Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East

As the unofficial “Mom of Congress”, QG has a reading assignment for all representatives and Senators: Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren.

Too many of the Congresspersons yakking in front of the microphones in the current debates over the course of the war in Iraq are displaying woeful ignorance of the history of America’s involvement with this region. It didn’t begin with Bush 41 or Bush 43 or Clinton or Reagan or Carter. America’s relationship with the Middle East has been complex and difficult since before the establishment of the republic. The author of Power, Faith and Fantasy Michael Oren has degrees in Middle East history from Columbia and Princeton and has been a lecturer on the subject at Harvard and Yale. As a resident of Jerusalem, where he is senior fellow at the Shalem Center, Oren has lived the subject. He knows whereof he writes.

QG hereby adjorns Congress until she has received book reports from all members. This will take a while because the book has 604 pages of text and 174 pages of footnotes and index. There will be an oral exam to make sure the reports were not written by Congressional aides and pages. The country shouldn’t mind being spared the politically motivated speeches and sound bites from Democrats and Republicans alike in the current debate over the war in Iraq in the interest of giving some historical perspective to our policymakers.

Actually, this book is a must read for anyone who cares about America’s foreign policy in the Middle East. Much of this history is not remembered today, but it has a profound impact on the current situation.

Did you know that….

 The adoption of the Constitution, which established a strong central government with the authority to create, maintain and deploy military forces for the common defense, came as a response to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to respond to the hostage-taking and enslavement of American sailors aboard American merchant vessels trading in the Middle East?

 Biblical scholar and distinguished professor of Hebrew at New York University George Bush (yes, a forebear of Bush 41 and 43!) was a leader in the antebellum movement to restore the Jews to Palestine?

 The earliest efforts to build ties between Christians and Muslims in Africa were made by African-American Presbyterian missionary, and later Ambassador to Great Britain from Liberia, the Rev. Edward Wilmot Blyden during the period before the Civil War?

 Egypt’s military forces were built up and trained by a group of ex-Confederate officers in the post- bellum period? Remember the Camel Corps?

 The Statue of Liberty was originally intended to be a statue of a Muslim peasant woman guarding the entrance to the Suez Canal and would have been named “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia”?

 Until the modern period, the Middle East IMPORTED American oil and kerosene?

 Col. Norman Schwarzkopf, father of the General of the same name and Desert Storm fame, was responsible for modernizing Iran’s police force as head of a United States law enforcement mission in that country in 1945?

I didn’t think so. I didn’t either.

PresbyReaders will be interested to see how often “Presbyterian” turns up in this history, as Presbyterian missionaries established modern universities and hospitals across the Middle East, although they made very few converts from Islam. These colleges were very influential in shaping the intellectual class and fostering their desire for independence from European colonial domination.

I’m usually a fast reader, but found myself pouring slowly over this book. It is written in a lively, narrative style, not an academic, pedantic one. The history of the US in the Middle East involves a fascinating cast of characters that makes for compelling reading.

The conflict between America’s idealistic goal of bringing its own founding principles of individual freedom and democracy to this part of the world and European colonialism in the area in the years between the Civil War and WWII is sharply highlighted. Oren makes the case that the failure of the United States to intervene in the genocide of the Christian Armenians by the Muslim Turks during WWI kept America from influencing the carving up of the Middle East into spheres of influence by the triumphant European Allies which set the stage for much of the political/cultural/religious conflicts in this area to the present day.

The last chapter of the book, "In Search of Pax Americana", dealing with the period since WWII, is not as good as the rest. Oren begins this chapter by noting that writing the history of the major events of the last thirty years is “hampered by lack of internal government documents—the bedrock of serious research—which are still classified and closed to the public.” Perhaps he was also rushed in completing it. There is an epilogue with an interview with a recently returned American soldier from Iraq who describes his experiences and says, "They (the Middle Eastern countries) can go the way of modernization or they can go the way of Sub-Saharan Africa. The choice is theirs."

The author predicts the US will continue to pursue the traditional patterns of Middle East involvement that have characterized its policy since the eighteenth century. Which is to say, policymakers will continue to see themselves as mediators and liberators; American churches and evangelists will seek to save the region spiritually; and producers of films about the Middle East will never lack for audiences. Finally, Oren warns that the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq “may merely herald the outbreak of other, potentially more devastating conflicts lasting long into the twenty-first century.”

This book helps answer the questions "why are we involved in the Middle East?" and "why do they hate us?" I highly recommend it, despite the weak final chapter.

Our Lady of the Pizza Pan

Our Lady of the Pizza Pan appeared mysteriously on Ash Wednesday at a Houston area elementary school and is now the object of veneration by hundreds. The school banished the miraculous pan when the crowds coming to the school's cafeteria interfered with the daily routine. No, I'm not making this up: Here's the complete story.

Brought to you by the QG Bureau of Houston Religious Oddities.

Daylight Savings Time Alert

SURPRISE!

Daylight savings time begins NEXT MONTH on March 11! And will last until the first Sunday in November! Your congresspersons slipped this fast one by you back in August of 2005 when the Energy Policy Act passed.

Too bad QG wasn't Mom of Congress at the time.

International Marriage Symbol

Works for me! ;-)

Ash Wednesday Different Strokes

It's a very un-Ash Wednesdayish day in southeast Texas. The sky is clear blue, the sun in shining and it's about 80 degrees. My air conditioning is on. On a beautiful day like this it's more difficult to get in the proper mood.

The church we attend now offers a couple of Ash Wednesday services in its small chapel rather than the large sanctuary. Some of you remember my No Ashes Please post on this subject from 2006. El Jefe and I are not going to attend this year because the imposition of ashes is the point of the service, and there's no reason to attend if you aren't going to participate fully. In our previous church, I was expected to go every year because as a choir member we were needed in the service. Here the service doesn't include the choir.

El Jefe and I are observing Lent by taking on the leadership of a small group Lenten study. I think the discipline of preparing for those meetings will be a good one.

I pray that each of you who do attend an Ash Wednesday service today find it a meaningful way to begin the Lenten season and those of you who don't, like me and El Jefe, find your own observance of Lent equally meaningful.

Train Wreck in the Courtroom

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit I've watched this for even the few seconds it took to form this opinion--BUT--what is up with that judge in Florida presiding over the Anna Nicole Smith hearing? Talk about a total train wreck. Will someone please send in a judge with some skill and remove the cameras from the courtroom?

Thank you.

Wearing the Shoe on The Other Foot

The past six weeks have been an interesting experience in wearing that fabled shoe on the other foot as El Jefe and I, along with Sister-and-Brother-in-law attended the new member class at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston. I've organized and led a few new member classes in my day, and El Jefe has helped teach them, but we never had over 40 people in the class or the resources of a "mega-church" put into the effort.

