Friday, March 27, 2015

whatcha reading? friday 5

For today's whatcha reading friday 5, Mary Beth hosts and asks: What are you reading these days? Any genre, give us novels, magazines, websites, newsletters...

books:

coal wars cover Out of Babylon Cover Towards a common Vision cover let's all be brave cover
Jesus Swagger cover
1. By Richard Martin, Coal Wars: The Future of Energy and the Fate of the Planet

2. Walter Brueggemann, Out of Babylon—I am soooo Brueggemaniac!

3. Our next discussion document on the Faith, Order & Witness Committee will be the World Council of Church's Faith & Order Paper 214—The Church: Towards a Common Vision.

4. Let's All Be Brave: Living Life with Everything You Have by Annie F Downs

5. Oh My Goodness! publicity sent me a book I hadn't even heard of, just finished, and enjoyed very much: Jesus Swagger: Break Free from Poser Christianity! I need to post my blog and reviews soon.

websites:

I especially love houzz and Better Homes & Gardens

Sunday, March 22, 2015

WaterIs: world water day 2015

world water day 2015

WWD 2015, Sunday, 22 March, #WaterIs – Water & Sustainable Development, "Greening the Blue"

Every year on 22 March, United Nations World Water Day focuses on an aspect of [mostly] freshwater. This year's WWD theme is Water & Sustainable Development (of all kinds). Hashtag phrase for WWD 2014 is... #WaterIs.

Especially where I live, work, play, and dream, for me...

#WaterIs:

You probably can fill in the details!

life • creativity • thirst-quencher • health • trees • a future • hope • celebration • carefulness • conservation

Sometimes in southern California #WaterIs:

scarcity • drought • smog • loss • sorrow • wildfires

#WaterIs those and many other gifts for many other people. Why wouldn't all of us do whatever possible to keep the future real?

word water day 2015

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

land, sun, community, crops: synchroblog!

What I appreciate about other religions on Synchroblog Central.

This month I'm bouncing parts of my post off a synchroblog from 2012 that gave us an opportunity to consider what religion other than our current one we might decide to try: choosing another way.

creation squareI resonate deeply with heathen, pagan, celtic spiritualities, with their earth-focused ways of being and living with and within nature. Whether in city, suburb, or countryside, they integrate (astronomical/meteorological) seasonal rhythms into every day routines and remembrances. Spiritual ways that particularly honor land, ocean, sky, sun, and crops have deep roots in earth and sky, similar to those of the church's liturgical year of grace and the Jewish festivals. As they intentionally reflect solstice, equinox, planting, harvesting, fallowing, or cross-quarter, they involve every one of each individual's five senses.

In ways not unlike Judaism and Christianity, earthen spiritualities provide liturgical rituals for marking individual, earth, and community transitions and milestones. In my Reformation brand of Christianity, sacraments are central, and in order to celebrate sacraments we need to be friends of the earth!

Final note: although celtic, pagan, and other earth-centric practices affirm cycles of death and resurrection, unlike Christianity's eighth day new creation theology of the death of death itself and the ultimate triumph of life, their cycles are endlessly unchanging.

Other Synchroblog Participants for March:

What I Appreciate about [Other Religions].

Monday, March 16, 2015

week of grace 17

It's Monday already! Yesterday was Lent IV, Laetare, one of the rose (paraments, vestments) Sundays in the the liturgical calendar. Here's another list of happenings that help with hope from the past week.
social hall windows
1. An invitation to be a guest on Women of Wisdom on Blog Talk Radio!

2. More blog housekeeping on this one, and on a couple of old ones I don't list anywhere but that still are online if you remember what and where they were.

3. Despite doing poorly with daily lectionary reading and journaling, I made lists and decisions in preparation for moving and relocating. Yay, me!

4. Another yummy Wednesday evening soup supper at Church On the Hill.

5. First LBW Evening Prayer / Vespers of this daylight saving season at Church On the Hill! I've previously mentioned Dale Wood's setting of the Magnificat is one of my all-time fave pieces of liturgical music.

6. Again I got to serve as pianist for Holden Evening Prayer after Thursday family dinner at Church Around the Corner. So sorry it was because A was sick and coughing, but I still appreciate the opportunity and the appreciation I got.

