Visit our new website!

Please click the link to visit our new home, revgalblogpals.org.

You will find the same great content and more!

Be sure to update your feed readers and blog links. Thank you.

Late Night Preachers, Looking for the Party?

Come to the party at our new site, RevGalBlogPals.org!
Same great times, same late nights.

11th Hour Preacher Party: Our New Home

Looking for the Preacher Party? 

Be among the first to visit our new blog home: RevGalBlogPals. 

Be sure to change your blog links and feed readers to keep up with continuing features and new content.

11th Hour Preacher Party: Stand up straight edition

A walk on the beach

On this side of the pond, our schools have started back and many families are establishing some kind of routine again after the long summer break. To keep things simple in church, though, we continue with shorter, earlier summer services until the end of the month. That means that it is September before we get back to "normal" and our adult and youth programmes get going again.
This summer I've simply journeyed with the Lectionary gospel readings, offering brief reflections each week. This will be my last Sunday of that and I'm pleased at the gospel that I get to finish up on. The story of the woman bent over to whom Jesus brings healing, encouraging her to stand up straight on the sabbath.
Tuesdays Lectionary Leanings provide a good starter for this weeks readings - from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hebrews or Luke.
I'm looking forward to getting back to the old schedule of later worship and longer ramblings. Sometimes its harder to preach for a shorter time - or maybe its because I don't spend as much time preparing as I should in the summer.
Where are you? Still in that space between summer worship and getting back on schedule? Or do you maintain momentum all the year round? And how are you fixed for preaching this week? Are you bent over with the burden of the task or standing up straight, lightened by the gift of words to preach? Come and party with us as we share what we have and ask for what we need so that, together, we can "walk those dogs proud".

11th Hour Preacher Party: Not This One again...

"When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens." (Luke 12:54)

 

 After a summer filled with cool temps and LOTS of rain we now face a week of heat with no rain in sight. Perhaps my tomatoes will ripen? Maybe my allergies will ease? Maybe I can sit outside on the deck and drink iced tea. Alas, this random thinking is not at all where the preacher party is going, but it does reflect the state of my mind.....(vacation is less than 48 hours away)

And so here we are, another Saturday! What in the world happened to all the other days in this week. 

Oh, right....they have come and gone. In my case they were all consumed by our Summer Arts Camp, "Growing in Faith Through the Arts." It was a fun, exhausting, busy, exhilarating, exhausting (yes, worth mentioning twice, ergo the state of my mind) week. (There really is nothing quite like spending creative time with children!).

That's why the weekend has come way too fast, for me. What about you? Are you ready for this day, this 11th Hour of preaching prep? And if so, what text are you considering?

 I have to admit. The Gospel this week is NOT my favorite reading. I have preached on it, or at least on one of the texts for this week, many times in the past. But I am not fond of reading this passage let alone preaching on it. Especially this

Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!

Seriously?

Thankfully, I'm not preaching this week, our Curate is (see above, "exhausted"...). But if I were I would probably preach on the beautiful words of Isaiah.

My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

Yes, reflecting on yielding wild grapes would definitely be a metaphor I might play with.

So, what about you?

Pull up a chair and grab a mug. I have plenty of beverages to share and fresh produce aplenty (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, corn on the cob...)...Regardless of where you are going with your sermon, if you have a brilliant idea or are completely stuck, we are here to journey through this day with you.

11th Hour Preacher Party: Back in the Saddle Edition

It's my first week back after being on the "conference circuit" for a couple of weeks.  I've had two full weeks, including two Sundays, off for vacation and continuing education.  However, even the vacation week was at a Presbyterian conference with my family.  I've heard speakers and taken workshops.  For two weeks there I had the opportunity to worship in some sort of community pretty much ever single day (Confessions of a Tired Summer Pastor #2: It was kind of too much.)

I know I'm not alone in having hit a conference or two this summer, so here's what I'm wondering as we come to the Preacher Party this weekend - - How do you get back in the saddle again?  Do you have a "sure fire" way to preach that first sermon after you've been gone without totally stressing out?  The first one back is often as hard as the last one before I leave for me, and THAT one is hard!

Anyway, the party is here, for those who are just back or those who are still working their way through the season.  Join us in the comments so we can support each other in all our different lives.