The classes focused more on integrating the new members into the life of the church rather than emphasizing Presbyterian theology or polity, although there was one session on that subject. The format was appropriate: a presentation on the topic of the day followed by small group discussions.

The most interesting session was the "workday" last Saturday. The idea was to acquaint the new members with one of the outreach opportunities the church is involved in and to encourage each one to find a niche for Christian service outside the walls of MDPC whether with the agency we visited or with another one of the many opportunities that were presented in the next day's "regular" meeting session.

Here's a church that believes "if you feed them, they will come." About 25 members of the class showed up Saturday morning at 8:30 at the church for breakfast and briefing. We caravaned over to the agency for orientation and were offered more snacks, water and soft drinks. After a tour we were divided into 3 groups. El Jefe, SIL, BIL, Babs and I were part of the group packing emergency sack lunches given to hungry clients. Then we went to the Thrift Shop where the guys moved furniture around and the gals "freshened up" the displays. By 11:30 we were called back to the workroom and fed box lunches while we heard about a few more mission opportunities in the area.

Before we left the church parking lot to return home El Jefe received an email from one of the new member class co-ordinators thanking us for our participation. By the time I got home there was another email with pictures of the whole family taken during the workday! Talk about positive feedback.

Although new members are encouraged to participate in the class, they will accomodate those who can't attend and still wish to join. El Jefe and I thought it was important to be part of the class even though as Moderator-Elect of presbytery, I am not exactly flying under the radar here. It's certainly been worth it and we've found it fun to have the shoe on the other foot for a change by participating instead of leading a group.

And will wonders never cease? El Jefe volunteered for kitchen duty Sunday after hearing a pitch from the elder in charge. Quoth Babs--"This from a man who never set a table at home in his life?"

As for me--well, as I told you, I'm not exactly flying under the radar--I agreed to lead a 6 week study for new members as part of the Giving Life Together small group initiative for Lent. So now the shoe goes back to the usual foot.

Friday Five: Tourist Edition

Today's Friday Five comes from Reverendmother....

1. What is one place you make sure to take out-of-town guests when they visit? (you can be vague to preserve your anonymity if you like)

That depends on who the guests are. We like to take families out to Brazos Bend State Park to see the alligators or to Galveston to enjoy the Gulf and the Strand area. If our guests are adults, and depending on the season, we try to schedule an evening at the Alley Theatre or a baseball game at the beautiful Minute Maid park.

2. When visiting another city or town, do you try to cram as much in as possible, or take it slow and easy?

It depends on whether we are familiar with the city or not. If we've never been there before, we like to take an introductory tour and then choose a couple of points of interest for a longer visit. If we know the area, then we are more particular and either go somewhere new or revisit a favorite site.

3. When traveling, where are we most likely to find you: strolling through a museum, checking out the local shopping, or _________________?

Margaritaville!! We love the beach, a lounge chair, an umbrella, a soft breeze, a good book and...Margaritas! Lookin' for that lost shaker of salt....

4. Do you like organized tours and/or carefully planned itineraries, or would you rather strike out and just see what happens?

That depends on where we are. If we are abroad we like to schedule a couple of bus tours. If we are in the US, we will plan in advance what we'd like to do. The entire family is WAY too type-A for unplanned trips. Not our comfort zone!

5. After an extended trip, what do you find yourself craving most about home?

Our bedroom and my own space.

Bruce M. Metzger, 1914-2007

Presbyweb carried the news today that Dr. Bruce Manning Metzger, probably the greatest New Testament critic and Biblical translator of the 20th century died at his home in Princeton, New Jersey at the age of 93. (Presbyweb is a subscription site, but offers a free trial period.)

Dr. Metzger, an ordained Presbyterian minister, chaired the committee that produced the NRSV translation of the Bible. He was a professor at Princeton seminary. I wish I could have taken a class or seminar with him. But in a way, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to bring him into a classroom at the church I served as Director of Christian Education several years ago.

Dr. Metzger wrote a book explaining the book of Revelation from the perspective of Reformed theology, titled "Breaking the Code" and filmed a series of lectures on videotape that accompanied it. I loved teaching that class and found Dr. Metzger's book and videotapes (now available on DVD) instructive and inspirational. He was scholarly but accessible and persuasive without being dogmatic. The class met during the height of the "Left Behind" craze, so our series was very timely and popular.

God bless you, Dr. Metzger, and be with your family and loved ones as you join the Church Triumphant. Your life touched many, many people for good.

Contrasting Views of New Wineskins

My Presbyblogger friends who are interested the New Wineskins Convocation in Orlando last weekend will want to check out the contrasting reports from attendees Toby Brown :"Day Two No looking Back"and "Cliffs Not Named Kirkpatrick" by Bayou Christian.

An Unexpected Tour

El Jefe and I were at a private party last night at the Museum of Fine Arts, which currently has a fabulous exhibit of French paintings on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art in NYC. While we were seated at a little table with some friends, a couple asked if they could join us. We all got to talking and found that she was the curator at the museum in charge of the exhibit.

She had a very German name, but no accent, so El Jefe inquired about her family and we heard this fascinating story. Her father was a prisoner of the Russians in Siberia for 6 years during and after WWII and was one of the few who survived the ordeal. He survived because he managed to learn Russian and thus got to spend some time as an office worker rather than at hard labor. After he was released, he returned to east Germany and then he and her mother escaped to New York when our new friend was only 3 months old. They had to leave most of their family behind. We had a great discussion with her and her husband, retired from the German consular corps, about the changes in east Germany and Europe they have seen.

Afterwards she offered to take us through the exhibit, and we got our own private tour of the exhibit with her! She described how the paintings are shipped, which is a complicated logistical process, and how they are accompanied by museum curators who stay until they are actually hung on the walls.

El Jefe and I had been looking forward to the chance to see this exhibit, but were truly blessed to meet these fascinating new friends and be treated to an art historian's tour. The exhibit is great, go see it if you can.

Pantypalooza II

Wednesday is Valentine's Day, and it is also the second annual Pantypalooza Day!

PantyPalooza is a mission project created by RevGalPal Mindy. You're encouraged to buy new panties and donate them to your local women's shelter or other organization that helps homeless or poor women in your community. Mindy says that this is a need for most of these groups because they will not give used underwear to the needy.

All sizes are needed, so buy some in your own size to donate. Extra large sizes can be in short supply so if you find some of those buy and donate them as well. Here's a link to more information from Mindy's blog.

Valentine's Day is delivery day. Join us in remembering sisters in need on Wednesday.

Mesdames Moderators

Here are the Moderator (Rev. Deborah Cooper) and Moderator Elect (yours truly) of New Covenant Presbytery after our installation at yesterday's presbytery meeting.

The meeting went extraordinarily well. The plan to repay the Million Dollar problem was overwhelmingly adopted and a second vote is now scheduled for February 27. Thank you for your prayers and comments which were a great support for me.