7. Four free fun – mainly for headlines and headers – fonts!

8. I visited quite a few design sites and further considered updated content and layout for suntreeriver design dot com. I'm also cool that I'm okay with its not being a responsive site yet.

9. Good prices on both Blueberries and Blackberries this time!

10. How wonderful watching newly called (mostly to the Hispanic ministry) and ordained Pastor N preside at Eucharist and to receive the Bread of Life from his hands.

11. We sang ELW hymn 666, "Wondrous Love."

12. A shoutout to myself for not only having my camera with me (because phone camera is only 3MP, I prefer the 16MP Canon so I can use pics professionally for print projects) and also for getting at least a dozen very good pics at church on Sunday. Though I just about always bring the camera along everywhere, I've been in too much pain to look outside myself to notice if anything is picture-worthy.

13. In the northern hemisphere, who isn't still enjoying the longer, lighter, truly summery days?

13. Annual kids – youth – special needs choir spaghetti dinner benefit after Sunday worship at Church Around the Corner.

Sunday, March 08, 2015

week of grace 16

Another list of small but significant joys from the past week. I'm sure a few things happened prior to Wednesday, but nonetheless, Wednesday is my start day.

1. Serving as pianist for Wednesday noon Eucharist at Church Around the Corner.

2. Enjoying a light soup and bread lunch afterwards, which was an esp nice surprise, since I'd forgotten they served lunch on Lenten Wednesdays.

soup and bread
3. Another Wednesday evening soup supper at Church On the Hill.

4. Final Compline of the wintery season, since we switch to Evening Prayer/Vespers for Wednesday evenings during Daylight Saving Time (or brief eucharist to celebrate a festival that occurs during that week).

holden evening prayer flower
5. I was excited to be pianist for Holden Evening Prayer after Thursday family dinner at Church Around the Corner. The harmonies in Holden are so lovely and unexpected – but not jarringly so – in a lot of places.

6. On Thursday 05 March, the kindle edition of W's book, JustMeQi came out! We're still working through the back cover for the print version ;)

7. Editing, streamlining, etc. my sun country living blog that used to be one of my two active design blogs (most recent post in May 2013). I haven't posted any art on my suntreeriver design blog since January 2014, but need to realize I've tried to keep my Facebook page alive with the types of art my two design blogs used to feature.

8. I've gathered and edited enough client design and my own design finally to update my professional design page, which I need to trust will happen within the next week. This is particularly important, as I don't post client work on Facebook and need to be able to refer people to a site that showcases my work well.

blueberries
9. Blueberries this time! 18 ounces for $5!

10. In the northern hemisphere, who isn't enjoying the longer, lighter days? Shorter nights, as well!

11. New design client left feedback, "wow, you are my new graphics person! I really thank you." That means a lot to me, since he has the types of projects I enjoy doing and that are my best thing—"right up my (design) alley."

Sunday, March 01, 2015

week of grace 15

Listing up some small yet significant happenings from the past week.

1. Participating in synchroblog for the first time in a while. I hope it will become one of my regular things again.

2. I've continued sorting, packing, and deciding what to "delete" before relocating. Three big trash bags and a big laundry basket full of misc ready to go to the critter thrift store!

soup with flower
3. First Wednesday evening soup supper of Lent 2015 and afterwards serving as organist for Compline at Church on (the) Hill. Would it be a good idea to make that two line items, esp since I don't have a long list this week?

Lent cross
4. First Holden Evening Prayer of 2015 at Church Around (the) Corner. Not only did we have a lot of guests for family dinner, several people who hadn't known we have prayer/worship rather than bible study after dinner during Lent joined us in the chapel and said they loved it! Two line items again?

5. During his evening prayer meditation/homily, related to his mentioning how enriching diverse experiences can be, Pastor J gave my teaching a shoutout!

clairemont lutheran social hall
6. I've been enjoying reading through the daily lectionary on PCUSA.org—it's a freestanding two-year cycle that does not parallel the Revised Common Lectionary. After only a little more than a week, I'm so appreciating its logic and continuity; I've been writing some verses into my lenten journal.

7. Somehow I've managed to journal something every day in Lent so far.

blackberries
8. Blackberries again! 12 ounces for $4! last time they were 6 ounces for $2.99, $1 less than $4 the previous time, so they're getting more seasonal with prices correspondingly lower.

9. It's raining! We're still officially drought-stricken, but any precipitation is a major gift and also a big surprise.