Lent is supposed to be a time of increased reflection and devotion. We're supposed to cut non-essentials out of our lives and replace them with more time with God. And yet, the first three days of Lent have, for me, been nothing but a hurried mess of appointments, required conference events and meetings, driving to and fro, preparing for Lenten services, filling out paperwork, responding to emails, and so on. Looking at my calendar over the next few weeks, it only figures to get worse. Part of the busyness is owed to unique events this year, but much of it is the usual grind of additional worship services, a desire to make existing services "different" to signify Lent, and the march toward Holy Week, the most dramatic week in the Christian year. And all it's doing is making me feel busy, tired, and guilty for thinking I'm too important to slow down.
Has our religious activity during Lent become the thing most getting in the way of observing Lent? This may be more of a clergy issue, but I suspect it is not. Perhaps this is part of the Lenten challenge: finding time and energy to meditate when life is a whirlwind of activity. If so, then I am failing tremendously thus far. There's still time to improve my Lenten observance. Ironically enough, I just haven't found it yet.
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Monday, February 8, 2010
Punxsy Phil Was Indeed Correct
As you've probably heard by now, the "6 more weeks of winter" kicked off this weekend with quite a snowstorm in the mid-Atlantic. Here in Southwestern PA, the 21 inches of snow in less than a 24 hour period made for the 4th largest single storm in the history of the region. Another storm is apparently on its way with a pedestrian 5 inches expected Tuesday night. Reports say that over a hundred thousand households in this region alone lost power for an extended period of time starting late Friday night. Our church and parsonage, along with more than half of our town, was part of that statistic.
We were fortunate enough to have only about 44 hours without power (and thus, heat), in our home and at the church over the weekend. Many are still without power, but it seems like both Allegheny Power and Duquesne Light are working quickly to restore power, hopefully before this next storm. As far as I know, all of our congregation survived or is surviving without injury or much property damage, although many are scrambling to prevent bursting pipes after they froze over Saturday night when the temperatures dipped into negative.
Lisa and I have found the entire ordeal to be quite an adventure. As much as possible, we tried to make the most of the situation. Saturday morning we woke up to no power, but our house was still 63 degrees inside -- not any different than a normal winter morning. We walked over to the church and shoveled snow there for about 2 hours, then returned home for another half hour of shoveling. We then spent the afternoon reading, napping, and eating whatever we could in the fridge that was in danger of spoiling. For dinner, we couldn't cook anything because our stove is electric. But fortunately, the church has a gas stove. So, we went to the church and made dinner over there, cooking and eating with the help of flashlights and electric camping lanterns.
We called around to spread word that church was canceled on Sunday, and returned to our then 54 degree home for some board games and yes, ice cream - it was the only way to save it! We turned on all the faucets overnight to avoid frozen pipes, which in hindsight probably saved us from burst pipes. We pulled out our down sleeping bags and had a nice warm night of sleep in them. But, when we woke up Sunday morning, our house was down to 34 degrees. Thinking it wasn't the best idea to spend the day in that environment, we ventured out on the still icy roads for brunch in a warm restaurant. When we returned home, it had risen to 36 degrees, but still too cold to stay in. Plus, how would we watch the Super Bowl???
Fortunately, many of our parishioners live on the west side of town, where most homes had power. One family had offered to let us stay with them as long as needed, so by Sunday afternoon we decided to take them up on their offer. We packed up our things, headed over, and took our first showers since Friday morning. We shared dinner together in a warm home, full of laughter. We played Wii and watched the Super Bowl together. It was nothing less than extravagant hospitality, and we were very fortunate to have such a wonderful family open up their home to us in our "time of need." As a pastor, I typically spend a lot of my time being there for others, serving them in their own times of need. It was strange to be on the other side of that for once, being the one served rather than the one serving.
Finally, we returned to our home at 10 pm Sunday night after hearing from a neighbor that power had come back on around 7 pm. The house was still 48 degrees, but definitely warm enough to live in again. We went to bed dreaming of waking up to a fully heated home. And when we arose this morning, we were back up to 63 degrees in the home! Thanks be to God!
