Mom Chroncles - Last day

Well, Phil is on his way home, Eric enjoyed his last day of VBS, and I got my haircut, but the bags are not packed, things are not gathered, bathrooms not cleaned. I have lost my motivation and would rather watch some silly movie on tv! There are not even commercials to do a quick thing or two. I guess I could press pause on the DVR! Whatever Eric is doing downstairs, he is quiet, so laying on the bed and resting for our big day in the car tomorrow doesn't feel so bad.

One part of me hopes the rain comes on and Eric's tball game is cancelled, another is ready to watch him have a great time. Think I will dress warmer today!

For those who haven't heard, please say a prayer for Betty Olmstead's family. She passed away yesterday afternoon. Looks like the service will be on Monday.

Blessings to you all!
Kathy

Mom Chronicles Part 3

It is the end of Wednesday and the end of day 3. Another pretty good day at the Price house. Eric went off to VBS and had a great day. We brought home his best friend and had lunch in the park and then an afternoon playdate. The two boys had a grand time playing Lego's while I got some work done. Then we went and saw the summer movie "Alvin and the Chipmunks". It wasn't any better the second time around, but the boys enjoyed it. A quiet dinner at home, got the ironing done, read some stories and now off to bed.

Phil called again today and is having a good time. He is making some new friends from all over the country (even Canada)! Tomorrow is his long day of traveling. I think he gets into Salt Lake City around 3 so he should be home late evening. My day will consist of packing, haircut, doing last minute errands, and making sure we don't forget anything! (oh, and a t-ball game!)

A big shout out to Doug and Judy Pollow for dinner last night! We had been out at Eric's tball game in the cold, wind, and rain sprinkles and stopped by to pick up something for the trip and they invited us to stay for dinner. Meatloaf, potatoes,& fruit never tasted better! Thanks so much!

Thanks also for the daily support from DeAun and Shastina with their comments! You make me smile!

See you tomorrow for my final post! Hope Phil lets me do this again!

Mom Chronicles Part 2

Hello again! Day two has gone well. VBS - lunch in the park - car serviced. Now a few moments before t-ball game. Oh! And I survived my first mamogram! Isn't that something to be sharing on the pastor's blog? :-) They had no balloons, card, or special gift to celebrate my first time(not even a sticker that says I'm a responsible woman taking care of my body), but I will survive. Eric is happy and having a great day. He's looking forward to a playdate with his friend Kristopher tomorrow and going to the summer movie.

Phil called and is having a good time...resting, reading, going to workshops, and catching up with a few seminary friends. Exactly what he needed. I'm sure he misses us and Twin Falls, but time away is good for him.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Mom Chronicles - Part 1

Well, Phil is off to Montreat, NC for his pastor's under 40 conference. I have confiscated his laptop (of course I need 3 computers - one to listen to Pandora, one to leave open to Facebook and Twitter, and one to get some work done), and figured I would add to his blog with my own "musings" while he is gone!

Phil arrived safely this morning and gave me a wake-up call at 6:30 am. Which was good because the sitter was coming at 7 for me to take the dogs for a walk and get my own exercise this week. His trip went well with a brief hiccup and 5 hour stay in the Salt Lake Airport. He says it is beautiful in NC with all the blooming bushes. He says "It smells here!" Which means that coming from an arid climate where smells are free to travel and move, he notices the humid climate and broadleaf trees that trap the rhodi and azaela bushes blooms and their scents in one place. I'm not sure if he thinks it is a bad thing or not. He is looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. Several of my friends on Twitter and FB are there, so I have asked them to lookout and place nice with Phil this week. We'll see if they follow through.

Eric and I have had a good day so far (just 3 pm, so a lot could still happen!). Eric went to VBS at the Baptist church this morning and had a great time. He wasn't too sure at first, but when I picked him up he was very excited. We had lunch in the park with the free lunch program from the school. It was full of kids and Eric enjoyed it all, but not quite the pb&j. Then I got the lawn mowed, Eric played with Lego's and all is well with the world.

For the last hour I have been listening to The God Complex Rado (2 leaders in the PCUSA have a weekly web-show). Today's topic is abstinence and purity pledges. Some interesting tips for when we have those conversations with Eric. The show airs on Mondays at 10 am MST. Check it out at www.godcomplexradio.com

Well, we are off to Candy Cane park for the Christian Nurture meeting & ice cream. Hope you are all having a great day and maybe I won't take up so much space next time!

So Excited I Can't Sleep!