Dr. Craig Barnes preached an incredible sermon on the subject of "Pastor as Minor Poet." There's no way I can summarize this, but fortunately I am told that this is part of his next new book. Reverendmother, I kept thinking how much you would have loved it!

We voted on 68 pages of amendments to the Form of Government portion of the Book of Order. Wait, you say, what about the FOG Task Force and its work? That was a concern of many in the presbytery as well as a concern for moving portions of that section out of the BOO and into advisory handbooks. Results of the voting were mixed but clearly reflected reluctance to make any changes before the FOG made its report. For you Presbypolity types keeping score, New Covenant defeated amendments 06-A, 06-B.1, 06-B.2, and 06-C by large margins and approved 06-B.3, 06-D, 06-E and 06-F.

UPDATE, CORRECTION AND APOLOGY: Dear Readers, Please accept my apologies for erroneously attributing the formation of the EPC to disagreement with the ordination of women in the PCUSA in the first version of this post. Jim Loughlin has correctly pointed out in a comment that this was the reason for the PCA split not the EPC. I am embarrassed to have made this mistake and am revising the rest of this post accordingly to avoid continuing to contribute misinformation to this debate. I really do know my history better than that. Thanks, Jim, for calling me on my mistake and thanks to Will Spotts for questioning it as well.

When I got home from the meeting, news that Presbyterians assembled in Orlando this weekend at the New Wineskins meeting voted to accept the formation of a transitional NW presbytery in partnership with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and to establish a covenanted network of NW churches within the PCUSA was on the internet. Time will tell how significant this event will be in the life of the PCUSA.

Although the EPC allows local congregations to ordain women, there are congregations that will not ordain women pastors or elders in the denomination. Little wonder the EPC wants to keep departing PCUSA congregations segregated in a non - geographical presbytery while it determines whether it can absorb them without a lot of disruption to its own congregations.

About 1990, the church where our daughters was baptized split over national PCUSA issues. El Jefe and I had already transferred our membership to Suburban Presbyterian Church before this occured. There was a big debate among those who left about where to affiliate and they went with the EPC because it permitted, although it did not insist upon, the ordination of women. I just checked the website of the church that formed out of this and it does not have any ordained women on staff nor any women elders but does have women deacons.

This is why many women in the PCUSA who might otherwise be sympathetic to the theological positions of the New Wineskins and the EPC are skeptical about the position of the EPC on women and church leadership and ministry.

Piney Woods Presbytery Meeting

The gracious congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Lufkin ("Crossroads of the Piney Woods") is hosting Saturday's presbytery meeting. So I'm off on a road trip tomorrow so's to avoid arising Saturday morning at o-dark-thirty.

Presbygirlfriend will be accompanying me on the drive. El Jefe is staying home because his office is being moved Saturday to a temporary space while his floor is being remodeled and all hands have to be on deck at the law firm.

Saturday's meeting will feature the installation of the Moderator and the Moderator-elect (yours truly). My RevGal readers will be interested to know that the Moderator is a RevGal. I'll try to post pictures afterwards. Craig Barnes will be speaking during morning worship.

The main business comes in the afternoon session as the presbytery will be asked to approve a budget severely impacted by and a plan to repay the The Million Dollar Problem. As Moderator of General Council, I have to present the plan which it approved to the presbytery for approval. A super-majority will be required to approve it because of previous presbytery actions, and the vote has to be ratified again at a special meeting if it passes Saturday. If you're interested in the details of the report, it is posted here, see pages 13-17. It's a complicated proposal, which I drafted for the task force, so I'm praying for the ability to respond accurately and clearly to questions from the floor and to keep my wits about me if amendments are offered.

Having a plan in place to cover these unexpected and devastating financial obligations will help those responsible for the financial side of presbytery determine the resources available for presbytery. There's a lot of work ahead, and we want to remain faithful to our call to grow disciples and churches in southeast Texas.

Please keep us in prayer on Saturday!

Clear Lake Connection

You just know that we're all going to be treated to endless stories from the cable news networks and talk radio about the NASA female astronaut who drove from Houston to Orlando in a diaper in order to squirt pepper spray in the face of a younger woman who was her rival for the affections of another male astronaut. Good grief!

I doubt the charges of attempted capital murder and kidnapping will stick, but reducing the charges to lesser felonies won't dissuade the media from following the story. Last night I had dinner with the Shower Sisters and we all cross-examined Wonder Woman (our own rocket scientist) to see what she knew about this story. She didn't know anything more than was in the papers, but observed that the NASA culture seemed to encourage sexual hi-jinks that usually aren't publicly exposed.

Remember Clara Harris, the woman who ran over her cheating husband with her Mercedes and killed him after catching him in flagrant delicto? And how about Andrea Yates, the mom who drowned her 5 children in a depressive, psychotic moment? Both of them lived in Clear Lake, a subdivision of Houston. Lisa Nowak also lives in Clear Lake. Makes you wonder if there's something in the water over there.

Joy of Aging Department

Here's the new theme song for those of us "of a certain age"--Middle Aged Woman by Lisa Koch.

Hat tip: Brother W.

Too Late for Blather

Things are heating up again in the Presbyland. Today's letter to the churches from the Stated Clerk and Executive Director of the PCUSA, posted under the title "Unwavering Confidence Expressed in Letter to Congregations" in fact expresses no such thing. Although Kirkpatrick and Valentine fail to name it, the letter is clearly written in response to fears that the New Wineskins Association of Churches meeting in Orlando later this week will be followed by more than "a few" congregations seeking to leave the PCUSA.

Why be so coy? The New Wineskins published a plan whereby congregations leaving the PCUSA would join a non-geographic presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church for a period of five years as a transition into that denomination. That is on the agenda. There have been a few churches leave for the EPC already, and clearly this convocation is (and ought to be) a serious concern in Louisville. Presbybloggers Toby Brown and Bayou Christian will be in attendance, so check their blogs for their reports and observations if you'd like to read a first hand account.

Sharing this letter will raise more questions than it answers for most people in the pews. It is past time for straight talk, not more tedious smokescreens and pious blather. The letter reveals an inability to acknowledge and deal with the very real division in the church, and further undermines whatever confidence in GA officials remains.

As The Wedding Bells Toll

We're all a-buzz Chez Grace over the latest news from the wedding front: my nephew, Doc the Navy Surgeon, and one of Portia's bridesmaids met and fell in love at the wedding in September. He looked so dashing escorting me down the aisle in his dress uniform--who can blame her?

Now Doc has proposed to Queenie (so-called because her hometown is in Queens, NY) following a whirlwind bi-coastal courtship and she said yes! This weekend he flew to her home, talked to her parents, and then presented her with a big batch of roses and his grandmother's diamond ring on bended knee. El Jefe and DK are already grousing that he's making them look bad by comparison.

