So, I was helping a friend recently test a website he built for work that is to collect information for a study. I was one of several testers, and fortunately I followed the rules and performed the test properly; for my friend told me some of the testers did not follow the directions completely and their data became null and void. I replied that it is often easier to herd cats then it is to get a group of people to follow directions. In fact my band director in high school claimed that you have not told people directions until you you have repeated them at least three times, but that seven times was a better rule of thumb. In the words of the movie Swingers: Seven times is kinda money.
Anyway, I think there is a metaphor for preaching here, or a least a word to the wise. See I often feel I am preaching the same sermon over and over again to the point that I worry that I'm boring people. The truth of the matter is, however, that you have to repeat things in variety of ways to keep whatever you are saying in people's consciousness long enough for it to seep into their sub-conscious. I guess the seven times phenomenon highlights what Jung once said about it taking a thousand years for an idea to catch on.
Therefore: keep preaching the same old thing that brings about so much newness: God's Grace!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Friday, June 08, 2007
Friday Five
Greetings,
Cathy over at revgalblogpalswrites:
Cathy over at revgalblogpalswrites:
We snitched a bit of time on an quiet island nearby this week. It was a last minute plan, escaping with a minimal amount of preparation. One must have essentials that make it a relaxing time. Perhaps you have had this opportunity to escape, or maybe it's only been a thought to get away. However, suppose you were told to pack some essentials for a trip to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Describe your location, in general or specific terms and....
Secluded beach or secluded mountain cabin, either would be nice. The key is magnificent nature and privacy.
1) What book(s) will you bring?
bible, Harry Potter, Something intellectual from the nightstand stack.
2) What music accompanies you?
Whatever is on the Ipod, but I would listen to a lot of Miles Davis
3) What essentials of everyday living must you take (as in the health and beauty aids aisle variety)?
tooth brush and tooth paste...I'm a minimalist
4) What technological gadgets if any, will you take with you or do you leave it all behind?
Only the Ipod
5) What culinary delights will you partake in while there?
BACON! LOTS AND LOTS OF BACON!
As a bonus question, what makes for a perfect day on vacation for you?
Beautiful scenery and a thick book!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
The Thursday either/or.
Greetings,
The rules are simple. Below you are given an option. Choose one and defend you opinion. You may play in the comments here or as a post on your own blog. If you play at your own blog please post a link here to your play so we can all see. And now, your option:
Either Early Bird or Night Owl?
I use to be a night owl, but I am increasingly an Early Bird. I am usually in the office before 7:00 a.m. these days and earlier on Sunday morning. But I love getting here early. It gives me time for reading and prayer--two essentials to a healthy existence.
The rules are simple. Below you are given an option. Choose one and defend you opinion. You may play in the comments here or as a post on your own blog. If you play at your own blog please post a link here to your play so we can all see. And now, your option:
Either Early Bird or Night Owl?
I use to be a night owl, but I am increasingly an Early Bird. I am usually in the office before 7:00 a.m. these days and earlier on Sunday morning. But I love getting here early. It gives me time for reading and prayer--two essentials to a healthy existence.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Sermon for Trinity Sunday year C
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, what is man that you should be mindful of him? The son of man that you should seek him out?”
I speak with you today in the name of the Triune God. Amen!
Good (Evening) Morning! Thank you for joining us on this Trinity Sunday. It is traditional, like Low Sunday the Sunday after Easter, for this day to be another one of those international the Associate gets to preach occasions. I checked around and indeed most of my friends that are associates and/or curates are indeed preaching this morning. It seems there is a bit of a rite of passage for associates to have to stand up—literally in front of God and everybody—and try and explain the Trinity. Now far be it for me to ever back down from a challenge. So let’s give it a go, shall we?
Basically, without getting too technical, the doctrine of the Trinity is the teaching that we know God in three distinct persons, but yet they are one. Now, my middle school English teacher is somewhere in the southern United States cringing right at this moment because I just mixed plural and singular in a sentence. They is plural and can not be One. Luckily God is beyond the rules of grammar; so this is indeed possible. Though possible, I do believe it is still confusing for the very reasons my grammar teacher is cringing. How can three distinct things indeed three distinct persons, be One?
Indeed, the church has been trying to describe our experience of the triune God, the three in One, since our inception. Athanaius, one early articulators of the Christian faith from the fourth century put it this way:
That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
Got it? Good, because I don’t. Now that is about as clear as the federal tax code don’t you think? That makes about as much sense as yelling touchdown at basketball game.
Now truly the Triune God is incomprehensible, but not because of God, rather because of our tendencies. See, there is more going on about God than we could ask or imagine. Too often we are clouded by our limited perceptions of things. We have particular categories, boxes in which we place every thing and every person. As long as these people and things function within our conceptions of whom and what they should be we are able to blithely mosey along without paying much attention, without giving ourselves to the moment or each other.
These perceptions often lead to a rather mechanical worldview on our part. It can lead to a checklist type existence with a series of do’s and don’ts. It produces an extreme desire for control, because if we understand the cause then we can manipulate the effect. It manifests itself in a compulsion to have an ordered proscribed path leading to a predetermined destination. Furthermore, the daily grind, the rat race, or whatever you want to call it is a manifestation of our tendency to mechanize our lives. Wake up at the right time, drink the right coffee, drive the right car, have the right job. Complete the checklist, and purge the task list from the blackberry then all is well. The Bishop and Scholar N.T. Wright, describes this as the concrete we have used to cap the wells of spirituality, covers over the life giving waters of God.
This is all fine and dandy until God breaks in gives us a swift kick of Christian love. I think that is what happened to our psalmist today. He or She writes, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, what is man that you should be mindful of him? the son of man that you should seek him out?” I think the Psalmist was on auto-pilot and then suddenly it dawned on him or her, “wait a second, this creation is too elegantly fashioned too particularly ordered for it to be an accident. Furthermore, the being that created all this, the one that nurtures everything from the smallest sub-atomic particles to the paths of galaxies in the universe, cares about little old me.”
