There was a boy
A very strange
Enchanted boy
They say he wandered
Very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
One magic day
He passed my way
While we spoke
Of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
“The greatest thing
You’ll ever learn
Is just to love and
Be loved in return”

-lyrics from Moulin Rouge

Much to my chagrin, I got sucked into a very silly novel last week. I read The DaVinci Code cover to cover in about three days. Now, keep in mind that is practically a record for me these days because the only time I have to read is when the children are in the bathtub. Needless to say there were a lot of … {read more…}

I’m waiting for my scanner to work so I can show you what the crew made last night. (I LOVE my church.) But my computer know-how is less than dismal and I can’t figure out how to install the software to go with my new scanner. So until my husband gets home, I am, sadly, stuck.

In the meantime, I’m updating our calendar and wanted to let any local bloggers know about this:

Fiona Morrison’s paintings of paired swans are in a group showing at Mr. Spot’s Chai House in Ballard. (Clearly the best Chai in town.) It’s the Saturday Art Walk in Ballard, so there’s a number of new shows up in the neighboorhood and a … {read more…}

I’m not in much of a writing space the last few days…too many lice I guess. But I did want to say a big Thank You to everyone who’s posted comments here or at nextwave, or emailed me to say nice things about my piece on women in the emerging church. I wanted to write everyone back one on one, but I just haven’t gotten to it and I don’t want to let the moment pass without saying thanks thanks thanks. It’s been really really sustaining, and thought provoking. I have felt the most solidarity, perhaps, with Tim Bednar who wrote this very practical and helpful bit on his blog, which I would recommend. I also want to … {read more…}

“In the desire to make the church safe, Christians have eliminated the critic and the prophet. As a consequence, the church is bland and irrelevant.

“A person engaged in no dialogue… A church without heretics, a sole party with no rivals, is enclosed within the permanent repetition of it’s own image.”

That’s serious shit.

The thing is, when you’re on the “prophet” end of the scale, it’s really exhuasting. And also, you’re scared all the time that one of these days, maybe really soon, you’re going to calcify and stop hearing the visionary voices around you. Then you are going to become the mummy repeting it’s own image for no purpose, for no reason.

I hate that part.

But what are you going to … {read more…}

If anyone’s interested, my field report is in the lastest edition of next wave.

“The heat coming off the sheets tonight is phosphorescent in taste, salty by sight….
Sheets of sky, sheets of could, sheets of stars, sheets of buttery-thick voiced peoples.”

This is how Neil described the night on our street this ThPM. We sketch during worship, if anyone wants to (most people do) and he wrote this in one corner of his half sheet, next to a little practice with cubism, a trailing vine, and a big-headed large handed figure wearing “tennis shorts made of strife.”

Israel has picked up this two week old habit of hanging out at one or the other of our altars and sinking into the various images of Christ that we have propped up amongst the candles. Theresa … {read more…}

And Now…..LICE!

Yes ladies and gents in blogland, today’s big news is that my girls have lice. Ah, the joys of kindergarten. A month ago Eden came home and said, “At circle time Kate said she has to put all her toys in plastic bags for four weeks!” Well, for those of you who aren’t parents this is never good news. That was our first case of lice in Room 203. (This was right before strep throat went around, which Eden also brought home. Just finished the antibiotics for that one.) Two weeks ago Eden told me her best friend Rosie went to get a haircut and the hairdresser told her she had lice. Last week Eden skipped off the … {read more…}

Exploding Dog is one of my favorite webiste for a pick-me-up. The artist takes these little one liners that people send him and then makes these amazing pithy, insightful, poignant, funny, moving sketches. Catie’s favorite is “I’m so glad you like my birds.” My current favorite is, “i have a question.”

I’ve been feeling a little beat up lately over various and sundry things, so I’m trying to take it easy today. First I went to the gym, where I was able to 1)work out some angst on the treadmill and 2)give my full-paid childcare card which I never use any more to a passing acquaintance who still takes her younger child to the childcare facilities there. This made me feel better because I am a part of a practicing Ordinary Attempts group, and apart praying for the all-male mostly-gay staff at Olive Garden (Dear Lord, please let the people who come here after church on Sunday nights tips these guys really really well. And don’t let any of … {read more…}