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vacation: post one.

3 Jun
Vacation is here and it’s wonderful.  [I’m choosing to temporarily not address the fact that a member passed away last night and I have funeral details to figure out for a Saturday funeral.  Eventually, I will have to address it … but it can wait until Monday.] Here’s the play-by-play so far –

I dropped Mabel off at her favorite home-away-from-home and home for the next week – Camp Canine Kennels – and headed for Golden Valley to the wedding of Frank and Kate.  It was super fun to reconnect with seminary friends I hadn’t seen lately both at the church and at the reception that followed at a local park.  Super low key and chill.  [I’m taking notes if I ever get married.  Low key = great.]
Following the wedding and reception, I spent the evening with gal pal, Sara, and her boyfriend, Josh, at their new house.  We ate at a local malt shop in Chaska, chatted with the neighbors, and introduced Josh to Carcassonne, the dorky German boardgame.  [During which he called his meeples “meatballs.”  We let it pass; it was mildly humorous.]  An episode of The Office, overnight oatmeal in the crockpot, and a little local antiquing was all part of the fun and frolic too.  [I bought a window for $12.  Don’t laugh; it’s cool.]  A little shopping at Gander Mountain and Punch pizza rounded out our time together.  It was lovely.

I left Chaska and drove west in lovely weather to the town near and dear to my heart.  I always tear up a little bit when I drive into Dawson; this town and its people have been so good to me.  Two sons of coworkers from my year of internship are graduating from high school and it made a perfect excuse to visit.  The first party was this evening and it was super fun to catch up with so many people. I’m going to attend worship at Grace tomorrow morning and stick around for the second of the two graduation parties.  It’s so great to be here.  I’m spoiled by all the hugs.  [Seriously.  I love seeing these people for so many reasons but one of the big ones is the hugs.  Love it.  Love them.]
We’ll round out leg one of the vacation with an overnight in Sioux Falls tomorrow night [a two hour drive from Dawson] with Joe and Amanda.  They always know how to keep things interesting and keep me laughing; I’m looking forward to it!  It will lead to three different beds in three nights.  One could say some pretty crude jokes about that but really what it means is that I’m blessed to have so many friends in so many different places … and they’re willing to let me sleep over.  Grateful this girl is.

bacca-what?

31 May
Wednesday was baccalaureate for the seniors of the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms.  [I still can’t get over that their mascot is a flower.  I no longer have the privilege of complaining about my high school – the Crimson Tiders.]  This service was held at the Catholic church in Blooming in the evening and all six pastors from the town participated in the service.  
What do you get when four Lutheran pastors, a Baptist minister, and a Catholic priest lead a service together?
First, Lindsay gets ulcers and then we get ice cream at Dairy Queen.
I remember telling Kendall on internship that I don’t do surprises in worship.  I like a clear plan with nearly every word I say scripted.  I like to know where I need to be when and how I will get there.  If these pieces don’t exist, I get anxious.  I need to know what’s going on and my role in it all or palms are sweaty, the voice chokes, and nothing can be in any sort of focus but a nervous one.
The six pastors met beforehand but no one said, “Hey.  Let’s walk through the service together.”  [I suppose I could have been that person.]  No one, as we walked to the back of the sanctuary to lead the graduates in procession, said, “Dudes.  Let’s be strategic about who sits where in the aisle based on role and timing.”  [Okay.  I said it quietly and without the initial dudes.  I could have spoken up.]  [And that’s when Stephanie, aka Heidi, aka a pastor at the big Lutheran church in town, said, “You should blog about this.”  It was all sorts of circus.  Check.]
The service happened.  We processed, prayed and preached.  Songs were sang and Scriptures read.  We high-fived the graduates as they left the church in lines – a high-give gauntlet, if you will.  Survival was the result.  Thanks be to God.
Thanks be to God because the pastor tradition is to get ice cream afterwards.  A fun tradition, say I.  A late night treat that reminded me how thankful I am for companions in ministry.  How awesome is it that I get to be a part of services like this next to a seminary friend with whom I can fist bump before leading the benediction?  [And who begins to eat my ice cream by mistake but I feel comfortable enough sharing germs and saying, “That’s okay.  But keep your own spoon.”] I’d say it’s pretty rare that two seminary classmates – let alone pretty wonderful friends – end up sharing in such ministry right out of school.  And how awesome is it that the two Lutheran pastors at the big church in town are so great?  One – Stephanie/Heidi – is my mentor which basically means we go out for ethnic food or coffee once a month.  [Not a bad deal.]  The other is simply pastorally wonderful.  Neither is crazy or off their rocker.  They can be trusted and approached. Thanks be to God.
So bacca-what?  Bacca-circus.  Bacca-ice cream.  Bacca-awesome.

mabeline.

