new liturgy

I'm loving the Call to Worship, written by Cheryl Lawrie, that we are using right now at House:

We’re here because we’re people who have heard a rumor that there’s life to be found on the other side of death.

We’re here because just the rumor is enough to bring us hope and just the hope is enough to bring us a moment of life.

We’re here because even though it is only a flicker, a moment, a breath it’s changed our death forever.

Sometimes, that rumor is just enough to keep me going.

the list

Tripped across this in my email today. A list of goals/dreams I had put together a little over a year ago at the urging of a friend. Not really any closer to any of them than I was then, which makes me feel kinda lame, but I think they are all still on 'the list'.

- have a gallery show my photography

- leave the insurance world behind because my photography and writing have become so lucrative

- find Mr. Right

- have a family of my own (this one is starting to smolder a bit - not sure I want to be raising kids into my 60s)

- write a book of essays and have them published

- lose 40 pounds

- f*ck fear

- paint the bathroom

- work less

- write more

- waste less time

- road trip around the country

- dream bigger

- live more authentically

faith shift

I've experienced somewhat of a shift in my faith the past several months. Again. And likely (hopefully) not the last. Difficult to articulate, it has something to do with a desire to 'be' or 'do' the gospel, as opposed to hearing a different spin on the gospel. There's more to it than that, but that's what I know today.

This has been most evident in my lack of engagement at so-called evangelical gatherings, where the message was presented by a speaker to a captive audience. On two separate occasions lately, I was hugely under-whelmed, when in times past I would have been totally engaged and on track with the presenter. It has been a bit disappointing. The times that I have been engaged, particularly when I look at what resonated with me the most at Greenbelt, speak to this as well.

No, I'm not losing faith. And you need not worry that I am not reading the latest Christian book. I'm not. And I likely won't be any time soon. But I am leaving a little more room for Jesus.

Communion Bread

Posting our HFASS communion bread recipe here for future reference.

Bread Recipe

Sift dry ingredients together three times:

2 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 & 1/4 tsp salt

Stir in 4 tsp oil. Set aside.

Mix wet ingredients together until dissolved:

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp very hot water
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp molasses

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. Dough should be slightly sticky. Do not knead.

Divide into four balls and flatten each into a 1/4 inch thick disk.

With a knife, score the top of each loaf into eight pie-shaped sections, so that the sections can be more easily broken off while serving. Alternatively, you could score a cross onto the loaf.

Lay the loaves on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the tops of the loaves with oil. Bake an additional 5-8 minutes. Let cool.

thinking of my mom today

On no day of the year is my mother's absence in my life felt more keenly than on my birthday. Seventeen years ago today my mom came to visit me in Birmingham, only to wake up paralyzed on one side of her body, due to a brain tumor that would be discovered later that day. The days between then and her death on Christmas Eve of that same year are somewhat of a blur. Seems like both forever ago and only yesterday at the same time. 

In spite of my workaholism, which has plagued me for most of my adult life, I can look back on that time and know I did the right thing. I took a significant amount of time off from my job to be there. This was before the inception of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but my employer (actually my boss) was sympathetic and gave me a lot of leeway that would not be allowed today in corporate America. For that I am grateful. 

If I inherited anything from my mother, I hope it was her bent toward hospitality, and I think I have. Hosting gatherings in my home comes easy for me and is something that brings me joy.

I recently reconnected with a childhood friend on facebook. We have not been in touch since high school graduation. Here's what she had to say about her memory of my mom: 

" To this day, I still think of your mama every time my son brings friends home after school. Your mother was THE BEST at timing things to where we would arrive and she would have snacks ready and waiting for us and she would serve us like she had been waiting all day long for the moment of our arrival...."

The thing that makes me smile most about this is knowing that someone remembers that from thirty-plus years ago. 

Now, off to do some house-cleaning to prepare for my out-of-town guest...

Two Days in London

What would you do if you had two days to spend in London? Not things that would have someone confined to public transportation for hours on end. And no tour groups. 

illustration friday - IDLE

From their website: Illustration Friday is a weekly creative outlet/participatory art exhibit for illustrators and artists of all skill levels. It was designed to challenge participants creatively. We believe that every person has a little creative bone in their body. Illustration Friday just gives a no-pressure, fun excuse to use it. No clients looking for a particular thing. No one judging the outcome of the work. It's a chance to experiment and explore and play with visual art. 

This is my entry for the week. 

Weekend Recap

Quick run-down of the holiday weekend:

Thursday night went to White Fence Farm for dinner. Fried Chicken mecca of Denver. We had a great waitress and she let us guess the ingredients of two of our favorite side dishes - Bean Salad and Coleslaw. Now, I just have to figure out the measurements. I am sure they make the stuff by the swimming pool-sized bowlful. 

Friday morning went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Lots of great art. Stuart and Sheralee surprised me with this nifty dragon fly yard art from one of our favorite artists there.

Friday night a dozen people came over for movie night in my backyard . 

Saturday evening I hosted 35 people for an Independence Day celebration. 

After tons of hours of yardwork by the fabulous Richard Turley and myself, the rain commenced fifteen minutes before my guests were slated to arrive. My mother would be proud that my house was clean so we were able to seamlessly transition things inside, soon after I finished my fit of anger. You know the one... you are tired and exhausted, the yard looks great, you are finally proud of it, but, alas, you and your guests must enjoy it from afar. I got over it.