“What is man that you should be mindful of him?” Why in the entire universe, of all that is seen and unseen, would God, the Supreme Being, care about us? Furthermore, when there is so much going on in this existence, from the paths of planets and the emissions of stars, to the reproduction of cells and the motions of atoms, why would God seek us out? Why would God call us?
This wonderment, this overwhelming sense of awe is, I believe, the beginnings of enlightenment, the beginnings of wisdom. It is when God breaks in to our well managed routines to say to us there is more than what we are noticing that we begin the path to wholeness. This call of God’s is towards relationship and away from mechanization.
Indeed that is what the doctrine of the trinity is: a teaching about relationship. Our existence is meaningless without relationship and incomplete and broken without a relationship with God. Indeed whether say Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, or Speaker, Word, Breath we are attempting to describe a relational existence much more akin to a divine dance then a machine.
Now this is frightening to us, because a mechanical worldview is clean, comprehendible, and predictable. A relational worldview is messy, confounding, and unpredictable. In a relationship one may be asked to do or go where one least expects. This is okay. We can overcome the fear because we are not alone on the journey. Jesus says to his disciples today, “I know you are not ready for it all. That’s okay. The spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit that is me and is God will be with you and will guide you to all.”
My brothers and sisters, the call for us today is to be open to the cosmic divine dance that is the triune God; to be open to the relationship that is beyond our comprehension and regulation. We are called to be open to the spirit of Truth to lead us deeper into relationship. For as incomprehensible as the trinity is, as incomprehensible that the God that creates all that is seen and unseen cares about you and me, as incomprehensible as it might be God, loves us even more. God loves us so much that God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ and remains with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. God loves us so much; God invites us to this table to receive the grace of God in the bread and wine that is the body and blood of Christ so we can then go be the body and blood of Christ in the world. Amen!
I speak with you today in the name of the Triune God. Amen!
Good (Evening) Morning! Thank you for joining us on this Trinity Sunday. It is traditional, like Low Sunday the Sunday after Easter, for this day to be another one of those international the Associate gets to preach occasions. I checked around and indeed most of my friends that are associates and/or curates are indeed preaching this morning. It seems there is a bit of a rite of passage for associates to have to stand up—literally in front of God and everybody—and try and explain the Trinity. Now far be it for me to ever back down from a challenge. So let’s give it a go, shall we?
Basically, without getting too technical, the doctrine of the Trinity is the teaching that we know God in three distinct persons, but yet they are one. Now, my middle school English teacher is somewhere in the southern United States cringing right at this moment because I just mixed plural and singular in a sentence. They is plural and can not be One. Luckily God is beyond the rules of grammar; so this is indeed possible. Though possible, I do believe it is still confusing for the very reasons my grammar teacher is cringing. How can three distinct things indeed three distinct persons, be One?
Indeed, the church has been trying to describe our experience of the triune God, the three in One, since our inception. Athanaius, one early articulators of the Christian faith from the fourth century put it this way:
That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
Got it? Good, because I don’t. Now that is about as clear as the federal tax code don’t you think? That makes about as much sense as yelling touchdown at basketball game.
Now truly the Triune God is incomprehensible, but not because of God, rather because of our tendencies. See, there is more going on about God than we could ask or imagine. Too often we are clouded by our limited perceptions of things. We have particular categories, boxes in which we place every thing and every person. As long as these people and things function within our conceptions of whom and what they should be we are able to blithely mosey along without paying much attention, without giving ourselves to the moment or each other.
These perceptions often lead to a rather mechanical worldview on our part. It can lead to a checklist type existence with a series of do’s and don’ts. It produces an extreme desire for control, because if we understand the cause then we can manipulate the effect. It manifests itself in a compulsion to have an ordered proscribed path leading to a predetermined destination. Furthermore, the daily grind, the rat race, or whatever you want to call it is a manifestation of our tendency to mechanize our lives. Wake up at the right time, drink the right coffee, drive the right car, have the right job. Complete the checklist, and purge the task list from the blackberry then all is well. The Bishop and Scholar N.T. Wright, describes this as the concrete we have used to cap the wells of spirituality, covers over the life giving waters of God.
This is all fine and dandy until God breaks in gives us a swift kick of Christian love. I think that is what happened to our psalmist today. He or She writes, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, what is man that you should be mindful of him? the son of man that you should seek him out?” I think the Psalmist was on auto-pilot and then suddenly it dawned on him or her, “wait a second, this creation is too elegantly fashioned too particularly ordered for it to be an accident. Furthermore, the being that created all this, the one that nurtures everything from the smallest sub-atomic particles to the paths of galaxies in the universe, cares about little old me.”
“What is man that you should be mindful of him?” Why in the entire universe, of all that is seen and unseen, would God, the Supreme Being, care about us? Furthermore, when there is so much going on in this existence, from the paths of planets and the emissions of stars, to the reproduction of cells and the motions of atoms, why would God seek us out? Why would God call us?
This wonderment, this overwhelming sense of awe is, I believe, the beginnings of enlightenment, the beginnings of wisdom. It is when God breaks in to our well managed routines to say to us there is more than what we are noticing that we begin the path to wholeness. This call of God’s is towards relationship and away from mechanization.
Indeed that is what the doctrine of the trinity is: a teaching about relationship. Our existence is meaningless without relationship and incomplete and broken without a relationship with God. Indeed whether say Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, or Speaker, Word, Breath we are attempting to describe a relational existence much more akin to a divine dance then a machine.
Now this is frightening to us, because a mechanical worldview is clean, comprehendible, and predictable. A relational worldview is messy, confounding, and unpredictable. In a relationship one may be asked to do or go where one least expects. This is okay. We can overcome the fear because we are not alone on the journey. Jesus says to his disciples today, “I know you are not ready for it all. That’s okay. The spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit that is me and is God will be with you and will guide you to all.”
