Uphill idealist

What is FLY? It's a youth group for students in grades 5 - 12. It meets Wednesdays at 6 pm at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St. in Jamestown. Call, me Tara Eastman, 664-4601, for more information. My husband, Ian and our friend Sue help with the group gatherings and we have a great time together. You should come and have dinner with us this Wednesday! PS> Isn't the graphic for this great! What a clever guy Ian is for making this.

The week is winding down and I'm looking forward to a sunny spring weekend being kicked off by outdoor time this evening at my mother in laws place. We my grill some burger and tinker with the pool, but I don't quite think we'll be able to show up the celebration in the Tiki Island video below. Is it weird, funny or cute? I'm not sure, but I'm glad Friday is here! Are you?

Some of you may be familiar with the Free Hugs videos that have been circulating around the web. I first was introduced to this movement of literally of reaching out to people by my friend Jay , when he discussed a group of college students he knew that organized and led a Free Hug day on their campus. Over time and as the popularity of Free Hugs grew, the originator of the movement Jaun Mann, began to face some resistance and at one point was banned from holding Free Hugs days in public. After much effort and 10,000 people's signatures showing their support of Free Hugs, the ban has been lifted. In a world filled with so many lonely and hurting people, I'm happy to know that Free Hugs are BACK! The following is an excerpt from the official Free Hugs Campaign Website: How Free Hugs started: I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and...

There is a revival of an old teaching method and it is being picked up by youth ministries nationwide. It is the process and practice of storytelling scripture. I had the opportunity to sit on on an example of this teaching method last Saturday at the YS One Day training I attended in Hamburg, NY at the Hub . We listened to the account of Creation and had the time to really focus on what depth the story held. At the end of the listening, we reviewed the story, and then broke up into small groups to discuss different aspects of the story. So often in ministry, discussions and learning can feel rushed and hurried. This approach did not, in fact all this week I've found my mind wandering back to the story of Creation and I'm caught up in my imagination with the activity and wonder of it. What if storytelling could help spark not only my imagination, but that of the students I work with each week? Echo the Story offers a web-site full of free resources: downloads of story lessons...

What an interesting and interactive art project - looks like great fun.

All this sunshine and non-freezing spring weather has got me thinking about trying to ride a bike to work this summer. I don't have and haven't ridden a bike in too many years to say, but I'm pondering the possibility. Most of my research has been steered in the direction of purchasing a 'commuter' or 'hybrid' bike. I've seen the prices rages from anywhere from $500.00 to a friend's lucky find at a garage sale for fifty bucks. These bikes are built for hills, comfort and making it possible to arrive at work greenly as well as not being super sweaty. If you have any suggestions on the bike quest and all the possibility's it offers, drop me a line and help me out. I'm looking for a mid-range, possibly used, either a 17 or 18 inch size, and a not too big price tag too. Thanks.

I've loved the song "Yellow" by Coldplay for a while, so I decided to take a second glance at the words. This song speaks of love, commitment, sacrifice and hope. I think these are great things for this sunny, yet chilly May morning. This video is not the original, but I think it captures the importance of living in the present. Look at the stars, Look how they shine for you, And everything you do, Yeah, they were all yellow. I came along, I wrote a song for you, And all the things you do, And it was called yellow. So then I took my turn, Oh what a thing to have done, And it was all yellow. Your skin Oh yeah, your skin and bones, Turn into something beautiful, You know, you know I love you so, You know I love you so. I swam across, I jumped across for you, Oh what a thing to do. Cos you were all yellow, I drew a line, I drew a line for you, Oh what a thing to do, And it was all yellow. Your skin, Oh yeah your skin and bones , Turn into something beautiful, And you know fo...

This last week, I've begun reading the book "Enough" by Will Samson . This thoughtful little book deals with the great conflicts of finding contentment within the excesses of western society. He not only approaches this question in regard to consumption alone, but aligns his questions in the perspective of being a follower of Jesus in the Way. All last week I found myself muddling around the word "Enough". I thought about the books I purchase, the food I eat, and the weight of the impact my household alone makes upon the world around me. I even considered if I could try an experiment to see if I could manage to live on 1/2 of the food I normally consume in a week, or spend half of what I normally do on personal expenses and so one. This still leaves me pondering - Just how much is enough? When I look at the examen of Sleeping with bread and consider what I've had to hold on too in the last week or so, I can thankfully say, "Yes, I have enough, more tha...

Image from A Mother's Love As I think to sit and write this thank you post to all the Mom's in my life, I feel awash with an ocean full of memories of nurturing people. Here goes the great splash of thanks... To my Mom: Thank you for giving me life, loving me, baking cookies with me, for encouraging me to be myself even when that was hard, and for understanding my need to express myself in what I said, drew and even wore - even down to the bell bottoms, butterfly shirt, and pixie hair cut on my first day to kindergarten. For all the PTA meetings, summer camps, choir concerts and rides home after track and volleyball - thank you for giving of your time and energy. To my Mother in law - Janet: for welcoming me into your family, teaching how to be a better grown up, for encouraging me to go to college even when raising my kids, for helping to care for the kids when juggling work, school and ministry commitments, and for loving me as I am. You make a mean cup of tea too! To Jacki...