The rain did stop and we were able to be outside for part of it after all. Bottom line is that we all had fun anyhow. And the thirteen pound brisket I cooked that people thought was too freakishly large? Not. a. single. piece. left. 

books I've read in 2009

June
Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl, Susan Campbell

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, Barbara Brown Taylor

Babymouse #3: Beach Babe, Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm
Babymouse #1: Queen of the World!, Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm

May
Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design, Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl

April
The Film Club: A Memoir, David Gilmour
The Furious Longing of God, Brennan Manning
I Was Told There'd Be Cake, Sloane Crosley
How (Not) to Speak of God - Marks of the Emerging Church, Pete Rollins

March
Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment and Moments of Grace, Nora Gallagher
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chodron
I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't), Brene' Brown
Sleeping at the Starlight Motel: and Other Adventures on the Way Back Home, Bailey White

February
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lenconi
The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray, Lindsey Crittenden
Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith, Nora Gallagher
From Stone to Living Word, Debbie Blue

January
Post-Rapture Radio: Lost Writings from the Failed Revolution at the End of the Last Century, Russell Rathbun
A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart, Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes 
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, John O'Donohue

tidbits from today

drinking: Aveda comforting tea

eating: a Shari Meserve chocolate-chip cookie leftover from last night’s Denver Book of Prayer meeting

reading: Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl, Susan Campbell

listening: Paper Bird’s Anything Nameless and Joymaking

loving: not having to water today, thanks to some late afternoon rain

hating: not being able to work in the yard due to said rain

hoping: that the raccoon stays on the other side of the back fence

dreading: tomorrow’s long leadership meeting

anticipating: a long, hot bath

pentecost, bluegrass style

15 Books in 15 Minutes

This from Facebook:
The meme of the day...Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Feel free to leave your list in the comments.

Here's mine, in no particular order:

1. Take This Bread, Sara Miles
2. Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor
3. Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
5. Finding God, Larry Crabb
6. Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
7. Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White
8. The Soul Tells a Story, Vinita Hampton Wright
9. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
10. God’s Silence, Franz Wright
11. Practicing Resurrection, Nora Gallagher
12. Telling Secrets, Frederick Buechner
13. The Little House on the Prairie (series), Laura Ingalls Wilder
14. Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
15. Travelling Mercies, Anne Lamott

books I've read in 2009

May
Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design, Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl

April
The Film Club: A Memoir, David Gilmour
The Furious Longing of God, Brennan Manning
I Was Told There'd Be Cake, Sloane Crosley
How (Not) to Speak of God - Marks of the Emerging Church, Pete Rollins

March
Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment and Moments of Grace, Nora Gallagher
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chodron
I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't), Brene' Brown
Sleeping at the Starlight Motel: and Other Adventures on the Way Back Home, Bailey White

February
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lenconi
The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray, Lindsey Crittenden
Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith, Nora Gallagher
From Stone to Living Word, Debbie Blue

January
Post-Rapture Radio: Lost Writings from the Failed Revolution at the End of the Last Century, Russell Rathbun
A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart, Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, John O'Donohue

Blessing of the Bicycles

We had great fun at our Blessing of the Bicycles last Sunday. Check out Nadia's blog for the Ezekiel reading and the prayer she wrote for it.

Cornhole for Kids

Urban Skye's Cornhole for Kids, a fundraiser for our summer Art Day Camp, was a huge success today. Here are a few pictures of the afternoon.

agenda for today:

- Bike ride
- Serious yard work
- Cornhole Tournament
- Chile Rellano Burrito at el Taco de Mexico, perhaps?

agenda for today:

blessing of the bicycles

Bring your bike and join us for the Blessing of the Bicycles a week from tomorrow. Then we'll eat cake!

books I've read in 2009

April
The Film Club: A Memoir, David Gilmour
The Furious Longing of God, Brennan Manning
I Was Told There'd Be Cake, Sloane Crosley
How (Not) to Speak of God - Marks of the Emerging Church, Pete Rollins

March
Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment and Moments of Grace, Nora Gallagher
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chodron
I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't), Brene' Brown
Sleeping at the Starlight Motel: and Other Adventures on the Way Back Home, Bailey White

February
The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lenconi
The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray, Lindsey Crittenden
Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith, Nora Gallagher
From Stone to Living Word, Debbie Blue

January
Post-Rapture Radio: Lost Writings from the Failed Revolution at the End of the Last Century, Russell Rathbun
A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart, Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, John O'Donohue

potpourri

- Work has been quite demanding this week in a lot of ways, so not much coming out on the creative front.

- I'll get back to posting Holy Week stuff this weekend. Still have photos from Easter Vigil to clean up, as well as some thoughts about my experience with Lent and Holy Week.

- Feeling sad tonight at the loss of a dear childhood/college friend, Gregg Fulkerson. Gregg was among the most talented people to come out of my hometown. He was an amazing, extremely talented singer-songwriter/musician who will be missed by many. My heart goes out to his entire family, especially his son, Carter. He was one of those people that I've known my entire life. While I love living in Colorado, it's times like these I wish I was back in The South.

- Chances are as great as not that I'll begin my day shoveling show tomorrow. Wet, heavy snow.

- Off to bed in hopes of starving a cold that is lurking.

- Weekend, come quickly.