Merging is an Ongoing Journey - VBS

A day late - sorry!

So last week was Vacation Bible School at church. And it wasn't just for kids - it was also for adults. Anastasia and I attended together (except for Friday when I had to make a trip to Cape Cod) which was really very cool. Every night we got to have dinner together and then we played games with our table, which ranged night to night with different adults and children.

Anastasia and Aunt Jenn on the first day of VBS

Anastasia really enjoyed herself, making friends, learning songs, doing arts and crafts, playing games, and learning different Bible stories.

For the adults we did scripture studies each night and then a talk on different subjects.

The night ended together with more music.

I have a few memories of Vacation Bible School when I was a kid. At different churches. Singing songs like This Little Light of Mine and King of Kings. Snack time. Getting a Bible. Some of the spaces we were in.

I am so glad Anastasia was able to have some of the same fun.

And I had fun too! I am truly glad they included adults as well. It gave me the opportunity to not only learn with people I have learned with before but with others that I know from other contexts but not necessarily studies or small groups.

I hope we can do it again next year!

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - Worship in the Heat

So, even though it was early enough in the day, it was quite warm (hot) outside yesterday during our outdoor worship service. A lot of the congregation opted to watch from the fellowship hall that allowed breeze in from outside, was shady, and had fans. But several of us were leading worship in the sunny area which was quite warm. We found shade when we weren't singing, but all the singing was in the sun.

Hiding in the shade of a bush between singing

But here is what was very strange for me.  When we were practicing, I felt the sun. I felt the heat. After service when we were putting things away, I felt the sun and I felt the heat.  But during the actual service, it was like the heat went away.  The sun never did, but it didn't bother me that much.

It reminded me of times when I would be doing something for a church service or program when I was tired, sore, hot, had a migraine, or just felt plain terrible - but I was able to push on and almost forget what I was feeling because what I was doing was for God.

Yesterday it must have been the same thing. Because while I do know I was getting burned by the sun and it was warm and I was probably starting to get dehydrated, none of that mattered because I was part of the time of worshiping God.

I'm not saying one has to ignore those things that may be bothering you. Because we do also need to take care of ourselves - God would want that! But sometimes those inconveniences can be overlooked or at least become a little less annoying when you are doing something like praising God.

I used to be overly sensitive about the heat. A day like yesterday I would have been complaining the entire time about everything. But I guess something changed. It was where I needed to be, even with the outdoor conditions the way they were.

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - An Impulse Buy

Leaders don't always have it 100% perfect. Just like everyone else, we are all striving towards perfection but it is a daily striving.  Each day is another day to get better what we didn't do as well at the day before.  Or, as I was saying in my sermon yesterday, every day is a new day to become a whole new you.

About a year and a half ago I gave my first message for the young and young at heart where the prompt was to write out a "valentine" (it was Valentine's Day after all) to someone that you had a hard time forgiving.  I did this because there was someone in my past that I was having a difficult time forgiving.

Turns out I still do.

Thus the impulse buy from Target over the weekend.  Because while I know that I should not let this particular situation bother me any more, there is a part of me that still struggles with forgiving this person for what they did.

But why post about this during this series?

Because this is from my past church life.  And as merging is an ongoing journey, so is this particular forgiveness journey I am on. So it seems.

With the time off I have coming up, my hope is to be able to read through this book and maybe, finally, move past what I'm struggling with.  Wouldn't that be nice?  But, at the very least, be able to not let it bother me so much any more.

Thursday Thoughts - An Old Work Memory

While walking on campus yesterday, as has been the case a few times over the past several weeks, the sprinklers have been going.  And when the sprinklers go, where ever they are, they do tend to hit the sidewalk.

The sprinklers helping the grass

This reminded me of a long (long) time ago when we had to walk across campus in the middle of the day.  And, on hot summer days, we would long for the sprinklers to be going.  Well, sort of.

Sometimes we were carrying things or bringing things that couldn't get wet.  So we had to learn to watch the sprinklers and time when to walk by them so whatever we were carrying didn't get wet.

But if we didn't have anything to carry, and it was really, really, really hot, the object was to cool off, especially on hot summer days.  So then we would want to time it so we'd get hit by the sprinklers.  But not too much so we were overly soaked.