Today, many people are still without power, and some are furiously battling frozen pipes in danger of bursting. A neighboring United Methodist Church is currently assessing their broken boiler, which it appears will need to be replaced. We're not out of the storm just yet, the roads are still sheets of ice in many places, and another storm is on its way. But in these adventures of winterland, I cannot help but think of how fortunate we are. I've used that word a lot in my description of the weekend, because that's how I felt and continue to feel. We are lucky. We are fortunate. We are blessed.
Thank God that our "emergency" means that for almost everyone around here, life will return to normal within a week's time. In the midst of our storm (literal and figurative), I continue to remember those who are still recovering from truly devastating disasters -- ones from years ago, as well as those in Haiti who have become homeless for more than the day or two we were "homeless."
Personally, Lisa and I are very blessed that our abundance has made this no more than a 2 day inconvenience where our biggest worry was, "How will we watch the Super Bowl?" I am grateful for the hospitality that many people have extended to their neighbors, including that which we received. I am grateful for the men and women who continue to work around the clock to repair power lines and get electric back to as many people as possible in what has thus far been a miraculously short period of time. I am also thankful for those who continue to work hard to keep the roads as clear as possible. Both snow plow drivers and power company workers have probably had very little time for rest over the last few days, and their families probably have not seen much of them at all. What services they provide, services that we so often take for granted! It is times like these that remind us how truly blessed we are to have electric in our homes and businesses, as well as clear roads, and it is because of others that we do have these luxuries. Thanks be to God!
We were fortunate enough to have only about 44 hours without power (and thus, heat), in our home and at the church over the weekend. Many are still without power, but it seems like both Allegheny Power and Duquesne Light are working quickly to restore power, hopefully before this next storm. As far as I know, all of our congregation survived or is surviving without injury or much property damage, although many are scrambling to prevent bursting pipes after they froze over Saturday night when the temperatures dipped into negative.
Lisa and I have found the entire ordeal to be quite an adventure. As much as possible, we tried to make the most of the situation. Saturday morning we woke up to no power, but our house was still 63 degrees inside -- not any different than a normal winter morning. We walked over to the church and shoveled snow there for about 2 hours, then returned home for another half hour of shoveling. We then spent the afternoon reading, napping, and eating whatever we could in the fridge that was in danger of spoiling. For dinner, we couldn't cook anything because our stove is electric. But fortunately, the church has a gas stove. So, we went to the church and made dinner over there, cooking and eating with the help of flashlights and electric camping lanterns.
We called around to spread word that church was canceled on Sunday, and returned to our then 54 degree home for some board games and yes, ice cream - it was the only way to save it! We turned on all the faucets overnight to avoid frozen pipes, which in hindsight probably saved us from burst pipes. We pulled out our down sleeping bags and had a nice warm night of sleep in them. But, when we woke up Sunday morning, our house was down to 34 degrees. Thinking it wasn't the best idea to spend the day in that environment, we ventured out on the still icy roads for brunch in a warm restaurant. When we returned home, it had risen to 36 degrees, but still too cold to stay in. Plus, how would we watch the Super Bowl???
Fortunately, many of our parishioners live on the west side of town, where most homes had power. One family had offered to let us stay with them as long as needed, so by Sunday afternoon we decided to take them up on their offer. We packed up our things, headed over, and took our first showers since Friday morning. We shared dinner together in a warm home, full of laughter. We played Wii and watched the Super Bowl together. It was nothing less than extravagant hospitality, and we were very fortunate to have such a wonderful family open up their home to us in our "time of need." As a pastor, I typically spend a lot of my time being there for others, serving them in their own times of need. It was strange to be on the other side of that for once, being the one served rather than the one serving.
Finally, we returned to our home at 10 pm Sunday night after hearing from a neighbor that power had come back on around 7 pm. The house was still 48 degrees, but definitely warm enough to live in again. We went to bed dreaming of waking up to a fully heated home. And when we arose this morning, we were back up to 63 degrees in the home! Thanks be to God!
