Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
This morning as I was running, I decided to make a loop around Brooks Park. If you're not from around here, Brooks Park is a little park that extends into Buckeye Lake; in the mornings it's quiet (unless you disturb the geese, especially if you do it on purpose) and the lake is still. It's a nice short little run by the lake.
Anyway, as I headed out to the park, I first noticed that there were several dumpsters, all full of very large cardboard boxes. When I got closer, I realized that they were recycling containers.
Full recycling containers.
Dumped in trash dumpsters after the weekend's festivities.
Nice.
Anyway, as I headed out to the park, I first noticed that there were several dumpsters, all full of very large cardboard boxes. When I got closer, I realized that they were recycling containers.
Full recycling containers.
Dumped in trash dumpsters after the weekend's festivities.
Nice.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Four Reasons for Four Reasons
Yesterday my family and I had lunch at Four Reasons Bakery and Deli in Lancaster, Ohio.
We went down for a funeral, and since we were all dressed up and since we were hungry, we decided we'd like to go out to eat. The usual places, pizza and fast food, weren't all too attractive, so we decided to drive around a little and see what was available.
We saw Four Reasons and decided it looked good. Here are four reasons to go back:
1. The food was fantastic. We got a French Dip sandwich and their Fairfield Club sandwich and shared them between the four of us. We all loved them. The kids loved dipping their French Dip sandwich.
2. The atmosphere: besides the loud guy who knew everything about everything (sitting two tables away - he was holding court, er, having a conversation with someone, but his voice really, really carried), it was a great atmosphere. If you wanted to come in and eat (plenty of local business-people were there on their lunch breaks) or if you just wanted to hang out, it was a great place for it.
3. The help: everyone who worked there was super-nice and friendly.
4. The desserts: You didn't think we'd go to a place like this without sampling some of the desserts, did you? Jonathan got a huge cupcake (he just ate the frosting - but the cake was really good, too), Andrew got a GIANT chocolate chip & M&M cookie (he was so proud of it), Tara got a pumpkin spice whoopie pie, and I got an apple turnover. Yum!
We originally thought we should have ordered another sandwich for the four of us, but after desserts, we were glad that we'd left room!
You can find Four Reasons on the web at www.fourreasons.com
We went down for a funeral, and since we were all dressed up and since we were hungry, we decided we'd like to go out to eat. The usual places, pizza and fast food, weren't all too attractive, so we decided to drive around a little and see what was available.
We saw Four Reasons and decided it looked good. Here are four reasons to go back:
1. The food was fantastic. We got a French Dip sandwich and their Fairfield Club sandwich and shared them between the four of us. We all loved them. The kids loved dipping their French Dip sandwich.
2. The atmosphere: besides the loud guy who knew everything about everything (sitting two tables away - he was holding court, er, having a conversation with someone, but his voice really, really carried), it was a great atmosphere. If you wanted to come in and eat (plenty of local business-people were there on their lunch breaks) or if you just wanted to hang out, it was a great place for it.
3. The help: everyone who worked there was super-nice and friendly.
4. The desserts: You didn't think we'd go to a place like this without sampling some of the desserts, did you? Jonathan got a huge cupcake (he just ate the frosting - but the cake was really good, too), Andrew got a GIANT chocolate chip & M&M cookie (he was so proud of it), Tara got a pumpkin spice whoopie pie, and I got an apple turnover. Yum!
We originally thought we should have ordered another sandwich for the four of us, but after desserts, we were glad that we'd left room!
You can find Four Reasons on the web at www.fourreasons.com
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
A Comedy of Errors
... but it all worked out ok.
It all started with a phone call on Sunday - between soccer games. Apparently the musical entertainment for the preschool Mothers' Day party (which is a pretty big deal) canceled. They had a good reason, having to do with a death in their director's family.
But it left the preschool director in a jam: now they didn't have entertainment for the party, and it was already Sunday night (and the party was on Tuesday at noon).
So they wondered: would Tara and I be available?
In case you're a new reader of my blog and/or don't know us very well, Tara is a very good violinist and I play guitar. Maybe we could play something?
So we said we would.
Fast forward (not very far) to Tuesday, when the preschool director was sick and couldn't come.
Tara prepared some pretty well-known children's songs and found chords for them and we decided that I would play and she would sing.
And we would do some bluegrass.
And she would play a song that she had originally prepared to play for Jonathan's class when they were having their "music" week (that particular class day was canceled because of the weather).
And I would do the welcome, greeting, public speaking part.
It all worked really well, and (at least as far as I could tell) everyone had fun.
Except that Jonathan was mad that the other kids didn't really know how a certain song (one of his favorites) went. (That favorite is Down By the Bay. Some of his other favorites are Can-Can and Beethoven's Fifth).
It all started with a phone call on Sunday - between soccer games. Apparently the musical entertainment for the preschool Mothers' Day party (which is a pretty big deal) canceled. They had a good reason, having to do with a death in their director's family.
But it left the preschool director in a jam: now they didn't have entertainment for the party, and it was already Sunday night (and the party was on Tuesday at noon).
So they wondered: would Tara and I be available?
In case you're a new reader of my blog and/or don't know us very well, Tara is a very good violinist and I play guitar. Maybe we could play something?
So we said we would.
Fast forward (not very far) to Tuesday, when the preschool director was sick and couldn't come.