It has been a long time since I have seen the sprinklers going in the middle of the day.  But I'm often reminded of that memory now as I've seen the being used more while I'm outside over the past month.  Also it is very funny how some memories come back so easily, like the one on how to time out the sprinklers so you don't get wet - especially when several of them are covering an area and you have to dodge multiple sprinklers on different timings as you walk a single path.  

Seeing the sprinklers now makes me smile as I remember those former days.  And also laugh at myself as I had to dodge sprinklers while pushing a cart of all my stuff from one location to another.

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - Settling Into a Routine

It may seem kind of strange to talk about being okay with a routine and church, because there is often the thought that you don't want to really be doing things in worship that are just "routine" or doing things "by rote."

The routine that I'm writing about though is anything close to doing things by rote.

It is the comfort of doing things week after week without things being thrown into chaos because of a pandemic or new restrictions or something like that.

Knowing that we have a Contemplative service at 8am.  That is quiet and really gives some time to delve into Scripture a bit.  And it usually leaves something else for you to consider long after the service is done.

Knowing that we rehearse some music at 8:45am with a team of musicians who are great to sing with as we sometimes learn new songs or find new ways to sing familiar songs.

Then choir meets to go over the anthem for that day.  Which always starts with a lot of fellowship and laughter which then has to be corralled by our fearless leader.

After practicing in the sanctuary, then we get some time to rest before service starts.  Sometimes it is a bit of time and sometimes not so much.  And now it means being in the room with air conditioning, and that is ALWAYS nice.

And then we have our worship service.

It's a great routine and one I look forward to every Sunday.

Also a routine - weekly sunsets...

Tuesday Admission - I've Been Neglectful of this Blog

It's been a minute or two since I've blogged.  My Sundays and Wednesdays would be filled with me thinking, "I need to get a photo ready to include in tomorrow's blog entry."  My Mondays and Thursdays would be filled with me thinking, "Make sure when you take a break, take time to write your blog entry."  My Tuesdays and Fridays would be filled with me thinking, "Oh man, I missed my scheduled blog.  I'd better make sure I write one next Monday/Thursday."

Sorry I've been so silent and letting so many days go by without any sort of entry.

There has been no excuse.  I could have come up with something to write. And in some cases, I had an idea.  I just didn't write.

And maybe there is an excuse.  Not that I would ever use a job as an excuse for anything.  But I do have a new job (started yesterday) while still working through some outstanding projects and things from my old job.  Which means my brain is going in about 20 more different directions than it usually does.

All this to say, sorry for being so absent for so many weeks.  Everything is okay.  I just need to remember to breathe and remember the things that I do for my own self, like writing things out.

Ice Cream after Church on 7/17/2022

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - I found the Silverware!

For those of you who have been following my blog for the last couple years or if you read my first version of my compilation of my Merging blog entries, you may remember one of the first things I wrote about was silverware.  If you are curious, it can be found here. Knowing where all the silverware went after drying them or where they could be found if they were needed was one of the first things I learned in the kitchen at Wappingers.  It came so naturally to pull those drawers open and find what I knew would be there.

Well, I finally found the silverware in the kitchen at PUMC.

Communion Prep in the Refrigerator at PUMC

It all started when I was asked to help set up Communion for Sunday (7/3/22).  Which, having done it so many times before at Wappingers seemed not too difficult a task.  It turned out to be a bit of an adventure, but it all worked out in the end.

But in the midst of all this, I needed to find a knife to cut bread.  Which required opening practically every drawer in the kitchen.  And while I did find a knife to cut the bread I also found the silverware.  Which seemed to come at a point where I felt like it was almost full circle.  It's almost two years since the merger became official.  Today is one year since I planned and preached my first full service at PUMC.  And I now know the drawers that contain the forks, spoons, and knives for a regular meal or for regular use.

I've been shown a variety of places where things are hidden.  Where the oil is kept for the candles.  Where the items are for Communion.  Where they keep the candle lighter.  Where the music is organized.  I just never had the occasion to spend much time doing work in the kitchen which would have led to finding the silverware sooner.

But now I have.  And I wonder what I will find next.