I submitted my application last week to Small Town Volunteer Fire Department & Ambulance Service so I can serve the Small Town community as an EMT. I got a call saying that I needed to be "interviewed" by one of the Executive Board members to ensure that I was "morally fit" to be a VFD member.
Snork.
Sounds like an Arlo Guthrie song, doesn't it?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Reminders of First Days
A nostalgic wave comes over me this time every year. Remembering the first days of our children's school years. 'Nuff to bring a tear to my eye and a catch in my throat.
I made sure he had everything he needed today ... black pants, black shoes, black socks, black belt, zebra shirt and his whistle. I sent him out the door with a kiss and his briefcase, telling him: For Pete's sake, Hubby, remember this is a high school varsity game between the Charter School and the Christian School, not the Olympics. Call a good game!"
Ah, the first day of the refereeing year. Pardon me whilst I find a tissue.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Whoot!
Our church float took First Place in the CornFest Parade yesterday morning in the Church Division and tied for First Place with the Amway Store's float in the overall judging.
Hubby's church float had a Corn Still promoting ethanol.
Free Methodist had kids "eating" corn and prayers of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.
The Catholic church had a bunch of senior citizens playing cooking utensils in a kitchen band.
The Lootherans didn't have a float.
I thought the Presby's would win it on the "cuteness factor." They had six little kids wearing muffin head costumes, sitting in a giant muffin baking tin. Another cutie was the cook, stirring corn meal in a bowl and "pouring" it on top of the muffin heads in the baking tin which he then "pushed" into the cardboard replic of a wood-burning oven. My heart sank when I saw their float; and right then and there, I was willing to give a concession speech.
But we WON! WE WON!
The trophy is sitting on the Worship Center today along with some of D2's academic awards and some of Son's athletic awards. I'm preaching on "Excellence in All We Do for Jesus Christ" based on the Romans lectionary passage and the Olympics.
Whoot!
Hubby's church float had a Corn Still promoting ethanol.
Free Methodist had kids "eating" corn and prayers of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.
The Catholic church had a bunch of senior citizens playing cooking utensils in a kitchen band.
The Lootherans didn't have a float.
I thought the Presby's would win it on the "cuteness factor." They had six little kids wearing muffin head costumes, sitting in a giant muffin baking tin. Another cutie was the cook, stirring corn meal in a bowl and "pouring" it on top of the muffin heads in the baking tin which he then "pushed" into the cardboard replic of a wood-burning oven. My heart sank when I saw their float; and right then and there, I was willing to give a concession speech.
But we WON! WE WON!
The trophy is sitting on the Worship Center today along with some of D2's academic awards and some of Son's athletic awards. I'm preaching on "Excellence in All We Do for Jesus Christ" based on the Romans lectionary passage and the Olympics.
Whoot!
Friday, August 22, 2008
CornFest
It's CornFest Weekend in Small Town! The whole town has turned out for this annual festival honoring ... corn!What's the theme of the weekend? Why ... corn!
The County Fire Police have blocked off the center of Small Town for the weekend by order of the Mayor and Small Town Police Department. There are corn balloons, corn dogs, chili and corn bread, corn fritters, fried corn, boiled corn and roasted corn-on-the-cob. (There's also hot dogs, sloppy joes, funnel cakes, bake sale items and the like!)
My absolute favorite of the evening was the Bubblegum Machine Dance Factory. The DJ spun really cool kiddie tunes and we did the Chicken Dance, the Hand Jive, the Bunny Hop and Hokey Pokie.
Tomorrow is the BIG parade. Church Around the Corner has a float in it. The Chair of this years' Float Committee is 13 years old. He stood up in worship three weeks ago and announced he was volunteering to Chair, but needed some help putting the float together. He got lots of help! Our float has a working water mill and small grist stone to grind corn (13 year old's idea). Most of our church children will be riding on it and throwing out "Jesus Loves You" bracelets to the crowd. Both the adults and kids will be dressed in pioneering clothes and Psalm 65:13 covers the back of the "mill." We're going to kick some ecumenical church butt (Hubby's church has a nice cardboard corn stalk and loots of hay bales on their float).