Today, many people are still without power, and some are furiously battling frozen pipes in danger of bursting. A neighboring United Methodist Church is currently assessing their broken boiler, which it appears will need to be replaced. We're not out of the storm just yet, the roads are still sheets of ice in many places, and another storm is on its way. But in these adventures of winterland, I cannot help but think of how fortunate we are. I've used that word a lot in my description of the weekend, because that's how I felt and continue to feel. We are lucky. We are fortunate. We are blessed.
Thank God that our "emergency" means that for almost everyone around here, life will return to normal within a week's time. In the midst of our storm (literal and figurative), I continue to remember those who are still recovering from truly devastating disasters -- ones from years ago, as well as those in Haiti who have become homeless for more than the day or two we were "homeless."
Personally, Lisa and I are very blessed that our abundance has made this no more than a 2 day inconvenience where our biggest worry was, "How will we watch the Super Bowl?" I am grateful for the hospitality that many people have extended to their neighbors, including that which we received. I am grateful for the men and women who continue to work around the clock to repair power lines and get electric back to as many people as possible in what has thus far been a miraculously short period of time. I am also thankful for those who continue to work hard to keep the roads as clear as possible. Both snow plow drivers and power company workers have probably had very little time for rest over the last few days, and their families probably have not seen much of them at all. What services they provide, services that we so often take for granted! It is times like these that remind us how truly blessed we are to have electric in our homes and businesses, as well as clear roads, and it is because of others that we do have these luxuries. Thanks be to God!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Cat-napping
I apologize for my recent laziness in the blogosphere. Things have been relatively busy around here, and I haven't had the time or motivation to write anything. Hopefully, I'll be getting back to the theological reflections soon -- I've had many, but never got around to blogging them. For now, a life update for those of you who are interested.
Things are going well here. The church is beginning new ministries and improving existing ones. We've established a coffee hour on the sidewalk in hopes of attracting new visitors, but really just to be good neighbors in the community by offering free coffee. We just finished making flood buckets for UMCOR, and we're hoping to send the youth on a mission trip this summer. Internally, we're beginning a long overdue membership audit, designing a website, and hopefully starting up a men's group.
The biggest news in our household has been our adoption of 2 stray cats. They were both part of a litter of 5 living in a parishioner's yard. We named the male Chief, in honor of the legendary founder of the Steelers, Arthur J. "Chief" Rooney. The female is Koloa, named after an old sugar town in Kauai, Hawaii, near one of the places we honeymooned. We spent a lot of time hanging out in Old Koloa Town. Koloa is currently playing with the zipper on my sweater, which means at least she's not trying to attack the computer screen. Koloa's on the left, Chief is on the right.
The biggest news in Lisa's family is a new nephew in the Hess clan. We went out to Hershey a couple weekends ago to see Owen Robert Hess. He's a cutie. Here he is with the brand new parents, Brandon and Julie.
In a couple weeks, I'll be heading to Nashville for a program through the Upper Room called Companions in Ministry. It's a 2 year program focused on using clergy peer covenant groups for spiritual formation. One group will be a writers group, centered on spiritual formation through the discipline of writing. Considering my educational background and my passion for writing and journaling, I'm hoping to participate in that group.
Tomorrow will be the first Saturday since early May that I have nowhere I have to be. Between church events, weddings, trips, and other obligations, I've gone almost 6 months since having a "normal" Saturday lounging around at home, sitting on the couch holding only a book, a remote control, and my wife. Seeing as the forecast for tomorrow is much like today's - 40 degrees and raining - we're looking forward to what kids these days call a mini "stay-cation."
I close with a short rant about playoff baseball. Why are the games so late? I can't stay up till midnight every night to watch these games. And why are there so many off days between games? Of course, we all know the answer to this: TV ratings. Which means it'll forever be this way. Hopefully, by next fall I'll have DVR, and maybe I can tape the 2nd half of the games and watch them in the morning before I go to work. Until then, I can't watch exciting baseball because I have to go to bed. I feel like I'm 7 again.
Things are going well here. The church is beginning new ministries and improving existing ones. We've established a coffee hour on the sidewalk in hopes of attracting new visitors, but really just to be good neighbors in the community by offering free coffee. We just finished making flood buckets for UMCOR, and we're hoping to send the youth on a mission trip this summer. Internally, we're beginning a long overdue membership audit, designing a website, and hopefully starting up a men's group.
