Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Boxing Day

Boxing Day Definition: The fight that goes on in one's head between relaxing and thinking we should be doing something useful. cf; John Calvin (After all that's what we were put on this earth to do do. Be useful, no?) I am supposed to be starting my vacation today. Another battle. I did sleep in mighty late, which I feel no guilt about whatsoever, but I am also headed to a parishioner's home for dinner, on my fist day of vacation. They are wonderful people and good company including their children, but I really should be doing all non-work stuff this week since plenty of church work and ministry meetings will be waiting for me on Jan 2nd. Perhaps this is my way of slowly shifting into a vacation rhythm that seems both so foreign and long over due. I wonder what Calvin did on his vacations. Probably read up on boxing.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Day One

WOW- I Did it! I created a blog! One of my clergy budz has been nagging me to do this for months.This has NEVER been a dream of mine. I am always terrified that even my very hidden musings will someday be uncovered and I will be ruined. I worry that maybe my cleaning lady will discover my old journals which are buried in boxes in various closets, and be horrified. Good thing I don't have a cleaning lady.

So why Grace by the Sea? I don't live close enough to the sea, but go there when ever I can, year 'round and always find God's richest blessings there, amidst the flotsam and jetsam, on the beach, literally. Not that Grace can't be found in other places, but with the hectic pace of life in and being a Presbyterian minister, finding enough space and quiet to notice God's grace, is tricky biz.

...and sometimes dangerous, evidently. Gmail is so clever that they 'scan' your email conversations and then send you links to things they might think you'd like. Today I got an introduction to a website that sells paraphernalia that says "Minister, Don't shoot" or something like that...that's neither funny nor clever. I like Revgalblogpal's goodies which say "Does this pulpit make my but look big?" Now that's funny.
Write me clever things that will help us all endure the next 12 days,
Yours,
GBS (Grace by the Sea)