My brothers and sisters, the call for us today is to be open to the cosmic divine dance that is the triune God; to be open to the relationship that is beyond our comprehension and regulation. We are called to be open to the spirit of Truth to lead us deeper into relationship. For as incomprehensible as the trinity is, as incomprehensible that the God that creates all that is seen and unseen cares about you and me, as incomprehensible as it might be God, loves us even more. God loves us so much that God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ and remains with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. God loves us so much; God invites us to this table to receive the grace of God in the bread and wine that is the body and blood of Christ so we can then go be the body and blood of Christ in the world. Amen!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Friday Five
From reverandmother and the revgalblogpals, another edition of the Friday Five. My answers are in red.
As many of you know, I have been experimenting with some severely curtailed Internet usage. I realized that I had gotten into some bad habits, which got me thinking about habits in general. I understand that a habits/random facts meme has already been going around. In the hopes that it hasn't hit too many of us yet, be as lighthearted or as serious as you'd like with the following:
1. Have you ever successfully quit a bad habit, or gotten a good habit established? Tell us about how you did it.
Smoking....quitting was easy. I did it 500 times at least. Seriously though I haven't had a cigarette in 4 1/2 years. Remarkably I still get cravings.
2. "If only there were a 12-step program for ______M&M Consumption_________!"
3. Share one of your healthy "obsessions" with us.
Naps! To nap is rest in the lap of God.
4. Share the habit of a spouse, friend or loved one that drives you C-R-A-Z-Y.
My wife calls vacuuming sweeping which makes no since to me. You sweep with a broom, vacuum with a vacuum cleaner.
5. "I'd love to get into the habit of _______Hiking_________."
Bonus: What is one small action you might take immediately to make #5 a reality?
Get on the elliptical at the gym to get ready for this summers trip to the black hills/bad lands.
Bonus 2: Try it, and let us know how it goes in a future post!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Thursday Either/Or
The rules of the game are simple. Given the following option pick one and defend your answer. You can play in the comments or on your blog. If you play on your blog, share the link by posting it in the comments so we know your choice.
Today's Option:
John Cage or Conlon Nancarrow
I'm going to choose Nancarrow because his aesthetic somes across as more outward reaching for something as oppose to Cage who comes across more introspective.
God's Peace,
Jason+
Today's Option:
John Cage or Conlon Nancarrow
I'm going to choose Nancarrow because his aesthetic somes across as more outward reaching for something as oppose to Cage who comes across more introspective.
God's Peace,
Jason+
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Proud purchaser of a Mac
Greetings,
So, Mrs. Barefoot Priest and I bought a mac last night. I am excited, but a little frustrated that I am at work right now and can't play with it. I did get to play with Garage Band this morning for a bit, and it was nice to create music again.
God's Peace,
Jason+
So, Mrs. Barefoot Priest and I bought a mac last night. I am excited, but a little frustrated that I am at work right now and can't play with it. I did get to play with Garage Band this morning for a bit, and it was nice to create music again.
God's Peace,
Jason+
Friday, May 11, 2007
Friday Five
Yet another addition of the friday five from the Revgals
1. Mac? (woo-hoo!) or PC? (boo!)
Why yes, the Friday Five author reserves the right to editorialize!
I'm in a little bit of a quasi pauline already/not yet situation. I concede that Macs are far superior machines and much closer to the kingdom of God than any PC available. Furthermore, i would like to join the kingdom and remove all things PC/Microsoft from my existence, but I have yet to realize this eschatological reality.
2. Pizza: Chicago style luscious hearty goodness, or New York floppy and flaccid?
All pizza is good unless it has fruit on it! However, true New York pizza is neither floppy nor flaccid! I miss living within a block of a Ray's Pizza in Manhattan.
3. Brownies/fudge containing nuts:
a) Good. I like the variation in texture.
b) An abomination unto the Lord. The nuts take up valuable chocolate space.
[or a response of your choosing]
Neither, one should just be thankful one has the opportunity to eat a brownie/or fudge because with or without nuts it is still evidence that God loves you and wants you to be happy (if I may paraphrase Benjamin Franklin's love for beer)!
4. Do you hang your toilet paper so that the "tail" hangs flush with the wall, or over the top of the roll like normal people do?
If I took the time to think about how I was hanging the roll on the roller, those would be valuable moments of my life wasted that I would never again be able to have.
5. Toothpaste: Do you squeeze the tube wantonly in the middle, or squeeze from the bottom and flatten as you go just like the tube instructs?
From the bottom! This is an ongoing conversation I have with my wife. When we got married I agreed to close all dresser drawers and she agreed to squeeze from the bottom of the toothpaste tube. I've lived up to my end of the bargain. Mrs. Barefootpriest, not so much! grrrrrr!!!!!!
Bonus: Share your favorite either/or.
Since I'm an Episcopalian I guess mine would Rite I vs. Rite II.
Hope yall enjoy!
1. Mac? (woo-hoo!) or PC? (boo!)
Why yes, the Friday Five author reserves the right to editorialize!
I'm in a little bit of a quasi pauline already/not yet situation. I concede that Macs are far superior machines and much closer to the kingdom of God than any PC available. Furthermore, i would like to join the kingdom and remove all things PC/Microsoft from my existence, but I have yet to realize this eschatological reality.
2. Pizza: Chicago style luscious hearty goodness, or New York floppy and flaccid?
All pizza is good unless it has fruit on it! However, true New York pizza is neither floppy nor flaccid! I miss living within a block of a Ray's Pizza in Manhattan.
3. Brownies/fudge containing nuts:
a) Good. I like the variation in texture.
b) An abomination unto the Lord. The nuts take up valuable chocolate space.
[or a response of your choosing]
Neither, one should just be thankful one has the opportunity to eat a brownie/or fudge because with or without nuts it is still evidence that God loves you and wants you to be happy (if I may paraphrase Benjamin Franklin's love for beer)!
4. Do you hang your toilet paper so that the "tail" hangs flush with the wall, or over the top of the roll like normal people do?
If I took the time to think about how I was hanging the roll on the roller, those would be valuable moments of my life wasted that I would never again be able to have.