Peace,

SheRev/Stephanie

(P.S. My house went on the market this week, and an open house got scheduled for Saturday right in the middle of the day.  I have some cleaning up to do in the morning, but not too much. Yet, my internet is going to be spotty in the middle chunk of the day, so I apologize if I don't get to chime in well throughout the party. I'll be back in the evening!)

11th Hour Preacher Party: Storage Units Edition

Hello, RevGals and Pals!

Who among us doesn't have THINGS -- stuff, possessions, treasures, heirlooms, archives -- stashed in barns, attics, basements, closets, and/or storage units?  

I was a harsh judge of storage unit renters. Until now. I moved this year and radically downsized living space before taking the time to deal with years of accumulated stuff. So, I rented a storage unit and piled it in there.  I am now living the life of having more barns for my possessions.  

The congregation I serve now has multiple buildings in two different locations in the city.  Like other possessions, land and buildings are more to the owner than the stuff they are made of. They are history and home and places of ministry -- past, present, and (possibly) future.

How many bookcases does it take to hold all the pastor books?

How challenging is it to keep and store the sewing stuff, the yarn stash, the tools?

I wonder if Jesus is talking to us about our possessions or our preoccupations?

Maybe the caution is not about the stuff, but rather what all that stuff represents in time and energy invested in accumulating (whatever), leading up to needing someplace to put it all.  

Are you preaching on the Lectionary Gospel text?  

Or Hosea? 

Or something else?

 Or not at all!

Come and join the party!  

Let's share what we have -- like snacks and cool drinks and sermon illustrations.

Enjoy this place of companionship and inspiration and laughter and prayers as we get ready for Sunday.

So happy we are here together!

11th Hour Preacher Party: The very human prayer edition

Oh goodness, what to do with these earthy, descriptive readings from Hosea, Colossians, and Luke? Are you wondering that this morning? Or are you using a different set of readings? Honestly, every time these readings come up I am stretched in new ways. I also cringe as some poor reader has to say circumcision over and over and over. Seriously. Clearly what was once a crucial practice for the sake of "right" religion now just seems completely ludicrous.

Or is it just me?

Actually I do love the potential one can extract from the Hosea reading. So human, so real. So long as one can get past the patriarchal paradigm and derive the real meaning, the text is powerful. Here, from Feasting On the Word, is a some of what I am getting at:

Whatever we decide about Gomer and the figure of the whore, however, notice that we occupy her place in this prophetic narrative. She is the person of the people before God, the typological figure of humanity.

Now consider Gomer’s mute passivity in all this.

We know nothing about who she was or how she interpreted this experience. That has in part to do with the patriarchal context, but also offers a clue that human experience is not the emotional center here....

God’s experience is .

One could take that perspective for a sermon this week - God's experience of creation, of humanity, reflects a God who is always present, always with us, always yearning for us to turn and return to God, waiting for us to choose to live in faithful relationship with God.

And as if on cue the disciples in the gospel of Luke as Jesus to teach them how to pray. I always think that prayer is how we work at, sustain, and maintain our relationship with God. Again, from Feasting on the Word:

"Today's Gospel invites us to reflect on the story of our prayer life and where it has taken us.."

My prayer life often takes me to the mountains. The place where I feel God's presence and the place where my prayer life began.

Following along the trajectory of Feasting on the Word for the Hosea reading Dorothee Soelle in her essay, "A Different Language, Poetry and Prayer" suggests that "prayer is a language of love." She also suggests that prayer is how we grow in union with God and are able to become the eyes, ears, and mouth of God. Prayer is how the "soul, thus graced learns to make use of 'God's senses.'" (page 201, Essential Writings, edited by Dianne Oliver).

Thus one might find a connection between Hosea and Luke, between the faithfulness of God and God's love for humanity, and our challenges to live into that which God desires.

Or not. There are countless other directions one might take with these readings, including options for other readings this week.

So, what about you? Where are you going with the readings this week? What do you feel called to reflect one and how might you break open the Word?

