Keeping Up

Anyone else ever have trouble keeping up. Not with 'the Joneses' but just with yourself. We had a wonderful trip to New Orleans, but still feel like I'm running behind since we returned. The situation in NOLA is still rough. Half the population of the city is gone. Habitat is doing good work building houses in the upper 9th ward, but the neighborhood is just desolate. There is much to be done to rebuild the city and even more to remedy the poverty and racism that exists there and in so many other parts of the world. Our church is planning and hoping to have group go down to New Orleans this summer. Maybe July. Anyone want to join us??

Already late

How can I start blogging and two days later already feel "behind." I'm going to New Orleans tomorrow, really early in the morning. Have I packed? No. Have I finished all my church stuff? No. What am I doing now? Blogging. What is wrong with this picture?? Have I fun week. I plan to. Gotta go now.

Ash Wednesday

I have to admit, I have always had a bit of fondness in my heart for Ash Wednesday. Not because it's the beginning of Lent though- I grew up as a Southern Baptist in the South where Lent was that funky thing that Catholics did. I actually liked Ash Wednesday because, well, it could be construed as MY day. "Ash" after all is the beginning of my name and when you're little that's really cool. Kind of like my husband who used to claim that all of the "Lance" brand crackers were his...much to the dismay of his brother and sister. Anyway, now that I've gotten a little older (ha, a lot older) I still like Ash Wednesday. Not because of the name thing anymore, but because it's a kind of solemn day when we can freely admit how messed up we are and how much we really do need God in our lives. Sometimes we really do need the freedom to say we're confused, confounded or just plain dumb. We do things that hurt each other and the world. We need to confess. And I confess that I don't always do that enough. So today, on Ash Wednesday, we get to be as honest as we can stand. We screw up stuff. All the time. But the thing is, even today, when we know we are just dust in the wind--still, God loves us. Sustains us. Forgives us. Dust is God's raw material for creation. Thank God we can be made new.

giving it a try

hey there. i'm a baptist preacherlady in boston and it's about time i started a blog. why not? i need to write more. i've been a bit blocked lately. this might help. or i'll running screaming in the other direction. only one way to find out i guess. stay tuned.