30 May
I like my dog.  Love her?  Maybe.
Not that I haven’t before this point, but Mabel and I have perhaps grown on each other.
I remember the first week she came to live with me and I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life.  I suddenly had to think about someone else’s schedule and become less selfish in my day to day living.  And then she started pooping in the house and I didn’t like her much for it.
We’ve both adjusted.  While in the first weeks, Mabel would wake up by 6:30 each morning, now she will easily let me sleep until 8 – even 9:30 – if I have the chance.  Sometimes she’ll even put herself to bed earlier in the night if I’m not ready to go upstairs yet.  We have a system down in regards to couch sitting.  I sit on the left; she takes the right.  Sometimes she gets sick of the couch all together and opts for the loveseat with throw pillows; she just awkwardly lays on top of them all, fighting a losing battle.
Then there was her run away phase.  Perhaps we’ve moved beyond that too, at least slightly.  We’ve gotten into the habit of getting a treat upon coming inside so of course – who would run away if there was a treat on the other side of the door?  You’d be a fool to run and see the neighbors when the other option is a minty bad breath fighting bone.
And, well, she’s just pretty darn cute.  She costs me a lot of money between food and boarding and $1.50 special treats, and she requires a lot of cleaning up after [much hair on floor and everywhere].  But she loves ice cubes and eats raw broccoli if given the opportunity.  And she’s pretty damn funny when it comes time to throw a ball; it’s like she is all of a sudden a total puppy again.  Plus, it’s pretty great to have someone to greet upon getting home; I call her my sweetie-pie-honey-bunch.  
Maybe it’s Mabeline. I like her alright.  

please, sir –

29 May
– may I have another rhubarb margarita?
aka the farmgirl margarita.
aka deliciousness.
aka this farmgirl’s perfect drink for a monday afternoon.
aka a memorial day treat.
aka the day when we celebrate france.  [I think that’s right.]

I spent memorial day proper hanging out with the peeps in Owatonna.  
We ate grilled food, held a baby, and played bocce ball.  
It was just what the doctor ordered for this tired, stressed and burned out girl who is hanging on by a thread until vacation begins. 
Exactly what I needed.

Dancing Bananas.

4 Dec
It’s just a fruit.
And it’s a little ridiculous to think that they can dance.
The Dancing Bananas are facing trials and tribulations by the bushel basket these days.
Surgeries. 
Child custody.
Job uncertainty.
Fertility wonderings.
Questions about the future.
Potential moves cross country.
Aggressive cancer in a father-in-law.
Searching for answers to medical conditions.
It’s a lot.  So much.  The emails are nearly daily at this point with communication, support, and funny stories in the midst of it all.  The seven of us currently live in five different states and it’s been nearly ten years since we graduated from high school.
I’m not completely sure what holds us together and so tightly.  Maybe it’s the fact that you don’t often find bananas that dance.  We’re rare and find comfort in being odd together.  Or that we love each other and have been friends for over twenty years.
The bananas of the world are meant to unite, jump, dance, and go.  And so we do, along with support, hug, and love.  Early morning phone calls, cake pop care packages, and anything more.  I love my Dancing Bananas.

Sunday.