For the past few days I have been able to get to sleep alright, but after four or five hours I wake up thinking about where I will be in either 48 hours or next week at this time. In other words, where I will be while I am on Continuing Education in Montreat, North Carolina or Vacation/Holiday in Newport, Oregon.

It really has been effecting me over the last few days as I can think about little else as butterflies inhabit my stomach while I think about the next two weeks. Granted, I will miss Eric and Kathy over the next few days in North Carolina and that congregation from June 12th through the 22nd, but I really feel as though I NEED these next few weeks.

While I say that I know that it will probably rain every day we are at the Oregon Coast and although the conference for clergy under 40 in western North Carolina sounds interesting, I'm sure that it won't live up to expectations, but it really doesn't matter as the time away will give me the opportunity to read, journal and turn my brain off for a little while.

And so I am grateful to the congregation in Twin Falls as well as Kathy and Eric for encouraging me to travel a long way away from the Magic Valley.

Hopefully tonight, after several nights of little sleep, I will be able to get more than just four or five hours of sleep.

A Hearty Thanks!

I just have to take some time-out to say thank you to a bunch of people from First Presbyterian Church, Twin Falls, Idaho. At the risk of leaving a name or two off the list, for which I am deeply sorry, I just have to say that there are several people in our congregation who have gone the extra mile and then some.

Earlier this week Harry Geist and Rick Horner braved the wilds of our sanctuary attic and wondered out on top of the stained-glass dome that is suspended over or worship space and very carefully vaccumed off about a quarter of an inch of dust from the glass. According to some estimates, Rick and Harry cleaned away nearly twenty years of dust and dirt from an amazing piece of religious art suspended above our heads to reveal some astonishing colors. And while it is not as dramatic as the cleaning of the Sistien Chapel over the last few years, for many in the congregation tommorrow will be their first glimpse into the beauty that is the dome above their heads.

And while Harry and Rick have been at work on the dome, several other people have been at work adding color to our worship space. A few weeks ago Harry Geist along with Doug and Judy Pollow discreetly added flag-pole brackets to the side walls of our sanctuary. They did so because they wanted to hang banners along the sides of our worship space in order to add color and to visually narrow the width of our large sanctuary. Along with their adventures up the ladders and figuring out the measuring tape a number of women (Karen Grubb, Darlene Annen and Barb Bratt) got out their sewing machines to put hems on eight banners of various shades of red and yellow to hang on the recently affixed flag-pole brackets.

The effect of side banners and the newly cleaned stained glass dome will be, I hope, quite a statement for tommorrow's Pentecost worship. All of the hours put into creating the various visuals is a testament to the church holiday that commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit to enliven the early group of Christians.

Throughout the last few weeks as those named above and others have come together we, at FPC Twin Falls, have seen a glimpse of what can happen when we rely on God to encourage us to share our gifts of time, talent and treasure for the good of the whole church. Thank you to all who have made this visually stimulating Pentecost possitble!

"A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story" by Diana Butler Bass

This book was, in a word, Magisterial!

Diana Butler Bass succeeds and them some with her goal of telling the story of Great Command Christianity over and above what she calls "Big-C Christianity." The latter is what she says most people know about the history of Christianity, even if they don't know much, that is; Christ, Constantine, Christendom, Calvin, and Christian America. Big-C Christianity is the version of power and triumph that does not always take into account the life and love that the man Jesus of Nazareth taught. It is not as though Diana Butler Bass thinks there is no validity to Big-C Christianity, it is more that she wants us to hear the voices and wisdom of those who are often overshadowed by the leaders of Big-C Christianity.

On the other hand, or to borrow from the subtitle, Diana Butler Bass tells the other side of the story from the perspective of both men and women who have appeared throughout church history, some names we know and other names that are less familiar. The name for this "other side of the story," that is, Great Command Christianity comes from Luke 10:25-27 where "a lawyer approached Jesus and asked him, 'Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus responded, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart ... and love your neighbor as yourself.'" Most of "A People's History of Christianity" focuses on those who lived up to the command of loving God and neighbor, even if it meant doing so without being "in power."

The scope of the book runs from the Early Church Fathers and Mothers into Medieval Christianity, Reformation Christianity, Modernity and on down to our contemporary situation. I was able to pick this up at the Twin Falls Library and if you take the time to read these 300 pages you will be awakened to the wonders of Christian Spiritual Practices as well as an appreciation of the length, bredth and depth of the Christian Witness throughout 2000 years of humanity. As I said before, and I'll say it again, this book is impressive and a wonder to behold. I highly recommend that you take the time to read it, especially if you are interested in Church history and more importantly if you are interested in the people who have made the church what it is.