5. Toothpaste: Do you squeeze the tube wantonly in the middle, or squeeze from the bottom and flatten as you go just like the tube instructs?
From the bottom! This is an ongoing conversation I have with my wife. When we got married I agreed to close all dresser drawers and she agreed to squeeze from the bottom of the toothpaste tube. I've lived up to my end of the bargain. Mrs. Barefootpriest, not so much! grrrrrr!!!!!!
Bonus: Share your favorite either/or.
Since I'm an Episcopalian I guess mine would Rite I vs. Rite II.
Hope yall enjoy!
Starbucks and healing waters
Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter Year C.
Gospel Text: John 5:1-9
Jesus said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
May only God’s Word be spoken, and may only God’s Word be heard. Amen!
So, sometimes people catch me off guard with questions. It is a professional hazard for a priest. Usually it regards something minute and/or technical with regard to scripture, the prayer book, church history or polity, or some other equally churchy type thing. But last Sunday morning, I was caught by a question that was not technically religious at all.
About 6:45 a.m. last Sunday morning I pulled into Starbucks at 117th and Blondo to grab a couple of coffees on my way to church. I got the oddest question from the barista. Admittedly, on a day to day bases, I do not always dress the part of a priest. If it looks like I am going to be typing all day, writing sermons, lesson plans, emails, and meeting agendas, I will commonly wear “civilian clothes” to work. Furthermore, when I do wear the collar to work, I do not always wear a black priest shirt with a dark suit. I have priest shirts of a variety of colors, no floral patterns of course, but it is not uncommon to see me in a blue priest shirt with a pair of jeans.
However, this trip to Starbucks was on a Sunday morning, and for some reason not only was I wearing the collar, not only a black priest shirt too, but I had also donned my one and only dark suit. I had even combed my hair and trimmed my mustache. Y’all, I don’t really clean up much more than that. I am not sure if it is even possible for me to look more like a suburban-white-boy-priest than I did last Sunday morning standing before the counter of Starbucks.
Therefore, I was caught completely off guard when after taking my order the barista looked me square in the eye and asked, “So, what you got going on today?” Now, yall should know by now that I have a bit of the rascal in me. So, many a smart-aleck remark came to my mind in that moment. The most creative of which would have been to say, “Awww nothing, I just on my way home from a costume party.” However, I am happy to say that either I have matured enough to keep my mouth shut on occasion or it was too bloody early in the morning and I was way too decaffeinated to retort in a coherent fashion. Either way, I did not smart off to the barista. I mumbled something about heading to church and I am still welcome at my local Starbucks.
As I read our gospel this week of the sick man at the pool of Beth-zatha I wondered if he might have had some similar feelings as I did in Starbucks last week. See, he had been ill for 38 years and had been at the pool for a long time the scriptures say. Now it was believed that whenever the waters of this pool were stirred—how or by whom we don’t know—the first person to enter the pool would be healed. It sounds a bit far-fetched to us with our advances in health care, but then again open heart surgery would sound insane or profane to a first century person; so who are we to judge? The point of the matter is it was obvious that this guy was sick, and had been ever so close to healing for quite a while. His presence at the pool alone would seem to indicate his desire to be well. Therefore when Jesus asks, “Do you want to be made well?” could we blame the guy if he was a little put off?
Sitting at that well for a long time was probably like sitting in the doctor’s office for an appointment and having people who showed up after you continually getting their named called before you. This guy had to be frustrated already; so, I am surprised he didn’t look at Jesus and say, “What kind of question is that, ‘do I want to be made well?’ Of course, I want to be well, why do you think I’ve been sitting beside this stinking well all this time.”
At first glance, Jesus’ question seems a bit odd. Furthermore, when we come across things that seem odd to us in scripture those are usually the places we should pay attention to the most. So, following my own advice, I sat with that Jesus’ question this week and began to wonder if just maybe his seeming impertinence was more insightful than I thought. Could it be that our ailing man had been broken for so long, had become so accustomed to blaming others for his inability to get well, that he was indeed addicted to his brokenness? It is indeed possible; for a I believe that we all have times in our lives, aspects of our character, persistent behaviors that impair and impede us. Often we are unconscious of our brokenness, but even more often we unable or unwilling to imagine what it might be like to be whole. Whether on an individual level it is our petty prejudices or imagined slights; whether it is our desire to control or our habit of blaming others for our problems and issues; whether on a congregational level we are willing to admit that despite saying all are welcome here we rarely permit any and all into our midst; whether on a national level it is our addiction to petroleum or our arrogant don’t mess America foreign policy, we refuse to imagine what it might be like to be different, to be whole. We are so use to be broken the possibility of being whole literally scares us. Therefore, Jesus’ question is not impertinent rather perceptive.
There is a concept in the twelve-step community that wanting to be sober is a much different thing then wanting to want to be sober. We see that notion lived out in every level of our lives and in today’s gospel as well. For indeed Jesus has the will and the power--the life giving righteousness--to heal this man, but the man has to be willing, desiring, and want to be made well.
Therefore the barista at Starbucks did not ask a foolish question of me; for indeed I have a lot going on this morning. Indeed, WE have a lot going on in this house, on this morning. My brothers and sisters, Christ’s call to be well is issued to us each and every time we enter this space. When we pass that Font, we are reminded of the stirred waters of baptism and the invitation to be reconciled to God, to be made well, to be whole. We are immersed in the word of God, and we confess both our sins and our desire to be forgiven. In our prayers for the state of Christ’s church and the world, we hope for the wholeness of the world to be returned. In the passing of the peace, we outwardly and visibly symbolize once again our choosing to be a people that together physically embody Christ in the world. And most importantly we come to this altar, to this table of God’s to be fed with the spiritual food of the body and blood of Christ. We come with our brokenness. We come with our pain. We come with all that we are, our joy and our shame. It is here at this table where the feast is prepared that we see what we are, whole if we dare. “Do you want to be made well?” Amen.
Gospel Text: John 5:1-9
Jesus said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
May only God’s Word be spoken, and may only God’s Word be heard. Amen!
