boston commoner.

welcome home

“Jen, your blog just called. It was looking for you and heard that you came over Fridays, but I explained that was just in the evenings for Bible study. Anyways, I might have mentioned some of the camping trips, beach visits, game nights, baptisms, and upcoming trips to Vermont and NYC. For some reason that seemed to make it a little upset. Just thought I’d let you know.”

So I was informed in a recent e-mail by a well-meaning friend: the Blog is mad at me. It feels ignored, excluded, abandoned, shunned. I understand. Because I have ignored, excluded, abandoned, and – in practice, though not in spirit – shunned the Blog. Strange, too, that I should do so right when, for a change, I have some blog-worthy memories to record and share with the general public, along with praises, prayer requests, and maybe even pics. It’s been a mad summer, and I’m tired. But I’m loving it, and I don’t want it to end. The weather can change and business can slow, but I’d just as soon the days stay long and friends not go back to or leave for school, not get serious about work, not settle into autumnal routines, and not get generally responsible about time. Because time is what we seem to have an abundance of; or maybe it’s something we’ve created. I, for one, have managed to train my body to survive without sleep. I’ve seen more sunrises this summer than I have in the rest of my life put together. Some I’ve seen alone, some with others by my side. The author of the above e-mail, who may wish to remain anonymous, has accused me on more than one occasion of going through an early mid-life crisis. I can’t wholly deny it, though in assenting I suppose I open myself up to the idea that I really might be dead by 48. At this rate, wearing out by then seems just about right… (more…)

I wish I knew what the power law is.

So, my church website now has a handy discussion forum. We’re using it for communication purposes for everything ranging from events planning and evaluation to what we’re talking about in our Friday Night Bible Study, which is specifically what I’d like to interest you in with this post. (more…)

In recent weeks I’ve experienced a dramatic shift in the tides of a certain spiritual battle within my flesh. Temptation to this one particular sin in my life comes in transient waves dependent upon various circumstances within and without myself, but the decision to dive headlong into an approaching crest is entirely my own and without excuse. So many times I’ve not even considered standing against the crush; or, when I do decide to stand, I overestimate my strength and lose my footing as the sandy ground is literally swept out from under my feet. The undertow is always stronger than the wave itself, and in an instant I’m engulfed and sucked out to open water. (more…)

Well, a recent and somewhat blessed cool spell has allowed me to goof off at work again and do stuff like e-mail and post irrelevant thoughts on my blog. So I’m taking advantage.

Last night I had my first Turkish Culinary Adventure with Amy and Allie, two lovely ladies from the IBCB. The Culinary Adventure is something I hope will become a bit of a tradition amongst our little circle of hungry church children. I think the first unofficial Culinary Adventure occurred just about a year ago, when I took Allie and Melanie, another lovely IBCB lady, out to dinner in celebration of the end of another semester at Wellesley College. That evening we drove around a bit trying to decide what we were hungry for, got bored with the proliferation of steak houses, and settled rather happily and spontaneously on a little Indian restaurant that served our steaming rice and curries in little copper pots with serving spoons. The actual eating bowls and plates were left for us to fill for ourselves. There were delicious breads served with some kind of Indian salsa, for lack of a better word, and we all sampled each other’s entrees — which I think was the idea behind the little copper pots. (more…)