…a time to break down; and a time to build up… Day 8 of 40 was a day of building.  It began with snow building up again in driveway.  Two weeks ago, I hand-shoveled approx 600,000 tons of snow from the driveway (rough estimate).  To see it returning was demoralizing.  I went into hunker down mode.  I really have a hard operating in bad weather.  … Continue reading Lent 8: Building Up

Today was so so.  It was average.  It was pretty normal.  M’s breakfast club gave her a nice baby-celebration.  There were gifts and blessings, etc.  It was nice.  Weather was good.  Work went okay, until my phone died.  But it is currently being resurrected.  There is not much to report. Disciplines Scorecard: 1a)  Driving the speed limit–Did well.  4:4 1b)  Foul language–Needs improvement.  2:4 2)  … Continue reading Lent 7: Dead Battery

Several things happened on Lent day 6 that made me stop, note my position and search for the direction that God is leading me.  I’ll let two of them remain anonymous.  But the third was the work being done our local Habitat affiliate.  I have the privilege of chairing the Faith Relations Committee at Mon County Habitat.  Since last April, we have tried to construct … Continue reading Lent 6: Opportunity

One cannot successfully know the Lord outside of others.  We need others to help us.  We do not always feel what we think we ought to feel.  God’s grace is so pervasively upon me, but I go throughout my day numb to it, unaware even.  I have observed that this is part of the human condition and perhaps one of the saddest and most sinister … Continue reading Lent 5: Community

Today was a good Lenten day.  As I explained to each of my churches, as I left the driveway and headed into town for a regular day of church, I felt relief.  I was joyous to see people again.  And yet it was Lent 1, and I know that I take this seriously.  I even enjoy the melodrama of Lent.  I knew that the scripture … Continue reading Lenten Sabbath 1

The beauty of creation persevered.  At 40-degrees, it was down right balmy.  I have learned that I need help, and I learned that more today.  I have had a good simple idea for getting the church and the neighborhood kids together.  Getting others enthused to help has been the difficulty.  Add to that the paralysis of winter and I keep finding myself pieces short of … Continue reading Lent 4: Almost

Well…I started the day in the ditch, and ended up with the nicest, clearest driveway within miles.  One of the trips that pastors get caught up in is the popular attitude that what we do is not work.  Even my mom jokes me on this.  So we try to compensate by taking on tasks that are beyond our capabilities.  I am a very good big-picture … Continue reading Lent 3: Turn Around

Day two of Lent’s progress to new life did not go as planned.  As alluded to in my Lent 1 post, I began the day trying to help my wife get her car out of the snow, prophesying that if her 4WD was having difficulty getting out of the driveway, then the 2WD with my name on it was even less likely.  It’s not like … Continue reading Lent 2: Disrupted

So my first day of Lent 2010 was interesting.  I did actually manage to get out of the driveway, which was something unaccomplished on Fat Tuesday.  Snow is shaping everything we do and don’t do around here for now. But the day began in a more Easter-ly fashion.  M&I went for our now-bi-weekly midwife visit.  With a few measurements and not so few questions, we … Continue reading Lent 1: Ashes