JUST TIRED THINKING ABOUT IT...

Yup, just thinking about Lent is making me tired this year.
 I have already contacted 4 downtownish churches in town to do a mid-week Lent service and lunch and got them all scheduled - not always a minor feat!
The L church is always host for the 5 weekly Wednesday noon services. I worked up a liturgy to use each week - this would be so much easier if there was a handy resource! I have made a list of hymns (we sing 2 at each service) that could be used. Hard to choose one of the hymns without knowing what the other minister will be preaching on. The theme is Living a Holy Lent. I will focus on living more green. Hopefully, there will be a focus on prayer, generous giving, fasting, etc. Will be interesting to see what they latch onto. I'm hoping the SA will not ramble too long this year. The service is usually about 25 minutes long - so brief messages - and he went on and on and on, preached for about a 1/2 hour and some folks had to get back to work. (And yes, he was told how short the services are!)
  Have put together the Ash Wednesday service which will be held jointly with our Episcopalian neighbors across the large community parking lot. The good father will preach at both noon and 7 pm services. I preached last year. For the Call to Observe a Holy Lent - since it is Feb.14th - everyone will get a post-it heart on their bulletin and write on it their commitment to living in Lent - forgo
negativity, fast complaining, walk 5,000 steps a day, etc. We will gather them and stick them on the altar - a rending of our hearts and not our clothing.
   I burned some palms last Friday since it was such a gorgeous day and have some fresh ash. I still have to order the bread for communion and bring in an extra chalice and a couple napkins to hold the bread. (notes to self!)
   Since the L church has had to do some major roof repair, there will be a church dinner and presentation on the cost still needing to be covered. Thus, was born the Lenten Challenge!
What Lutheran doesn't like their coffee? So, we have coffee cups with lids that will sport a label
with the Lent Challenge and a calendar of Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday as Day 1, Feb. 15th as Day 2, etc. all the way through Holy Saturday. The idea being to put in 1 dime on Ash Wednesday, on Thursday to deposit 2 dimes, the next day 3 dimes, and so on throughout the 40 days.
By the end of Lent it is about $80-$81.00 that has been collected. If 20 people do it, we will have raised $1,600.00 already. I didn't want to make too oppressive because by day 20 and beyond you are putting in over $2.00 & $3.00 a day - but it all adds up. I'm hoping that they'll see how a little can truly add up, engage in generous giving and a Lenten discipline and to live into a challenge. We shall see what happens. One can do the same with nickels or pennies - just a lesser amount.
   I still have to work on my Lenten midweek message. Mulling it all around in my head.
  We are one week away from what will be a very busy and tiring season, but also very full of grace and blessing.
   Have to start working on Holy Week, Easter Sunday and of course, Joy Sunday - the Sunday after Easter. Hmmm...maybe right after I take a quick nap!!!!!!!!!!!

LIKE A CRAZY WOMAN

A new year begins and I have been like a crazy woman since our return from our anniversary trip to Grand Cayman. The moment I stepped off the plane, it was insane busy. My first Sunday back was the 2nd Sunday of Advent, meaning Advent was half over!
   There were gifts to wrap and pack in boxes to send. Oh, wait. What boxes? They were filled with china and crystal from the china cabinet and in the family room. I managed to snag two boxes from church and find another in the garage causing the tower of boxes to tumble and then they had to be restacked and the box I was going to use emptied of all the Styrofoam peanuts in it! Nothing is ever easy! Got the three boxes ready to go by spending a couple hours every night wrapping and bowing.
   Snow day on a Tuesday! Church was closed. I wrote my Christmas cards and addressed envelopes for cards and letters. That night they were stamped and ready for mailing.
  The week after we returned, the floor people came to install the wood floor in the dining room. I come home for supper, the floor undone. Seems they had the wrong nail gun. They returned on Saturday and it was a noisy day. I left for worship at 4 pm(thankful to leave the noise and the stink of
wood planks being cut) only to return home around 6:40 pm to find the guys are still there, cleaning up. The floor is in! The door from the house to garage is cracked and broken. It wasn't cracked or  broken when I left, but was now. They denied breaking the door. But no one else used it. Jerks.
Still waiting to hear about our door replacement.
      Two weeks of an Advent Study were completed.
   Fourth Sunday of Advent worship done, and two Christmas Eve services done.
   Slept on Christmas day and did nothing but talk on the phone with family, open presents, and make dinner.
   Tuesday after Christmas the church was closed. Yay! I emptied boxes of china and crystal, washing and drying every piece- service for 12. 12 dinner plates, lunch/dessert plates, soup/salad bowls, saucers, cups, fruit cups and bread plates, serving bowls, platter, 12 beverage crystal glasses, 12 crystal wine glasses, assorted glasses, champagne glasses, items on china display shelves. At least
5 boxes emptied and put in china cabinet. Next two nights - 3 boxes emptied. Leaving one box
of every day ware, service for 8. Most of that is still sitting in a box in the family room.
   Made star words, cut all the replenishment star words for worship. Shoveled church entryways.
Sat. evening worship, Sunday morning worship. A quick nap after lunch. Made cheeseball for family Christmas gathering on Jan. 1st. Was on the verge of brownie making, when the call comes - my sisters-in-law are terribly sick with colds and can't make it. First time in 30 years.
   Make sweet & sour meatballs for dinner (yes, rolling lots of meatballs), clean up and catch my breath.
   Champagne toast at midnight along with heated Panettone.
   On New Year's Day we still made the ham, scalloped potatoes, and simply cooked green beans rather than make the green bean casserole.
   Rescheduled Christmas gathering for Jan. 20th as a luncheon - there will be ham sandwiches and soup served in the dining room using the china and crystal that now sparkles.
   Made sausage bread for the M church lunch bunch. This Saturday will be the L church potluck and another sausage bread.
   One funeral and committal officiated.
   And been contacting other downtown churches to schedule the Lenten Lunches & brief services and left a message with the Episcopal priest for a joint Ash Wednesday service.
   I have been like a crazy woman (not to mention the 3 weeks of cleaning in a row - sometimes just 1/2 day and 1/2 the house so that I still had time to run errands).
   Advent came and went in a flurry of activity and was far from contemplative. I missed that.
   Even this New Year has begun in a less than contemplative way. I pray this does not portend the way this year will go. I need some time and space to breath, to just be. Maybe that's where my star word enters in - TRUTH. Perhaps, I need to honor that truth. My other word for the year is- HOPE.
I hope that the truth is this year, that I won't be a crazy woman like the past month plus! I think God and I can work on that together, one day at a time. Just have to heed God's voice and give God some more of my time.
  May the New Year bring you what you need and may God guide you through each day. Even if sometimes you are like a crazy woman!