Doc is stationed in San Diego and Queenie is in New York preparing to take the New York state bar exam following her graduation from law school. They'll make their home in San Diego where he should be stationed for at least a couple more years for his residency training. Portia is thrilled that her college roommate, sorority sister and close friend will become part of the family when she marries her cousin. And yes, Queenie has already asked her to be a bridesmaid.

SIL and I are reminding ourselves that this time it's our turn to do as we're told as the Mother and Aunt of the Groom. This is not an easy thing for either of us after planning 3 weddings for our daughters. Not to mention the older sisters of the groom, who have their own ideas. Let's face it, none of us are good at doing what we're told! Question to self: can I wear my MOB dress to a wedding in New York if I cut off the dorky mini-train foofy thing on the back?

El Jefe and I think the powerful mojo of the Presbyterian pastoral trifecta presiding at Portia and DK's wedding created the atmosphere that inspired this match between Episcopalian Doc and Catholic Queenie! Isn't it awesome when blessings flow from blessings?

Time and Change Friday Five

Today I'm playing the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five meme. The topic is changes in life.

1. Share, if you wish, the biggest change you experienced this past year.

2006 was a year of many big changes for me. It's hard to choose just one. So I will choose the one that I didn't see coming this time last year and haven't blogged about before. El Jefe and I left our church home of nearly 20 years for this church this fall. We're very excited about its mission and ministry. Plus all of our extended family (including Portia and DK) are now attending here every Sunday. And I'm singing in the choir again with my favorite director.

2. Talk about a time you changed your mind about something, important or not.

Remember the energy crises of the Carter administration? As a young lawyer with a large Houston corporation I had the job of trying to explain the energy-saving regulations passed by Congress to the building engineers of our company. The head engineer was almost in tears as he explained to me that there was no way we could comply with the new regs because they were written for climate control systems of the Northeast and our systems in southeast Texas were so different that he couldn't make head or tail of them. That's when I changed my mind about the desirability of big federal government.

3. Bishop John Shelby Spong wrote a controversial book called "Why Christianity Must Change or Die." Setting aside his ideas--what kind of changes would you like to see in the Church?

I'd like to see Christians behave as though their faith and the church were really important. I know if I did this more consistently I'd be a better Christian, and I think the church would be better if we all did. And by all means, let's set aside Spong's ideas.

4. Have you changed your hairstyle/hair color in the last five years? If so, how many times?

Yes, after lots of "encouragement" from Portia and Babs, I went to a new hair stylist and am letting (yikes!) some of the gray peek through. Now Babs isn't so sure she likes it and last night El Jefe was looking at it funny. So maybe I'll be changing again!

5. What WERE they thinking with that New Coke thing?

Quien sabe?

My Amazon Account

It's great reading weather here: another cool, gray, rainy day in southeast Texas. I'm impatiently waiting for my next delivery from amazon.com because I just finished my last "new" book. I've always been one of those people who reads several books at once. Recently I found that I tend to have one history, one novel, one "comedy" book, and one book that fits into the "religion" category. Here's what will be on my bedstand when the next shipment arrives (hopefully today!):

• Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren. It will be interesting to trace the history of America's involvement in this area which is now so important to us.
  
  
• You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore. This is the sequel to his comic vampire novel Bloodsucking Fiends. No, this is not my "religion" book!
  
  
• Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America by James Webb. El Jefe loves this one so I'm reading it, too. Maybe it will explain why the PCUSA, which is Scots-Irish in origin, loves to fuss and feud.

• Bless Your Heart Tramp and Other Southern Endearments by Celia Rivenbark. This is the comedy book. I just finished Rivenbark's We're Just Like You, Only Prettier and thought it was pretty funny. I'm tempted to go back and order her newest one, too: Stop Dressing Your 6 Year Old Daughter Like a Skank. Funnier if you're from the South.

And no, the religion book isn't another Paul Borden opus or anything from the emergent/missional church moment. I need a break from all that. ~Drumroll, please~ it's--

• The View From the Monastery by Brother Benet Tvedten. The monastery Brother Benet is writing about is the Blue Cloud Abbey that was described by Kathleen Norris in Dakota and The Cloister Walk.

What's in your next book shipment?

Requirement for Mission?

Yesterday's post drew such a variety of good comments and discussion that I'm going to throw out another idea for discussion from the retreat that I've been pondering.

Borden emphasizes the importance of tying increase in number of new disciples into the job expectations for pastors, staff and lay leaders. One of the examples he gave was the church that decided to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project and set up the requirement that church members had to bring an "unchurched" person (apologies to those of you who aren't comfortable with that word) along with them in order to work on the project.

How would a requirement like that work in your church? Would it discourage people from becoming involved in the mission or motivate them to reach out and involve someone who was not yet a disciple of Jesus Christ? Should mission be used in this way for evangelism?

Prayer Requests in Worship

It's been more than a week since our retreat led by Dr. Paul Borden, but I'm still puzzling over some of the things he said. One of the examples he gave to illustrate his point about churches thinking too small was the practice of sharing prayer concerns during worship.

He was referring to a time in a worship service when members of the congregation are invited to speak out and ask for prayers for people or circumstances they are concerned about. Sometimes this includes praise to God for recovery from illness or other good things that happen in their lives. When I've seen this done it seemed to me that it emphasized the Christian fellowship and connectedness of the congregation as well as encouraging their Christian witness, and that would be a good thing and probably appealing to visitors.

Not so, says Borden. He thinks that this type of practice makes visitors feel uncomfortable and excluded from an intimate time of sharing between those who have relationships with each other. The more I thought about it, the more I thought he has a point when he says that this type of personal prayer request is better made in small groups or to an organized prayer ministry of the church. Yet on the other hand, it is hard to imagine a church eliminating this from their worship service without a giant kerfuffle ensuing.

This is just one example of the difficulty congregations will encounter if they really try to make the people who are not members (or do not attend) their priority rather than those who do. Today I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect.

New Blogger--A Suckhole for Time

Blogger finally let me switch QG over to the "New" Blogger. Every other time I tried to switch I got a "Not Yet" message.

Fortunately today is Saturday and I needed to stay home anyway. But I didn't mean to spend the whole day playing with all the features, changing the template and trying to figure out a way to get a picture on my header.

I'm not satisfied with the way the header looks, so I'll be tinkering with it some more. I think I'll have to learn how to do the widget thingies if I want the picture to fill the header. Any advice is welcome!

More Ideas for Transformation

Zorra sent me the link to this cartoon and wonders if this is what Paul Borden has in mind?

QG the Erudite

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Honourable Lady Quotidian Grace the Erudite of Lardle St Earache Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

St. Earache? There's a St. Earache??? Hat tip to more RevGals than can be humanly linked!

Tough Enough To Change?

