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Practicing Intentional Gratitude

  • Receive the Kingdom of God as a Little Child (Proper 22, Year B)

    Number of comments: 1
    More than ten years ago, the night before Thanksgiving, I had the most wonderful, most blessed, holiest communion in my life. My son Bear and my daughter Wolf and I were sitting at the dining room table eating roast beast and mashed potatoes and fresh bread. Suddenly three-year-old Wolf held [...]
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    Posted: October 01, 2009, 8:48am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Our help is in the name of the Lord (Proper 21, Year B)

    Number of comments: 1
    If the Lord had not been on our side, let Israel now say… Thus begins Psalm 124, appointed for this coming Sunday.  It is a song of praise, of thanksgiving, to God for deliverance.  In the stories of the Old Testament, the Israelites were troubled by many enemies; their nation was conquered, [...]
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    Posted: September 23, 2009, 10:52am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Heaven and Hell

    My parish has been blessed with enough interested and committed members to run two tracks in our Wednesday Night Bible Study series.  This fall, we have a New Testament Survey and a seminar on heaven and hell.  Attendance has been great, and everyone’s had a good time. I’ve been in the [...]
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    Posted: September 21, 2009, 1:38pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Clothed in Strength and Dignity

    My initial reaction to our readings for Sunday was one of bemusement and amusement. First, I thought the Collect to be particularly well-suited to this time of year, when, in the Northern hemisphere the summer is ending and we’re starting to see leaves change and harvest come to an end. On [...]
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    Posted: September 16, 2009, 12:02pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Invisible Illness Awareness Week

    Last week, I blogged a little about Invisible Illness Awareness Week, which begins today with online conferences and hundreds of bloggers taking time today to increase awareness. I begin this post, still unsure how I want to use it.  I don’t want to complain about the issues I struggle with, and [...]
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    Posted: September 14, 2009, 9:41am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

    Number of comments: 8
    This coming Sunday, September 14, is the kickoff of Invisible Illness Awareness Week. This week is a project of Rest Ministries, which provides support for the chronically ill in a Christian setting. Invisible Illness Awareness Week is about both shining the light on invisible chronic illnesses, to help others understand [...]
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    Posted: September 10, 2009, 8:59am EDT
    by warriormare

  • The day after bankruptcy

    Number of comments: 6
    Here in the Eastern time zone, it is now 12:40 AM, on Wednesday, September 9.  Twelve hours ago, when it was still Tuesday, my husband and I sat in the hearing room for the bankruptcy trustee for our district.  There I affirmed the information filed on my bankruptcy petition, and [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 1:42am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Get behind me! (Year B, Proper 19)

    We had a tough gospel this past Sunday, with Jesus speaking words that surprised and shocked us, calling a woman a dog.  Well, this coming Sunday’s gospel lesson isn’t any easier, even if Jesus does manage not to insult any women.  Jesus and his disciples are together, and he asks [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 8:46am EDT
    by warriormare

  • All or Nothing

    Number of comments: 2
    I’ve been reading Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was martyred during World War II.  In Chapter 1, I came across a statement comparing Christian love (agape) to human love (eros), and it immediately turned me off.  It was not the contrast between the two concepts that turned me off, [...]
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    Posted: September 01, 2009, 3:38pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Even the Dogs (Proper 18, Year B)

    Number of comments: 1
    It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs. These are the words Jesus speaks to the Syrophoenician woman in the gospel appointed for Sunday.  This doesn’t sound much like our Jesus, does it?  This isn’t gentle shepherd Jesus, or sweet little baby Jesus, or [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2009, 9:04am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Odds and Ends

    It’s a quiet morning at the new apartment.  My little desk faces a window, just as it did back at the house, and I get to look at at the little strip of “yard” behind our apartment, as well as the trees and townhouses beyond the fence.  I can see [...]
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    Posted: August 28, 2009, 8:15am EDT
    by warriormare

  • The Father of Lights and the Garden of our Heart (Proper 17, Year B)

    Number of comments: 1
    Jesus tells us: Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things [...]
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    Posted: August 24, 2009, 10:36am EDT
    by warriormare

