Over the past few months, Iowa has embraced and then rejected four charismatic front-runners: Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), Perry, Gingrich and pizza executive Herman Cain.Fickle, fickle Iowans.
From the wonderful book, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, by Kathleen Norris, who now spends half her time in South Dakota and the other half in Hawaii:
I have loved it here. Truly loved it. The people. The foods. The worship. It hurts to pull on these roots....
Perhaps I can braid them, clean them off and make them strong, and carry them with me as an unexpected gift. One body. One Spirit. One calling. One Lord. One faith. One baptism. One God. Through all and in all.
To the big sky country, big wind country, sight equal only to the horizon... a new river to come to know.
I am so ready. Got so much to do. Amen.
Communal worship is something I need; that it is an experience, not a philosophy or even theology. Whatever the pitch of my religious doubts, it is available to me for the asking. It seems a wonder to me that in our dull little town we can gather together to sing some great hymns, reflect on our lives, hear some astonishing scriptures (and maybe a boring sermon; you take your chances), offer some prayers and receive a blessing....We all know that margaret needs communal worship, because she urges us each week, "G'wan. Go to church!" And nearly every Sunday, I follow her advice, because I, too, need communal worship, which is, indeed, a wonder. Margaret will preside and preach at the services in her churches. I have never heard margaret preach, but I have read her sermons, and I've read her blog for a number of years, and I have never been bored by what margaret writes. I rather doubt that the flocks in her new churches will be bored by her sermons. I just don't see it happening.
Almighty and everlasting God, from whom comes every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our dear margaret, and upon the congregations committed to her care, the healthful Spirit of your grace: and, that they may truly please you, pour upon them the continual dew of your blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.The picture is lifted from margaret's blog.
these are multi-purpose wings & whenFrom StoryPeople.
she's not flying they accessorize nicely
with almost anything she wears
A poem of Goethe's describes a quiet scholar returning from a party. "How was it?" he was asked.Not my party!
"If the people there were books, I would not read them."
WE are come to the door,Should the guisers be inhospitably treated, they file round the fire withershins and walk out, and raise a cairn in or near the door, called 'carnan mollachd,' cairn of malison, 'carnan cronachd,' scaith cairn.
To see if we be the better of our visit,
To tell the generous women of the townland
That to-morrow is Calendae Day.
May God bless the dwelling,
Each stone, and beam, and stave,
All food, and drink, and clothing,
May health of men be always there.
The malison of God and of Hogmanay be on you,
And the scath of the plaintive buzzard,
Of the hen-harrier, of the raven, of the eagle,
And the scath of the sneaking fox.
The scath of the dog and of the cat be on you,
Of the boar, of the badger, and of the 'brugha,'
Of the hipped bear and of the wild wolf,
And the scath of the foul foumart.
GOD, bless to me the new day,Benedictions and maledictions from Carmina Gadelica here and here.
Never vouchsafed to me before;
It is to bless Thine own presence
Thou hast given me this time, O God.
Bless Thou to me mine eye,
May mine eye bless all it sees;
I will bless my neighbour,
May my neighbour bless me.
God, give me a clean heart,
Let me not from sight of Thine eye;
Bless to me my children and my wife,
And bless to me my means and my cattle.
Dear Lord, please give me…New Year prayer from Appleseed.
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come. Amen.
June, the staff was friendly and efficient. No need to hassle them. Between all the Mimi and June franchises you are one busy woman. :-)I'm glad to hear it. The employees in all my franchises are well-trained in the art of serving well.
The real symbol of Christmas is not the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, an angel, or even a star; no, the real symbol of Christmas is a newborn baby. Writing from a Nazi prison during World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer articulated this radical truth about Christmas. “We are talking about the birth of a child, not the revolutionary act of a strong man, not the breathtaking discovery of a sage, not the pious act of a saint.”Please read the entire sermon, especially the conclusion, which proclaims the gift of hope, the Good News that the Christ Incarnate dwells amongst us.
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The paradox of Christmas is that God chose to enter the world in the very form to which human beings are drawn, and yet in circumstances from which we tend to turn away. Jesus – Emmanuel – God with us was born as a homeless baby on a bed of straw in a cold and dirty stable, amid barn animals. His parents were poor and unwed, a teenage mother and her fiancé who were forced to travel far from home to register for taxes with an oppressive government. Then, after a brief but powerful ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing, at the age of thirty-three, he was condemned of treason and heresy, and executed as a criminal on a cross of wood. Our God’s coming into the world was like that of thousands of children born in similar circumstances every day; his ministry has been both an inspiration and a threat to people, institutions, governments, and yes, even churches throughout the ages; and his death has been repeated all too often in virtually every country on earth.
....
As I stand among you tonight, I am mindful of those who, because of war, economic hardship or natural disaster, are forced to sleep in tents and under tarps around the world, and I know that the Risen Christ is dwelling among them. But I’m also aware of those who are intentionally pitching tents on public squares, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, and even church steps as part of what-has-come-to be- known-as the Occupy Movement; and I keep seeing the face of Jesus in that crowd.
....
This fumbling, stumbling and sometimes bumbling coalition of young people, many of whom are graduating from college with enormous debt and limited job prospects, joining forces with the out-of-work middle-aged and out-of-luck elders, are doing their best to speak and act prophetically about the transformation they see as essential in today’s world.
....
You see, when God wants an important thing done in this world or a wrong righted, God comes and sleeps beside us, sometimes as a new born child and sometimes as homeless adult. And then God waits to see how we respond.
A millionaire decides to throw a massive party for his 50th birthday, and during this party he grabs the microphone and he announces to his guests that down in the garden of his mansion he has a swimming pool with two great white sharks in it. "I will give anything I own, anything he desires, to the man who dares to swim across that pool."Better him than me, as I am a very poor swimmer.
So the party continues with no events in the pool, until suddenly there is a great splash, and all the guests of the party run to the pool to see what has happened.
In the pool is a man, and he is swimming as hard as he possibly can. The fins come out of the water and the jaws are snapping and this guy just keeps on going and the sharks are gaining on him and this guy reaches the end and he gets out of the pool, soaked to the skin and exhausted and breathing hard.
The millionaire grabs the microphone and says, "I am a man of my word: Anything of mine I will give -- my Ferraris, my house, absolutely anything -- for you are the bravest man I have ever seen."
"So, sir, what will it be?" the millionaire asks.
The guy grabs the microphone and says, "Why don't we start with the name of the bastard who pushed me in!"
Cheers,
Paul (A.)