So, sometimes people catch me off guard with questions. It is a professional hazard for a priest. Usually it regards something minute and/or technical with regard to scripture, the prayer book, church history or polity, or some other equally churchy type thing. But last Sunday morning, I was caught by a question that was not technically religious at all.
About 6:45 a.m. last Sunday morning I pulled into Starbucks at 117th and Blondo to grab a couple of coffees on my way to church. I got the oddest question from the barista. Admittedly, on a day to day bases, I do not always dress the part of a priest. If it looks like I am going to be typing all day, writing sermons, lesson plans, emails, and meeting agendas, I will commonly wear “civilian clothes” to work. Furthermore, when I do wear the collar to work, I do not always wear a black priest shirt with a dark suit. I have priest shirts of a variety of colors, no floral patterns of course, but it is not uncommon to see me in a blue priest shirt with a pair of jeans.
However, this trip to Starbucks was on a Sunday morning, and for some reason not only was I wearing the collar, not only a black priest shirt too, but I had also donned my one and only dark suit. I had even combed my hair and trimmed my mustache. Y’all, I don’t really clean up much more than that. I am not sure if it is even possible for me to look more like a suburban-white-boy-priest than I did last Sunday morning standing before the counter of Starbucks.
Therefore, I was caught completely off guard when after taking my order the barista looked me square in the eye and asked, “So, what you got going on today?” Now, yall should know by now that I have a bit of the rascal in me. So, many a smart-aleck remark came to my mind in that moment. The most creative of which would have been to say, “Awww nothing, I just on my way home from a costume party.” However, I am happy to say that either I have matured enough to keep my mouth shut on occasion or it was too bloody early in the morning and I was way too decaffeinated to retort in a coherent fashion. Either way, I did not smart off to the barista. I mumbled something about heading to church and I am still welcome at my local Starbucks.
As I read our gospel this week of the sick man at the pool of Beth-zatha I wondered if he might have had some similar feelings as I did in Starbucks last week. See, he had been ill for 38 years and had been at the pool for a long time the scriptures say. Now it was believed that whenever the waters of this pool were stirred—how or by whom we don’t know—the first person to enter the pool would be healed. It sounds a bit far-fetched to us with our advances in health care, but then again open heart surgery would sound insane or profane to a first century person; so who are we to judge? The point of the matter is it was obvious that this guy was sick, and had been ever so close to healing for quite a while. His presence at the pool alone would seem to indicate his desire to be well. Therefore when Jesus asks, “Do you want to be made well?” could we blame the guy if he was a little put off?
Sitting at that well for a long time was probably like sitting in the doctor’s office for an appointment and having people who showed up after you continually getting their named called before you. This guy had to be frustrated already; so, I am surprised he didn’t look at Jesus and say, “What kind of question is that, ‘do I want to be made well?’ Of course, I want to be well, why do you think I’ve been sitting beside this stinking well all this time.”
At first glance, Jesus’ question seems a bit odd. Furthermore, when we come across things that seem odd to us in scripture those are usually the places we should pay attention to the most. So, following my own advice, I sat with that Jesus’ question this week and began to wonder if just maybe his seeming impertinence was more insightful than I thought. Could it be that our ailing man had been broken for so long, had become so accustomed to blaming others for his inability to get well, that he was indeed addicted to his brokenness? It is indeed possible; for a I believe that we all have times in our lives, aspects of our character, persistent behaviors that impair and impede us. Often we are unconscious of our brokenness, but even more often we unable or unwilling to imagine what it might be like to be whole. Whether on an individual level it is our petty prejudices or imagined slights; whether it is our desire to control or our habit of blaming others for our problems and issues; whether on a congregational level we are willing to admit that despite saying all are welcome here we rarely permit any and all into our midst; whether on a national level it is our addiction to petroleum or our arrogant don’t mess America foreign policy, we refuse to imagine what it might be like to be different, to be whole. We are so use to be broken the possibility of being whole literally scares us. Therefore, Jesus’ question is not impertinent rather perceptive.
There is a concept in the twelve-step community that wanting to be sober is a much different thing then wanting to want to be sober. We see that notion lived out in every level of our lives and in today’s gospel as well. For indeed Jesus has the will and the power--the life giving righteousness--to heal this man, but the man has to be willing, desiring, and want to be made well.
Therefore the barista at Starbucks did not ask a foolish question of me; for indeed I have a lot going on this morning. Indeed, WE have a lot going on in this house, on this morning. My brothers and sisters, Christ’s call to be well is issued to us each and every time we enter this space. When we pass that Font, we are reminded of the stirred waters of baptism and the invitation to be reconciled to God, to be made well, to be whole. We are immersed in the word of God, and we confess both our sins and our desire to be forgiven. In our prayers for the state of Christ’s church and the world, we hope for the wholeness of the world to be returned. In the passing of the peace, we outwardly and visibly symbolize once again our choosing to be a people that together physically embody Christ in the world. And most importantly we come to this altar, to this table of God’s to be fed with the spiritual food of the body and blood of Christ. We come with our brokenness. We come with our pain. We come with all that we are, our joy and our shame. It is here at this table where the feast is prepared that we see what we are, whole if we dare. “Do you want to be made well?” Amen.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Friday Five
Time for another installment of the Friday Five from the RevGals:
1) Would you rather be the host or the guest?
Guest!
2) When you are hosting, do you clean everything up the minute the guests go home? Will you accept help with the dishes?
No, and of course!
3) If you had the wherewithal, and I guess I mean more than money, to throw a great theme party, what would the theme be?
Saints of the Church meets great Jazz musicians...yes I am a dork and very proud of it.
4) What's the worst time you ever had at a party?
The ones I don't remember!
5) And to end on a brighter note, what was the best?
Maybe the same ones, but otherwise New Years 2002/03 kicked much butt!
1) Would you rather be the host or the guest?
Guest!
2) When you are hosting, do you clean everything up the minute the guests go home? Will you accept help with the dishes?
No, and of course!