  • The Armor of God (Proper 16, Year B)

    Number of comments: 2
    Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his power!  Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil! So says Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, as we will hear proclaimed this coming Sunday.  For [...]
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    Posted: August 18, 2009, 1:14pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Another Health Care Story

    Number of comments: 6
    A lot of people are telling their health care stories these days, and it’s a good thing.  There are stories of great pain, of resourcefulness, and of amazing tragedy.  Mine is not as scary as the story Cold Waters is living through, as frustrating as Faboo Mama’s story, nor as [...]
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    Posted: August 07, 2009, 9:53am EDT
    by warriormare

  • A morning full of grace

    It was a morning full of grace. The weekend had taken an entirely different shape than we had planned — and as they say, when humans plan, God laughs — and we were off our stride.  After several days in which I used up all my spoons and even borrowed against [...]
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    Posted: July 19, 2009, 7:46pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Tuesday night centering prayer

    Maplestar and I are blessed to be part of a parish that has two Centering Prayer groups; one meets Tuesday mornings, and the other meets Tuesday evenings.  I also feel blessed that the facilitators of these groups aren’t overly dogmatic about what we must be doing when we spend the [...]
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    Posted: July 07, 2009, 8:58pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Just a nice weekend

    My son and daughter had the weekend with us, and it was even a long weekend — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights — as the girl had a dentist appointment this morning. They were tired when I picked them up from work Friday afternoon.  Both kids are volunteer camp counselors at [...]
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    Posted: June 29, 2009, 11:59am EDT
    by warriormare

  • What’s really important?

    Number of comments: 1
    Yesterday brought us stories about the deaths of cultural icons Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.  Of course, one story got much more attention than the other.  I suspect that this is because the first story came as a surprise, while the second was expected.  We don’t like a steady dose [...]
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    Posted: June 26, 2009, 9:38am EDT
    by warriormare

  • This Night

    Outside, still darkness cloudless clear sky twinkling with stars – sparkling, glistening – satin-soft sky tickling gnarled oaks and tall straight pines. Within, my breath pauses as the night overwhelms me the shawl of the heavens – knitted from the prayers of saints – wrapped about my shoulders starlight dancing around my head a tiara, a crown. Around, the dark silence intrudes on my [...]
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    Posted: June 25, 2009, 7:30pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Centering Prayer

    Gathering in the quiet church amidst the hardwood pews and long beams of dying sunlight we meet, sit, find a position for staying twenty minutes in silence. Seven of us together bound by slanted beams of dying light yet separated in silence each of us alone in this space and time with God. The verses are spoken the chime rings eyes close and the [...]
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    Posted: June 25, 2009, 7:22pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • An Invitation

    God Willing Gordon Berghuis of Saugatuck, Michigan Scott Boykin of Birmingham, Alabama William Burk of Mechanicsville, Virginia Ronald Firestone of Tarija, Bolivia Pamela Pranke of Jamestown, North Dakota Sally Ray of Dalhart, Texas T. Justin Read-Smith of London, England Heather Rollins of Virginia Beach, Virginia James Thomson of New York City will be clothed as novices in the Anglican Order of [...]
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    Posted: June 23, 2009, 12:16pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • As the waters cover the sea

    Number of comments: 1
    I had been on a rather lengthy spell of reading fiction that just ended this past weekend.  I often read and read and read fiction, and then read and read and read non-fiction, and then go back.  But Saturday night, I finished the novel I was reading and realized that [...]
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    Posted: May 20, 2009, 8:42am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Happy Sheep Day! (Year B, Easter 4)

    I offer two beautiful poems of love to capture the essence of this Good Shepherd Sunday.  The first is simply a re-formatting of the Gospel for the day: Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does [...]
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    Posted: April 30, 2009, 11:05am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Just thinking out loud

    Number of comments: 1
    Fair warning: This will probably end up being a rambling, semi-coherent, self-involved post.  Just so you know.  :-) For about a year now, I’ve been engaged in the process of discernment.  Most often, when you hear an Episcopalian say this, the assumption is that they are looking at a possible call [...]
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    Posted: April 15, 2009, 10:56pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! (Easter)

    Number of comments: 1
    Alleluia!  The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia! So begins our celebration of Easter, the most important Feast of the church year.  This is a day of great celebration, with many flowers decorating the church, with festive white and gold hangings and vestments, with joyous songs and Alleluias (and [...]
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    Posted: April 11, 2009, 3:08pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • 14: Jesus is placed in the tomb.

