WRITERS DIGEST

At the library this afternoon I stumbled upon a copy of Writers Digest. It was one of those 'jumped off the shelf into my hand' things. The jist of the article which caught my attention was to just write. Make a dedicated decision to write fifteen minutes a day or three days a week. Just DO it. Well, folks, I have been writing pretty much daily for a few years and nothing to speak of has happened.

Our book club has been reading Ray Bradbury and his writing discipline is pretty much that -- writing every day, taking off on a word or a phrase and 'walla' he ends up with a short story in no time at all. And that short story is then transformed later on into a novel. Hmmmm. That hasn't happened to me yet. I have been playing at writing for too many years. I have about given up on any novel idea. Well, not entirely. There are nigglings in the back of my mind. But how to get them out on paper/screen. Don't know.

The article went on to discuss outlines and index card chapter headings that can be carried around and fleshed out at any given moment. Maybe. Maybe not. Novels are stories. I have to decide what the story is that I want to tell. IS there a story I want to tell. Maybe not.

The article went on further to say that some were using blogs as novel starters. Not only starters but just blogging daily and then collecting the blogs into a book. Hmmmm. The blogs I read or write are not the makings of a novel. My dad was a writer. Not a great fiction writer. Unpublished but for two short stories. He made his living writing ad copy and technical copy. I guess he was good at that. He made a living for us anyway. He would have loved blogging. So maybe I'll just continue to write my pages and write my blog and if anything happens, it happens.

LENT LOOMS

It used to be that giving up chocolate for Lent was quite adequate. In fact I can remember that in my drinking days I one year actually gave up vodka for Lent. One Lent. Didn't work the next couple of years. I started out well enough, just didn't have the wherewithall to keep it. Those were NOT good times for me.

Now, though, there seem to be other options. They are called 'Lenten Disciplines.' Not necessarily giving up a vice but the taking on of some new thing that will enhance our character or somehow improve the self. Diet for the loss of extra weight maybe. Making it a habit to read the daily scripture reading. A prayer discipline. Elizabeth Kaeton offers an introspection on tears. Read it all, it is quite worth it. It will speak to some, not to others. As other blogs reveal their ideas I will pass them on.

In the meantime I contemplate my own 'discipline.' I already read the daily appointed scripture readings. I have given up vodka as a VERY bad personal vice. Smoking is a habit of the way distant past. I am NOT a chocoholic. I don't swear any more. I don't even spit in public. (that was a joke) I am back to exercise and have returned to writing my pages almost every day. Just keeping up with what I have put in place for myself is pretty daunting -- in fact not always possible. But I am willing to take on a Lenten something for forty days. What will it be?

MUSIC IN LITURGY

The World of Doorman-Priest is entering into a weekend of study on preaching and music in liturgy. I enjoy music with the liturgy. Good music. Unfortunately good music is not always available. I have been assailed with some very bad music in my church. Hymns that should have been flushed long ago. Hymns that are played in funeral dirge tempo. Spirituals that drone WORSE than a funeral dirge. And some just plain sloppy and inept organ playing.

Music needs to be an emotional experience. Something that reaches into my soul and pulls me closer to God. Music that enlivens and uplifts. Music of quality and integrity. This happens, of course, with gifted leaders and practice, practice, practice. And so I cannot be too critical here because I am do not participate in the music program. There are some very dedicated people and the music they are making of late is quite good. Given a choir of six, they have a wonderful spirit and a wonderful sound. I would like a whole lot more but I am grateful for what we have.

One Sunday a few years ago we welcomed a liturgical dancer. Just one. Doing a modern ballet routine to music on a CD. She had beautiful form and flow with the music as she danced up and down the main aisle of the church and up and around the altar. I just didn't quite understand it. It was beautiful. It just somehow seemed to be apart from the worship service. Maybe if we had had some kind of introduction and/or teaching first, I might have been more appreciative. If the music had seemed to be a part of us and not just for the performance of the dancer.

But then I remember even farther back than the liturgical dancer -- drums. Or drum, as in one. And a singer who could sing with the drum. The drum and the singer were one and they were part of the liturgy and there was rythm and there was dance. In fact in our staid congregation people were swinging their hips and clapping their hands and they were a part of the celebration of God.

Yes, music is good. We need more of it. Music that reaches our souls. Music that carries us up to God. Music that brings God into our souls.

WHY DO WE "DO" CHURCH

Over at Jan Edmiston's A Church for Starving Artists, Jan is challenging our ways of promoting church. She continually throws out ideas that are relevant for all denominations as we struggle with the church of today. Maybe a better question is: For WHOM do we do church? And that piggy back's onto the "why." The one follows and precedes the other. These are questions that I struggle with constantly.