3) If you had the wherewithal, and I guess I mean more than money, to throw a great theme party, what would the theme be?
Saints of the Church meets great Jazz musicians...yes I am a dork and very proud of it.
4) What's the worst time you ever had at a party?
The ones I don't remember!
5) And to end on a brighter note, what was the best?
Maybe the same ones, but otherwise New Years 2002/03 kicked much butt!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
IPOD Shuffle 9:38 CDT
It is a morning that demands music!
1. Easy Living, Miles Davis, Blue Moods
2. Miles Behind, Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood, Out Louder
3. Turn! Turn! Turn!, The Byrds, Greatest Hits
4. Adam and Eve, Ani Defranco, Living in Clip
5. Never Alone, Johnny Adams, A Celebration of New Orleans
6. Is there Anybody Hear That Loves My Jesus, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Funeral for a Friend
7. Chachaca, Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood, Out Louder
8. Check My. Popeye, Eddie Bo, A Celebration of New Orleans
9. I'll Fly Away, The Dirt Dozen Brass Band, Funeral for a Friend
10. Haleluya! Pelo Tsa Rona, St. Olaf Choir, Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises!
The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your ipod or media-player of choice, select your whole music collection, set the thing to shuffle (i.e., randomized playback), then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!
Idea originally from Fr. Jim Tucker of Dappled Things
1. Easy Living, Miles Davis, Blue Moods
2. Miles Behind, Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood, Out Louder
3. Turn! Turn! Turn!, The Byrds, Greatest Hits
4. Adam and Eve, Ani Defranco, Living in Clip
5. Never Alone, Johnny Adams, A Celebration of New Orleans
6. Is there Anybody Hear That Loves My Jesus, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Funeral for a Friend
7. Chachaca, Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood, Out Louder
8. Check My. Popeye, Eddie Bo, A Celebration of New Orleans
9. I'll Fly Away, The Dirt Dozen Brass Band, Funeral for a Friend
10. Haleluya! Pelo Tsa Rona, St. Olaf Choir, Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises!
The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your ipod or media-player of choice, select your whole music collection, set the thing to shuffle (i.e., randomized playback), then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!
Idea originally from Fr. Jim Tucker of Dappled Things
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Teacher of the Year
Greetings,
My wife was named the 8th grade teacher of the year for Morton Middle School Last night. I am proud beyond words. Her talent, skill, and devotion are unparalleled and she is an inspiration to all she meets. You Rock!
God's Peace,
Jason+
My wife was named the 8th grade teacher of the year for Morton Middle School Last night. I am proud beyond words. Her talent, skill, and devotion are unparalleled and she is an inspiration to all she meets. You Rock!
God's Peace,
Jason+
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
May Day
"All you have to lose is your chains"
--I have no idea who said this, but I think it is somehow connected with May Day as international workers day.
I wonder how true it is?
Happy May Day
Jason+
--I have no idea who said this, but I think it is somehow connected with May Day as international workers day.
I wonder how true it is?
Happy May Day
Jason+
Thursday, April 26, 2007
IPOD Shuffle 1:35 CDT
It's gray, it's cold, therefore listening to music is the only option.
1. Something You Got, Davell Crawford, A Celebration of New Orleans
2. The Sun Doesn't Like You, Norah Jones (who I am seeing in June), Not too Late
3. Alakati Owo, Los Hombres Calientes, Vol. 5 Carnival
4. Melena, Los Hombres Calientes, Vol. 5 Carnival
5. Das Wohltempierte Klavier, Book 1: Fugue in E Dur, BWV 854, Daniel Barenboim, Bach Well Tempered Clavier Book 1
6. Macha, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bubblehouse - EP
7. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 - "Pathetique": II. Adagio Cantabile, Rudolf Serkin -- Piano, Beethoven: Sonatas for Piano No. 1
8. It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing), Dizzy Gillespie & Stan Getz, Diz and Getz
9. Das Wohltempierte Klavier, Book 1: Prelude in A Dur, BWV 864, Daniel Barenboim
10. Whoopin' Blues, Nicholas Payton, Gumbo Nouveau
ENJOY!
The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your ipod or media-player of choice, select your whole music collection, set the thing to shuffle (i.e., randomized playback), then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!
Idea originally from Fr. Jim Tucker of Dappled Things
1. Something You Got, Davell Crawford, A Celebration of New Orleans
2. The Sun Doesn't Like You, Norah Jones (who I am seeing in June), Not too Late
3. Alakati Owo, Los Hombres Calientes, Vol. 5 Carnival
4. Melena, Los Hombres Calientes, Vol. 5 Carnival
5. Das Wohltempierte Klavier, Book 1: Fugue in E Dur, BWV 854, Daniel Barenboim, Bach Well Tempered Clavier Book 1
6. Macha, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bubblehouse - EP
7. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 - "Pathetique": II. Adagio Cantabile, Rudolf Serkin -- Piano, Beethoven: Sonatas for Piano No. 1
8. It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing), Dizzy Gillespie & Stan Getz, Diz and Getz
9. Das Wohltempierte Klavier, Book 1: Prelude in A Dur, BWV 864, Daniel Barenboim
10. Whoopin' Blues, Nicholas Payton, Gumbo Nouveau
ENJOY!
The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your ipod or media-player of choice, select your whole music collection, set the thing to shuffle (i.e., randomized playback), then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!
Idea originally from Fr. Jim Tucker of Dappled Things
Death Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greetings,
One of the outstanding, loving, caring, beautiful parishioners of my parish is leaving the hospital today to go home and die. She is too young, too kind, too caring for this to be just. She didn't deserve this battle with cancer. She didn't deserve this pain. And she sure as hell didn't deserve to die this soon.
I know that she didn't deserve the gracious love of God that surrounded her hospital bed this morning. We can't earn or deserve that either. But Grace is little comfort today. It is at most a mustard seed of faith...I hope it is enough!
