Dear friends,
Our blog is not getting much attention so I thought I might stir things up. Perhaps, my interest in blogging comes from the truth that my sermon is finished for tomorrow and I still have things to say. Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday and for most of the world, tomorrow will be just another day. For me, the Trinity is an endlessly fascinating claim, a claim that led me to UVa in the late nineties to see what more I could learn, after graduating from Virginia Seminary with a Masters degree in Theological Studies and long before I determnined I wanted to be ordained. I left UVa shortly thereafter, partly because thinking about the Trinity in a community that did not worship together was wholly unsatisfying. But the doctrine of the Trinity continues to amaze me and move me to wonder. Today I have pondered how this "obsesssion" isolates us from others for whom all talk of God is somehow not central to us. There was a time when "talk of God" consumed the average person in the street as much, if not more so, as do our own concerns with politics. We, people of faith, need companions, I re-affirmed this day, who will companion us in our search for God and not just leave us to figure out what we mean and say in Church all by ourselves. So, in nuce, I want to say thank you to you all for being with me these past months as I have continued my journey of faith and you have continued yours. Being together is everything! I will try to me more faithful in my blogging.
Peace,
Bambi

Today as we celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, I slipped, inviting us to “play” rather than “pray.” I suppose we could wonder if this was a Freudian slip, and wonder in what unconscious way, I would rather play on a birthday or anniversary than pray. But I have been thinking about how playing and praying may be more closely related than we might first recognize.
Playing conjures up images of freedom and spontaneity, an activity that draws upon our capacities to imagine and to create. Playing is something we desire to do and often is opposed to working, which is something we feel we have to do. When I think of playing I think about taking out a green Tupperware lettuce keeper (of which I have two) and wearing it as a hat as my three year granddaughter dons the other one, and we laugh and bump our heads together and laugh some more. The whole exercise is “pointless” but great fun! Naomi never comes to visit that she does not instantly recognize the green Tupperware bowls for what they are – hats. Preserving lettuce is nowhere at the moment in her data base. Maybe someday preserving lettuce will be important for her, but not now. For now, Grandmom keeps hats in her kitchen cupboards.
Praying is a little like what Naomi does with a lettuce keeper. When we pray, we imagine a good and wonderful world created and cared for by a good and wonderful God. When we pray, the world as it is – a place of suffering and grief and injustice – is re-imagined as a world where the folk we love are not sick, we have what we need and so does everyone else.
And when we pray, we are free to say anything at all or nothing at all. No one tells what to pray or when to pray or even how, although Jesus felt the Lord’s Prayer was a good beginning. We can pray anywhere we want and whenever we want and however we want and we can play anywhere we want and whenever we want and however we want. Both playing and praying ask us to take what the world calls a lettuce keeper and imagine it as a hat. Both playing and praying invite us to re-create (redeem?) the world, setting the world free to be what God created the world to be – a place where lettuce will not spoil nor will anything else, but will be set free not to worry about “shelf life” but to enjoy simply being in a world in which three year olds may have something to say to Tupperware about the purpose of their plastic containers. Maybe Naomi has discovered the real purpose of lettuce keepers.

At Tuesday morning Bible study, we pray AND play: playing by laughing, usually at the expense of the male of the species as we study the women of the Bible. We've pondered Ruth who, although new in her faith and seemingly manipulated by her mother-in-law, was honored by God with a son who began the House of David. And Esther, who fasted and prayed, then risked her life by approaching the king to save her people. And Hagar, who bore Abraham's "son of the flesh", not his "son of the promise", and was cast out in a story difficult to reconcile. No wonder we need laughter as we try to understand these stories and what they teach us about God and faith.

Thank you, Bambi, for redirecting us to our blog.

