Uphill idealist

The last weekend of November marks the beginning of the Advent, setting time for all of us to expectantly wait for the blessings of the Christmas season. While there are many opportunities this upcoming month to worship, serve and celebrate with friends and family; I’d like to suggest that this Advent season we should consider ways of setting a pace for peace. When researching the word pace, I came across an image of a flag used by an Italian peace organization established in 1961. I discovered that the Italian word for “pace” is our word for “peace”. "The Italian PEACE flag was inspired by the flag of Anglo-Saxon pacifists who marched in Aldermaston for an anti-nuclear protest, led by Bertrand Russell. Mr. Capitini asked some housewives from Perugia, who were friends of him, to sew with all possible speed some colored stripes to form a flag to be shown during the march. The women choose to sew the background of the flag in the colors of the rainbow in remembrance of the story of ...

A few weeks ago, I reconnected with an old friend via Facebook and had enjoyed learning about his life and family. About a week ago, Drew's son Levi had a serious and sudden health scare when having a cardiac arrest in gym class. Over the first few traumatic days in the hospital, Facebook, lit up with prayer request and support for Levi and his mom and dad. It is a miracle that Levi is doing well and apparently has no ill effects from this incident. Go to Levi's news story to learn more. Go to " Become a fan of Levi" - a group on Facebook started by his dad Drew to leave notes of encouragement for Levi in his recovery process. Keep praying! Tara

The bakery of my life has been busy the last few weeks with attending the NYWC in Pittsburgh, PA and settling in at my new church. There has been a great deal of letting go and holding on going on in my life, but I will try to be selective in the ones I share with you for this Monday's sleeping with bread. Some of the things I have been trying to leave behind me are connected to sensitive areas or hurt or loss. Some are connected to my childhood and upheavals in my late adolescence, some are related to my vocation and calling in ministry, but they all prove to be associations or specters of boundaries established by sometimes well-meaning, but short-sighted folks or my own doubting voice. I am trying to uncurl the fingers of past hurt to allow remaining words of doubts, negativity, and fear to be exposed to the light of new opportunity and fresh perspective to provide a healing touch some areas of long-time sensitivity. I sense that even after thinking I've dealt with some thin...

Hey just in case you are attending or have some friends that are attending the NYWC in Pittsburgh this weekend they have a communication and planning network up that is really helpful in making connections and working out your schedule for the weekend. Let me know if you'll be there and we can catch up in the 'Burgh! Here's the link to my profile on the YS site: Tara's YS page. Tara

...On Sunday when I was helping serve Communion for the contemporary service. People were coming up for the elements (bread and wine) and I was saying to them, "This is the body of Christ, shed for you." as they dipped their bread into the cup I was holding. I felt like I was standing in they exact place I was supposed to be standing at 10:37 am Sunday October 26th, 2008. There was a rightness about it that made everything seem surreal for about five minutes or so. In that place of communion with people and God - I felt that was where I'm called to be. It seemed like home.

Draining life reminds me of doing dishes. Be it the sound of water rushing down the growling disposal or not - stuff goes down the drain everyday. Right now as I write there are a sink full waiting for me. But they will just have to wait. Maybe it's all a reminder of this Monday examen, both in the symbolism and reality of letting something go of one thing in order to hold on to something good. This last week was busy. I'm constantly introducing myself and retelling what feels like my life story. At my new office the other staff kept saying, " All we feel we're doing is giving you more files and info every minute." It was a lot to take in and some moments were weird. I did not relocate to move to work at my new church, but in most ways it feels as I have since somehow I don't really know anyone who attends the church from my sixteen years of living in the community of Jamestown. Its all new and yet familiar all at once. I take my daughter to school in the mo...

One of my tree paintings Sleeping Sleeping in general is usually not a problem for me - I roll on my left side for a bit, roll over on my stomach and in a few minutes I'm in ZZZZZZZZZZZ land. I've had a great deal of change in the last few weeks, so that is probably why my mind won't turn off as easily. So here I'm writing at 2 am, waiting for sleep to find me. I read a WHOLE book tonight and still no ZZZ's yet. Mind still buzzzzzing. Moving and coffee Moving books, setting up calender's, meeting new everyone, and I'm really enjoying all the activity, but I realize that too much caffeine and all this won't work... maybe that is why I'm still up at 2? Trees Besides be awake and having too much coffee, there is something else on my mind, trees. No joke, trees. I've been drawing them a great deal lately. I saw this Nooma video today at student fellowship called 'Trees' and there was this great emphasis on how in Genesis, God created the hea...