11th Hour Preacher Party- Doing AND being edition

I thought it was time to get in a picture of our puppy here at the Preacher Party. An active, energetic border collie whom it seems we can never tire, yet a snuggly dog who is just as content to lie at our feet on those days when we can't get to the beach. She seems to have sussed well the ability to run some days, walk others and soak up all the loving she gets.
As I return to the pulpit after two weeks off, I've been reflecting on that kind of wisdom. I've chosen, this week, not to rush back into all the pastoral visits or immediate concerns of the parish but to take some extra time to pray and to plan and to write, the work that often gets consigned to the wee small hours after I've put in time on "the real work".
Needless to say, my writing this week has not included a sermon, so I will be spending another day in quiet contemplation, welcoming the Holy Spirit as I try to hold together the validity of the different approaches of Martha and Mary.
The Lectionary readings this week certainly encourage us to reflect on the real work of the Kingdom, from Amos' indictment of unjust practice, to the image of Christ in Colossians as reconciling, to the choices of Martha and Mary in service.
Perhaps you are doing something alternative for summer worship. I love hearing about the creativity of all the different sermon series folk are embracing.
Whatever it is, join the party, inspire and be inspired.
Share what you have and take what you need.
Lets do this thing together!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

11th Hour Preacher Party: Who's Your Neighbor? Edition

Our congregation is celebrating a summer of favorite things, and I'm preaching each week about a favorite thing of mine, inspired by the lectionary gospel text.  This week's favorite thing: "Neighbors"!  What's not to like about having good neighbors? What are the challenges of being a good neighbor?

I offer you this true-story illustration:  

One Sunday, 25+ years ago, I had a minor, yet debilitating, vehicle malfunction as I was passing a restaurant where many of my fellow church members went after church for dinner.  I had a six year old daughter in the car with me, and I was eight months pregnant. In July. In Dallas, Texas.  

In the mid-1980s, there were no cellphones.  So, I took the six year old and went into the restaurant to look for a pay phone to call for help.  I made several phone calls to some phone numbers I could remember.  I could not find anyone who could come and help us out.  

One such futile phone call was to my own church, where I was a layperson, and where I had just worshipped minutes before.  There was a mission committee meeting in progress. The committee member I spoke with said no one could come until after the meeting ended!

I was holding back tears -- and hungry -- with no money.  During this whole time, I thought I could see church members eating at tables in the restaurant.   Without staring, I couldn't be certain. And I didn't want to interrupt their meal with my woes.  Several of them -- days later -- asked me if I was having some trouble there that day. They had wondered if maybe something was wrong. 

While I stood in the restaurant lobby -- in full view of concerned church members -- trying to figure out what to do, a stranger approached and asked if we needed help.  After a short conversation, he offered to give us a ride back to church.  We gratefully accepted his offer.  

Who's been a good Samaritan to you?  

How will you make this story relevant to your world in 2013?  

Or are you using a different story/text altogether?

Welcome to the Preacher Party!  

Gather 'round, cyber-neighbors and preacher-friends!

Let's work out sermons and worship elements and to have some fun.  

There's always plenty of Fair-Trade coffee -- hot or iced -- or share your own summer beverage of choice.  

This is a great place to meet new friends, ask tech questions, share an idea, ask for prayer, &/or just check in with an anecdote or some inspiration.  

Ready . . . Set . . . Write on!

11th Hour Preacher Party: The Peace of Galship

My blog has been generally pathetic lately, and I haven't yet participated in the RevGal Carnival. However, I'm going to pretend that's been by design.  Bear with me. :)

My first introduction to the RevGals was through the 11th Hour Preacher Party. I have no idea how I found it one late Saturday, but I give thanks and praise to God (no kidding) that I did.  I remember the night very clearly.  I was an associate at the time and only preaching once a month-ish. I knew I was soon going to be looking for a solo call where preaching would be weekly.  At that stage of the game I had been berated (by others? by myself?) for writing sermons on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I thought for sure I would have to change my rhythm to get it right. 

What a blessing it was at just the right time to find the 11th Hour Preacher Party! Some of us come to the party regularly and calmly because this is our writing rhythm.  Some of us come to the party occasionally and frantically because a crazy week has prevented us from writing earlier. Either way I give thanks to God that the party is a place of peace (and delicious virtual doughnuts!), a port in the storm that ministry sometimes is, and a Holy Spirit dwelling-place where sisters and brothers walk with each other, hold each other up, and craft our messages together for our people. 

