Uphill idealist

There is a wonderful section of Anne Lamott's book, Traveling Mercies, that describes her conversion experience. There was no altar call and no pleading - but there was persistence and the knocking that could not be denied.  "...everywhere I went, I had the feeling that a little cat was following me, wanting me to reach down and pick it up, wanting me to open the door and let it in. But I knew what would happen: you let a cat in one time, give it a little milk, and then it stays forever. So I tried to keep one step ahead of it, slamming my house door whenever I entered or left. And one week later, when I went back to church, I was so hungover that I couldn’t stand up for the songs, and this time I stayed for the sermon, which I thought was so ridiculous, like someone trying to convince me of the existence of extraterrestrials, but the last song was so deep and raw and pure that I could not escape. It was as if the people were singing in between the notes, weeping and joyf...

I've heard the way to eat an elephant - something bigger than life - is "bite by bite". Anne taught me to tackle overwhelming walls of words with this simple advice... "bird by bird". Today it all seems wily... like herding kittens or trying to stuff blown bubbles back in the jar. I need an elephant to chew on or a bird to define, because these wily creatures that are running amok... are not defined, classified, or clear. For now I have lists, post its, emails and conversations that are so bittersweet. I can't consume them. These wily things leave me longing for days filled with Amy's elephants, Anne's birds and my familiar kittens. T.L. Eastman copyright 2015

It's been quite a long time since I've posted a Monday Meme of "Sleeping with Bread" . Every Monday a lovely group of bloggers would gather to post reflections of thanksgiving on the bread that God had given for the week as well as the bread that was needed for walking the week ahead.  Over the weekend, I have been working ahead for some bread to share this coming Sunday (Oct. 5th) at my home congregation at First Lutheran Church in Jamestown NY. What you find below is also a message that is part of my studies for an online Preaching class with Wartburg Seminary facilitated by Professor Samuel Giere  . All this said, I am thinking that the message below, connected once again with the "Sleeping with Bread" Meme  may be a good combination for conversation and encouragement to consider this question... "What do I need to let go of, and what do I need to hold on to in the week ahead?" If you like, take a few minutes to watch the vide...

A Facebook friend tagged me in this meme and I couldn't resist. Here goes my effort to recall the first 15 books that have stuck with me. 1. Circle of Quiet by Madeline L'Engle. This book made me what to go to back to college. 2. Sacred Space - this devotional book is published every year and has been my most consistent companion in my prayer life. 3. The New Moosewood Cookbook - This cookbook offers incredibly tasty vegetarian dishes. Its always fun to cook out of. 4. The Message - Whenever I'm looking for a fresh way of looking at scripture I look in Eugene Peterson's paraphrase version of the Bible. 5. Bird by bird by Anne Lamott. I don't think this book is one a writer is ever "done" with. Just when you think there is no more to write about, Anne pushes you to dig deeper. 6. The Shack by William P. Young - I read this last summer when I had been laid off and was dealing with so many emotions. It helped me make my way through to the other side. 7...

Last Saturday I sat among 38,000 Lutheran youth and youth ministers and waited with baited breath as Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz), came onstage to address the crowd. He spoke of the challenge of being authentic in service to others, even in the areas that aren't so fun or are not the areas of service we feel we are "good" at. Donald spends a great deal of time still writing and working with The Mentoring project , that pairs adult men with boys that lack relationships with positive male role models. He spoke of the joys and challenges of mentoring. Mentoring requires the mentor to stay engaged and interested in the life of another person, even when that person does not turn out to be tiny Tim. The Mentoring Project - Elephant Musth Cycle from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo . Being with others and living in community is difficult to say the very least, but the option of living in isolation from others does not offer very much interest to me. How about you? Ju...

I've been on a reading binge the last two weeks for books written by Anne Lamott. Bird by bird has a permanent home on my bedside table. Once a friend of mine who sells used books, and I told to hold all the Anne Lamott titles for me asked, "...Is it because you have the same almost the same name that you like her books so much?" My middle name is Lamont - hers is Lamott, close but not quite. I'd misplaced my copy of Traveling Mercies about a year ago, and found a hardcover copy in another used book story this weekend for only $3.00. I knew I'd be ready for another one of Anne's books as I was in the final chapters of Blue Shoe on Friday. I started Traveling Mercies on Monday and I'm already halfway done reading it. Anne Lamont's books, both the fiction and non-fiction have a way of getting under your skin. I find myself thinking about the characters in her fiction, wondering how they are and then remember they are fictional. Then again, when I read he...