Friday Five: ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

From thereverendmother at RevGalBlogPals: Many of the RevGals using Blogger are experiencing some chaos this week as they move from Old Blogger to New Blogger. (Is that anything like New Coke?)

Change is a given in life, yet it's not easy for any of us. So strap on your seat belts and let's talk about it:

1. Share, if you wish, the biggest change you experienced this past year. This is a tie: I turned 40 and I now take medication by IV on a regular basis.

2. Talk about a time you changed your mind about something important. When I changed from majoring in PreMed (biology) at BC to majoring in Religion at WJC.

3. Bishop John Shelby Spong wrote a controversial book called "Why Christianity Must Change or Die." Setting aside his ideas--what kind of changes would you like to see in the Church? It seems that most of the churches (and members and judicatories) I've been around are more concerned about their own survival than about helping others know the love and grace of God in a personal way. It seems to me that should change.

4. Have you changed your hairstyle/hair color in the last five years? Not in any kind of significant way, except for growing some gray ones. If so, how many times?

5. What WERE they thinking with that New Coke thing? It was the preview for Coke Zero or Diet Coke Splenda or ...

well that just stinks

Columnist Molly Ivins dies

My favorite article (although old) about Molly Ivins is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article. Now the paper is only worth reading for the comics.

To read others comments see the guest book.

Friday Five: Renewal from RevGalBlogPals

The Friday Five as posted by Songbird

In my office the other day, two church members asked about the boat on my table. I told them it was a gift from a seminary classmate, a reminder of the work and teaching of our professor, Kirk Jones, author of Rest in the Storm: Self-Care Strategies for Clergy and other Caregivers. He always reminded us that Jesus went to the back of the boat and took a nap.

Not surprisingly, I could not find an image of Jesus resting. Preaching from the boat, yes. Calming the storm, yes. Walking on water? Oh, my, yes! But no one seems to want to picture Jesus taking his rest.

In this week that looks unlikely to hold a complete day off, I am pondering renewal. List four ways you like to relax or give yourself a break. Then name a fifth, something you've never been able to do, a self-care dream.

Four ways of taking a break from church stuff:
1. geocache!!! (my children say I'm obsessed)
2. do stuff for school
3. sleep
4. read fiction unless the weather is too bad to geocache, then this is higher
5. go some place cool like New York City and see a Broadway show or go to a Seattle Seahawks game in Seattle

maybe something is sinking in

There was a period of time when both the SportsQueen and the Entertainer wore the same size clothes. Then the SportsQueen had a growth spurt and the Entertainer got all of those clothes. We quickly donated the ones that she didn't like but she still had a very significant wardrobe.

The Entertainer is now outgrowing that significant wardrobe. We sorted six (yes 6) garbage bags full of outgrown clothes to donate over the weekend. As we were moving those bags downstairs and then to the vehicle, the SportsQueen said, "Mom, maybe we should go to "the red and white circle store" or to "the mart developed by Sam" and buy some new underwear and socks to go with these clothes. You know, they don't get those new things very often and socks and underwear need to be new." I said, "Great idea, SportsQueen."

So as we drove to find a bin to donate the clothes we stopped at the red and white circle store. We bought socks and underwear that corresponded in size to the clothes we were donating. We found the biggest packages for the lowest price. We had a pantypalooza with socks. When we checked out, the total announced by the cashier was over $50.

As we walked toward the door, the SportsQueen said, "Mom, that was kinda expensive and we only got socks and underwear." I said, "Yep, it was." She said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean for you to spend that much." I replied, "That's okay. It was a good idea. And we're gonna help some other kids."

That's a lot for a 7th grader to recognize: new underwear and socks to go with the used clothes and the cost associated with the gift.

Maybe her world is bigger than the orbit just past the end of her nose.

Badda Bing Badda Boom Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals

It's been a very full, busy week. Here's the F5, short and sweet.

The questions are simple, the answers unlimited. Go!

Who The SportsQueen

What was the high scorer

When during the last basketball game

Where at a different jr high (we were the visiting team at the school 3 miles away)

Why because she got a freethrow and a layup and the usual highscorer got a layup

Bonus: How the usual highscorer fouled out about 2 minutes into the second half so SQ played almost all of the second half instead of the normal rotation of half a quarter at a time