As promised, today I'm posting some selective reflections on the time our presbytery leadership spent last week on retreat with Dr. Paul Borden.

Borden is an American Baptist pastor who serves as the leader of one of that denomination's regional judicatories. We read his book Hit the Bullseye as background for his presentation. Since the retreat was for our presbytery leadership, he focused on ways to develop the presbytery staff as consultants to plant healthy churches and transform existing congregations. These strategies can be (and have been) easily adapted for church leaders wanting to grow a healthy congregation. I recommend the book to those of you who are interested--it is a compelling and easy read. Dr. Borden has a good record of success transforming churches which gives his ideas credibility.

Borden is a proponent of tough love. His position is that making disciples must be the first priority -- it is more important than worship, education, fellowship or denominational principles. When he talks about growth, he is not talking about increase in number of members--what El Jefe calls "exchanging hostages" (receiving new members who were already Christians in another church)--but making disciples out of those who were previously not Christians. When Dr. Borden talks numbers, he is referring to worship attendance rather than membership. He believes that the Great Commission is the foremost obligation of the church.

Borden said many things that I have always thought, but never heard anyone else say:

• Too many churches are designed and structured to remain small and ineffective. We think too small.
• Too often peace is a higher value than mission, or anything else.
  
• Most pastors don't know how to effect transformation because they've never been trained to do it.
• Fellowship and shepherding must be programmed because making friends is far more important than being friendly.
• Congregations that are declining will not change until they become focused outward.
• If a church wants to grow it must staff and behave as if it were larger than it is

Borden also said a number of things that I hadn't heard before and found very challenging:

• Pastors should not be acting as "chaplains" for the congregation, but should focus on developing the leadership of the staff so the staff can develop the leadership of the laity. (See this excellent post by Jan Edmiston and the thoughtful discussion in the comments that expand on this subject.)
  
• Churches that are not making new disciples for Jesus Christ are not being faithful or healthy, no matter what else they are doing.
• A healthy church gives priority to the people who aren't there yet instead of the people who are.
  

Accountability is the key to the strategies that Borden advocates--the pastors and other church staff as well as the lay church leadership must be held accountable for well-defined goals. Those goals should include the number of UNCHURCHED people their ministry will reach this year for Jesus, how many leaders they will develop, and by what percentage their area of ministry will grow this year. Borden stresses that "you must marry responsibility with accountability."

It seems to me that the issue of accountability will be the most difficult obstacle to overcome. Accountability is something that churches of every denomination fail to apply to their pastors/priests/ministers, staff and lay leadership at every level. Too often the suggestion that performance standards should be agreed upon and implemented is successfully resisted by those who either fear them or fear the controversy that enforcing them might cause. Witness the congregations and denominations that reward pastors and denominational leaders despite loss of membership, revenue and withdrawal from mission. Or note the many times that ineffective and/or dysfunctional lay leaders remain in place because neither the pastors nor the other lay leaders will remove them. Effective systemic change will never happen unless we are willing to deal with some unpleasantness and pain along the way. The question is can we be tough enough to change, or are we satisfied to wring our hands and whine?

Dr. Borden's presentation did not gloss over the difficulties in the path of congregations that commit to following his strategies for transformation. He gave us way more to think about than I have included here. Dr. Borden's prescription would be a dose of salts for most of us, but maybe it's just what we need to move into the future making disciples for Christ instead of continuing our self-satisfied ways and wondering why the church continues its decline.

If I were the pastor of a church that committed to work with him and his principles, I would be mightily heartened and encouraged to have Paul Borden's assistance and counsel during the inevitable trip to the valley of the shadow that the process would bring. He is positive, convincing and very supportive of pastors, staff and lay leaders who engage in transformation. His presentation included lots of specific examples of creative ways that churches he worked with reached out to make disciples.

Because it would be difficult to re-structure an existing congregation in the way he advocates, I think that using these principles in the implementation of new church plants will prove to be the most productive strategy. I'm appointing a small group of those who attended to sift through all these ideas and recommend ways for New Covenant presbytery to tackle them--that may include exploring the idea of a joint "Growing Healthy Churches"/PCUSA church plant in this presbytery. Since New Covenant presbytery is training church transformation consultants this week, we will also want to consider integrating some of the GHC principles into our program--with special attention to Borden's emphasis on accountability.

Our retreat was very challenging and hopefully will prove to be very productive for us!

Wedding in Mexico Lindo

My good friend Wonder Woman (so-called because she is a real rocket scientist working with the space program, a long-time Middle School youth sponsor, expert seamstress and all around fun person)'s eldest daughter was thoughtful enough to plan her wedding at a Mexican Pacific beach resort this weekend, so of course Dorothy, her husband, El Jefe and I had to attend.

The area is known for its magnificent sunsets, so I'm sharing this picture I took with you. We were also treated to an evening of watching the humpback whales while sailing around the bay. Sometimes we saw three or four of them at a time blowing big waterspouts and flipping their tails! The weather was delightful--mid to high 70's and partly cloudy. The best part (other than the wedding itself) was the chance to spend a lot of time together and solve all the problems of the world and the church.

Now we're back to real life in dreary, rainy, cold Houston. Tomorrow I'll report on the retreat to the Piney Woods with Paul Borden. Today I've got some catching up to do!

Retreating Once More into the Piney Woods

Later this morning, after the roads warm up, I'm off to Presbyterian Church Camp in the Piney Woods for the annual New Covenant presbytery retreat of General Council and all the committee chairs. Our retreat leader is Paul Borden.

I'm not familiar with him, so hopefully I will learn a lot. Since it's cold and the cabins are drafty, I'm packing an extra blanket and a bottle of restorative vino for myself, my roomie and whoever else wants to join us.

We return tomorrow afternoon-- and El Jefe and I leave the following morning to attend an out-of-town wedding through Monday. So there may not be any new posts until Tuesday. Have a good weekend, y'all!

A 6th Odd Fact Even QG Didn't Know About Herself

DK continues his research on the geneology of my family and just turned up the information this afternoon that one of my direct ancestors was executed for being a witch during the infamous Salem Witch trials in colonial Massachusetts.

That could explain a LOT!

5 Odd Facts About QG

Denis Hancock (The Reformed Angler) tagged me for a meme where you share 5 odd facts about yourself that people are not likely to know already. Here goes:

1. As a high school senior I was the Duchess of San Antonio in the Cav-OIL-Cade festival in Port Arthur, Texas. This meant that I spent a couple of weekends there, rode on a float in a long fancy gown and was relieved that my assigned escort for the weekend was my height. For those of you who didn't grow up down here, Texas has an array of festivals that require faux nobility. The Cav-OIL-Cade was sort of a "farm team" for the big league festivals like the Martha Washington Ball in Laredo, the Tyler Rose Festival and the the n'est plus ultra: the Battle of Flowers Parade in San Antonio. I was involved because my Aunt Jean was a force in the Cav-OIL-Cade. And no, I was never called up to the big leagues!