God's Peace,
Jason+
One of the outstanding, loving, caring, beautiful parishioners of my parish is leaving the hospital today to go home and die. She is too young, too kind, too caring for this to be just. She didn't deserve this battle with cancer. She didn't deserve this pain. And she sure as hell didn't deserve to die this soon.
I know that she didn't deserve the gracious love of God that surrounded her hospital bed this morning. We can't earn or deserve that either. But Grace is little comfort today. It is at most a mustard seed of faith...I hope it is enough!
God's Peace,
Jason+
Friday, April 20, 2007
Friday Five
From the RevGals the Friday Five is...
Tell us about five people, places, or things that have brought surprising, healing joy into your life.
1. The Eucharist
2. Camp Mowana
3. Music (Especially: Bach Prelude in C major from the Well Tempered Clavier Bk. 1, Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain album, and lately the choral music of Eric Whitacre.
4. Preaching
5. Jodie Emerson
Bonus: the scene of both Joy and Pain, but mostly Joy...The General Theological Seminary
God's Peace,
Jason+
Tell us about five people, places, or things that have brought surprising, healing joy into your life.
1. The Eucharist
2. Camp Mowana
3. Music (Especially: Bach Prelude in C major from the Well Tempered Clavier Bk. 1, Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain album, and lately the choral music of Eric Whitacre.
4. Preaching
5. Jodie Emerson
Bonus: the scene of both Joy and Pain, but mostly Joy...The General Theological Seminary
God's Peace,
Jason+
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Which Church Father are You?
A fun little quiz that is not the most reliable personality test you could take, but at least it is quick! I came up as St. Jerome!
You’re St. Jerome! You’re a passionate Christian, fiercely devoted to Jesus Christ and his Church. You are willing to labor long hours in the Lord’s vineyard, and you have little patience with those who are less willing or able to work as you do. Your passions often carry you into temptation zones of wrath, lust, and pride. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers! |
Sermon for 2nd Sunday Easter, Year C
So I ended up not using the script I wrote for this sermon. What I wrote felt contrived an wanted to be more 'natural', whatever that means. Any I post the script knowing that it is not exactly what I said, but I think the gist of what I wanted to say is in here somewhere.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
I speak in the name of the Speaker, the Word, and the Breath. Amen!
Good Morning! I wish to take a moment and thank yall for being here today. As Wynton Marsalis once titled one of his albums, it is a distinct pleasure to have you here, “in this house on this morning.” See there are many names for this particular Sunday, this particular feast of our Lord’s resurrection, in our Christian calendar. The official name is the Second Sunday of Easter; the second Sunday in the great fifty days of Easter, the fifty days that are considered the Sabbath of the year. But, beyond the official name there are some colloquial expressions used to name this Sunday that exist in Episcopal culture. First, this day is commonly known as Low Sunday, a two fold reference to attendance and adornment. See for a lot of people this is a Sunday off. It is a Sunday where low attendance is expected. After the family has visited, after the ham has been eaten, the eggs hunted, the house cleaned for the arrival of company and then re-cleaned post company, after the new suits, dresses, hats, and gloves purchased for Easter Sunday have been laundered and stored, and, indeed after the piety of lent, with its self-denial and discipline, a Sunday to sleep in sounds good. So, simply because you are here today, simply because you didn’t take this weekend off, I rejoice.
Furthermore, I am grateful that you are here because there is another name this Sunday. It is also known, along with Trinity Sunday, as International-Associates-Get-to-Preach Sunday. See, many a Rector is on vacation this Sunday, and even if they aren’t I guarantee you across this nation of ours, and maybe even around God’s great earth, any church that has an associate and uses the lectionary, the associate in the pulpit this morning. Furthermore, since we always read this gospel about Doubting Thomas the Sunday after Easter, Associate clergy have an intimate knowledge of this scripture.
Through the convenience of the internet, I keep in contact with many of seminary classmates, most of which are associates and are preaching on this text this morning. We corresponded a bit this week about preaching on Thomas, and as we conversed and I read, prayed, and re-read the scripture it dawned on me that our focus was misplaced. While we were drilling a hole in good ol’ Thomas we were forgetting Jesus. So I read the Gospel again, this time paying particular focus on Jesus and I noticed two things.
First the Resurrected Jesus, the one who is Risen, is scarred. Jesus is raised from the grave still bearing the marks of his execution. Early in this passage he shows his hands and side to 10 of the apostles, and then later he has Thomas touch his hands and side. At first glance, we might think these details are placed in the story as identification markers, proof to the disciples that the one who appears in their midst really is Jesus, the one who was crucified, the one who is risen. But I think there is more to it than that. I think there is an implicit message in the scars of the resurrected Jesus that our existence, this creation matters.
See, there have been times in Christian thinking and practice where it has become vogue to think that this life didn’t matter. That our time together was simply something to be endure until the next life, that the physical should be ignored for the sake of the spiritual. This thinking has led to some horrible actions. In some cases it has led people to believe that their bodies needed not be cared for or worse should be damaged as an act of faith. This thinking also has led some to think that we need not care for the environment that God’s creation is here for us to consume and use up completely with ne’er a thought on our way to the next existence.
Jesus, the risen one, the scarred one, stands in opposition to this line of thinking and its harmful byproducts. If Jesus carries his scars to through death to the risen life, then what happens to us in this life is important because we will carry it to the risen life. We should care for ourselves, each other, and this creation because it is the raw material for the next creation.
The second thing I noticed, is that there is forgiveness in this passage. Jesus was not just betrayed by Judas, not just denied by Peter. Indeed, all the apostles abandoned him in his neediest hour. But, yet Jesus appears among them and says “Peace be with you.” Despite their betrayal, despite their abandonment on him, despite their sin, Jesus says “Peace be with you” and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now it is a good thing this creation matters and good thing that God forgives, because this is the only world we can get to know God in and we are all sinful people in need of forgiveness. So, I am glad you here today. I rejoice that we have come together because this world is where God acts we proclaim it here “in this house, on this morning.” In our celebration of the Eucharist and Baptism we proclaim God’s action and forgiveness in the simple things of life. As Litrugical Theologian Louis Weil says, “The sacraments reveal that the physical world, far from being evil, is the domain of God’s activity. The most common things in human life—a bath, food and drink, a human touch—can serve as the instruments of an encounter with God.”