Tara prepared some pretty well-known children's songs and found chords for them and we decided that I would play and she would sing.
And we would do some bluegrass.
And she would play a song that she had originally prepared to play for Jonathan's class when they were having their "music" week (that particular class day was canceled because of the weather).
And I would do the welcome, greeting, public speaking part.
It all worked really well, and (at least as far as I could tell) everyone had fun.
Except that Jonathan was mad that the other kids didn't really know how a certain song (one of his favorites) went. (That favorite is Down By the Bay. Some of his other favorites are Can-Can and Beethoven's Fifth).
Monday, May 04, 2009
A Cool Description
First a little background: I am playing soccer in an over 30 league nearby. This Sunday, a guy from church asked me if I'd play on his team, not knowing that I'm already on another team. As is the custom for the Adult Sunday Soccer league (I'm not making it up; that's really what it's called), I stuck around after my game and played with the guy from church.
As it happened, I scored his team's lone goal.
After the game, he asked if I wanted to go out for a beer with the guys. Now, if you know me very well, you probably know that I don't like beer, but I do like hanging out with the guys. So I went along and just got a glass of water (the waitress came up, trying to make a joke and asked if I'd like something to drink: maybe a glass of water... then was a little flustered when I did want water).
The guys gave me a little bit of a hard time about drinking water, but no big deal. Anyway, a little later, another couple from church came in (they're in a cell group with my friend), and one of the guys said, "Ah, that's why he didn't have a beer - he didn't want people from church seeing him drinking!"
To that my friend responded quickly: "No, this isn't that kind of church. At our church, people don't judge each other like that."
That was about the coolest way I've heard a church described.
As it happened, I scored his team's lone goal.
After the game, he asked if I wanted to go out for a beer with the guys. Now, if you know me very well, you probably know that I don't like beer, but I do like hanging out with the guys. So I went along and just got a glass of water (the waitress came up, trying to make a joke and asked if I'd like something to drink: maybe a glass of water... then was a little flustered when I did want water).
The guys gave me a little bit of a hard time about drinking water, but no big deal. Anyway, a little later, another couple from church came in (they're in a cell group with my friend), and one of the guys said, "Ah, that's why he didn't have a beer - he didn't want people from church seeing him drinking!"
To that my friend responded quickly: "No, this isn't that kind of church. At our church, people don't judge each other like that."
That was about the coolest way I've heard a church described.
40 Days of Prayer
This is an exciting time to be a part of the United Methodist Church.
There. I said it. Almost out loud, too.
There are all sorts of reasons to deny how exciting a time it is, but the truth is - it's an exciting time to be part of this movement.
Why?
I believe God is moving in the UMC. God has grabbed onto the hearts of United Methodist Christians in a new way and is beginning something new. God is implanting young people with a new vision for reaching new generations with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I believe that it is through the "means of grace" (regular Christian practices, such as Bible study & meditation, prayer, fasting, serving the poor and marginalized, giving financially, "holy conferencing", baptism, Communion, and so forth) that we draw closer to God, and certainly one of those means of grace is prayer.
Early this Spring, a group of young United Methodist leaders banded together in a mission to bring renewal to the United Methodist Church. One way that we are working is through prayer. On May 18, we will begin a 40 day prayer vigil for the UMC. Each day of the 40 day period, we will be led by a prayer written by a young United Methodist leader (40 of us have written prayers for this occasion).
Additionally, we each have enlisted the aid of prayer partners who will lift up the UMC in our prayers.
I would love it if you would join us on the journey. If you are interested in this 40 days of prayer, some of my colleagues have set up a web site specfically for the UMC Young Clergy. You can find it at umcyoungclergy.com. You can follow the 40 days of prayer on the site, specifically on the Prayer Blog (or just click "Prayer") on the umcyoungclergy.com site.
This is an exciting time to be part of the United Methodist Church.
This is an exciting time to be a part of the United Methodist Church.
There. I said it. Almost out loud, too.
There are all sorts of reasons to deny how exciting a time it is, but the truth is - it's an exciting time to be part of this movement.
Why?
I believe God is moving in the UMC. God has grabbed onto the hearts of United Methodist Christians in a new way and is beginning something new. God is implanting young people with a new vision for reaching new generations with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I believe that it is through the "means of grace" (regular Christian practices, such as Bible study & meditation, prayer, fasting, serving the poor and marginalized, giving financially, "holy conferencing", baptism, Communion, and so forth) that we draw closer to God, and certainly one of those means of grace is prayer.
Early this Spring, a group of young United Methodist leaders banded together in a mission to bring renewal to the United Methodist Church. One way that we are working is through prayer. On May 18, we will begin a 40 day prayer vigil for the UMC. Each day of the 40 day period, we will be led by a prayer written by a young United Methodist leader (40 of us have written prayers for this occasion).
Additionally, we each have enlisted the aid of prayer partners who will lift up the UMC in our prayers.
I would love it if you would join us on the journey. If you are interested in this 40 days of prayer, some of my colleagues have set up a web site specfically for the UMC Young Clergy. You can find it at umcyoungclergy.com. You can follow the 40 days of prayer on the site, specifically on the Prayer Blog (or just click "Prayer") on the umcyoungclergy.com site.
This is an exciting time to be part of the United Methodist Church.
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