Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Slow Blogging

Felder Rushing, our native Gardener and teacher, touts "slow gardening" as the way to go. "Put some lettuce in a pot", he says, and watch it grow.

I'm into slow blogging during Lent. Not that I didn't slow down in the pre-Lent weeks, too.

I'm busy with Little Church, children and home. I'm reading more. Seems like sermon prep is part of every day.

I am moving into new terrain this season.

Yours,

St.Casserole

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Oh No! Not Again!

A barge hit one of our important bridges.
Go to the Gallery to see the pictures.

What a mess! Hurricane season begins AGAIN in June.

Arghhh,

St.Casserole

Sunday, March 15, 2009

I'm blogging less and less. I'm busy with many activities.


And, I don't have a verger.




If I had a verger, I'd blog more.

Where is my verger? I need one. I'm serious.


St.Casserole, working under difficult circumstances without a verger

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Invention Needed

I live among oak leaves, pulled weeds, grass clippings and pruning debris. I am determined to have the best yard mulch possible to cover my plantings to conserve water.

Here's what I need: a chipper shredder machine.

I wish our neighborhood would buy a machine to loan out to neighbors.

These machines are gas powered.

Even better, I want someone to make a stair-stepper exerciser to power the chipper shredder.

If Dr. Joe Stirt of Charlottesville, Va. can use his treadmill to work on his blog, why can't my feets power a chipper shredder so I can recycle plant material into lovely, lovely mulch?

It takes oatmeal to power my imagination,

St.Casserole

Thursday, March 05, 2009

The Language of Ministry


I'm concerned about a colleague who is missing ques from his congregation.

He's got a vision of where the church should go and a plan for getting there.

Too bad the congregation cannot hear his vision. It's bad for the colleague who finds the congregation frustrating and confusing. He is critical of them and not happy. The congregation sees him as friendly one day and aloof the next day.

If he speaks to me about the situation, I suggest he pivot to another direction to share the vision. Push less and listen more, I suggest to him.

When I hear complaints about his ministry from his congregation, I remind them that he needs to hear from them about the issues. Talk to him, I suggest. He wants to do well in your church as much as you want the church to do well.

I think I know what is going on. The pastor wants to prove something. Maybe he wants to prove his competency or brilliance as a leader. He came with a mission. But did he listen to understand the congregation's understanding of mission? Does he know the language of this congregation or has he been busy teaching them his ideas?

Balance. Discernment. Listening. Trust. We need all of these gifts in ministry.

I can speak to this issue because years ago, I went to a family type church run by one family who called me only because no one else would go there as pastor. I saw the church as a great white field ready for harvest. I saw the growth potential and the mission possibilities. I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

Great for me! No one else wanted growth. Growth meant accommodating people outside the accepted "family" of the congregation. No one wanted mission. Mission would mean giving to others when the congregation's needs were greater than anyone else according to them.

I became frustrated. They became hateful. It was a PAR-TAY of bad communication.

I did not listen to them. They did not listen to me. I had too much energy for a maintenance congregation. They had too much unease with my gender to accept me. I was not blue collar in their eyes. It was a mess.

My colleague is in a similar situation without the class issues. He has cultural dis-connect with them as a non-Southerner. He doesn't listen. They can't hear him.

This is on my mind,

St.Casserole Photo from I Can Haz A Cheeseburger/lol cats

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Being Civil in an Uncivil World

I'm adding to the "why pay attention to a blowhard" conversation going around about Rush Limbo by commenting here. Not sure if this is a good idea. I like the days when it was clear to everyone that Rush was just a voice selling ad time.

It is kind of the RNC Chair to apologize for remarks, however true the remarks are, to Limbo.

To quote Thumper, "if you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all."


St.Casserole

Monday, March 02, 2009

Before Worship, Please Do Not Fall

down the floor vent hole.

Especially if you are wearing vestments and visiting with visitors.


Watching the Pastor fall backwards into a deep hole* in the floor is upsetting and should not be used as an evangelism tool.

I'm O.K. I have a perfect bruise above my knee (that's where my leg stopped going through the building), scrapes and cuts. I can walk, talk and didn't use language unbecoming a minister at the time of the accident.


One almost-new-member took me to the bathroom to help me unfurl my shredded stockings and try to keep the blood off my alb. She used her R.N. skills to advise me on what to do about tending the wounds but my mind was on my broken shoe.

Dang! I ruined a pretty pair of preaching shoes.



Gals, learn from me.

Keep out of construction areas in your church unless you keep your eyes open and your feet on solid floor.

Love,
St.Casserole

*Little Church is a raised wooden framed building, no basement, open foundation.