And later on tomorrow there's a Chicken BBQ at the Fire Hall; a Jimmy Buffet Cover Band, Pig Roast, Hula Hoop and Limbo Contests at the Small Town Park.
I love this town!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Accidental or Incidental??
It's a small world, after all ... a small, small world.
Went to visit a hospitalized parishioner this afternoon. When I got there, her daughter was visiting too. I know Sick Parishioner's parents because they're members of my favorite Mennonite church in the community I just left. Her cousin is still a good friend from the CIUS.
Her daughter asked me if I knew J. I replied I knew lots of J's - could she narrow down the field. Turns out I DO know her J, a pharmacist and her husband who came briefly to CIUS, but left because of how poorly they were treated (not by me ... I visited with her and her hubby when he was admitted to Big Fancy Hospital in Nearby City with a cardiac condition).
Turns out they heard I had moved. They know Parishioner's Daughter who assured them that Church Around the Corner is NOT anyway like the Church I Used to Serve. PD has invited J and her husband to join us for worship! Way cool!
Male Nurse comes in to start IV on Sick Parishioner. He looks vaguely familiar and I greeted him with a generic "hi!" SP said something and I laughed and Male Nurse's head whipped up and asked, "Pastor net, is that you? I thought it might have been, but I wasn't sure until I heard you laugh!"
Turns out I knew him too. Male Nurse was a seasonal camper at Little Bitty Church from two appointments ago. He was from Really Big City where Three Rivers Converge and the sports teams are named for Industrial Workers, Cold Weather Birds and Jack Sparrow Wannabees. He came to church when he was at his camp and LBC's church family and I prayed him through the loss of his job and his parents.
He and his wife sold their home in Really Big City. He went to nursing school and since they liked the area, they moved up here. He works at Little Hospital and she is a teacher at the Christian School. They're looking for a new church family. SP, SPD and I invited them to join us for worship.
Now, what are the odds that all this was accidental?
Toss in the conversation I had with the Presbyterian Elder at the Discount Mattress Store who feels called to ministry and loves to talk about theology ...
How great is our God!
I love this place! I love God!
Went to visit a hospitalized parishioner this afternoon. When I got there, her daughter was visiting too. I know Sick Parishioner's parents because they're members of my favorite Mennonite church in the community I just left. Her cousin is still a good friend from the CIUS.
Her daughter asked me if I knew J. I replied I knew lots of J's - could she narrow down the field. Turns out I DO know her J, a pharmacist and her husband who came briefly to CIUS, but left because of how poorly they were treated (not by me ... I visited with her and her hubby when he was admitted to Big Fancy Hospital in Nearby City with a cardiac condition).
Turns out they heard I had moved. They know Parishioner's Daughter who assured them that Church Around the Corner is NOT anyway like the Church I Used to Serve. PD has invited J and her husband to join us for worship! Way cool!
Male Nurse comes in to start IV on Sick Parishioner. He looks vaguely familiar and I greeted him with a generic "hi!" SP said something and I laughed and Male Nurse's head whipped up and asked, "Pastor net, is that you? I thought it might have been, but I wasn't sure until I heard you laugh!"
Turns out I knew him too. Male Nurse was a seasonal camper at Little Bitty Church from two appointments ago. He was from Really Big City where Three Rivers Converge and the sports teams are named for Industrial Workers, Cold Weather Birds and Jack Sparrow Wannabees. He came to church when he was at his camp and LBC's church family and I prayed him through the loss of his job and his parents.
He and his wife sold their home in Really Big City. He went to nursing school and since they liked the area, they moved up here. He works at Little Hospital and she is a teacher at the Christian School. They're looking for a new church family. SP, SPD and I invited them to join us for worship.
Now, what are the odds that all this was accidental?
Toss in the conversation I had with the Presbyterian Elder at the Discount Mattress Store who feels called to ministry and loves to talk about theology ...
How great is our God!
I love this place! I love God!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Life in a Small Town
Hubby heard this conversation between an eight-year old boy and the young man's father while he was downtown at the Small Town Super Market last night:
"Dad! Look! There's the guy that lives with our pastor!"
Friday, August 15, 2008
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