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Showing posts from March, 2013

validation.

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I noticed these two blog posts this morning and smiled to think
that these two are parenting together.  Their three boys are lucky ducks. 
If you are a tired or droopy parent today, read these. They're beautiful!
You are not a terrible parent.
Red Roads on a Belly.
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let's do this.

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These days it's all about diving in headfirst. 

We're not just getting ready for Holy Week and Easter at Zion. We're preparing for the ZOOM House Gala on Saturday night. Last year we raised $45,000 in four hours - it's kind of a big deal. We're also getting ready to host a booth at the Lyndale Open House on Friday. Last year I talked to dozens of neighbors passionate about the community we share - it makes me proud to be part of this place.
Oh and we bought a new house! We've been looking for awhile now, but it happened suddenly. They accepted our offer 25 hours after it went on the market. A little more space and a lot more wallpaper just a few blocks from where we are now. Matt and I are excited to have a new project to share and imagine this being home for awhile. We close in four weeks.
That also means we're scrambling to get our current abode on the market. The goal is early April, so the dumpster shows up tomorrow. Let's get this party started.
I…
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i carry you.

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There are lots of ways to remember and repent during Lent. Some people give up meat or chocolate. I used to give up caffeine during Lent. Unfortunately, life without it makes me an angry shadow of myself. Since it usually played out as the opposite of a spiritual discipline, I now give up giving up caffeine for Lent.

Some use a Lenten devotional book. Others are taking one picture each day that speaks to a different Lent-y word. And more are using a list - one little thing each day - that reframes daily life in the light of God's gift.

I was still trying to decide what my Lenten discipline was going to be well into Lent. And then I realized it's Jasper. He has three favorite phrases right now and they mark up my days with pause and gratitude:

Look, Mommy!
Look at my animals! They're dancing on the table. They're making animal noises. They're being silly. Now look at them flying off the table all over the kitchen. Look at them scattered around and under the refrigerat…
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you are worthy.

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What a week! Many of you sent prayers for me and my congregation, and we were stronger for them. It is a good thing to be in the trenches together. Old men who called me "Meta" last week now call me "Pastor". Something has shifted since an annual review and two funerals last week. I am frightened by the great losses in our little church and how much I love these people, but I'm also glad for everything vulnerable about being with them.

I was all preached out (again) yesterday, so I did not prepare a sermon. Instead, I brought The Giving Tree and read it before the kids left for Sunday School. We believe in a God who is rooted in our lives. When we return to the place where we are known, there is always rejoicing and acceptance.


Then we heard all three Lost Parables. A coin went missing. A sheep went wandering. A son strutted off. And the congregation read the words of rejoicing aloud at the end of each story. Love-Surround-Sound. The Searcher rejoiced in the fi…
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