My strongest personal experience of the "galship" of the Preacher Party came a couple of years ago when I came down with strep throat throughout the day on Saturday.  As usual, I had a general idea of where my sermon would go, but I hadn't written a word yet.  At about 6:00 pm, with the support and ministry of my fellow partiers to me, I realized I couldn't go in the next morning.  I few of us Gals and Pals had already finished sermons so I read around, found the one that came the closest to where I planned to go, then contacted that gal for permission to share that sermon with a ruling elder to preach.  Without missing a beat she gave us full permission.  Without hiding a thing from my church, but instead celebrating this very real albeit virtual community, that sermon was preached the next morning in the congregation I serve quite a distance away (but thankfully, because of the football reference, still in the same state). It was such peace that was offered to me in the encouragement to stay home.  It was such a peace to know that someone was willing to share their ministry beyond the bounds of their own call and into the bound of my mind.  It is such peace that is given each to each time I come to this party where I am reminded that no matter what I am doing, I am not alone. Beautiful!!!

Join the galship in the comments this weekend.  We looked forward to welcoming newbies along with the regulars!

Peace,

Stephanie

11th Hour Preacher Party: Jesus On the Move edition

and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven....

 

 

Good day preacher pals! My goodness, Saturday always rolls around quickly. Have you taken a look at the readings for this week? Did you participate in the Tuesday Lectionary Leanings? Always lots of good insight and ideas there. Are you pondering the Elijah/Elisha story? Or are you working with Track Two and looking at Elijah in the context of 1st Kings? Maybe the Psalms are speaking to you? Or Galatians...well, maybe not Galatians (this is one of my least favorite readings), or perhaps the Gospel, and poor Jesus with no place to lay his head.

I'm in the summer season - which means we have three short, casual, come as you are, services. This also means that my homilies are about five minutes long, even less for the 9am outdoor service with kids (for that service I just ask a couple of questions and offer a short summarizing paragraph). This week I'm thinking about introducing the idea of  /Flat Jesus. It seems like it would be a good time to do this by building from  the Gospel and working off the idea that Jesus has no place to go, so let's take Jesus with us!

What about you? Where are you going with the readings this week?

I have lots of tea and coffee and fresh fruit. Pull up a chair, let's party!

11th Hour Preacher Party:Discerning God Edition

Scottish Sunburst

Having just spent the last few days assessing applicants who have offered themselves for Ordained Ministry in the Church of Scotland, I am acutely aware of the need to listen attentively for the voice of God that comes to us in myriad ways. And of the stories of a journey that are to be revered and unravelled so that God's message may be better discerned. Though God's voice may come unbidden in quiet and in solitude, it also comes in the midst of chaos and turmoil. It speaks to the vulnerable and to the strong, it offers hope and promise and opens our eyes to the angels along the way who bring food for the journey.
So where are you in your preaching journey this week?
Are you sticking with the Lectionary?
Are you fleeing for your life with Elijah, being ministered to along the way, finding the courage to come out of the cave and listen to the silence?
Are you discerning God's message of hope and plans for the future for the Exiles in Isaiah?
Are you wondering about that freedom and oneness that Paul speaks of in Galatians?
Or are you chuckling over the curious incident of the swine and the lake in the Gospel?
Perhaps this season you are on a completely different track, wondering why that sermon series seemed like such a good idea when you planned it months ago.
We don't need to be on the same page to be able to help each other. The common task of preaching brings us together
There is much to be teased out for our listeners this week, much with which to comfort and challenge and cajole.
So come to the table, bring what you can, take what you need and, together, we will discern God's message for God's people today, finding nourishment in the task and companionship on the way.

11th Hour Preacher Party: If Gifts Could Talk Edition

Someone said casually to me the other day, "I'm looking forward to your Father's Day sermon this week."  I wish.  Really.  Now, as Sunday approaches, I am beginning to wish I actually was preaching a sermon with a Father's Day theme.  Little as I personally know about fatherhood, still, I could probably work it out.

I wish I knew very little about women offering gifts that are unwanted, not needed, misunderstood, misinterpreted, discounted, plagiarized, pushed aside, and -- at times -- walked out on and rejected outright.  I wish. Alas . . . 

Surely, there are things going on in this Luke story besides the smack-down of the woman.  

What do you hear?

What if the gifts could talk?

How unusual that there are women named in this scripture, and not so unusual that no women's voices are recorded.

So . . . let's talk!  Your voice is welcome here as are your various gifts. Share stories, children's ideas, prayer requests, and sermon starters.  If you are stuck, 'fess up!  We are here for you.

