Day 303: 10/31/13- Trick-or-Treat with a Golf Cart!

Day 303: 10/31/13- Trick-or-Treat with a Golf Cart!    
New Thing: Trick-or-Treat with a Golf Cart      
Inspiration: Halloween & Tom Hipp
Time: Several Hours      
Bottom Line: Heck Yeah! 

Princess Leia on her cart.

Reflection: Our awesome neighbor and parishioner, Tom, let us use his golf cart tonight to trick-or-treat. D. went as Princess Leia and I was a cowgirl. It was totally the way to trick-or-treat!!    

Day 302: 10/30/13- Carve a Lemon

Day 302: 10/30/13- Carve a Lemon   
New Thing: Carve a Lemon    
Inspiration: Halloween
Time: 10 mins.    
Bottom Line: Harder then I thought 

Reflection: Why always a pumpkin? Why not a lemon? I'll tell you why. Lemons are way harder. Stick with pumpkins. Trust me.

Day 301: 10/29/13- (Fake) Palm Reading

Day 301: 10/29/13- Palm Reading 
New Thing: Self Palm Reading 
Inspiration: The Daring Book for Girls 
Time: Like a min. 
Bottom Line: Long life? 

Reflection: Now, as a rule, I am totally against fortune telling, but I found an easy chart in the Daring Book for Girls and gave it a shot. Looks like I have a long life in front of me. ;)

Day 300: 10/28/13- Pumpkin Tape Craft

Day 300: 10/28/13- Pumpkin Tape Craft
New Thing: Pumpkin Tape Craft with D.
Inspiration: Priscilla  Time: 15 mins. 
Bottom Line: Boo-tiful.

Reflection: Priscilla kindly dropped off a fun craft for D. and I that she had tried out with her family. It was a very cool pumpkin that you cover with special tape. Thank you!!

Day 299: 10/27/13- Visit the Unitarian Universalist Church

Day 299: 10/27/13- Visit the Unitarian Universalist Church  
New Thing: Visit and teach at the UU Church     
Inspiration: The UU Church
Time: Over an hour         
Bottom Line: Inquisitive Neighbors 

Reflection: Between services at St. David's, I went up to our closest neighbors, the Unitarian Universalist to accept their invitation to teach their 6th grade class about the Episcopal Church. Before the class I went to their service which was more of a celebration of the Spirit in general then any kind of particular God (which is true to their theology). The class was filled with great questions and we basically went from Genesis to Revelation.

Day 298: 10/26/13- Mini Deep-Dish Pizzas

Day 298: 10/26/13- Mini Deep-Dish Pizzas 
New Thing: Mini Deep-Dish Pizzas
Inspiration: National Pizza Month      
Time: 45 mins.         
Bottom Line: Yummy. 

Reflection: National Pizza Month! These are totally worth making with the recipe from Martha Stewart: 

That muffin pan is not just for cupcakes. Make these mini deep-dish pizzas using homemade or store-bought dough and your favorite toppings.

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for muffin pan
• All-purpose flour, for rolling
• 1/2 pound homemade or store-bought pizza dough, in 6 pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
• 1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
• Desired toppings, such as cooked vegetables, pineapple and ham, or pepperoni

Directions

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly brush 6 standard muffin cups with oil. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each dough piece to a 6-inch round. Fill each cup with 1 round, gently pressing dough into bottom and sides of cup. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Step 2

   Sprinkle each dough cup with 1 tablespoon each cheese and tomato. Add desired toppings and another tablespoon each cheese and tomato. Bake until dough is golden brown and crisp, 12 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes before removing from cups.

Day 297: 10/25/13- Alpha Retreat Day One

Day 297: 10/25/13- Alpha Retreat Day One  
New Thing: Alpha Retreat Day One       
Inspiration: St. David's Alpha Program         
Time: Several Hours         
Bottom Line: Great songs, good and fellowship 

Reflection: We have been having a great Alpha program at St. David's this fall. For those who do not know, Alpha is an introduction to the Christan faith with a strong emphasis on hospitality. Tonight, we started the retreat and I helped with the singing. Fun!

