upgrade

As with many things, an update there necessitates an upgrade here.

For reasons stated on RevGalBlogPals, there is a change related to the ring.

That is perfectly fine with me. It really doesn't matter much to me.

However, when I went to make the "simple" change on my blog. I discovered that I needed to upgrade the template.

It's not hard. not at all.

One might even make a straightforward and quite convincing argument that since this is digital media the template should have changed sooner.

So, while it was not sooner, the template has changed.

What has not changed is the deep and profound blessings that come from relationships that began from a webring and pseudonyms.

Happy Birthday RevGalBlogPals!

Philippians 1:3-6 "I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ."

RevGalBlogPals Friday Five: Friends

Friday Five: Friends as posted by Jan

Ever since I found out I could be the hostess for the third Friday Five of each month, I have not been able to get the thought of friends out of my mind. Being an only child (all growed up) who moved around a lot in my lifetime, friends have always been very important to me. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "The way to have a friend is to be a friend."

So today let's write about the different kinds of friends we have, like childhood friends, lost friends, tennis friends, work friends, and the list goes on. List 5 different types of friends you have had in your life and what they were/are like.

As a bonus, put a link to a new (to you) blogging friend and introduce us!

1. Friends from "back home" I've lost touch with most of them except that a certain well know social networking site has brought some of them back into my life. It happens that I attended K-12 in a school system with only one each of elementary, jr high, & high school. There are 12 of us who went through all those grades together. And, yet, upon graduation, I lost touch with them. So that time suck social network site has brought back some folks.

2. Camp friends Starting in 4th grade I went to church camp every summer and even went as an adult while in college. I really appreciated some of those intense one week friendships. A few lasted a little longer through letters or occasional phone calls. I am amazed at the impact those folks had.

3. nearby clergy friends I have intentionally worked to have friends but in the circles I travel that means mostly clergy. I am grateful for my Lectionary Lunch group and other F2F clergy who are friends.

4. friends who were there For many different reasons during different seasons of my life, there have been the friends who were there. These days I don't talk to any of them very often but they still count as my closest friends because they already know the story from living it with me.

5. technologically connected friends Not surprisingly, there are RevGalBlogPals whom I consider friends. I also have folks that are on other technologically enabled means of connection that I consider, if not friends, close aquaintances. I've been on some preacher-type email lists since 98 or 99 and recognize the personalities even if I could not pick them out of a crowd of 3. Even without the visual, or in real life, connection, I consider them a part of my life, too. I have cried at the deaths of folks I only knew through the internet so I think they count.

Bonus, minus: I added a couple of folks that I follow because of BE 2.0 but I can't get the link to post correctly.

sweet dreams

Now, on Land and Sea Descending is one of my favorite hymns but since it is an "evening" hymn, we never sing it. Even though I pick the hymns, I haven't yet "made" my church sing it. It's on YouTube as an organ solo but there it's too "straight." I hear it as a lullaby/prayer that helps one settle into sleep. You can hear a snippet of the right style here


1. Now, on land and sea descending,
brings the night its peace profound;
let our vesper hymn be blending
with the holy calm around.
Jubilate! Jubilate! Jubilate! Amen!
Let our vesper hymn be blending
with the holy calm around.

2. Soon as dies the sunset glory,
stars of heaven shine out above,
telling still the ancient story,
their Creator's changeless love.
Jubilate! Jubilate! Jubilate! Amen!
Telling still the ancient story,
their Creator's changeless love.

3. Now, our wants and burdens leaving
to God's care who cares for all,
cease we fearing, cease we grieving;
touched by God our burdens fall.
Jubilate! Jubilate! Jubilate! Amen!
Cease we fearing, cease we grieving;
touched by God our burdens fall.

4. As the darkness deepens o'er us,
lo! eternal stars arise;
hope and faith and love rise glorious,
shining in the Spirit's skies.
Jubilate! Jubilate! Jubilate! Amen!
Hope and faith and love rise glorious,
shining in the Spirit's skies.

for St Cass