If you are a new-ish RevGal, please speak out and let us know you are here.  We want to hear from you!

The coffee pot is always full of deliciousness that is hot and Fair Trade, and the snack table is decked out.  Help yourself to some of that cake over there.  It's chocolate, of course! The 20 candles celebrate my 20th ordination anniversary this week. 

Welcome to the party!

[Photo by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.: Detail of the saint, holding the jar of ointment with which to anoint the Lord, by Sir Ninian Comper. The window is in the Lady chapel of Downside Abbey.]

11th Hour Preacher Party: This way? Or, that way? Or....

It may be the Season after the Pentecost, seemingly endless Sundays of "Ordinary Time"....but this Sunday is all about resurrection. And Abundance. And, uhm, the authority to preach (or at least Paul's authority...) For more on these themes check out the RevGals  Tuesday Lectionary conversation

I'm not preaching on the texts. Instead I am finishing a five part series reflecting on our worship - the what, how and why - we do what we do. I am, after all an Episcopal priest, and liturgy kind of defines who we are. It's been fun. I am, however a little anxious to get back into the texts and talk about the book of Kings and the Gospel of Luke. But, that comes next week.

So, where are your thoughts and ideas leading you this week? Are you going to dip back into resurrection images?

Or are you pondering images and ideas around abundance?

Or Paul and Galatians?

Or, are you, like me, going in a completely "Other" direction?

One direction that is sure to be helpful is to find your way here, to the Preacher Party! We'll share ideas for sermons and children's time. We'll be here to pray with you, laugh with you, cry with you, be with you. I have a lot of fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, cantaloup)...and fresh coffee and tea - all day long.

Pull up a chair, grab a mug. Let's party! 

11th Hour Preacher Party: Which way do we go?

Summer is pretty much here in my part of the world. For others winter is just around the corner.  What we all share is the end of the Easter/Pentecost/Trinity cycle of special days and the entrance into that big, long (liturgically) green season of the year. What path are you taking?

Are you working with a special sermon series? Much of my summer preaching will be based on our congregation's (finally approved) core values and new mission statement. 

Are you a diehard RCL gal or pal? If, so will you work with the centurion in Luke, asking am I worthy. Or Elijah or Solomon, where God's sovereignty prevails in the former and the foreigner is included in the latter? Maybe a Galatians series is in your sights.

The Narrative Lectionary folks might be starting in a Lord's Prayer series or working with one of the series from a previous year.

There are lots of paths before us, and we may be going in lots of different directions as we prepare to preach the Word this weekend, but there is one Spirit guiding us all along the way. May she visit you soon!!! Pop in the party by joining us in the comments. We'd love to hear which path you're taking and offer any support you may need!

11th Hour Preacher Party: TMI Edition

I have just returned from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland where I was serving as chaplain to the youth delegates (18-25 year olds). Although days were long and intense, there was much to be encouraged about in the work of God's people engaged in God's mission in Scotland and throughout the world. And reflecting with the young people each day gave me a whole new perspective on the church. Sometimes we get so bogged down in the mundane that we forget to look up and see the stars. I am grateful for all that I learned and shared with these inspiring young people this week.
In our gospel, Jesus tells us "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now". I think in text-speak we would call that TMI - too much information. Jesus does not overload us but does give us the Spirit to help us work out the gospel for our day. Isn't that a great comfort - we're not alone in trying to discern what is right for the church in today's world and, although Jesus didn't issue decrees on absolutely everything, the Spirit helps us work out the rest. Oh that we would listen more diligently for the Spirit's voice!
The moderator of the GA based her daily reflections on hope - that same hope that we read of in Romans 5 - hope that does not disappoint us.
So, though weary from a physically and emotionally exhausting week, I am looking forward to preaching that hope tomorrow. How about you?
Join the party and share what you have and ask for what you need and let's do this thing together!

11th Hour Preacher Party: When you pray, move your feet!

 Recently I listened to an interview by Krista Tippett, "On Being," with Congressman John Lewis (originally broadcast the end of March 2013). The interview was so moving that I immediately bought Lewis' book, Across That Bridge, Life Lessons and a Vision for Change. 

