Uphill idealist

Piccaso "The Dance" PSALM 27 Triumphant Song of Confidence of David The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? One thing that I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! When I was a little girl, I remember Thanksgiving as being one of my favorite holidays. It was especially fun if we headed to the Pittsburgh area to visit my Grandparents. Although my grandparents lived in a rather quiet suburb of the city, it was much more exciting than the rural environment I was accustomed to. For a few days, we’d spend time with our grandparents, eat meals together, talk about what we wanted for Christmas, and flip through the va...

Last week, I spent some time in Cincinnati, Ohio at the National Youth Workers Convention. I had the honor of helping out with registration, so I went a day early as it took over six hours for me to drive there. On my way out to Ohio, most of my drive was gray and rainy. About four hours in to the trip, the sky opened up to pockets of sunlight. The light streamed in beams upon 271 South to 71 South for the remainder of the drive. My mood was lifted by the sunlight as I drove through the places they touched down. I began to forget about the chill of the long rainstorm I'd driven through. The sunlight helped me to begin thinking in the realm of possibility and promise. The whole convention had the theme of "time". It encouraged the youth workers that attended to be sure to allow for the care and rest of their own souls, as well a the motivation to not take the present moment for granted. Each day seemed to settle into its own theme for me as well. Getting started: Thursda...

I celebrated Guy Fawkes Day once because a friend from England was a part of the church community where we lived and we wanted to make him feel more at home here in the states. I stuffed a Guy Fawkes dummy for my front patio, made homemade scones and clotted cream and we had our own little party. There was no bon-fire or perpetual torture. Just good friends, a nice tea, and my kids asking why I was making a scary dummy on the porch since Halloween was already past. It 's all in the perspective I suppose, and a day for clotted cream and fresh scones is one I'd celebrate any day! Although Bonfire Night is an ancient ritual, Guy Fawkes Day emerged as a nationalistic reaction to “The Gunpowder Plot” of 1605. The leader of the conspiracy, Guy Fawkes, was an ardent Catholic who attempted to blow up King James I and the Houses of Parliament with the hopes of challenging the Protestant control of the country. The failure of Fawkes’s plot brought about an immediate surge in English Na...

This past week Mary Lue and I have both been out of town on business trips. Sadly our trips did not bring us to the same city, if that were the case - we'd been jumping for joy to meet face to face! Apologies for being late in host posting, but with a few days away, there is always a great deal of catch up when coming home. As I look over my past week, I begin thinking in terms of the hi-lights, or speakers,people, moments, that stood out, were especially encouraging, or the most thought provoking in one way or another. As for the specifics of all that, I'll save for my own SWB post. No matter where you "traveled" this last week, what were the low-lights and high-lights? In this season that is getting darker and more chilly by each dawn, the light is something we all are drawn a little more to. What light was capturing your attention this week? I hope you've had a great week - I've missed the SWB crew. Let's have a moment and hear what bread/light you are ...