I had what I thought was a relatively disappointing Stewardship Sunday this past week. We had decided to do the 18th because we thought people would be away on Veteran's Day weekend. Last week there were 74 people in church; this Sunday, there were 51. Well, shit. I'd worked hard on my sermon and thought it could be used to help convince people to ( Read more... )

Holy mother of God, I got the shock of my life today.

I mentioned earlier that the worship team and I decided to observe Children's Sabbath this week, a worship service focused on children's issues and organized by the Children's Defense Fund. The theme for this year's children's sabbath is: "My Boat is So Small: Creating Havens of Hope and ( Read more... )

Borrowed from praetorianguard, including her disclaimer.

My five favorite fantasy moments.*

1. "The Choices of Master Samwise" in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Sam wrestles with his faith and fate, courage and tendency to make the wrong choice before making, sadly, the wrong choice for all the right and most loveable reasons. Honorable LOTR mention to the ( Read more... )

Double pieces of good news today! Finally, a little turn of the tides for us ( Read more... )

A well-spent afternoon at local shops. We went to a farmer's stand for some fresh produce, including some huge zucchini, some great-looking and fresh-picked asparagus and scallions, and two large goose eggs. At the nearby buffalo farm, we purchased two steaks and some ground meat. And at the pick-your-own berry farm, LittleOne enjoyed picking some ( Read more... )

( My Nonna and Me )

Last week's much-needed vacation was a lot of fun, and a great celebration for LittleOne's second birthday.

We kicked off with a pre-vacation visit from my mom celeste42, my sister sarahfim, and brother in law, and on Saturday added Lissa and Grandma and Grandpa Scriba to the mix for a birthday party with food and fun, presents, and cake. She had a blast, and got ( Read more... )

I love it when an Oscar winner thanks her wife first. Especially when it's *her* wife.

I love that Melissa Etheridge was sitting in the front row, and when her name was called she gave her sweetie a big ole smooch, took the stage, and thanked her and her kids right off the bat, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Because, guess what ( Read more... )

...with my visual metaphor this week.

Love it!

( For those who are not hip to the vis met thing, let me 'splain. )