2. In college I went to the March on Washington against the War in Vietnam with my sorority sisters. We had t-shirts that read "Tri-Deltas Against the War."

3. The summer after I graduated from college I was invited to go on a young adult mission trip to Colombia by Mission Presbytery (that's the presbytery for the San Antonio area where I grew up). We spent a month down there and went all over the country. It was a great experience.

4. I was the first woman to be invited to become a partner in a San Antonio law firm--but the offer came at the same time as El Jefe's offer of marriage. I made the smartest choice of my life when I chose El Jefe and moved to Houston where he was an associate in the Big Time Law Firm.

5. I served as an officer and director of the Junior League of Houston for several years. My favorite position was a two-year gig as their Political Action Chairman. I got to go to conferences in Washington DC and lobby Congress with the national group for child abuse reform. Most Junior Leagues have "worker bees" as well as socialites. I was one of the worker bees.

I'm supposed to tag other bloggers, but I'm reluctant to do that with a meme that involves revealing personal things about yourself. So if you'd like to play, please let me know in the comments. I'd love to visit and find out 5 odd things about you!

Million Dollar Problem Update

For the last several days I've been consumed with meetings at presbytery devoted to developing a solution to the million dollar problem.

Here's the most recent financial report on the New Covenant website, if you're interested.

It turns out to be more than a one million dollar problem.

The presbytery's investigation revealed that the former director of business affairs who diverted the special offerings money to presbytery's operating accounts also engaged in an elaborate sale-and-leaseback chain of copier contracts generating large cash rebates that were used to cover other financial shortfalls at the staggering cost to the presbytery of a total copier obligation through 2011 of over $700K. The contracts were reviewed by an attorney who advised that they are enforceable. Presbytery representatives have tried negotiating an early buyout but with no success. Additionally, the presbytery's own restricted accounts, many of which are held for third-parties, were diverted to operating costs to the tune of over $500,000. The million dollar problem has become a $2 million plus problem. Lately it seems as though the numbers are a constantly moving target, which is frustrating.

As a result, the presbytery also finds itself with a critical cash shortage which the aforementioned misallocation of funds was masking. The financial folks are developing migranes as they try to cut the proposed budget enough to balance the income and expenses going forward into the fiscal year 2007.

I've been working with a task force charged with developing a repayment plan that would include reimbursement to the PCUSA for the special offerings, payment of the copier contracts; and replacing the money in our own restricted accounts. We think it is important to bring a proposal for repayment to the February 10 presbytery meeting in order to restore credibility and confidence.

Fortunately, presbytery does have resources to help meet this daunting obligation. A couple of years ago it received an unrestricted bequest that is large enough to cover these debts. That bequest was set aside for the purpose of supporting the presbytery's vision -- "growing congregations that passionately engage their community to make disciples". We've already made a lot of progress planning programs that will help our churches fulfill this vision and are supporting more New Church Developments than almost any other presbytery in the country. The terms of the fund that were previously approved by presbytery will allow using the corpus for other purposes provided there are two super-majority votes by presbytery on different dates. Of course if the fund is depleted, then presbytery will not have the funds to continue supporting its vision in the future.

There are also three parcels of land on the market that were acquired for NCD use in the past but now are not deemed suitable for that purpose. The combined estimated fair market value of this land approximates our total liability. However, two of the parcels have been on the market for some time with little interest generated in them. The third and most valuable has more potential for an early sale and was only recently listed. A group has recently been formed to study the possibility of selling the property where New Covenant's offices are located as well, and that may be another source of money that could be used for repayment.

The challenge is to balance the need to begin making significant repayments to the special offerings and restricted funds, as well as covering the copier lease obligation, with the desire to keep moving forward with a vision that we think is critical not only for the presbytery but ultimately for the PCUSA. There is something very positive going on down here in southeast Texas -- and Heaven knows that the PCUSA needs all the positive developments it can get!

So the task force came up with a 5 year repayment plan that addresses all of these issues in the hope that within the next couple of years real estate sales will permit earlier retirement of all obligations and reimbursement to the Vision Fund of any advances made. It seems like the most prudent and responsible approach to take.

As I write and re-write the drafts of the task force's report and recommendations, I shake my head wondering how in the heck we got into this mess. Then I remember Sir Walter Scott's famous line: "O what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." Isn't it the truth? I'm grateful we have the resources to get ourselves out of it, but I am concerned about the consequences. I know that the budget cuts that will be necessary in the meantime are going to distress those affected by them.

Despite the difficulties ahead, though, I am not dismayed. Much good will come out of the million dollar mess. Sound financial controls have been implemented. Barnacles on the good ship New Covenant are being scraped off. Tall Steeple Churches have stepped up and assumed some critical NCD costs for the near future. Sessions and individuals are making contributions to presbytery to help with repayment. The General Assembly office is cooperating with the presbytery's proposed repayment schedule. Presbytery will find out which of its functions, programs and missions have the support of the churches and which ones do not. None of these things would have happened but for the MDM.

God can use any situation for good for those who trust in Him. And I believe that God will.

Out of the Mouths of Teens Department

Why I Intend To Boycott City's Two Parades.

Well said, Geroyal!

Can't We Just All Get Along ? Department

For years two warring factions have conducted Martin Luther King Day parades (yes, two of them) in downtown Houston. Last year's settlement that resulted in peace, unity and one parade for all fell apart this year, and lawsuits ensued resulting in a federal judge ordering the city to issue permits for two parades. There's a rumor on the radio that a third group is now wanting to get in on the fun and insist on its right to have its own parade on Monday.

Way to honor the legacy of Dr. King, y'all !

Missing Miss Vivien

Please join me in prayer today for the family and friends of one of my favorite people: Miss Vivien. Vivien died yesterday after a long bout with melanoma. She was an energetic, positive woman who was always a delight to be around, even in her illness.

"Miss Vivien" was a beloved Sunday School teacher for the second and third graders at the church. She loved teaching that class with her teenage daughter as her assistant. She was also an elder and very active with the youth programs her daughter participated in. Her husband and daughter will miss her very much, as will all of us who were privileged to know her.

But we do not grieve as those who have no hope, but are comforted to know Vivien has joined the Church Triumphant. God bless you, Vivien.

Separating the Viable from the Non-Viable Church

Wendy emailed me a very interesting article today. "How to Measure Viability" by Thomas Bandy discussed how to measure the viability of churches and when to decide it is time to “pull the plug on them.” In the article, Bandy argued that “many regional judicatories are being held hostage by non-viable churches” and that “most viable churches have distanced themselves from the denominations.” (I'm quoting from it because it isn't available on the web.)

