Tuesday Tea Time!

Hiya Tuesday Tea Timers!

Whether you've had your morning tea or coffee or juice (or beverage of choice) or not, you're an honorary Tea Timer simply by being here. So welcome right where you are!

It's good to be back in this strange community. Being with yall for Tuesday Tea Time warms my heart a pinch. I find this community strange though because for the most part it is a silent community.

There is something to that though, right? There's support in the number of views & +1 google likes I get & yet just the joy of having tea on Tuesday is the lingering feature of this blog.

It dawned on my late last week that with the return of Tuesday Tea Times I could have brought back a few changes. However, it was late last week & I didn't want to make any sudden changes as my recess over the last month & a half has been quite full with other life. So in coming weeks you may see some new things like artwork or imagery & potentially a change of address.

The one reassuring thing is that we will gather here for Tuesday Tea Time each week unless noted otherwise. For now it'll simply be Tuesday Tea with the potential of pop-up posts, so enjoy!

Sunday Snippits: good, bad, & awesome!

GOOD: Hello & welcome to February! While January was a bit more quiet than usual, it was still very busy. February brings different challenges though simply because it is February. This past week was focused on recovering from being away, getting a sermon written, & trying to plan ahead for the rest of the month. I was given the chance to geek out on teaching others about SMART goals & set an active one into place by working with the teams at our church. My mind is still churning at all of the wonderful ideas that were shared with me about ministry while at the Extravaganza! While I am hoping to be on top of upcoming ministry opportunities, the reality is I am already focused on our next big adventure. More to come on that in a week or so! We enjoyed a snowy Saturday with some reading, granola baking, snow shoveling, & Ever After. It'll always be one of my favorite versions of a Cinderella story & it's now on Netflix!

BAD: It's February & I have connected with more than one person in the last week of how much we dislike February more than any other month in the year. May our disdain not make us weary & lose sight of the hope of Spring!

AWESOME: Dove's #loveyourcurls video! Not only is the music fun & catchy, but it exemplifies the impact that each one of us can & do have on those we live with (at home, work, or play). My curls have definitely been a journey, but I don't ever remember really wanting any other hair. Your hair, curly or straight, is beautiful as it is, so embrace it!

WORD: Today's Gospel is Mark 1:29-39 & I'm preaching, so this has been my focus. This amidst the finishing of the Paraclete Press book on hospitality that I mentioned a few weeks ago. Together these readings are action packed, leave us questioning things we may never know or don't need to know, & assured that there is good in the world.

coming up: A bit more adventure! By the end of the week I will get to see family that I haven't seen in many years (9 years maybe) & introduce Z to them. And all with a touch of Mickey Mouse!

Sunday Snippits:good, bad, & awesome!

GOOD: Watching a movie you enjoy the day after watching a movie that horrified you. There are certain movies that you see the previews for & think along the lines of 'if I watch that it will need to be in my home so that I can turn it off or walk away when I want.' Then you find yourself renting the movie & so enthralled by the story line that is horrifying you that you don't turn it off or walk away. I followed Gravity with two episodes of How I Met Your Mother's final season that I'm still working on finishing. Then the next day I chose to watch the movie The Hundred Foot Journey. This second movie was much more my speed! The love for food, travel, adventure & connection to life struggle is beautifully woven into reality throughout the story.

BAD: The desire so many of us who love living in the great north have for Spring to appear soon this time of year. It would be scary - in my opinion - if it came earlier than March. However, we pull out all the tricks to endure the gray winter months & are very thankful for the days with cloudless skies & sunshine. Some people just cannot be shook of the grump that sets in & those of us that can even everything out. All in all making us all a bit mad, bonkers, & off our heads!

AWESOME: Days of unexplainable sunshine in Pure Michigan in January! Go with the flow sorta work days, friends reaching out for prayers & sharing in life near & far.

WORD: While I have yet to finish I Am Malala - & maybe I never will - I have been enjoying The Paraclete Book of Hospitality. This is one of several books that I thought I would use for my graduate studies capstone project & simply did not get around to until the last week or so. A short easy ready & being based in Benedictine thought it gives some great Biblical & other references.

coming up: This is a very exciting week filled with many reunions & many gatherings of new friends at the Extravaganza!

Tuesday Tea Time!

Credit given to UnripeHamadryad

It's Tuesday Tea Time!

