why am i even in ministry

someone credible told me this morning that a family in our congregation lost their dog last night.  this family is very open about their grieving processes with various circumstances, and the same was true of this situation.  i heard they were taking it very hard, but wanted people to pray for them.  i went back to my office and facebook messaged one of the daughters in that family who is away at college.  i told her i heard what happened to her dog and expressed my condolences and told her i was praying for her family during this hard time and i asked how they were doing.

several minutes later, i received this response:
my dog?  what do you mean?  what’s wrong with my dog?

!#$!$%^!#%$!$!^&*#%$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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holy crap.  i suck.

those french

i love artists who are deservedly cocky; few things are better.  i read the following quote two years ago in the bathroom of an old house in philadelphia.  haven’t stopped thinking about it since.  so driven and committed to his work, a firm believer in his art, he challenged himself to make even a still-life tantalizing:

“i will astonish paris with an apple.”

committed

i’m helping lead another all-nighter lock-in tonight.  8th grade students only.  we’re limiting the monster drink purchases from the cafe to ONE PER STUDENT this time.  no explanation needed here.  there’s one boy in particular who another leader and i are convinced has the church mapped out.  blue prints and all.  let me explain.  he’s already on meds for hyperactivity, and we see him walk past the cafe last lock-in with a giant pillow case, sans pillow.  i asked him to hand it over.  he ran to the third floor.  walked by again later, and i took the pillow case from him.  LOADED with candy.  loaded.  he looked mildly disappointed, but decided to move on.  i was impressed with his maturity.  fast forward two hours.  walks by again with his pockets bulging, munching on a candy bar.  i said, hand it over.  half hour later, he walks past the same place again, different candy in hand.  the dude’s a genius.  we swear he sneaks in the church a few days before lock-ins and gets his stash in place.  we fear there are several main locations, possibly several annex locations as well.  i’ll update this post tomorrow with reports on the possible sting operation.

lock-ins… with 8th graders… a family friend told me last night that i’m either totally committed to my ministry, or i need to be committed.  good times!

UPDATE: after gearing myself up to be awake, with pubescent teens, for 24 straight hours, we had to cancel the dang thing.  winter storm advisory.  blast.

cellphoneless

you never thought it’d happen, right?  it’s my second tumor, aside from my pink nalgene water bottle (thanks, lynne!).  here’s the story.  i like to housesit.  it’s the best job ever.  sometimes when i housesit, i leave items behind.  this time, though not leaving underwear saved me minor embarrassment, i’m not sure there’s anything worse than leaving my charger behind.

my wonderful pink phone (thanks, jordan!) stayed alive and well for two and a half days.  on that last half of a day, i texted one of the family members who returned home that i had left my phone charger.  they said it was nowhere to be found.  i copied down her number for when my phone died.  then, my phone died.  i used someone else’s phone to tell her to look again.  she found it.  i asked her to leave it in her mailbox and that i would swing by late to pick it up.  swung by.  empty mailbox.  attempt number three: called from a different phone again another day, asked if i could swing by at a reasonable hour.  answer: yes.  swung by.  bag in hand.  get home.  wrong freakin charger.  fast forward three days.  i cope with the shame of being yelled at and ignored for being unable to retrieve messages.  middle school large group comes around.  the students from the house where i sat arrived.  sans my cell phone.

here i am.  two days later.  beside myself.  “help me, oprah winfrey!”

like fine perrier

come, let’s drink deep of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!