let’s not jinx it –

20 Aug
– but life in ministry is pretty good right now and I owe it to day camp [among other things].  
First of all, day camp gave me a chance to do what I really love.  Plan a whole bunch of crazy things for kids to do.  And then do those crazy things with them.  It gave me the opportunity to get to know some of the youth at ROG a bit better.  Day camp made me happy.  [I had lunch with my synod friend, Karen, today.  She told me, It was great to hear you so excited about day camp.  And she’s right.  I was excited.  And that is great.]
Second, day camp got me mucho brownie points with the congregation.  The older members LOVE seeing kids at church.  They are, after all, the future of the church.  Older members were astonished at how many kids came and they ate it up.  Yesterday was a wonderfully affirmative Sunday at church and while not all of it was related to day camp, a lot of it was.  The people are excited that the kids are excited.  And that makes me excited.
Third, day camp has given energy and excitement around children and youth ministry at Red Oak Grove.  [I should add day camp AND the national youth gathering of last month.]  I met with a few parents and interested people in working with kids and they are on board with what I have to say.  I think they are learning to trust me.  Not to say that all of my ideas are the right ones or that I always know what I’m doing, but seeing the success of a few things in the past has given me a bit of clout, I daresay.  [We talked about my want of a youth space.  A youth room.  They’re totally on board.  I could carpet that room for you, said one member.  Make it more cozy and a more welcoming place.  Yes!  Deal!]
Ministry is good and it only took me a year of being here and a day of day camp to say that.  
Here’s hoping it continues.

the fair.

18 Aug
It’s the week of the Steele County Free Fair.  It’s known as quite the fair in these parts and all week I’ve had people tell me what kind of food I should eat while there.  Paige and I went Thursday night with high expectations.
I think I’ve decided that I’m just not a fair person.  I used to go to the county fair every year in high school with friends.  We would meet up with our friends who would show animals, grab a quick burger from a stand, and then spread our blankets on the grass for whatever concert was in the grandstand that evening.  That was fun.  I was a that-kinda-fair person.
But the kind of fair person who goes to try as many things on a stick as they can or the kind of fair person who goes to eat their way down rows – that I am not.  I think some of it has to do not only with my non-existent goal of fair-going-and-eating, but with the amount of people too.  Paige and I started walking to the fairgrounds and I almost wanted to turn around as the streams of steady people flowed through the gates.  I don’t know.  I’ve just learned once more that fairs are not my ideal source of fun.
Now that I’ve been a complete downer and probably caused fair-going-and-loving types to feel bad …

That’s not to say that Paige and I didn’t enjoy ourselves at all or that we frowned the whole time.  We ate dinner at the Aurora Diner – a restaurant on site that is ran by one of jD’s churches.  Then we walked around.  At a political booth, we inquired about how to get vote no tshirts for the upcoming MN amendment vote.  [Not that we could wear them except out of town …]  And Paige ate shortcake.  We laughed at the llamas.  And then we walked around more.  And we ate nitro ice cream and played BINGO for a quarter a game.  And then we walked around more.  Then we left.

We did make a game out of it.  The game?  Who could spot the most church members.  Paige saw and greeted something like seven members.  I greeted a person twice and, not going to lie, it was the same member both times.  [I did see a couple I know from the church in Blooming; they said I could count them.  So three.]  Paige beat me out, over double the members I saw.  Seven times the members I saw.  [There is something to said about size of church and location of church and members but we did not take those factors into the equation.]
Will I rush to the State Fair?  No.  Will I be in any hurry to go again next year?  Probably not.  Did we win Bingo even once?  Nope.  But the gravy was good.  It’s been a long time since I’ve had gravy.

day camping.

17 Aug
Day camp.  R-to-the-O-to-the-G-style.  [which, for those of you who don’t know, is awesome.]
I may have panicked the day before, needing to schedule the day, buy supplies, and find some adult helpers, but it came together [as it always does].  I managed to pull nearly everything together in time which was good because on Wednesday morning, seventeen kids showed up.  Ranging in age from 4 to 8th grade, we were [mostly] ready for a day of fun.
Our theme was feet, taking a nod from Joshua 1:9.  [a la ‘be strong and courageous, not frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you every step of the way’]  We tie-dyed socks and painted our feet to create a new banner for our worship space.  Relay games, fun snacks, and crazy camp games filled more of the day.
My favorite part of the day?  The seventh and eighth graders who signed up – there were three – signed up under the title of “counselor.”  Being so last minute, there was no training involved for their role.  I told them that they would participate along with everyone else but I might call on them to do a few errands or help with activities throughout the day.   Emma, Alec, and Elly were awesome counselors beyond my expectations.  These three had all spent a week at Good Earth Village as campers this summer and they had an idea what counselors do at camp.  They led younger campers around by hand.  They taught their favorite games from camp.  They led small group time with great leadership.  High fives and $5 gift cards to DQ for these awesome kids!
A couple kids told me, “We should do this like five times a year!” I don’t know about that, kids, but we’ll try it again next summer for sure, and maybe for longer than just a day.  The kids loved it, and I did too.  It fed my soul to plan and be a part of this.  Good day.  Good day.
prepping socks for tie-dye.

