03/21/2019
Today is the first day of spring (hallelujah!). I love all the seasons and am always ready for them to change. The first day of spring is always a reminder to me that grooming is to begin for my dog. I love letting her hair grow all fall and winter as she looks like a teddy bear but that does not serve her well when the temperatures rise.
My dog, Ava, went to her groomer yesterday. The groomer is so devoted to dogs and her grooming business. When I tell people about her, I always explain that she is very eccentric--and in a very good way. Outside of her business she dog sits regularly--I cannot imagine how she does it with so many dogs. It seems like over spring break it is nothing for her to be caring for up to a dozen dogs whom she takes home with her every night! In her grooming business, she has a living room setting where the dogs hang out between their grooming sessions. It can be loud but amazingly well controlled. When you meet the groomer, she is a tiny woman who always is dressed with patterns of dogs or the present holiday and her hair is always so neat and creative with braids. She hand makes bandanas for the dogs which relate to the season or holiday of the moment and she sends her clients home with a baggie of dog goodies which always coordinate with the season. I admire her. You clearly know that she loves what she is doing, she is knowledgeable and is passionate. And so I describe her very lovingly as eccentric.
I wonder about our lives as Christians. What would it be like if people described us as eccentric because everything we did and said showed that we do love Jesus, that we clearly know the Word of God as it directs our lives, and people would clearly know when engaged in conversation with us how dedicated we are to God. I know that this is radical thinking but what if…
Ava is no longer a fluffy teddy bear but instead is shaved and skinny but I value those visits to my groomer which make me think.
We live because of the cross and resurrection,
Patti
Archived Posts
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In the coming weeks we will be exploring the importance of presence, prayers, gifts, service, witness, and growth in grace. These are at the heart of what we commit to when we join a Wesleyan grace-led church like ours. But we choose to broaden them out and state them in a new way…
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Psalm 137 is written by people who have experienced catastrophic loss.
They have been conquered...
Patience and Trust
Sunday, in my benediction (which traditional folks did not hear) I talked about the Marshmallow Test. The original results of that test with children was that those who could delay gratification did better in life than those who could not.
Gandhi and the Sugar
I wasn’t preaching Sunday, Reverend Jackie Chandler was. And she talked about the power of influence you get when you practice what you preach. This famous illustration came to mind. It fits Jackie’s points quite well. Enjoy!
Not Just for Parents
Our current sermon series is about How To Talk Parent, but it doesn’t require any of us to be parents to appreciate the bits of wisdom OUR parents shared with us growing up.