Since I’m committed to spending the next two years working intensively with my presbytery as Moderator-Elect and Moderator, that assertion really got my attention. I think there is a lot of truth in it and that is a real problem because those viable churches are the ones that can provide the resources and example that the “less viable” or “ non viable” churches need.

Bandy suggests that a leader of a church must give three years of effort devoted to trying everything possible to help a “non-viable” church grow. If within 6 months after the end of that time at least 3 out of the 5 following criteria are not realized, then it is time for the pastor to move on and for the judicatory to close the church:

• Net increase of 20 percent of the adult members in serious, partnered midweek, spiritual growth disciplines that include daily Bible reading, intercessory prayer for strangers, intentional conversation about God, increased financial giving at least 3 percent above the average weekly gift to the church and perfect worship attendance (except for reasons of health).

• All (100 percent) of the board members can publicly, individually articulate the answer to this key question: What is it about my experience with Jesus that this community cannot live without?

• The average number of newcomers or visitors in attendance at weekly worship has increased by at least 10 percent.

• The congregation has staked significant money and volunteer energy (proportionate to its budget) on a signature outreach ministry towards a micro-culture not currently represented in the church;

• At least 10 lay members have separately and individually come to the pastor without any outside encouragement or announcement to declare their readiness to do whatever it takes to follow Jesus in mission…and agreed to pray together for the resurrection of the church.

Those are some very specific criteria. I think Bandy’s emphasis on spiritual development of the members, increase in visitor attendance and a proportionate commitment to mission outside the congregation are the keys to success of any revitalization effort.

Many of us in church leadership have resisted setting objective measures of success in this area, fearing that to do so seems to limit God’s grace and power to transform. Bandy argues that his criteria are not measuring God, but our faithfulness—or lack of it. Indeed if we agree to judge others by this criteria, we will be judged by it ourselves. And maybe we’ll be found lacking, too. It is too tempting to exclude ourselves from this judgment.

Ouch! Jesus had something to say about that:

... how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Luke 6:42.

Calling All RevCooks

Here's a great idea for the Food Network: a show based on the new cookbook, Cooking With The Bible.

There are plenty of RevGals and Pals who could be featured cooks for the series.

Who wants to be the next Rachel Ray or Paula Deen?

Helpful hint for the show: don't demonstrate the Ezekiel bread.

Didn't Know I Needed It

Ahem.

Good friend Dorothy gave me this calendar today as a belated Christmas present.

I think I'm flattered she thinks I need help with this!

Please Shut Up

The Reverend Pat Robertson is once again receiving messages from The Almighty in the form of dire predictions for 2007. This one is a doozy. Robertson says the Lord told him that the US would be hit by a major terrorist attack sometime after September of 2007 involving several major cities and possibly millions of casualties.

Rev. Pat says God is angry with the US for "feigning" friendship with Israel and pushing it towards "national suicide." It's hard to know what to say about a statement that is so patently false.

Robertson claims that he is usually right --like the one where he said President Bush would appoint conservative judges to federal courts (that's a prediction?). Plus he got this directly from the Lord who spoke to him at a recent prayer retreat. I think he's having trouble differentiating the voice of God from the voice of his own preconceived notions.

Can't someone make him stay home and shut up?

An Inspiring Service

I was listening to the funeral services for President Ford at the National Cathedral this morning while I took down the Christmas decorations. (Yes, I know, some of you leave them up until the end of Epiphany. But I get antsy to do this after New Year's Day.)

Wasn't the music in the service wonderful? The magnificent pipe organ, the orchestra and the choirs were so inspiring and uplifting. And the congregation sang EVERY VERSE of the hymn For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest ! This is one of my favorite hymns and too often you only get to sing a few of the verses.

I also came across this post from Ben Witherington about President Ford and his son, Reverend Ford, who was one of Witherington's seminary classmates which includes some interesting personal anecdotes. It's worth reading.

A New Year's Rhyme

(In the spirit of the New Yorker's annual New Year poem,
QG offers her own version for 2007.)

Strike the concertina's melancholy string,
Let the soul-stirring harp play like anything.
It's time for New Year's wishes round the ring,
To RevGals, Pals and Presbybloggers I sing.

Huzzah for the RevGals who now have gone "Inc",
With lots of new bloggers now in the link!
Songbird, Reverend Mommy and St. Cassarole,
Wills Mama and Jan and a Bear on a Floe
Join in sending their wishes for the best New Year yet
To Cheesehead, Rebel, Reverendmother, Mibi, and Net.

The year 2007 could be the calmest
For Wendy, Spooky Rach, Mindy and Psalmist.
Add Mary Beth, Zorra, Dogblogger and Miranda to my list
Of Texas Bloggers whose posts cannot be missed.
May this spring bring you bluebonnets and not too much haze,
May you soar through the minutes, the months and the days.

To Pink Shoes, to Gallycat, to Cathy and Lutheran Chick
May each day bring you more blessings than you can pick.
For Rev Abi, Preacher Mom, Singing Owl and Gannet Girl,
Some excitement, some adventure to keep you in a whirl.
Gord, Deb, Grandma Jean and Teri
Should find many ways to keep themselves merry.

The New Year brings with it a chance to sow the good seed
For Kathryn, John, Stacey, Bro Greg and Vicar of Hogsmeade.
We hope that the year 2007 will prove a good date
For Emily, Jane Ellen, Iris, and Anna Straight.
Now we have a chance to make a new start
And show the love of God lives in our heart.

What will the year bring for our fellow PresbyBloggers,
Who faithfully follow PresbyDoings as loggers?
Woe betide those who try to sneak a ruse
Past Will Spotts, Beau, Toby, Denis or Michael Kruse.
Hail Andy Moye, kairos, Presbyterian Gal, Russell Smith and Pastor Lance--
May the news from Louisville not prompt you to write rants!

In the spirit of comity, peace, light and grace
QG sends greetings all over the place--
To Moderator Joan Gray and even the Clerk.
May you find a way to make the PCUSA work
Together in the New Year better than in the last,
So the fussing and fighting can be in the past.

To the RevGals and Pals in our growing webring
May 2007 many blessings bring.
And to a broken world in need
Of healing from Jesse's seed,
May the New Year bring God's love and grace
To everyone in every place.

Not A Loyalist After All

Family Geneologist-in-Chief El Jefe was thrilled with son-in-law DK's recent interest in researching the family's geneology. With some guidance from him and using the ancient sampler that I have from my father's side of the family, DK has definitively exploded some hoary family myths.

I'd always been told that my father's side of the family were Loyalists during the American Revolution, who left New York for Canada during that time and returned later. DK has pushed the geneology back to the first family member to come to the New World to live in Plymouth Colony. This man arrived on the Fortune, which was the second ship after the Mayflower to bring English settlers to this country. Furthermore his descendants fought against the British and DK even found evidence that they were awarded pensions for their service from the fledgling American government. Instead of being eligible for membership in the Daughters of the British Empire, I'm eligible for the DAR! What a shock!