teamwork to pull apart a frozen tshirt.

soap opera drama.

15 Aug
That cheesy australian soap drama I always talk about?  McLeod’s Daughters?
Netflix has decided to no longer stream it.
Just pull the rug out from under me, Netflix.  I was 133 episodes into a series with a total of over 200 episodes.  Am I supposed to just forget like I’ll never know when Tess and Nick come back from Argentina?  Or pretend like I don’t want to know the alluded-to tragic and sketchy back story of the new farm hand at the neighboring farm?  Or say I don’t care about the potential Kate-and-Dave-the-veterinarian relationship or whether Jodi’s father is Jack?  And – she scoffs – never know what kind of drama will happen around sheep shearing season this year?  [Sh*t always goes down at sheep shearing time on Drover’s Run.]
Guess I’ll be signing up for a discs-in-the-mail kind of subscription.  I can’t just leave it like this.  Thanks a lot, Netflix.  You piss me off and get a customer all at the same time.  You win.  

#panic.

14 Aug
Panic is planning a day camp at Red Oak Grove kinda last minute but not really planning any of it because as of Sunday, only three kids had signed up.  [Five was the magic number to go forward with the camp.  I wasn’t going to plan it if it wasn’t going to even happen, and for a church that doesn’t participate in VBS – though invited – I doubted it would even go forward.]
Panic is having sixteen kids on the signup sheet by Monday evening.
Panic is having to find adult help, go shopping, and schedule the day [which is tomorrow] of games, snacks, and crafts all today.
As I read what I’ve written, perhaps panic is instead irresponsibility.  My bad.
But the first annual day of camp at Red Oak Grove tomorrow will be awesome even if I have to work through the night to get everything together!

boring.

13 Aug
Sometimes I worry I’m boring.
I used to be fun but the pastor has taken all the excitement out of me.
Case in point: yesterday, Mabel and I drove to see gal pal, Sara in Chaska.  Sara and I first got to know each other working at Trinity in Stillwater and then we actually lived together for a summer in Stilly.  We would have laugh riots together.  We would do crazy things and have complicated awesome inside jokes.  Yesterday, there was a lack of laugh riots.  Not so much crazy except when a dog and a puppy get to playing.  Things were pretty subdued over dinner and Diet Coke.  I don’t blame Sara.  I blame me.  
In fact, sometimes I bore myself.
Bore, bore, bore.
[she says as she watches her cheesy australian soap, figures the mathematics of quilt tops in her head, and plans on being in bed by 11.]

neglect.

12 Aug
Neglect is what I’ve done to this blog.

I’m still here.  I haven’t been around much because I’ve been off with friends.  [a very good reason to neglect the blog in my world.]  Thursday night was dinner and catching up with my local family.*  Friday was dinner out with Paige and a little antiquing.  Saturday night was attending a wedding at ROG [which I did not officiate] and having Dawson penpal, Carter, stay the night with his family.
Lots of friend time.  Lots of busy socializing time.  Lots of this-makes-Lindsay-happy time.
And now today, I think Mabel and I are going for a ride to friend, Sara’s, house to meet her new puppy.    I’m taking a little post-liturgical breather and we’ll load up and head for the south-west edge of the Cities shortly.  Life is crazy but good crazy.  
* We laughed a ridiculous amount on Thursday night.  What did we laugh at?  This website [specifically attractive to my fellow pastors] and this video [potentially offensive in language to some].  There were tears.  It was wonderful.

saturday soliloquy.