20 Nov
Sunday.  Sunday.  Sunday.
Church at 9am.  I started with a joke today.  It felt right.
[Dear Noah,
We swear you said the ark wasn’t leaving until 1.
Sincerely,
The unicorns]
Har.  Har.  Har.
Then I challenged the congregation to share the peace without touching each other.  They weren’t allowed to shake hands.  They thought it was cute but it was probably the novelty of it.  I don’t think they’ll think it’s cute next week.
Then hello sermon number two.  I had to preach this evening at an ecumenical [read: Lutherans and Catholics] Thanksgiving service.  To heck if I was able to write it while still thinking about my Sunday morning service.  It’s not how I work, folks.
Sermon writing intermission: Mabel and I walked out to the dumpster to throw something out.  I opened the lid of the dumpster and a terrified cat jumped out.  Mabel chased it and treed it.
Print sermon.  Smell something foul.  Find Mabel had gone number two on the hardwood floor of a spare bedroom.  That’s a first.  [And hopefully a last.]
Paige and I had a date to meet at 4pm at one of jD’s church.  It’s church dinner season in Minnesota, donchaknow, and Aurora Lutheran was hosting an oyster stew and chili supper.  We had kept it a secret that we would be attending and surprised the bowtied pastor at the door.  He convinced me I wanted to pay two extra dollars to try the oyster stew.  I tried.  And soon traded the bowl in for chili instead.
From there [and after requesting that our server tell Lauren in the kitchen that we were highly unsatisfied with our food to get her attention – the perfect ploy] I drove to Blooming to prepare for this Thanksgiving service and the preaching of the sermon I was really unsure about.  Lo and behold, it proved true again that any sermon I think is terrible is the one I receive the most positive feedback.  [Unless of course everyone was just super nice to the new girl.  That is also possible.  Pity compliments are always a possibility.]
Long Sunday, folks.  Long Sunday.  A long Sunday to be followed by three long days of busy, busy work in order to prepare to take off for Wisconsin on Thursday for a couple days.  Here we go.
[You can be the judge yourself.  Below is the sermon I thought was mediocre but highly complimented by others.  Pity praise?  You decide or can jump on the boat of pity.]  [It’s a joke, folks,  I’m not really that down on myself or think that everything said to me is a lie through other’s teeth.]
What do you see?  It’s like that popular children’s book Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? The book goes through different animals of different colors, teaching children about animals and colors and patterns.  Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?  I see a red bird looking at me.  Red bird, red bird, what do you see?  I see a blue horse looking at me.  And the pattern continues.  Maybe I should ask you –  people of God, people of God, what do you see?  We likely haven’t seen any blue horses lately so our answers would be much different than the book.  And I would add a second question on the next page – What do you do when you see?
It kind of goes without saying that what we see makes all the difference.  What we see shapes our outlook and our behavior.  If we see snow on the ground outside, we put on our boots.  If we see someone crying, we comfort them.  If we see the stoplight turn yellow ahead of us, we use the brakes on our car.  And if we saw a blue horse like the one in the children’s story, we might be speechless.
What we see makes all the difference.  People who wear glasses know this.  People who have been subject to unfortunate eyesight loss know this.  I wear contacts during the day and so, come night, I take them out and put on my glasses.  I go to bed, putting my glasses on my beside table.  Always in the same place.  One morning, I woke up, grabbed my glasses, put them on, and went about my morning.  I turned on the light in my bedroom and turned on my computer.  Something wasn’t quite right.  Was the light not working properly?  It seemed awfully dark in my bedroom.  And my computer screen was hard to read.  I blinked over and over, leaned in closer to the desk and realized my eyesight was terrible.  Why couldn’t I see?  What we see makes all the difference and at this point, I couldn’t see like I should be able to and my behavior reflected that.  I became a bit crazy, a bit fearful, wondering what could be going on.  I took off my glasses thinking, maybe, just maybe, they were really dirty and needed to be cleaned.  In my morning fog, my still half-awake state of mind, I pulled off … my non-prescription sunglasses.  They weren’t the right glasses at all.  What we see makes all the difference.
In verse 14 of our gospel reading, Jesus sees the lepers who call out to him.  And when he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’  In these times, if a leper was healed, it was a priest who had to certify that the person was clean once again before they could become a part of the community once more.  And as the lepers went as Jesus said to them, they were made clean.  Jesus saw a need and acted to meet it. 
Likewise, then one of the lepers sawthat he was healed and turned back.  Because he saw that he was healed, he praised God and thanked Jesus.  What the leper saw affected his behavior.  When the leper saw that he was healed, he didn’t just celebrate his good fortune on his own or with the other nine, but turned around with gratefulness. 

In both [of these] cases, seeing means more than just physical sight – it means on the one hand perceiving the opportunity to be merciful toward another, and on the other hand the recognition that God’s mercy has touched one’s life.

It’s not only what you see but it is what you do when you see. 

When Jesus saw people in need, when he saw people on the outside, he acted.  Jesus restored them to fullness.  With the healing Jesus pronounced upon the ten, those ten lepers would no longer need to live outside of the community.  Those ten lepers would no longer need to cry out, “Unclean, unclean” if someone were to approach them.  Christ invites them into a wholeness of life once more, into a lifemuch unlike the one they were forced to live before.  And the one who returned recognized the mercy of God that had touched him and made him clean; for that, he was grateful.