Day 296: 10/24/13- Native American Worship Service at Drew

Day 296: 10/24/13- Native American Worship Service at Drew
New Thing: Native American Worship Service at Drew     
Inspiration: Drew      
Time: About 30 mins.       
Bottom Line: Very thought provoking. 

Reflection: Back to Drew today for approval of a chapter from my thesis (which I received! yeah!). I was blessed to take part in a style of worship given by the American Native Spirituality class in an authentic style. Beautiful.

Day 295: 10/23/13- Watch "Rev."

Day 295: 10/23/13- Watch Rev.     
New Thing: Watch Rev.      
Inspiration: Hulu       
Time: About 45 mins.     
Bottom Line: Way funner then I expected and very true to life. 

Reflection: Today I finally watched the British T.V. show Rev. which Hulu seemed to think I should watch since they were advertising it every time I turned it on. I have to admit, it was actually pretty great. All my priest friends should watch it. 

Day 294: 10/22/13- Diamond Oil

Day 294: 10/22/13- Diamond Oil   
New Thing: Diamond Oil    
Inspiration: My Hairdresser     
Time: A second     
Bottom Line: Very nice and pretty smell

Reflection: New hair product! Very nice.

Day 293: 10/21/13- 333 Belrose

Day 293: 10/21/13- 333 Belrose  

New Thing: Eat at 333 Belrose   
Inspiration: Lunch  
Time: An hour   
Bottom Line: Delicious 

Reflection: Had a great lunch! 

Day 292: 10/20/13- Watch "Bernie"

Day 292: 10/20/13- Watch Bernie  New Thing: Watch Bernie
Inspiration: Ken 
Time: Over an hour 
Bottom Line: Two thumbs up 

Reflection: Great dark comedy movie and Jack Black is excellent. 

Day 291: 10/19/13- Yoga Teacher Training- Ahimsa

Day 291: 10/19/13- Yoga Teacher Training- Ahimsa
New Thing: Yoga Training- Ahimsa  
Inspiration: Yoga Training  
Time: Several Hours 
Bottom Line: Non-Violence 

Reflection: One of the things that I am loving the most in yoga teacher training is the philosophy component. This class was dedicated to the study of "ahimsa" which means "non-violence." We spend a really good part of the morning talking about the way we do violence to ourselves and others without meaning it and what the world would be like if we we more peaceful. Good stuff!   

Day 290: 10/18/13- Singing Vicars with Solo

Day 290: 10/18/13- Singing Vicars with solo  
New Thing: Singing Vicars with Solo  
Inspiration: Kevin's fundraiser, Frank, the fans  
Time: A few hours         
Bottom Line: Heat Wave. 

We are "The Singing Vicars"

Reflection: I had a solo with Heat Wave. So, that happened. ;)

 

Day 289: 10/17/13- New Running App

Day 289: 10/17/13- New Running App  New Thing: New Running App
Inspiration: New phone
Time: 45 mins.         
Bottom Line: Hey guys, did you know there are these things called "app" that are applications that you can put on your phone and use them to do things. Check them out. I have a feeling these things might have a chance to stick around. 

Running: For real. I like this.

Day 288: 10/16/13- Get a Smart Phone

Day 288: 10/16/13- Get a Smart Phone 
New Thing: Get a smart phone   
Inspiration: Ken, my old Fred Flintstone phone   
Time: A life time       Bottom Line: Wait, you can check your e-mail on these things???!!!

Reflection: Well, it's happened. I have finally joined my fellow humans by getting one of these "smart phones" of which you all speak. Did you know that you can go on the inter-webs with one of these things? whoa. 

Day 287: 10/15/13- Teresa of Avila Meditation

Day 287: 10/15/13- Teresa of Avila Meditation New Thing: Teresa of Avila Meditation Inspiration: Teresa of Avila Time: A few mins.         
Bottom Line: Almost divine union 

Reflection: Today is the Feast of Teresa of Avila who was a Christian mystic. She is know to have reached deep levels of ecstasy by using a center-prayer method. I led the clergy through such a meditation today and it was very beautiful, though there was a lack of ecstatic vision however. Better luck next time!