Dear friends,
A.G. came home from the hospital last night with a PICC line – an I.V. sort of, into which he will continue to infuse himself with the antibiotics he was getting in the hospital. The whole operation is pretty slick – when we got home we found two large shopping bags at our front door filled with everything the nurses used at the hospital, all carefully packaged, with instructions, and a promise that the home health care nurse would appear in the morning (which she did). But at eight o’clock last night, A.G., as I sat beside him, opened an alcohol swab, wiped off the end of his line, flushed it with saline, and hooked up a pressurized ball filled with antibiotic.
The whole thing felt surreal. Neither one of us are medically inclined; both of us knew this PICC line went into the heart of A.G.’s body; and we were all alone pumping into A.G.’s body an alien substance trusting the doctors knew what they were doing when they sent us home. This morning we did it all again and again this afternoon and evening and now the whole procedure seems reasonably “normal.”
What A.G., is doing is known in the medical world as “infusion.” In my world we inspire, not infuse – which is why A.G. was doing the swabbing and I was sitting beside him saying: “Good job!” Both of us were braving new ground and neither of us knew what to expect.
A.G. is an engineer and he quickly picked up on what to do and how to do it. I, on the other hand, am terrified I will introduce some alien bacteria, dislike intensely pushing anything into anyone, and never wanted to be a nurse. Tonight I took the trash out which consisted of our several spent saline syringes, heparin syringes and spent pressurized bulbs and made chicken salad for dinner and figured that was my contribution, such as it was.
We both are looking forward to being back in your midst!
Peace,
Bambi

This will be my first Blog. I am please it is a Blog on our church website.
I truely look forward to participating in weekly Bible Study. Bambi is an enlightened leader and offers the group insight into so many aspects of biblical history. Our numbers have grown over the last several months. Hopefully more will join us on Tuesday mornings for Morning Prayer, Bible Study and Discussion.

Repeat after me "Technology is our friend.... Technology is our friend.... Technology is our friend......." There, that's not so hard, is it?

See there - you're already blogging like a pro. It will be no time at all until we have you using an iPad!!

Gains always seem to be found where you least expect them.

Janet's Commitment service this morning was very moving, as was the closing hymn, "O Zion haste, thy mission high fulfilling." I'm still hearing the refrain, "Publish glad tidings, Tidings of peace, Tidings of Jesus, Redemption and release." We support you, Janet.

Had to search a bit for this quote which I really like - hoping Janet will find that it is true:
" I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." - Tagore

William Carter ‎> The Children's Bible in a Nutshell

> In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but
> God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one,'
> but I think He must be a lot older than that.
> Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.
> Then God made the world.
> He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't
> embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.
> Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven
> from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in though,
> because they didn't have cars.
> Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was
> Abel.
> Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except forMethuselah, who
> lived to be like a million or something.
> One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of
> his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and
> some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said
> they would have to take a rain check.
> After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his
> brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some
> pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports
> coat.
> Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston.
> Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh
> after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included
> frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
>
> God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His
> Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or
> covet your neighbor's stuff.
> Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.
> One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use
> spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the
> town.
> After Joshua came David.. He got to be king by killing a giant with a
> slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500
> porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise
> to me.
> After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these
> was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the
> shore.
> There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to
> worry about them.
> After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The
> New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born
> in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door!
> Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I
> was.') During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the
> Pharisees and the Democrats.
> Jesus also had twelve opossums.The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas
> was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
> Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some
> Germans on the Mount.
> But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius
> the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands
> instead.
> Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up
> to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is
> foretold in the book of Revolution.

Copied this from Facebook - thought it was good for a Friday night chuckle!

Holy Eucharist was even more of a blessing this past Sunday than usual. It was wonderful how everyone came together to make it happen - Micheal and his bungee cords, Jeanie with her guitar, Pat with coffee from the New Yorker, Will and Gary doing about ten things (all at once, it seemed) and of course the unflappable Bambi shepherding us. I wouldn't have traded it for Westminster Abbey!

Yes, Kathy, last Sunday was communion in action! I'm not sure "unflappable" is an adjective I would use about myself - seeing the wafers, the Body of Christ - fly off the paten (and altar) was unnerving! If it's O.K. with you, I am hoping to celebrate communion this Sunday inside the church!
Bambi

"When we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determine what kind of men (and women) we are. It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life. I am convinced that the tiniest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness (or womanliness) is to sacrifice for others in a totally non-violent struggle for justice."
Cesar Chavez

Hooray for blogging Pete! This is getting to be a great place to hang out and talk to friends - even if they don't talk back to you for a day or two ;). You are right - our church is chock full of wonderful folks!

Wow - Janet where are you finding all these great quotes? Hope you are well and settling into your routine. We are praying for you (and JW)!