Both the interview and the book conveyed Lewis' DEEP faith and his profound belief that the kingdom of God is already here, we just need to live into it. Every act of social justice is a step toward making real - within us and the world -  the reality of God's kingdom which is ALREADY present!

"Faith is being so sure of what the spirit has whispered in your heart that your belief in its eventuality is unshakable..."

Pentecost Sunday strikes me as the perfect day to celebrate this reality - that God's dream that all people have the means to live fully and equally because we are all made in God's image, made good to do good IS already a reality, all we have to do is live into it.

For me, this is what the Book of Acts ultimately conveys to us: in the giving of the Holy Spirit and the formation of the Church, God's desire that all creation love one another as God love's us is already a reality.

Lewis makes note of the training that Rosa Park's received prior to that fateful day when she refused to give up her bus seat:

"The new theology (Miles Horton) studied posited that faith should respond not only to the ethereal needs of humanity, but it should have a holistic impact on the lives of believers and on the communities in which they lived. If faith had power, he declared, then its ability should be challenged to answer even our physical and material concerns and not be reserved for religious services and activities. If faith had meaning, its benefits should accrue not only after death, but it should have the capacity to answer the cries of humanity here and now..."

 But of all the phrases I could quote in this very moving book perhaps my favorite is this African saying:

"When you pray, move your feet!"

On this day when we celebrate the birth of the Church, what aspect of the Holy Spirit is tugging at you? Where are you feeling called to move your feet? What text is the Holy Spirit whispering in and through your heart?

This is the 11th Hour Preacher Party. Let's dance together through this day as we seek the words to speak into the cries of humanity and remind our people, as we make a wish and blow out the birthday candles, that

"Life is like a drama, and any person who is truly committed to an ideal must believe in the authority of a divine plan. Not a rigid, micromanagement of human behavior that predicts every step of every individual, but a set of divine boundaries that governs the present, the past, and the future—a set of principles humankind does not have the capacity to override, no matter how far we attempt to stray from its dictates."

Pull up a chair, here's a mug...would you like coffee or tea? And, thank you ALL for the gifts of your presence that you bring and share with this party.

11th Hour Preacher Party: Seeking Rest

I've had another one of those weeks which really means, at this point, I've had one of those months.  There's been a lot of pastoral care to do, some of which lead to two different funerals back to back.  I've been doing what I can to stay on top of caring for myself, too, but sometimes, well, you know.  Sometimes this is how it goes.  We have some of those weeks; we even have one of those months, and Sundays just keep coming.  What I want to do today is sleep like my not-so-baby-anymore, but what I have to do is find a way to make space where the Word of God can be heard in our worship tomorrow.  What I want to do is sleep....

How do you do it?  What gets you through when you're tired or your non-pastoring life presses in or you just don't think you have a sermon in you?  How do you do it when you've had one of those months?

One of the ways I do it is by coming here - - sharing the task with sisters and brothers in Christ.  I'm not afraid of the sustainable sermon either.  What do you do when the well feels dry but Sunday is coming around one more time?  I come to the party, and I'm glad to share it today with you all.  Join us in the comments.  We'd love to you have today.

11th Hour Preacher Party: Holy Parting Gifts Edition

They call chapters 14 through 16 of the gospel of John the "farewell discourse of Jesus."  My children know all about the farewell discourse of Mom.  Whether it was their first day of kindergarten, or their last moments before leaving for an international flight, or the day that I was the mother of the bride -- or any time they embarked on a new thing -- there were things that needed to be said.  Instructions were offered, sometimes, and also encouragement and affirmations and words of love.  Right before the good-bye, each word seems as precious as each fleeting moment.

Do you suppose that Jesus said his good-byes to his disciples with a parent's heart as well as a rabbi's pride?

I am at the end of two weeks of vacation, so I am not preaching this weekend.  The first ten days were spent moving my household possessions from Pennsylvania to Louisiana.  Even with lots of wonderful help, it was a big job and it was emotional.  After all of that, the body is weary and my mind is ready for a change of pace.  So, I'm looking forward to this day, hanging out here with you.

Whether you are a Preacher Party regular or a new arrival, WELCOME to the party!  

Please share stories, children's ideas, sermon drafts, prayer requests, or anything that is on your mind. If you don't see what you need, please ask.

The coffee is fresh, hot, and fair trade.  The snack table is ready for your treats.

Thank you being here!  Let's party!