Day 286: 10/14/13- Join the Commission On Ministry

Day 286: 10/14/13- Join the Commission On Ministry
New Thing: Join the Commission on Ministry
Inspiration: DioPA COM
Time: About 2 hours          
Bottom Line: Honored to serve 

Reflection: I am honored to accept an invitation to serve on the DioPA's COM. I had my first meeting with this group to night and it was a very prayer filled and discerning time.

Day 285: 10/13/13- Watch Orange is the New Black

Day 285: 10/13/13- Watch Orange is the New Black 
New Thing: Watch Orange is the New Black        
Inspiration: All the people talking about it on Facebook. I get it. You like it.         
Time: An hour        
Bottom Line: Who knew prison would be so bad? Oh wait. Everyone. 

Reflection: I finally got around to watching Orange is the New Black. It is as good as all the hype. No jail for me thanks! 

Day 284: 10/12/13- Wedding at Sherman Mills

Day 284: 10/12/13- Wedding at Sherman Mills        
New Thing: Preside at a Wedding at Sherman Mills       
Inspiration: The wedding couple        
Time: A few hours     
Bottom Line: Beautiful setting for a beautiful couple 

Reflection: Tonight I had the honor of presiding at a beautiful wedding at the very cool Sherman Mills in Philly. It used to be an old warehouse and now its an artisan setting for events. What a great time!
 

Day 283: 10/11/13- Bible Tasting and Wine Study

Day 283: 10/11/13- Bible Tasting and Wine Study       
New Thing: Bible Tasting and Wine Study    
Inspiration: St. David's 20's-40's group, Tom and Chris       
Time: Several Hours      
Bottom Line: Such an awseome night!  

Reflection: Tonight, the 20-40's group went over to the amazing Tom and Chris' house where they taught us all about their amazing wine collection. Since I don't drink, I went along for the learning experience. Then we all spent some time talking about the Wedding Feast at Canna in our small groups where we tried to sum up the story like a wine description. Mine was "Mysterious with a hint of Messiah."  

Day 282: 10/10/13- DioPa Clergy Day

Day 282: 10/10/13- DioPa Clergy Day       
New Thing: First Diocese of Pennsylvania Clergy Day      
Inspiration: DioPA    
Time: Several Hours     
Bottom Line: Hello Diopa!

Reflection: Today was the first DioPa Clergy Day that I have attended and it was a great way to start getting better acquainted with people outside of our deanery.

Day 281: 10/9/13- Ride in a Limo to the Airport like a big-shot!

Day 281: 10/9/13- Ride in a Limo to the Airport like a big-shot!     
New Thing: Gathering of Leaders Day 3, Ride to the Airport in a Limo  
Inspiration: Gathering of Leaders  
Time: Half hour  
Bottom Line: Rollin' 

Bring the jet around.

Reflection: Last day of the GOL! Matt and I got to join others in the party on their way to the airport in a limo! Sweet!

Day 280: 10/8/13- Apocalyptic Birthday

Day 280: 10/8/13- Apocalyptic Birthday     
New Thing: Birthday! Gathering of Leaders Day Two, Christophany    
Inspiration:  Birthday & Jesus  
Time: Several Hours  
Bottom Line: Awe. 

 
Reflection: Jesus gave be a birthday gift today and here is the sermon it prompted:
 

Apocalyptic Birthday

October 27, 2013

Year C Proper 25

Joel 2:23-32

Luke 18:9-14

Since it is Stewardship season, I bet you are looking at that Gospel reading

and thinking, “ok- I know where the sermon is going to go today.” You see the self-righteous Pharisee who gives his money and his prayers ONLY to serve his own pride and self image on one side of Jesus’ parable. And on the other is the humble tax collector who admits his sins and goes home justified coupled with Jesus’ pronouncement that “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” So, I bet your are thinking the sermon is going to be, “God desires us to give our time, talent and treasure not so that we look good or because there is some kind of divine checklist of all the things we have to give to God in order to be justified. He wants us to give because we are grateful for his love to us even though we don’t deserve it. In loving God like that, we are motivated to give thanks and give of what he has already given us.”And that would be

a very good stewardship sermon!

 

But that’s not the one I’m going to preach.

