... )

This Sabbath Day was destined for disaster from the beginning. Rainy and cold, I was in no mood to go back into "The City" for the second time in 24 hours. Saturday involved brunch with Pale Male and being brought up to speed on the Saturday Kitchen situation. It's been in the work for months, but apparently there has been an intervention by M's ( Read more... )

We're getting deeper into te McCullough book and that means we're basically retracing what many of us still refer to as, The Fall of the Roman Empire, but with the emphasis on the eastern and western shores of the Mediterranean where, in in reality, Rome remained a political and cultural force to be reckoned with, not the least because of the ready ( Read more... )

We had our third EFM class last night. It was pretty free ranging, I suspect because - as Juanita warned me months go - not everyone does the reading. And, when you don't do the reading, you make up for it by improvising on the first topic that comes into your head. Last night we spent a lot of time talking about the Black Church its long services ( Read more... )

EFM class met last night and although it was mostly uneventful, it did bring back some memories of the last time I began Year Three of the sequence. It is clear, for example, that the reading materials are designed to appeal to the widest possible assortment of religious enthusiasts. The two hours we spend together are devoted largely to group ( Read more... )

This weekend illustrates perfectly what contributes to Pentecost feelng every bit as long as it actually is in the Church calendar. It is one long-ass season ( Read more... )

Lent continues to be a season of reflection and vulnerability for many of us, even without having made any official pledges of fasting or sacrificing. I, myself have all but stopped eating ice cream, but, I probably would have done so anyway, just to get ready for t-shirt weather. Frank Lee says he has given up chocolate, a perennial favorite ( Read more... )