Seeing can make all the difference. What do you see?  Make sure you are not wearing your sunglasses instead of your prescription lenses and take account of what’s around you.  It’s not even always about what we see – it’s what we feel, touch, and smell.  Are you aware of what goes on around you?
Take account of the people around and the needs that are present in our lives and the lives of our neighbors.  Jesus saw the need of the lepers – people cast outside because of a disease.  What needs do you see?  What do you perceive about the world around you?  Around us?
Let’s take our community of Blooming Prairie as context.  Some people might guess that the needs in our community are small.  Blooming is a small and proud community; the kind where people know people and directions are given by landmarks instead of street addresses.  Yet, there are still needs present in this community and in communities around us.  It’s true that sometimes people in need simply do not catch our attention. A coworker we label as crabby may be struggling with a difficult family situation, and we might learn that if only we ask. Who notices an international student far from home and family, or the person separated from family during the holidays? Other times, we simply pass by people whose lives are a day-to-day struggle to survive. There are people who need care, families who need help, and people who may simply need to feel that they are loved.
Remembering also the tenth leper who returned to give thanks once he saw he was healed, let’s touch on his reaction to what he saw.  There’s this second part of seeing and acting present in the text.  What do you see for which you can give thanks?  How do we live grateful lives in response to how we see God is working in and through us?  In this season of thanksgiving, we focus on the gratitude piece.  I asked the confirmation students at Red Oak Grove to put together a wall of thankfulness.  Everything from friends to pets to family to music to chores showed up on their lists.  I would wonder what you see each and every day – this season and throughout the year – for which gratitude is a wonderful and proper response. 
Remember the big question is this – what do you see and what do you do when you see?  If you go home with one thing stuck in your head, think about what you see and how you act.  Do you see the need for food shelf availability and purchase extra food items at the grocery store?  Do you see a lonely neighbor in need of conversation and so you knock on her door?  Do you see the blessings of parents, children, and friends in your own life, and make them aware of the gratitude you have for their love?  Do you see God healing someone you love and thank God in prayer and praise? 
As we read this text and as we are a part of this thanksgiving, soon to be advent, and upcoming Christmas season, perhaps what goes forward with us is that faith is a way of seeing.  Believing in Christ calls us to open our eyes and employ all our senses to the world around us.  Which of our neighbors need assistance?  How can we help?  What are our blessings for which to be grateful?  A rabbi says it this way – “Religion is not primarily a set of beliefs, a collection of prayers or a series of rituals. Religion is first and foremost a way of seeing. It can’t change the facts about the world we live in, but it can change the way we see those facts, and that in itself can often make a difference.”
If we believe that faith is a way of seeing, what we see should lead us to act.  Reaching out, helping others, and making a joyful noise in response to God’s mercy and grace.  Thanking and praising God along the journey.   What do you see and what will you do when you see? People of God, people of God, what do you see?  Amen.

It’s time.

1 Nov

Last year I participated in this thankful blogging effort with my DB [Dancing Banana] friend, Jen at After the Chapel and lots of other awesome thankful bloggers through Rachel at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane.  It’s time again!  Here’s the gist of it:
On each Wednesday of the month in November, I will write a thank you note to a person for whom I am thankful and put that baby in the mailbox..
On each Thursday of the month, I will write a blog post about the person to whom I wrote.
Ta da!  Thankfulness!  
You don’t have to have a blog to participate either.  This November [and really, all year long] be thankful for the people in your lives!
Check out who I wrote to last year here, here, here, and here.

reasons why –

11 Oct
– I love my job:
I spent two and a half hours at a care center, first yelling into the ear of a man who was hard of hearing while I attempted to give him communion in a public space.   [This was after we cleared up the fact that I was not the pastor’s wife but indeed the pastor.]  Second, visiting with a woman who, in the middle of a story, pointed to her television and asked, “Did you see my head of Christ?”  Why, yes, I did notice the statue of Jesus’ head that lights up on top of your tv.
Before I went to the care center, I spent close to two hours at a downtown Owatonna eating establishment with Paige, jD, and new friend, Amanda the intern.  I so appreciate the opportunities to check in and ask, “What would you do with this?” and “What are you doing for a children’s sermon this week?”
I now have a giant easel pad of paper on a giant easel in my office.  Marilyn fetched the easel for me – she thought it was necessary.  I stole the paper from her office.  Operation: Internet has begun and it requires a large visual.  [I’m listing every internet possibility and writing down details/crossing them off as I make phone calls.  After phone calls.]  It was finally realized that if I want internet, I need to start with the yellow pages and do it myself.  [Even though most of the research has been done; it just can’t seem to be organized.  Color me frustrated.]  The easel pad and a flower pot of new Crayola markers will help.
I spent yesterday morning quilting with the women of Red Oak Grove.  I do love a good quilting morning.
I can build a website/blog and it’s considered work.  I plan confirmation and it’s considered work.  I can call Karen from Stillwater at the synod office and it’s considered work.  A lot of mornings, I just stand in Marilyn’s office and talk.  I think that has its place too.