The biggest news in our household has been our adoption of 2 stray cats. They were both part of a litter of 5 living in a parishioner's yard. We named the male Chief, in honor of the legendary founder of the Steelers, Arthur J. "Chief" Rooney. The female is Koloa, named after an old sugar town in Kauai, Hawaii, near one of the places we honeymooned. We spent a lot of time hanging out in Old Koloa Town. Koloa is currently playing with the zipper on my sweater, which means at least she's not trying to attack the computer screen. Koloa's on the left, Chief is on the right.
The biggest news in Lisa's family is a new nephew in the Hess clan. We went out to Hershey a couple weekends ago to see Owen Robert Hess. He's a cutie. Here he is with the brand new parents, Brandon and Julie.
In a couple weeks, I'll be heading to Nashville for a program through the Upper Room called Companions in Ministry. It's a 2 year program focused on using clergy peer covenant groups for spiritual formation. One group will be a writers group, centered on spiritual formation through the discipline of writing. Considering my educational background and my passion for writing and journaling, I'm hoping to participate in that group.Tomorrow will be the first Saturday since early May that I have nowhere I have to be. Between church events, weddings, trips, and other obligations, I've gone almost 6 months since having a "normal" Saturday lounging around at home, sitting on the couch holding only a book, a remote control, and my wife. Seeing as the forecast for tomorrow is much like today's - 40 degrees and raining - we're looking forward to what kids these days call a mini "stay-cation."
I close with a short rant about playoff baseball. Why are the games so late? I can't stay up till midnight every night to watch these games. And why are there so many off days between games? Of course, we all know the answer to this: TV ratings. Which means it'll forever be this way. Hopefully, by next fall I'll have DVR, and maybe I can tape the 2nd half of the games and watch them in the morning before I go to work. Until then, I can't watch exciting baseball because I have to go to bed. I feel like I'm 7 again.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Not so mundane after all...
Last Friday, my car died. Luckily, I was able to get it home. Monday, I got it towed to the dealer, and Tuesday, I put a significant chunk of money into an 11 year old car with 150,000 miles on it. Our hope was to turn it around and sell it over the next couple months to some high schooler who needs a beater to drive around in.
Today, that same car died again. In the same way. It was towed into the same garage, where they discovered that "You won't like me when I'm angry." I didn't quite lose my cool, but my frustration was apparent as I explained that after all that time and money, the same problem persists.
Tuesday, I removed a bat from my office. That was a fun time.
And tonight was capped off by driving 15 minutes to a meeting with other area churches, only to discover a locked church and empty parking lot. If the meeting was cancelled, I didn't get the memo.
It's been quite a week, with many frustrations and challenges. But then I realize that these are my biggest problems. I still have my health, a comfortable house, a fully stocked kitchen, a wonderful wife, a loving family, a great congregation, and an awesome God. Plus, I've made friends with a couple tow truck drivers in the last week. When I stop and put things in perspective, all these mishaps with cars and bats and meetings that could've been is quite comical. In a way, I'm starting to feel like my life is a sitcom.
Tune in next week, when I get into a car accident, and the other guy can't pay for my repairs, so the judge sentences him to be my butler.
Today, that same car died again. In the same way. It was towed into the same garage, where they discovered that "You won't like me when I'm angry." I didn't quite lose my cool, but my frustration was apparent as I explained that after all that time and money, the same problem persists.
Tuesday, I removed a bat from my office. That was a fun time.
And tonight was capped off by driving 15 minutes to a meeting with other area churches, only to discover a locked church and empty parking lot. If the meeting was cancelled, I didn't get the memo.
It's been quite a week, with many frustrations and challenges. But then I realize that these are my biggest problems. I still have my health, a comfortable house, a fully stocked kitchen, a wonderful wife, a loving family, a great congregation, and an awesome God. Plus, I've made friends with a couple tow truck drivers in the last week. When I stop and put things in perspective, all these mishaps with cars and bats and meetings that could've been is quite comical. In a way, I'm starting to feel like my life is a sitcom.
Tune in next week, when I get into a car accident, and the other guy can't pay for my repairs, so the judge sentences him to be my butler.
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