Instead, we’re going to talk about the apocalyptic.

Now I bet you are thinking, “is it to late to go back to the first sermon?!”

Sorry—apocalyptic stewardship sermon it is!

Our first reading from Joel which belongs to the genre of apocalyptic writing is just to good to pass up. In this beautiful passage we hear about

the way God pours his grace out upon his people. “Then afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”

That is powerful and beautiful. It is a reality that we would like to see for if everyone was prophesying—speaking the truth of God to the world—

if everyone was dreaming dreams and seeing visions of His peace

and love—just think about the way this world would change?!

And since it is a reality that we would love to see, that first line—“Then afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh”—that line makes us stop and wonder, “Then after what?” What comes before that kind of beautiful reality? Well according to Joel, and many other writers in the Bible, before that beautiful reality comes the apocalypse. The previous chapter in Joel

talks of a plague, a swam of locusts he talks about destruction and devastation and he talks about darkness. He says, “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains.” It is God’s revelation that Joel is describing. The end of time as we know it.

This passage and the one we have read today actually shows us the true point of the apocalypse. It is not, as Hollywood would have us imagine,

the meaningless destruction of all humanity. It is rather a revelation that points to God’s grace—both now and in the time to come. In fact, the original Greek meaning of the word was 'un-covering', a disclosure of knowledge, like a lifting of the veil or revelation.

Yet, we worry about this Day of the Lord, this apocalypse. We worry

that if God’s day of judgment were to descend upon us today, we would be caught like kids with our hands in the cookie jar wondering what we are going to be punished or destroyed for having done. But don’t forget, Joel’s vision has already reveled to us that God chooses to save us, to feed us, to let us be put to shame no more and lift our visions and dreams heaven-ward.

As theologian Donna Schaper writes, “We tend to predict trouble [when it comes to God’s revelation]. Joel is trying to convert us to predicting possibility…Apocalypse uncovers the action of God in the action of the world. In the apocalypse or end time, God destroys the ruling power of evil…We are to be fed, not destroyed in God’s coming time.”

Now, I said in the beginning that this was going to be a stewardship sermon.

The theme that the stewardship committee has chosen this year, “being good swards of God’s Grace” matches Joel’s call to us to predict possibility and not disaster from God. Stewardship is about joining with God in believing that there will be hope and love and life in the time to come. It is a sign

that you trust the future to God’s hands, that he has reveled to you and to me

that his coming will be one that pours out Spirit! That brings visions and dreams! When we give to the future, God’s future in a spirit of gratitude

we are trusting in the apoplectic vision that God loves us and will not let us parish, but wants us to know everlasting life.

A few weeks ago, I had my own apocalypse--my own lifting of the veil to see God’s hand on my life. It happened on the morning of my birthday. That’s right—my birthday was an apocalypse for me. I am sure that I am not alone in feeling that birthdays are a time to take stock and to look forward. And this was the spirit I had when I stepped out of my door at 5am for a birthday 10k. I was in Chicago for a clergy conference and staying at a Catholic seminary called St. Mary’s of the lake. We had arrived later in the afternoon the day before so I had yet to make my way around the stretch of road that circled the beautiful lake, thus I had no idea what to expect. I had assumed that there would be lights to mark the wooded road, but you know what happens when you assume. It was pitch dark, it was unfamiliar, it had the foreboding sense of being completely remote and removed from all safety—it had all the markings of an apocalyptic.   

And so, I started to run into the darkness.

As I ran, I started to think about my life—after all that’s what you do on birthdays, right? Maybe it was my surroundings, but I started to think about all the darkness I had been through. I started thinking about disappointments, people who had hurt me, and worse, people who I had hurt. I started thinking about dangers I had been in and pains that still left some residue. As I began to feel a fear that only comes while running through the dark path of our broken pasts, I rounded a bend and as if from no where, there was a bridge. It was light up with several dozen lamps that looked like they were designed off the Narnia one with crosses at the base of each one. They shown in stark contrast to the pitch darkness that the bridge cut through. This bridge seem to float over the black lake which had mist rolling off of it. It was hauntingly beautiful. It stopped me in my tacks.