Marilyn.

15 Sep

I’m going to tell you about a woman I’ve known for just over a week.  She’s pretty awesome.
Marilyn is Red Oak Grove’s administrative assistant.  [Secretary to most but I just can’t get myself to say that, even if it is shorter.]  She’s in her 60s [I think – I’m a bad judge of age.] and has been at ROG for – I gather – about five to six years.  She’s not a member, but instead attends the large Lutheran church in Blooming [Prairie] – First Lutheran. 
Let me tell you how she’s awesome.  I’ve interrupted her work more than once – heck, more than twenty five times – to ask her questions and, more often than not, she knows the answer.  She has been such a blessing since I began working here.  She is so incredibly helpful. 
She’s been a great advocate for me since day one.  Though I often know what I want, I won’t voice it right off the bat, especially if that thing is only for my benefit and thus – to me – selfish.  [I do not like to be needy … though sometimes I am.]  I had off-handedly mentioned to her that I would enjoy a lighter paint color in my office.  Brent, the council president, stopped in and Marilyn told him.  “Don’t you think you could lighten it up a little bit in there?” she asked.  Then she told him the chairs could stand to be reupholstered.  That was not my idea but that Marilyn – she’s looking out for me.
She’ll dodge phone calls I don’t want to take.  Don’t judge me – they’re not parishioners but solicitors and the March of Dimes that wants to throw me in jail.  She hooks me up with office supplies and she, too, enjoys a good Sharpie. 
Now the other day, as we both lamented over the lack of internet, I exclaimed that I can’t live like this!  I need technology!  [I feel like we’re comfortable enough with each other now that I can make such exaggerations without her judgment.]  Since the outburst, she invited me over to her house two different times to use her internet.  First, she said she would feed me ice cream while I was there.  And then she said that she didn’t have any wine chilled but she could be an ice cube in it.
Oh for cute. 

happy birthday!

31 Aug

Happy birthday to you/happy birthday to you/happy birthday dear BLOG/happy birthday to you!

My blog baby – there’s no place like gnome at gnomepreacher.blogspot.com – turns two today!  Two!  Put on your 3D glasses and party hats and you could come celebrate with this dork on the left!

[I forgot to remember to celebrate her birthday last year.  what a bad blog host am I.]

Two years ago to this day was the summer night that I arrived in Dawson for my year-long internship.  [Here is the first ever post on gnomepreacher.]  The intern committee had helped me move into my apartment and taken me out for dinner.  I returned to my home-to-be for that year – oh, parkview apartments – and [dramatic pause] began to blog.  Gnomepreacher was born out of dreams to communicate with family and friends in Wisconsin while I lived on the prairie for a year, but she’s grown into a lot more.  
Since then, the blog has been with me through thick and thin.  It has shared with you joys and sorrows, losses and gains; many corny videos and even more gnome stories.  A trip to Alaska, friendly tales of polar plunges, and transitions aplenty.  Cakepops, macarons, and hamballs. The blog – through story and the infinite interweb – has connected me to people in strange and really wonderful ways.  
Blogging is never a chore for me.  It’s not unusual that when I’m away from my computer, I’ll write posts in my head, some of which are published, others of which are not.  I feel grounded in my writing and in the sharing.  If there is a day or – gasp! – three when I don’t blog, it feels like something is missing.  I love doing this.
Once more, I thank you for reading.  Even when I forget to say thank you, know that I’m grateful that you share in this with me. You share in and take interest in the stories I live and write.  If I were not in the middle of moving and packing, I might have yelled cakepops for all!  But I am moving and packing [or at least am supposed to be]… so not really.  Cakepop false alarm.  
Happy birthday, blog.  To many more.

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