Sadly, the answers that I perceive, are that we are doing church for "ourselves." Scary. So we are self perpetuating our stagnation, our segregation, our worship of the worship as we want it to be. We have lost sight of our purpose. In The Episcopal Church we are taught that our purpose is to spread the Good News, The Good News of Christ. Can't do that if we are preaching to ourselves; devoting our energies upon ourselves, worshiping for ourselves. Catch the SELF thing here? OUCH!!

If we would just look at how we learn, how we learn to be in this world. We learn by association, we learn by example. We learn from role models that we respect and admire. How, then, can we best promote the Good News? By example, by association, by modeling. And how do we that? Can't do it in a vacuum. People meeting people. That is the only way. Bring people together to share a meal, laugh, play, talk, cry, share stories. It ISN'T about church. It is about people. It is about relationships. It is about sharing our story with one another. It is about supporting one another. It is about celebrating one another. This is God at work through us.

SO! Let us not "do" church. Let us BE church.

THE NEW NORMAL

Six years ago when my Shih Tzu puppy, Gabriel, arrived from Las Vegas in the puppy delivery van, I told Bill, "Our life is going to change." And so it did. Just like bringing home a new baby, a puppy adds joy and stress, diversion and love. Lots of love. And our lives have never been the same. We progressed into a "new normal."

Nothing remains static, there are constant changes, shifts in priorities, changes of perspective, but normal usually reigns through these. Sometimes, in fact many times, we choose the factors that turn our lives upside down and cause us to progress/digress into the new normal. Like Gabriel. Or relocating to a different part of the country -- a new normal. Conscious decisions but changed lives.

But every so often the status quo is challenged by influences not of our own choosing. Bill is terminated from his bus driving job. It hits in the pit of the stomach, driving out all self worth and confidence in capability. Even if it is the three accident rule and the accident wasn't his fault, it is still NO JOB. The rhythm of life is turned upside down. Arising times become irregular. Meal times are hit or miss. The lights burn later at night. Tempers are short. We don't know how to deal with this unexpected happening. We each put up a wall of protection against this unknown.

But we cope. We walk softly around one another as we grieve for our past lives -- collectively and individually. We don't really know how to address one another or respond. But we cope. We keep trying. We keep being sorry. We struggle onward, day by day. We begin to talk. We begin to open up to our struggles and share our concerns.

A new arising time is vaguely established. We return to more definite meal times. We are kinder to one another. We come out of our own grief and misery to commiserate, forgive some more, offer encouragement and support. Hugs. Laughter. Understanding.

A new normal is coming into being.

GOD STRIKE'S AGAIN

Noah's sons have been fruitful and multiplied. "The whole earth had one language and few words." WOW! What could be better than that? A common language -- that everyone understands. Not too many words to cause meaning to be misinterpreted. Nothing lost in translation. Sounds good to me.

They said to one another, "Come let us a build a city.." Another WOW, a common goal. Working together for the same purpose. How great it that? Continuing on they said, "..and (build) a tower with its top in the heavens,..." The common goal gets even better. Isn't that the plan? That we be one with God? That is my take anyway.

"... and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Oops! God doesn't like this last part at all. God feels challenged. I guess God thinks it is God's job to do the naming. But wait, didn't God create Adam and give to Adam the job of naming all of the animal and birds and every living creature. So what is with this?

"Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this in only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them." Ah, they might become Godlike. Well, it isn't likely to become one with God if we don't become Godlike first.

"Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." Well, that was certainly successful. Look at us now. Languages up the kazoo. Translations gone awry. Interpretations ending in war. Yes, the world is now a very big mess and language complications are a very big part of that.

"So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city." The last great common effort -- gone. The wondrous sand castle wiped away by the tide never to be again.

Genesis 11:1-9

THE COOK IS IN THE KITCHEN...

... and it is not me. Bill likes to cook. He likes to ask advice/opinion about how to do many things. He does NOT want to really hear my advice or opinion. It took me a longa, longa time to figure this out. There have been a great many heated 'discussions' during the makings of dinner. I have learned to just stay out of the kitchen while he is cooking.

During my past life, I was the kitchen person. I planned and cooked the meals. I did the shopping and planned the organization of the pantry shelves. I knew where every single utensil was because I was the only one that used them. Enter this relationship with Bill. He likes being in the kitchen. He likes cooking. He even enjoys doing the grocery shopping The difficulties arise when I feel that my territory is being usurped. Bill has no usurption sense. I have learned to just stay out of the kitchen while he is cooking.

I've learned another thing too: There is no such thing as constructive criticism. Not in this household anyway. For either one of us. If I say 'maybe not quite so much seasoning on the chicken breasts,' that is NOT accepted well. If he says to me, 'don't you want to turn the grill up a little?' I am NOT a happy person. In other words don't suggest, don't offer alternatives, don't make any comments whatsoever. STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN!