12 Replies to “Hi, I Just Wanted To Talk To You For a Second”
Oh, how I love that your cat insisted on being front and center for this tutorial. S/he (?) absolutely insisted on being loved on. That unembarrassed demand for physical affection is simply beautiful. [I know. She is just TOO MUCH. I adore her. – PB]
I don’t have any help for your homily. Sorry. But I love the way you’ve done your eyes. And your hair is great!
Ermengarde was trying to tell you about comfort…..and maybe throw in a bit of joy with it…..
Your eyes are lovely but I LOVE your hair! You look fabulous in this video.
I am NEVER ready to preach Christmas Eve — but I’ll be getting there. I believe that the most important message in the gospel is what the angels almost always say first and foremost: Don’t be afraid. In the face of violence, in the face of illness, in the face of what we cannot control the powers and principalities do not have the power to defeat God’s will the salvation (healing, wholeness, reconciliation, shalom) of humanity. How we get to the good news is problematic and different for each of us — you may want to suggest some ways that have worked for you or others; And you may want to quote a placque I have in my office: “Faith is not belief without proof but trust without reservation.” Blessings on you and all the bangers as we prepare to proclaim great joy and peace on earth…
A second thought…the Christmas Eve sermon that got the most thoughtful response from my congregation was one where I took a standard “everybody’s at the manger” Christmas card and mused, briefly, on each “character’s” viewpoint of the event — who were they what might have brought them there, what was God’s word for them in that moment? Most of us can find ourselves in one of those folks as well. It wasn’t an original idea, I had read it somewhere else and used it in my desperation, but the reflections were my own.
First off, I don’t think I’ve ever watched a video of yours even though I have been a reader for 5 years or so–just lovely. You are darling and authentic–thank you! [Yer welcome! – PB] Second, my toddler sat patiently through the whole video just to yell “cat!” every time your dear one made an appearance–so thank you to your furry one for keeping my little one entertained so I could actually listen to what you were saying. [CAT!! LOL!! – PB]
I understand what you mean about trying to find the balance between addressing the hurts of the world and not wanting to be a Debbie downer. I find that to be a partcular challenge in my neck of the woods where my colleagues at the Non-denom church are preaching health and wealth. [EEK. Just like Jesus, right? hee hee. Not. -PB] I was out for drinks with a friend of mine the other week who said she had finally found a church and what she liked most about it was “the minister is just so positive–he only talks about what’s positive in the Bible, none of that downer stuff, you know?” [Oy. BUT – This may be a starter church for her to get deeper. We can hope, right? – PB]
I think I am rambling a bit but i did want to say I really appreaciated your tutorial. Make-up and trying new things is not my strong suit–so I think on my day off I think I will give this a try! [Love ya. Thanks for writing. PB]
Thanks again for all you do!
Your cat is trying to tell you the answer.
That’s “cattitude” – letting the whole internet know that whatever you are doing at this moment is not as important as PUT THAT DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE CAT.
YOUR HAIR IS SO LOVELY, Dahling! What you say about image is so beautifully demonstrated in this video: although I was listening to your voice and thoughts on Christmas Eve, I was so pleasantly distracted by your gorgeous hair and eye makeup that I kept thinking, “Yes, truth. I agree, but I am also so tickled that she looks so gorg!”
Merry Christmas, sweet friend. Holding you in the light as we make it through to Dec. 26th (31st for me–the five services on 12/30 are coming sooner than I was hoping…)
xoxo
A clergy pal and I read you religiously (ba-dum-dum). We are debating if:
(1) you are serious about Honey Boo Boo, and
(2) why you (an intelligent, articulate, insightful woman) are so sure she’s well-adjusted?
And, yeah, I’m hiding from my family by re-reading your blog in a dark bedroom and eating pie directly from the container. What of it?
Baby doll, I am TOTES serious about HBB. And I really do think she’s doing fine. Couldn’t swear to it on a stack of Bibles but if I had to make a judgement call based on watching all her episodes and appearances I’d say that she is a terrific character, a strong child, and a personality who may survive childhood stardom not only unscathed but WERKING IT well into old age. She has a lot of God-given sassitude, that one, and she’s extremely bright.
A thousand pardons for not reading this before Christmas…got caught up in the everythingness that is Christmas. I was sick three weeks leading up to Christmas which meant no home communions or pre-Christmas communions for shut-ins. That sucked.
As far as what to preach, I try to dispel the Hallmark mythology about Christmas and talk about the wonder. Each year I take one of the characters and try to bring a parallel to today, to see how far we’ve come and yet how little has changed. For example, Mary. If a 13-14 year old girl today said she had been visited by an angel and was pregnant, she’d be off to a counsellor PRONTO. And if a teenage mother gave birth in a barn, there’d be a flurry of activity, including putting the l’il one into the NICU. Can you imagine?
We musn’t forget the wonder of it all. Nobody could really explain WHY they had to endure what they endured, but they did it. Joseph stuck with Mary. Mary had a child out of wedlock. Shepherds followed the angels. And at least three Wise Guys followed a star.