So, thank God you are here. I rejoice in inviting you to this table, this altar of God. Come experience the risen scarred, know his forgiveness, and Peace be with you!
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
I speak in the name of the Speaker, the Word, and the Breath. Amen!
Good Morning! I wish to take a moment and thank yall for being here today. As Wynton Marsalis once titled one of his albums, it is a distinct pleasure to have you here, “in this house on this morning.” See there are many names for this particular Sunday, this particular feast of our Lord’s resurrection, in our Christian calendar. The official name is the Second Sunday of Easter; the second Sunday in the great fifty days of Easter, the fifty days that are considered the Sabbath of the year. But, beyond the official name there are some colloquial expressions used to name this Sunday that exist in Episcopal culture. First, this day is commonly known as Low Sunday, a two fold reference to attendance and adornment. See for a lot of people this is a Sunday off. It is a Sunday where low attendance is expected. After the family has visited, after the ham has been eaten, the eggs hunted, the house cleaned for the arrival of company and then re-cleaned post company, after the new suits, dresses, hats, and gloves purchased for Easter Sunday have been laundered and stored, and, indeed after the piety of lent, with its self-denial and discipline, a Sunday to sleep in sounds good. So, simply because you are here today, simply because you didn’t take this weekend off, I rejoice.
Furthermore, I am grateful that you are here because there is another name this Sunday. It is also known, along with Trinity Sunday, as International-Associates-Get-to-Preach Sunday. See, many a Rector is on vacation this Sunday, and even if they aren’t I guarantee you across this nation of ours, and maybe even around God’s great earth, any church that has an associate and uses the lectionary, the associate in the pulpit this morning. Furthermore, since we always read this gospel about Doubting Thomas the Sunday after Easter, Associate clergy have an intimate knowledge of this scripture.
Through the convenience of the internet, I keep in contact with many of seminary classmates, most of which are associates and are preaching on this text this morning. We corresponded a bit this week about preaching on Thomas, and as we conversed and I read, prayed, and re-read the scripture it dawned on me that our focus was misplaced. While we were drilling a hole in good ol’ Thomas we were forgetting Jesus. So I read the Gospel again, this time paying particular focus on Jesus and I noticed two things.
First the Resurrected Jesus, the one who is Risen, is scarred. Jesus is raised from the grave still bearing the marks of his execution. Early in this passage he shows his hands and side to 10 of the apostles, and then later he has Thomas touch his hands and side. At first glance, we might think these details are placed in the story as identification markers, proof to the disciples that the one who appears in their midst really is Jesus, the one who was crucified, the one who is risen. But I think there is more to it than that. I think there is an implicit message in the scars of the resurrected Jesus that our existence, this creation matters.
See, there have been times in Christian thinking and practice where it has become vogue to think that this life didn’t matter. That our time together was simply something to be endure until the next life, that the physical should be ignored for the sake of the spiritual. This thinking has led to some horrible actions. In some cases it has led people to believe that their bodies needed not be cared for or worse should be damaged as an act of faith. This thinking also has led some to think that we need not care for the environment that God’s creation is here for us to consume and use up completely with ne’er a thought on our way to the next existence.
Jesus, the risen one, the scarred one, stands in opposition to this line of thinking and its harmful byproducts. If Jesus carries his scars to through death to the risen life, then what happens to us in this life is important because we will carry it to the risen life. We should care for ourselves, each other, and this creation because it is the raw material for the next creation.
The second thing I noticed, is that there is forgiveness in this passage. Jesus was not just betrayed by Judas, not just denied by Peter. Indeed, all the apostles abandoned him in his neediest hour. But, yet Jesus appears among them and says “Peace be with you.” Despite their betrayal, despite their abandonment on him, despite their sin, Jesus says “Peace be with you” and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now it is a good thing this creation matters and good thing that God forgives, because this is the only world we can get to know God in and we are all sinful people in need of forgiveness. So, I am glad you here today. I rejoice that we have come together because this world is where God acts we proclaim it here “in this house, on this morning.” In our celebration of the Eucharist and Baptism we proclaim God’s action and forgiveness in the simple things of life. As Litrugical Theologian Louis Weil says, “The sacraments reveal that the physical world, far from being evil, is the domain of God’s activity. The most common things in human life—a bath, food and drink, a human touch—can serve as the instruments of an encounter with God.”
So, thank God you are here. I rejoice in inviting you to this table, this altar of God. Come experience the risen scarred, know his forgiveness, and Peace be with you!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Friday Five
Another edition of the Friday Five as originated from RevGalBlogPals. Enjoy!
1. Are you a regular patron of dentists' offices? Or, do you go
b) every few years or so, whether you need it or not,
2. Whatever became of your wisdom teeth?
Still in my head, but probably going to be removed in the next year or so.
3. Favorite thing to eat that's BAAAAAD for your teeth.
M&Ms!!!!!! I am addict.
4. Ever had oral surgery? Commiserate with me.
No, but it is looming!
5. "I'd rather have a root canal than ___________"
another four years of Republican leadership in the White House."
Bonus: Does your dentist recommend Trident?
Don't know, I just had my first visit with my new dentist and he was to busy looking for procedures to do to charge me for.
1. Are you a regular patron of dentists' offices? Or, do you go
b) every few years or so, whether you need it or not,
2. Whatever became of your wisdom teeth?
Still in my head, but probably going to be removed in the next year or so.
3. Favorite thing to eat that's BAAAAAD for your teeth.
M&Ms!!!!!! I am addict.
4. Ever had oral surgery? Commiserate with me.
No, but it is looming!
5. "I'd rather have a root canal than ___________"
another four years of Republican leadership in the White House."
Bonus: Does your dentist recommend Trident?
Don't know, I just had my first visit with my new dentist and he was to busy looking for procedures to do to charge me for.
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