I have decided after weeding my garden that God could have made short shrift of Pharoah if God had sent poison ivy upon the Egyptians instead of frogs and locusts! (Boils come close, though.) And, I am persuaded, that some of us are not meant to tend gardens but are better suited to other pursuits. What I have learned is that creation fights mightily against our efforts at "weeding." Some things are meant to be left alone. I am left to wonder what in my life just needs to be left alone and not "weeded out." Some things we just need to learn to live with - poison ivy is one of them.
Bambi

9-25-11 1:05 AM

I'd like to send a prayer up (or over or wherever) to my friend George. He was the 1st attorney I met in Caroline as I moved my practice from Prince William County 12 yrs ago. He taught me whom to contact in which courts, how to deal with our then part-time Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Latney, & where to eat, bank, et. al. I think he sent me a message tonight - really! George had his pet name for me - especially when I moved too fast and became inpatient. He would admonish me and say "Don't you be trying to bring those Northern Virginia ways down here." As I was watching Harry's Law tonight (about 2 hours after Kathy Hancock called with the news), one of the characters actually called another Slick & that's what George called me. I'm sure he was telling me he's ok.

So, dear George, I will honor the Constitution (esp when all else fails) & remember that our loss is heaven's gain.

I remember trips with George in his beat up pickup going to do something for someone. He did so many things to help so many people. (And I could hear him today as you argued for your client in that extradition case)!

Yes, Susan, I am amazed and awed. We live in a skeptical time and I have to admit I was worried about Robbie. Having said that, I have to wonder what hope we all can offer to this world in which so much suffering seems to have jaded us all into believing "Well, that's just the way things are." Robbie could have died but he did not. How many others out there are at risk and for whom will our presence make a difference? I wonder sometimes how we make sense of evil and if we are able or willing to go up against things we cannot control but against which we should always wage battle. I do believe George was a good mentor.

Thank you Virginia for your gracious words. St. Asaph's is a truly amazing parish and we are blessed in any number of amazing ways with folk who are and can do extraordinary things. The liturgy, as printed in The Prayer Book, is only words. To make the liturgy come alive we need musicians and flower arrangers and acolytes and lectors and the whole holy host. St. Asaph's is blessed to have them all and as I was standing at the altar today I was thinking how very glad I am to be your midst 'cause you guys do it well!
Bambi










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The Christmas pageant last night was awesome! I have never seen so many angels in one place at the same time. I can't help but think that those shepherds abiding in the fields experienced the same wonder I did as I watched lo those many excited kids being helped into their costumes before the pageant and then watching as their faces became covered with cake icing afterwards. Thank you to all, especially Sherry, for a wonderfully wondrous night.
Peace,
Bambi

Love the new look of the home page!

Yesterday's "Kids" Sunday" was amazing! Watching as Alexis read our Old Testament reading which she had clearly prepared, as young people were guided to usher, bring forward the bread and the wine, and led us in song after the sermon was deeply moving. The music was fantastic and our young people wholly "on task." I do believe the future of the church is in good hands. Thanks be to God!

Well, 'tis Saturday night. Two weeks ago I was preparing a childrens' sermon on a gospel that spoke of exorcism, last Sunday the Bishop came and tomorrow we are all tangled up with lepers. Good Lord, deliver us, or maybe, selfishly, just me. This week has been haunted with my husband's looming retirement this coming week and every morning recently has begun with a new round of questions about health insurance and pension plans. We are moving into a new place and I am impatient and tired and frustrated. And now, lepers! I find myself saying with the leper: "If you choose you can make me clean." Life feels a bit fractured as A.G. and I move from what has always been, into a place that is very new. Bear with us as we make this transition into a very new place.
Peace,
Bambi

Eastertide is almost over. And I am noticing our last blog was posted on Palm Sunday. I am wondering about the quiet. This Eastertide for me, anyway, has been marked by our Easter forums, the birth of Catherine and David Denniston's daughter Payton Elizabeth, the election of our new Bishop Suffragan, my broken leg, A.G.' s "chemoemboluzation" (a procedure to manage his cancer but which leaves him zapped), and the approaching marriage of Caroline Salisbury and Hunter Gravatt (in chronomlogical order!) Eastertide has been full and abundant, but not all that has happened has been to my liking - I would like A.G. not to have to suffer through this uncomfortable procedure and my leg is an absolute frustration.
That said, I am wondering about the quiet. Are we simply not "bloggers" or are we private folk who would rather not say much or who maybe do not know what to say?
I invite you to weigh in about your Eastertide or just that you check the blog from time to time. The blog is no more than a way to stay in touch. There are lots of ways to stay in touch - the blog is just one of them. I, for one, look forward to hearing about you and about what's going on. "Tis not curiosity but a God thing. I love to see what God is up to!
With love,
Bambi