4 Aug
Windows are open.  Breeze is blowing.  Life is good.
I wish I could bottle the feeling one gets after exercise.  I feel one-hundred-million-twenty-seven-thousand-and-seventy times better afterwards.  [If you’re keeping track, that’s a lot.]
I finished a quilt top this morning.  Onto a second matchy-matchy one later tonight.  Subtly and not so subtly, one could say they will be like twins … perhaps like their future babies …
This is my absolute current favorite.  Zucchini squash oven roasted.  It’s nearly an every night staple for me.  Throw in some sweet potatoes or some broccoli and I am set for dinner.
I spread grass seed and filled my water softener with salt this afternoon.  I cleaned a clogged shower drain yesterday.  It was gross but I feel very domesticated and home-owner-like.  
Have you checked out Steeples and Stilettos lately?  I’ve been a terribly horrible blog partner but Megan has been posting some really great stuff.  
I’m almost done with my sermon and it’s not even 6pm.  [Who am I?]
I have three weeks of vacation to take before the year is done.  Where should I go and what should I do?  Maybe visit you?  I welcome suggestions.
Mabel and her large mouth says hello.

To Linsay. From Gpa.

3 Aug
I don’t want to be that person but I would just like to say that if my Grandpa Sid were to enter a cute grandpa contest – is there such a thing? – he would probably win.  Or at least medal.  For example –
He came to visit me in Austin with my Aunt Peggy at the end of June.  He met Marilyn in the office and after he left, she told me, “What a cute grandpa.  You tell him that.”  I told this story to Aunt Peggy and she reminded me of a story from years ago.  Grandpa had been in the hospital for many weeks with pneumonia and the day he was released, a nurse came to say goodbye.  She was off-duty.  And she brought her family.  To meet Geeps before he left because he is so cute.  He woos his nurses and not intentionally; he’s just that cute and smiley and soft-spoken.  I met his hospice nurse while I was home this past week; she left and said, “I just love coming to visit you, Sid.  You are so sweet.”  Bottom line: he’s cute.
Cuteness amplified is how he has always spelled my name wrong.  For as long as I remember, birthday cards, Christmas mail, and anything I received from Geeps that he has made [a spice rack lazy susan, a coat rack, a toolbox] has my name written as Linsay.  It’s cool.  The d is kinda silent when you say it.  He has phonetics on his side.  [Even if you disagree, don’t argue.  It’s cute.]
When I was home to see him this past week, I was instructed to pick out a birdhouse.  Grandpa is handy and always creating, whether something from scratch in the work space in his garage or refurbishing a gas pump.  In the last years, he has made numerous bird houses with all sorts of widgets and gadgets on them.  They’re really quite funky and awesome.  I chose one made from barn board, and one with things like a pocket watch, a toy tractor, and pocket knives attached to the sides.  I will treasure it.
Before I left with the birdhouse, I asked Geeps to write on the bottom of it.  His signature “To Linsay.  From Gpa Sid.” with the date in his scripted cursive writing.  He’s so dang cute.  Overalls and all.

On a day like this – part two.

2 Aug
Today was a pretty awesome day.
Honestly, likely the best work day I’ve had in weeks.  Maybe months.
I feel a little guilty that this best-day-ever wasn’t spent visiting the elders of the congregations.  It wasn’t spent in worship with the members of Red Oak Grove.  It wasn’t even spent in conversation with anyone in the congregation.  But it was a necessary ministry day of big picture thinking.
It was a confirmation planning day with my imaginary coworkers, jD and Laura.  [Imaginary in that they are not technically my coworkers, wish as I may.  Not imaginary as in I made them up and talked to the wall all day.]  jD and I met at Red Oak Grove and skyped with Laura, a pastor in Hutchinson.  In a morning, we planned confirmation for the 2012 – 2013 school year and it will be super great.  I even ordered the curriculum today.  [A season of Freaks and Geeks.  That’s right –  you’re curious.  Too bad I can take absolutely no credit for the idea.]
Laura had to depart after the noon hour [I hear she was off to a meeting with you, Pastor Lori!] but jD and I continued our staff meeting over lunch at Applebee’s.  Another goal of ours is a joint confirmation retreat to kick off the year.  Schedule planned.  Details on paper.  Calendars filled out.  Super productive.
This isn’t the first time a day of planning has been a highlight.  Check out this post, a blast from the past of over two years ago.  I just get giddy with excitement about long-term planning with other people who are also excited about ministry possibilities. 
Right.  So let’s think about why this call might not be a great fit in the long run for Pastor Lindsay … but for now, here’s to continuing big picture thinking and making time for visioning with adjunct staff.  PL needs that.
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