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
What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon
Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.”
One of the Longest Benedictions I Ran Out of Time to Share
Maybe you know the story of how Joseph and Mary accidentally left Jesus at the gas station on their way home from Jerusalem. Well, not the gas station bathroom in Jesus’ case. Joe and Mary are far down the road before they realize Jesus isn’t with them...
So many quips and quotes...
So little time to preach
I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:
* Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs
* Mary = the single window that matters
* Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”
Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week
“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more
There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God.
Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world. On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.
What Jessica Really Meant to Say in Her Sermon…
When Jessica or Rick or a guest preacher takes the pulpit it’s hard for me to write a One More Thing Blog. I can’t share with you what didn’t make it into the sermon because I have no idea, not having written or delivered it.
Jesus Keeps On Ruining Funerals!
I didn’t have anything this last week that didn’t end up in the sermon. No catchy illustrations that didn’t make the cut. No theological insights that slowed down the main point. No one can ruin a funeral like Jesus. Told as I saw it and that was it. So I did some quick research and I thought I’d share just a reminder of what Easter is all about.