So where did that story about being Loyalists come from? We do have some ancestors who were Swiss Mennonites living in Pennsylvania at that time. Since Mennonites were pacifists we're guessing that this is the part of the family that may have fled the war for Canada--particularly since some of them stayed in Canada while those who became our direct relations migrated later to Michigan. Maybe that's the source of the story. El Jefe says that after 100 years a family's memory of its past is always suspect.

One thing remains constant in all of DK's research--the family was Puritan, Reformed and Presbyterian and active in church as well as educational endeavors in their communities. It's interesting to see that remains true of most of the descendants in the 21st century.

Devotions for 2007

As the New Year approaches, I started looking for a new daily devotional guide for 2007 since the RevGals don't (sob!) have a new one available. After browsing amazon for a while, I found and ordered A Year With Jesus by Eugene Peterson from amazon. Peterson has selected 365 readings from the Gospels of Matthew and John and written meditations on them. (He's a Presbyterian minister and the author of The Message translation of the Bible and a host of other popular books.)

Since I'm going to be spending a year with the General Council of New Covenant presbytery, I figured I really, really needed to try to spend that year with Jesus, too!

What are you planning to use for a devotional guide for 2007?

Adeste Fideles--Christmas Eve 2006

Yea, Lord, we greet thee!
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing:
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

Festive Foods Friday Five

Things are slow in the Presbyblogosphere this week, thanks to preparations for Christmas observances. So let's play today's RevGals Friday Five, brought to us by reverendmother. It's all about the Festive Foods of the season.

1. Favorite cookie/candy/baked good without which, it's just not Christmas.

One of each: Turtle Cookies are El Jefe's favorite cookie because his mother made them every Christmas. See picture on the left. I don't think it's Christmas without fudge. We always have orange rolls on Christmas Day at breakfast.

2. Do you do a fancy dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, both, or neither? (Optional: with whom will you gather around the table this year?)

We used to have it on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day at my house because I have room for the whole clan. This year Portia and DK wanted to host it at their new home and decided to do it on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) because so many other family events are planned on the 24th and 25th. There will be about 20 family and friends around their festive board.

3. Evaluate one or more of the holiday beverage trifecta: hot chocolate, wassail, egg nog.

Hot chocolate is great with lots of whipped cream. Get behind me, Satan, with that Starbucks liquid chocolate thingy! No one really knows what wassail is. Spiced hot wine? Yuck. Eggnog without liquor is too rich and cloying. With liquor it's an accident (or incident!) waiting to happen.

4. Candy canes: do you like all the new-fangled flavors or are you a peppermint purist?

Last night a group of boys rang my doorbell asking for a candy cane for their scavenger hunt. I didn't have one in the house which reflects my attitude towards candy canes in general.

5. Have you ever actually had figgy pudding? And is it really so good that people will refuse to leave until they are served it?

I never had figgy pudding. But I bet if you made a good bread pudding with raisins and currants and topped it with bourbon sauce and whipped cream people would wait for it!

Brought to You by the Letter K

Over at Mindy's place there is an alphabet meme. Here's how it goes: Mindy gives you a letter and your post 10 things you love that start with that letter. Mindy gave me K. That's a tough letter, but here goes.

1. K******. The last name of my wonderful sister-in-law and brother-in-law. What a blessing they and their children have been to me!

2. King. One of the names of Jesus Christ.

3. Knowledge. You will never get enough.

4. Kerfuffle. My new favorite word. It means a commotion. Hat tip to the Scientist (zorra's husband) who taught it to me. He has the best vocabulary EVER.

5. Kleenex. One of the greatest inventions of the last century.

6. Ketosis. Every dieter's friend.

7. Knee. My right one that still works. My left one has no cartlidge left thanks to an injury when I was 20 and so is problematic now.

8. Keys. You know how much you love them when you loose them.

9. Kitchen. I love kitchens because I like to cook and I love mine which we updated a couple of years ago.

10. Keyboard. Without which I wouldn't be posting this--or blogging at all!

A Kid's Eye View of Charlotte's Web

Babs and I took my three nieces, ages 8, 6 and 4 to see Charlotte's Web yesterday afternoon. The movie is well done and faithful to the beloved book of the same name. Here's my interpretation of their reactions, which I hope will be helpful to those of you planning to take your own youngsters to this movie.

The oldest enjoyed it and followed it closely. Afterwards she told me that it was "better than the cartoon" because it included the scenes from the book where Fern brings Wilbur to school and when Wilbur meets Charlotte's offspring and names the 3 who stay. The middle niece added that there "wasn't any rain" in the cartoon while there were a couple of rainy day scenes in the movie. The youngest whispered in my ear from the minute the movie started, seeking reassurance that Wilbur wouldn't be killed in the movie and it would be like the cartoon. Clearly the cartoon version of the book has made the rounds of the preschool and elementary set and will influence the opinion of the children who have seen it.

Although my 8 year old niece followed the movie closely, both of the younger two girls found it got tedious and became restless. About 30 minutes into the movie the youngest started asking when it would be over. Ten minutes was my standard answer and seemed to satisfy her for a while until she asked again. Of course I had to take both of them to the bathroom so they could get a break. The movie, like the book, emphasizes dialogue rather than action. So I wouldn't recommend taking preschool age children to the movie unless they need to come along with older siblings. It's too long and not active enough for them.

Be prepared to discuss death and dying with the kids after they see this movie. The theme of the story is rescuing Wilbur the Pig from his intended fate as bacon and ham. Plus the heroine of the story, Charlotte the spider, dies at the end. My little four year old needed constant reassurance about Wilbur throughout the movie and at the end of it began asking questions about how and why people die.

Her reaction was probably enhanced because within five minutes of coming to my house she wanted to know where Gretel The Noble Dog was. She'd heard before that Gretel died, but started to realize what that meant when she didn't see her in her accustomed place. Then she and her sisters had to see Gretel's grave and the little marker we placed over it and ask questions about it. We had a good discussion with the girls and I think it probably helped the younger two process the movie experience.

Babs and I enjoyed the movie and I think most adults and older children and teenagers will like it. I would be cautious about taking younger children to it, however.

Upcoming Christmas Eve Marathon

Pastors and other church professionals find themselves facing truly rugged schedules when Christmas Eve or Christmas Day fall on a Sunday. This year I think that my sister, director of music ministry at a large Methodist church in San Antonio, may take the prize for craziest Christmas Eve.
There are 12 worship services planned at her church this coming Sunday. She must oversee the music at all of them, and will direct the music at 7 of them. She's planning a total melt-down on Boxing Day (December 26). No kidding! This is just nuts.

Many gentle readers are also gearing up for their own Christmas Eve marathons. I hope none of you are facing as long and difficult a day as she is.