Ministry Days

So... pre-GA I'm here at Ministry Days - a gathering of UU ministers and seminarians with a day for professional development/continuing education and a day for UU Ministers Association business. The lecture yesterday from Walter Brueggemann was very good. It's so important, I think, for us to hear from our close cousins in the liberal Christian community. I know it was important for me to learn more about Christianities (yes, I meant for that to be a plural). At my seminary I've learned so much from people of many denominations and Christian theologies. I will have to go through my notes from the presentation when I have a chance...

The other thing that knocked my socks off on the first morning of Ministry Days was the opening worship - the preacher (I don't know the ministers' names who were up front, sorry) talked about a Peruvian religious person describing himself as a "bridge man," helping people when they needed to cross bridges (spiritual, emotional...). The image of a bridge is personally meaningful to me, as it's the image I drew during my seminary orientation retreat when we were asked to draw a picture representing our vision of ministry. It turns out it has similar personal meaning for one of my seminary colleagues, and we were both taken deeper into our understanding of the bridge metaphor by this service. This alone is worth the cost.

Second day of Ministry Days: Meaningful worship, celebrating colleagues who have completed 25 and 50 years in ministry. I'm pretty sure I won't make it to the 50 year mark - but 25? Maybe, who knows!? UUMA annual meeting - no big surprises. Fabulous lunch, followed by a good collegial conversation.

The Berry St. Essay presentation knocked my socks off - and the response - wow.

Afterward, we waded out into the humidity to the buses to the Convention Center for the beginning of GA!

Off to Florida...

It's that time again. Time for UUs to gather, meet, greet, eat, learn, play, buy UU things, do UUA business, and generally exhaust ourselves. Florida in June? OK.

I may or may not have time to blog. I've been working on a couple pieces that aren't ready - one on marriage (our wedding anniversary was last week) and another that is really still in my head.

After GA - family vacation!

OK - this is frightening.

It's people like this science teacher who give all religion a bad reputation. The article is in the Washington Post. My only question: Why wasn't this person fired a long time ago?

h/t to "Rant and Reason"

Picture of the Day: Celebrate the love!

photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, pool via AP

Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin, a couple for over 55 years, legally wed in California yesterday. Finally. You can read all about it, see a slide show & video here.

Loving v. Virginia was the court case that made interracial marriage legal in the whole country. I'm thinking about Mildred Loving today, as she recognized that the right of any person to marry the one she/he loved was only just. Sooner or later there will have to be a challenge to the federal DOMA, don't you think?

For Father's Day

Father's Day is a time of mixed emotions for me. Tuesday will be the eleventh anniversary of my father's death.I had a good dad. Not a great dad, but one who lived a life of integrity. He said what he meant, and meant what he said. His light lives on in my brother, me, my spouse, our children, and all my cousins who called him "Uncle Chick" and regarded him as a second father.

(poem via panhala)

Shifting the Sun

When your father dies, say the Irish,
you lose your umbrella against bad weather.
May his sun be your light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Welsh,
you sink a foot deeper into the earth.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Canadians,
you run out of excuses.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the French,
you become your own father.
May you stand up in his light, say the Armenians.

When you father dies, say the Indians,
he comes back as the thunder.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Russians,
he takes your childhood with him.
May you inherit his light, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the English,
you join his club you vowed you wouldn't.
May you inherit his sun, say the Armenians.

When your father dies, say the Armenians,
your sun shifts forever.
And you walk in his light.


~ Diana Der-Hovanessian ~

Haven't done a quiz for awhile...

I noticed that Paul had taken the "political compass test," and thought that since I usually describe my political views as very liberal I should check it out. I think my self-description is correct.



Here's how they score various world leaders.

"How High's the Water, Mama?"

Like other friends in the midwest, there are rising waters all around us. Main St. in our town was flooded when the local lake overflowed its banks, leaving displaced fish in its wake. The next nearest town has a river running through it - and most of the bridges have been closed all or part of this week. Our home is on high ground, away from the center of both towns, but we keep a close eye on our window wells and the basement. Getting around is challenging, too, with so many closed roads! And, it's raining again...


(The immortal Johnny Cash, for my in-laws, whose farm is flooded.)*

A scene from my home town, earlier in the week - the lake overflowing. And, a day later.

*It's what's called a "hobby farm," not their livelihood, by the way.

"And now, the end is near..."

The post title? Today was the last class session I have to attend. Still some writing to do, papers to submit, but no more required classes. I have all the academic credits required to graduate - just need to successfully complete the internship. A colleague recently reminded me, when I griped at him, that I knew I had chosen a less-than-traditional path to ministry. I chose it. He was right, and there isn't much I would have done differently in this section of the journey.

So last night I packed up my boxes of tea & cocoa, my few dishes, my mini coffeepot, toiletries and office supplies I kept in the "apartment-lette" I've been half-living in for the last two years. My daughter M* took the toaster & most of the food I had left in the cupboard & fridge. This morning I loaded everything in the trunk of the car & dropped the keys through the mail slot. EBS doesn't live there anymore. My classmate & his partner (who rented me the apartment-lette in their home) invited M* & I for dinner last night. We ate well & laughed a lot. It's kind of amazing that this classmate & I became such good friends.

We both remember being a little wary of each other during orientation (3 years ago!), but we ended up together in a group planning end of orientation worship. I didn't know from lectionary readings, he didn't understand the concept of "noble silence," but we learned from each other. It was a great worship service. We've been learning from each other for three years, and I'm sorry to say good-bye. Sure, we will keep in touch - but it won't be like driving together to class and sharing our different perspectives on what we were reading, discussing our visions of ministry, just talking about life and faith. He taught me that Christianity need not be oppressive. I taught him that a non-Christian seeker (some days I'm a religious naturalist, some days I'm a panentheist...) can have deep faith. We've broadened each other's perspectives, and had fun. I'm deeply grateful.

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Unrelated to the rest of this post... but this is important stuff:

Fidelia's Sisters has a great article about clergy and sexual harassment. not sexual harassment BY clergy - sexual harassment OF clergy. I recommend it, particularly since my own classes in ministry (at two different seminaries) barely mentioned the possibility of harassment. Sure, we're taught about boundaries and the inappropriateness of relationships with parishioners. But being harassed by parishioners? This has me thinking about figuring out some strategies in advance, as I head into internship this fall.

Tired Sunday Quiz...

We've had a busy weekend. Yesterday we attended a wedding, which made us think about being old enough to be parents of children who are old enough to be married (we are!). It was a beautiful ceremony. Today was Religious Education Sunday and the Annual Meeting at church - although the dh skipped to go for a long bike ride. Anyway, the dh was websurfing & found quizzes for the first time!

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

So is the dh. Does that mean we're a match?