Monday Make-Up!

It's a Monday Make-Up session!

I thought about Friday Favorites on & off all day Friday & woke up Saturday & realized I never posted.

Sunday came around & I preached at two services & came home & took the traditional Sunday afternoon nap. In the evening Z preached at the community Thanksgiving service & before I knew it, Sunday had come & gone.

So a Monday Make-UP!

One my favorite moments this last week was the prayer gathering I hosted for our church. The Spirit was definitely working her healing powers, even with only me & one other person (ahem, it was Z) present. While I have no doubt that this could've been a beneficial gathering for others to be a part of, it had only been announced two days earlier & wasn't in print.

Another favorite was this photo of hedge apples that created quite the community conversation on Facebook & Instagram. While, like any fruit, I know they rot, I wonder if when they grow this cavernous black holes if it's because they have attracted spiders & other bugs (like they're supposed to do) who have then eaten the fruit & are no more. Anybody know?!

Another fun thing that happened was getting our outdoor lights put up for the Christmas/Holiday/Winter season. It's so fun having a house to decorate this year. And being my mother's daughter, I have to hold myself back from spending more money & decorating more.

We decorated outside just in time as the last few days have been very snowy & windy!

And to top of the week & the turning weather, we built a fire & poured some vino.

Coming up: a little work & a lot of fun! We are looking very seriously into getting a puppy soon & it's Thanksgiving week, so that means a little extra time "off."

Many blessings on your Thanksgiving week!

Sunday Snippits: Good, Bad, & Ugly!

Time for Sunday Snippits yet again. Does anybody else not believe that November is half over already?! Well, we better start believing, cause December is coming to us ever so quickly with each passing minute.

GOOD: This last week was a go-go-go week. This is good because I function better when I have things to do. I'm a list maker & when I have things to put on my list & then have things to accomplish, life is good. There was phoning, there was Tuesday Tea, there was my cancer-versary, & turkeys learning to speak! Yes, it was a busy & good week. And by the way, I'm the turkey learning to speak. There's no denying my familial roots when I make silly mistakes like saying "Gooble Goble" when I meant to write "Gooble Gobble." What can I say, my kind, we keep life entertaining! I also got to get out for a Starbucks treat with my friend TE (see Friday Favorites for more info), have dinner with my new friend AP, & then dinner again the next night with other new friends & colleagues. AND TODAY is my 1st ZUMBA DEMO! 

BAD: The darn check engine light came on again. 

UGLY: Read the news people, I don't need to tell you what's ugly. However, I will highlight this Huffington Post article about religious freedom. Why can't we be ok with the fact that we're not all the same & strive for the common good of the neighbor?!

WORD: Psalm 46. It contains part of my favorite scripture to meditate on. AND I may be preaching on this scripture next Sunday.

Coming up: Z's being installed this evening! I'm preaching next Sunday! More phoning & promoting of the awesome ministries God is leading Youth Encounter in & much more.

Sunday Snippits

The fact that the Oscars was simply a week ago, seems hard to believe!

Yet again, we're livin' life in the fast lane & not always sure which end is up.

Last week: Sunday we enjoyed the Oscars with good friends. Monday - Friday is a bit of a blur with classes, meetings, & a few extra things. I preached at Servant of Christ Lutheran Church on Wednesday & I spent much of Monday & Tuesday preparing my message. The podcast isn't available yet, but should be sometime soon, so I'll be sure to post it on here. The topic was LIVE CHRIST.

How have you learned to Live Christ?

The rest of the week was filled with a movie premier & a night & a night in with some good friends. The Evidence of Hope by C. Amour is definitely worth checking out. C was on a Youth Encounter team in the mid-'90s & my family was a host family to his team, so we've known each other since I was roughly 10 years old. Through the ministry world we've managed to stay in touch all these years & it's great to see how God is using him & his talents to serve the larger church.

Where do you find evidence of hope?

THE BIG NEWS! Z & I have been assigned to North/West Lower Michigan Synod  for first calls as Diaconal Minister & Pastor in the ELCA. We'll learn more about job interviews & potentially moving in the coming weeks & months.

Coming up: A few lunch dates with long time friends that I also happened to meet through Youth Encounter's ministries. A meeting with A. Root, to hopefully better hone in on my thesis topic for Children, Youth, & Family ministry. Card night with friends, prepping for the variety show on March 14th, & Last Chance Seniors (an afternoon & evening of workshops to help us better prepare for job applications & transition into life after graduate school). We'll close up the week by celebrating with our  friend B&R in their marriage! It should be a splendid week.