Presence

When the Worries Roll In

February 28, 2019

Here are some of the worries that I woke up with this morning.

The mine shaft hole at the end of the street is still there. It’s bigger, although it’s hard to see how much, exactly, because it is surrounded by a foot of snow. My contact at the county said that the matter is with the county’s attorneys, and they are deciding how to best proceed because technically, the hole is not on county property. True, the hole is just inches from the road, but the road apparently is in the wrong place. Who knew?

Also, there is the car. What are the odds that our trusty, dependable AWD car with more than 300,000 miles would die right before the biggest snow month since we moved to this mountain village? It did. Our mechanic has said it is not worth fixing, that the cost of a new engine would be more than what it is worth. My daughter just wrote in one of her scholarship applications that this lack of a car has effected her most greatly, that it has forced her to be “driven around like a freshman.” It also has led to us careening around icy roads in our Prius, not the best snow car ever. Continue Reading…

Presence

Sometimes Courage Is Just Doing the Next Thing

February 14, 2019

Sunset after the storm. A nice way to start the New Year.

I am grateful for Rob Bell.

In my current unchurched state (another story entirely), listening to his weekly podcast makes me feel as if I’ve gone to church and heard a great sermon, one that touches someplace deep, except it’s a church where I do not feel guilty about my lack of involvement. At my old church, there were so many jobs that needed to be done, and I did so few of them. I was a failure as a church member. For example, sometimes I would try to hide if I saw the children’s nursery volunteer coordinator moving my way after service. What kind of good church member does that?

Also, after a Rob Bell podcast, I don’t have to linger in the back of the church sanctuary, exchanging benign pleasantries with people who continue to support President Trump in the name of Jesus. I love these people; I do. I just don’t want to chitchat with them and pretend that everything is OK in our land when it is not. The best thing about Rob Bell’s weekly sermon (I mean podcast) is that I am almost always reminded that I am loved, that there is nothing I have to prove, that all of us are already at the party (including Trump supporters, so please forgive the outburst above), and that we are all accepted right now, just as we are. Continue Reading…