I had not expected all this light, all this stability. I had not expected to cross the lake in such safety and beauty. But the same could be said about my life

I realized in that moment. Here I was thinking only of the darkness, the plagues, the terrors, when God’s hope and goodness had been with me to illumine my path and guide me to revelation out of the apocalypse into his future. With that knowledge, I ran on until at the end, I arrived at this large dock structure that had these towering gazebos and mornings and lights—

someone had told me that they had built such a structure in case the pope ever visited on his barge. I took a seated meditation posture on the highest one overlooking the lake where the sun was ever so slightly rising. Having run out of the darkness, out of the apocalypse I suddenly felt something that I can only describe as Jesus sitting down right next to me. I felt it as sure

as anything. And it took my breath away and I wept for the goodness of it all. It made me ache with love. For God was revealing to me what I should have know—that there is no end to God’s love, only the pains and apocalypses of this world.  

And so we are back to where Joel would have us start. Changing our fears

and our expectations and predictions of destruction into visions and dreams of God’s love for us, his desire to fed us in this time and the next when we see these apocalypse that we live through as signs of his revelation, we are free to live in knowledge of his grace. We are free to be ones who prophecy God’s word, to dream dreams of a world of love, to be stewards of the grace to others in His name. We are free to see the apocalypse of this life as they really are—revelations of grace.

Day 279: 10/7/13- Gathering of Leaders Day One

Day 279: 10/7/13- Gathering of Leaders Day One    
New Thing: Gathering of Leaders Day One  
Inspiration: GOL Time: All Day
Bottom Line: Day one and already fun!

On our way to Chicago!

Reflection: Matt and I headed out to Chicago today for the Gathering of Leaders which is a clergy gathering. Already on day one I have found both the joy of being with other clergy colleagues and the beauty of the location of St. Mary's Seminary where the conference is being held. 

Day 278: 10/6/13- St. Francis' Day Animal Blessing and Garden Winterizing

Day 278: 10/6/13- St. Francis' Day Animal Blessing and Garden Winterizing 
New Thing: St. Francis' Day Blessing and Garden Winterizing
Inspiration: St. Francis, Frank, the garden
Time: Several Hours
Bottom Line: Who doesn't love an animal blessing? 

Bottom Line: Another great pet blessing! This year, I blessed a turtle for the first time ever. After that, several of us headed out to the garden to try and start winterizing it, though we didn't get very far. 

Day 277: 10/5/13- St. David's Country Fair and Auction

Day 277: 10/5/13- St. David's Country Fair and Auction 
New Thing: Year Two at the Fair
Inspiration: St. David's
Time: All day       
Bottom Line: Wow. Just Wow. 

Opening Hour

Reflection: Today was the Fair! We had over 5000 come to the grounds in a matter of hours. To add to the experience this year, I carried around these little cards we made to welcome people to the church and used them as an evangelism tool as I walked around all day. Congratulations and thank you to all the amazing people who made this all a reality. 

Day 276: 10/4/13- Listen to "Silence Yourself" by Savages

Day 276: 10/4/13- Listen to Silence Yourself by Savages
New Thing: Listen to Silence Yourself by Savages
Inspiration: Ken          
Time: Under an hour      
Bottom Line: City's Full

Reflection: Always one to bring me new music, Ken came home from the library with the album "Silence Yourself" by Savages. The Savages are an English post-punk band. I would say that its not an album I would listen to from start to finish (a little to much dissonance for my sustained listening pleasure) but "City's Full" (track three) rocks! 

Day 275: 10/3/13- St. David's Women's Ministry Pre-Fair Party with Sarah and Lynn!

Day 275: 10/3/13- St. David's Women's Ministry Pre-Fair Party with Sarah and Lynn!
New Thing: St. David's Women's Ministry Pre-Fair party with Sarah and Lynn
Inspiration: St. David's & the Tax Ladies          
Time: Several Hours     
Bottom Line: Bargains and Friends! 

Reflection: Tonight, Sarah and Lynn and I headed over to the Pre-Fair Party with the Women's Ministry. Love all my ladies and the deals we got. (All the money goes to charity--even better!)