Advent again

I never did get my walls painted, but I am fully moved in (have been for a couple months), and love my little house. And now it's Advent again already, and before you know it, we'll be in a new decade.

It has been a year full of change for me, but as far as I can tell right now, it has all been change for the better. I'm looking forward to what 2010 might bring.

*revised 02-04-2011*: I originally posted all the photos for my Christmas letter here, but since I am now linking to this blog more publicly, I've removed all but 2 from my ordination.  Those of you who know me personally can find me on Facebook to get all the personal updates and news.

Paint shopping

So I'm moving this weekend, and very excited about my new little rental house, even if it is outside the Denver city limits (by 4 blocks). I'm thinking about painting some of the rooms, but as excited as I get about picking out colors, I keep changing my mind about what color I want in which room. Does anyone else have this problem? I went to Home Depot and brought home some idea books from Behr, along with a dozen color chip cards, but the only thing I'm consistently sure of is that I love the set of dishes pictured inside their color trends booklet:

I know, I'm supposed to be looking at the big picture of how the walls and furniture and curtains and everything go together, but instead I find myself coveting these dishes, with their lovely blue background, delicate white flowers, and dark brown wood-like border. If anyone knows where I can buy them, I will cook you a meal and serve it to you in them!

Another year, another set of life lessons, another round of opportunities

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a wonderful day. I did have to work, but not all of it from the office, and it included being treated to lunch. I learned I will be moving from quarter-time to half-time at my primary church (when I finish at the other church at the end of this month), which is very exciting. And I had dinner with some great friends, including 2 sets of twins under age 2!

A lot has changed in my life since my last birthday. My mom got remarried last year, I was approved for ordination (which will happen in 10 days!), the new worship service I was hired to start at church #2 started and ended, and I ended a 2-year relationship. But there's lots of good in each of those things. I shared my call story at church #2 on Sunday, and one of the things I told them is that sometimes the door that closes tells you more about who you are and what you are created to do in the world than the door that opens. Still painful at times, but I find it helps to keep that in mind. God works for good in all things.

Meanwhile, I may soon be moving into a new level of technological capacity... I'm considering getting the Palm Pre, the new smartphone from Sprint. I went into the store earlier this week to check it out in person, and it's very comfortable to handle, a better size than the iPhone. Of course, I'm also thinking about moving, and am likely to have a higher rent, so maybe the whole data plan required with the Pre isn't the best idea right now. So we'll see.

If anyone is still out there reading along, I hope you are well and that new opportunities are coming your way even if it seems like doors are closing in your face. God is good.

Advent... time to wait, to watch, to prepare for the unexpected

Obviously I am now an official blog slacker. If you want to know what I'm up to, Facebook is the best bet - both as a way to keep in touch, and what I'm likely to be doing on any given day!

I do want to lift up this great post on the God's Politics blog (part of the Sojourners community), as a reflection on how to sanctify our consumption in whatever form it takes:

A Pre-Consumption Prayer

by Rachel Anderson 11-28-2008

“Consumption” isn’t a bad word. Even as we watch the excesses of the consumer economy crumble and collapse around us, we should remember that the word “consume” also means “to eat.”

On Thursday, many of us consumed to excess as eaters; today, on “Black Friday,” many of us also consume to excess as shoppers. But as Eugene Cho pointed out so thoughtfully last week, buying stuff at low prices isn’t by itself a mark of shame or weakness. It is, in our post-agrarian, post-industrial society, a necessity. The issue isn’t whether we buy or not buy things. It is whether we do so with appreciation for all of God’s creation. read the whole article

This Advent I am seeking to celebrate the season in simpler, deeper, truer ways... I'll probably fall pretty far short, but I'm trying. Blessings on your seeking as well.

Fall is upon us... time to ramble like the drifting leaves

I can't believe it's October already. The car I bought 2 months ago has to be registered by Monday... as do any unregistered voters out there, at least in Colorado! :)

It's Friday, which means time to write a sermon, which means I'm procrastinating - but won't let myself do anything else intentionally productive because I'm supposed to be working on the sermon. So working out, taking my car for an emissions test and then going to DMV with the title papers, cleaning the kitchen, getting dressed... these are all on hold while I ponder World Communion Sunday.

I do a lot of my sermon research and preparation online. This week I've been very pleased to find lovely backgrounds for this and the 2 church blogs I manage. I have to check my email every 5 minutes in case a new, earth-shaking message has come in. You never know what crazy stuff someone might have sent me on Facebook, so I monitor that regularly as well. Has anyone else out there reflected on what a colossal waste of time this whole internet thing is? What? They have? Oh, okay.

The thing about preaching every week is that you really come face-to-face with how unoriginal you are, and how everything interesting, insightful, or inspiring has already been said. My saving grace is believing that the Holy Spirit can still work through a limited and unoriginal preacher to bring good news to people in ways that make it both GOOD and NEW. May it be so.