Oh, how I love that your cat insisted on being front and center for this tutorial. S/he (?) absolutely insisted on being loved on. That unembarrassed demand for physical affection is simply beautiful. [I know. She is just TOO MUCH. I adore her. – PB]
I don’t have any help for your homily. Sorry. But I love the way you’ve done your eyes. And your hair is great!
Ermengarde was trying to tell you about comfort…..and maybe throw in a bit of joy with it…..
Your eyes are lovely but I LOVE your hair! You look fabulous in this video.
I am NEVER ready to preach Christmas Eve — but I’ll be getting there. I believe that the most important message in the gospel is what the angels almost always say first and foremost: Don’t be afraid. In the face of violence, in the face of illness, in the face of what we cannot control the powers and principalities do not have the power to defeat God’s will the salvation (healing, wholeness, reconciliation, shalom) of humanity. How we get to the good news is problematic and different for each of us — you may want to suggest some ways that have worked for you or others; And you may want to quote a placque I have in my office: “Faith is not belief without proof but trust without reservation.” Blessings on you and all the bangers as we prepare to proclaim great joy and peace on earth…
A second thought…the Christmas Eve sermon that got the most thoughtful response from my congregation was one where I took a standard “everybody’s at the manger” Christmas card and mused, briefly, on each “character’s” viewpoint of the event — who were they what might have brought them there, what was God’s word for them in that moment? Most of us can find ourselves in one of those folks as well. It wasn’t an original idea, I had read it somewhere else and used it in my desperation, but the reflections were my own.
First off, I don’t think I’ve ever watched a video of yours even though I have been a reader for 5 years or so–just lovely. You are darling and authentic–thank you! [Yer welcome! – PB] Second, my toddler sat patiently through the whole video just to yell “cat!” every time your dear one made an appearance–so thank you to your furry one for keeping my little one entertained so I could actually listen to what you were saying. [CAT!! LOL!! – PB]
I understand what you mean about trying to find the balance between addressing the hurts of the world and not wanting to be a Debbie downer. I find that to be a partcular challenge in my neck of the woods where my colleagues at the Non-denom church are preaching health and wealth. [EEK. Just like Jesus, right? hee hee. Not. -PB] I was out for drinks with a friend of mine the other week who said she had finally found a church and what she liked most about it was “the minister is just so positive–he only talks about what’s positive in the Bible, none of that downer stuff, you know?” [Oy. BUT – This may be a starter church for her to get deeper. We can hope, right? – PB]
I think I am rambling a bit but i did want to say I really appreaciated your tutorial. Make-up and trying new things is not my strong suit–so I think on my day off I think I will give this a try! [Love ya. Thanks for writing. PB]
Thanks again for all you do!
Your cat is trying to tell you the answer.
That’s “cattitude” – letting the whole internet know that whatever you are doing at this moment is not as important as PUT THAT DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE CAT.
YOUR HAIR IS SO LOVELY, Dahling! What you say about image is so beautifully demonstrated in this video: although I was listening to your voice and thoughts on Christmas Eve, I was so pleasantly distracted by your gorgeous hair and eye makeup that I kept thinking, “Yes, truth. I agree, but I am also so tickled that she looks so gorg!”
Merry Christmas, sweet friend. Holding you in the light as we make it through to Dec. 26th (31st for me–the five services on 12/30 are coming sooner than I was hoping…)
xoxo
A clergy pal and I read you religiously (ba-dum-dum). We are debating if:
(1) you are serious about Honey Boo Boo, and
(2) why you (an intelligent, articulate, insightful woman) are so sure she’s well-adjusted?
And, yeah, I’m hiding from my family by re-reading your blog in a dark bedroom and eating pie directly from the container. What of it?
Baby doll, I am TOTES serious about HBB. And I really do think she’s doing fine. Couldn’t swear to it on a stack of Bibles but if I had to make a judgement call based on watching all her episodes and appearances I’d say that she is a terrific character, a strong child, and a personality who may survive childhood stardom not only unscathed but WERKING IT well into old age. She has a lot of God-given sassitude, that one, and she’s extremely bright.
A thousand pardons for not reading this before Christmas…got caught up in the everythingness that is Christmas. I was sick three weeks leading up to Christmas which meant no home communions or pre-Christmas communions for shut-ins. That sucked.
As far as what to preach, I try to dispel the Hallmark mythology about Christmas and talk about the wonder. Each year I take one of the characters and try to bring a parallel to today, to see how far we’ve come and yet how little has changed. For example, Mary. If a 13-14 year old girl today said she had been visited by an angel and was pregnant, she’d be off to a counsellor PRONTO. And if a teenage mother gave birth in a barn, there’d be a flurry of activity, including putting the l’il one into the NICU. Can you imagine?
We musn’t forget the wonder of it all. Nobody could really explain WHY they had to endure what they endured, but they did it. Joseph stuck with Mary. Mary had a child out of wedlock. Shepherds followed the angels. And at least three Wise Guys followed a star.
Wonder. Magic. Joy. Peace.