While I definitely have other tea lovers in my life, it seems the coffee lovers outnumber the tea lovers. Some of these people are people who don't care how they get their kick of caffeine & will go with either tea or coffee. However, I think some of the people in my life just like the idea of tea, but regularly go for coffee when given a choice.

I am thankful for this variety in my life. Without these two preferences there wouldn't be the crazy fun drinks that mix both tea & coffee that I've only ever found in the random quaint corner local coffee shops.

This mixture of tea & coffee preferences also brings us the joy of people in our lives that own a lot of the beverage they don't drink to be hospitable to people who do drink that beverage when they visit. The problem with this is both tea & coffee go stale when not stored properly or used regularly. And the problem for tea lovers is that coffee not only stains mugs & thermoses in color, but also with it's bitter flavor that most teas cannot mask.

I as an avid tea drinker, use to buy coffee to have for when visitors came, but did not know what sort of coffee to keep around that my visitors would actually want to drink. Lucky for my coffee friends Z is an avid coffee drinker & keeps a good supply of the real stuff. (But if you want a real education on the quality of coffee ask our friend PMc)

The cute thing about this piece of art is the quaint tea cup & the hearty coffee mug. I may decorate with tea cups, but I rarely drink out of them. I'm a true child of the 80s & 90s & a citizen of the USA & I want my tea in abundance (& I want it now!).

All that said, no matter which you prefer, you are always considered my cup of tea.

Tuesday Tea Time!

It's Tuesday & Tea Time lasted all day for me from one cup of tea to another! The day just seem to get away from me.

Check out Rev. Nanette Sawyer & Grace Commons for more great artwork - like the one featured in today's Tuesday Tea Time - focused on the stations of the cross.

Reading this book review revived my interest in reading more on Hospitality & the Spirit behind it. I read Sawyer's book, Hospitality, a year & a half ago & going through the many transitions of finishing my Diaconal Ministry (DM) fieldwork, Z's internship, moving back to St. Paul, starting senior year of grad school, rewriting my DM fieldwork paper to turn it into my CYF thesis - all focused on Spirit Led Hospitality - assignment, graduation, interviews, and moving twice within a month....I lost site of some of my interest & passion for what has so greatly created & centered my call to Diaconal Ministry.

The Holy Spirit has been doing some great reassuring of ways that she recognizes me lately through a lot of ways.

You are recognized. You are special. You are loved.

Know this. Soak in this. Trust it. Believe it.

Sunday Snippits!

It's never too late in the day for

Sunday Snippits,

is it?

This week we're back with

GOOD: Last Tuesday I was officially released from my care following the car accident I was in a few months ago! No more constant appointments. While they were massage & chiropractor related, the scheduling got a little crazy. Thursday we had our friends B&M BR over for dinner after talking about it all school year. We made a delicious bruschetta chicken with garlic red mashed potatoes & sautéed kale. Then we sat around the table & purposely bruised our peaches so that they were juicy enough to make dessert (impromptu cobbler). The BRs are a true blessing to Z & I in so many ways. B is a phenomenal artist & M is pursuing her phd in the Fall. The best quote of the night was, "That Jesus guy, he just keeps reappearing!" Friday Z & I got up early to celebrate National Donut Day, then worked for a few hours, then headed to WI to tour the 45th Parallel Distillery. This was a Groupon Christmas gift that we were finally able to use. Lesson of the day, Scotland is more hospitable. Some things just shouldn't be tried on their own (like vodka, gin, or aquavit). Saturday we met up with friends from Youth Encounter that I hadn't seen in several years & picnicked at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. It was lovely & our friend RR convinced us to try cow tongue tacos! To cap off the day Z & I kidsat WOK 4 other kids. It was quite the party with pizza & finger-paint & sugar!

BAD: This seems lame, but the weather. Yeah, this isn't Spring or Summer. It's a wet chilly mess!

UGLY: Aquavit & Horseradish Vodka (might be good in a bloody mary if that's your drink).

COMING UP:  This week started out nicely with church service & lunch with Ma & Pa N. They wanted to celebrate Z's bday with us before we left on vacation (we leave on Z's bday). With that in mind there will be Tuesday Tea Time & then a brief hiatus while we're on vacation. I'll resume with a Wednesday or Thursday Surprise!