    Finally, we have reached the last Station of the Cross, the burial of Jesus.  The Message says: Late in the afternoon a wealthy man from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, arrived. His name was Joseph. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate granted his request. Joseph took the [...]
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    Posted: April 11, 2009, 7:54am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Living on the Edge (Holy Saturday)

    Number of comments: 1
    Tomorrow is Holy Saturday.  After observing the death of Jesus on Good Friday, we are now in a between-time, a boundary between the crucifixion and the resurrection.  Spiritually, these boundary places (and times) are spaces of great upheaval, spaces of unpredictability, spaces where anything is possible, anything can happen.  There [...]
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    Posted: April 10, 2009, 2:26pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • 13: Jesus dies on the cross.

    Number of comments: 1
    The thirteenth Station of the Cross is the actual death of Jesus.  The NRSV reads: It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with [...]
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    Posted: April 10, 2009, 8:30am EDT
    by warriormare

  • My God, My God (Good Friday)

    Tomorrow is Good Friday, the day we remember the trial and execution of Jesus, called The Passion.  Some Christians observe this day with vigils and fasts, some by walking the Stations of the Cross, some by joining in worship, some with private devotions.  Any worship tends to be subdued.  In [...]
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    Posted: April 09, 2009, 9:11am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 12: Jesus speaks to his mother and the beloved disciple

    The twelfth Station of the Cross also takes place when Jesus is on the cross.  From this position of humiliation and pain, Jesus’ last act is to make sure that his beloved mother is cared for.  The Message reads: While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary [...]
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    Posted: April 09, 2009, 6:31am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Lord, wash all of me! (Maundy Thursday)

    Number of comments: 2
    In just over an hour, it will be Maundy Thursday.   It will be the fifth day Jesus has been in Jerusalem, after entering triumphantly on the day we now celebrate as Palm Sunday.  And it is a day of great change.  Maundy Thursday is the night of the Last Supper, [...]
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    Posted: April 08, 2009, 11:37pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • 11: Jesus promises his kingdom to the good thief

    Number of comments: 4
    The eleventh Station of the Cross takes place while Jesus is on the cross, and is a conversation between him and the two criminals hanging with him.  The NRSV reads: One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and [...]
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    Posted: April 08, 2009, 7:22am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 10: Jesus is Crucified

    Number of comments: 3
    The tenth Station of the Cross is the crucifixion of Jesus.  Another name for the Stations is the Way of the Cross, as we follow in the steps of Jesus as he walks to the cross.  One might expect the Stations to end when Jesus is actually hung from the [...]
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    Posted: April 07, 2009, 7:16am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 9: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

    In the ninth Station of the Cross, Jesus speaks to the women who are following him to Golgotha.  The Message says: A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. [...]
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    Posted: April 06, 2009, 10:48am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 8: Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross

    Number of comments: 1
    The eighth Station of the Cross is an act of mercy, when soldiers pressed Simon of Cyrene into service to help Jesus carry the cross.  This station represents a single verse from scripture, from The NRSV, “They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his [...]
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    Posted: April 05, 2009, 10:10am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 7: Jesus bears the cross

    Number of comments: 2
    The seventh Station of the Cross is Jesus carrying his cross to the place where he will be executed.  The NRSV reads: When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case [...]
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    Posted: April 04, 2009, 5:23pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • 6: Jesus is scourged at the pillar and crowned with thorns

    Number of comments: 2
    The sixth Station of the Cross is the flogging of Jesus.  The Roman Empire used flogging or scourging as a punishment for non-citizens.  The Romans were particularly brutal in their flogging, using lashes tipped with metal or bone, to tear the flesh and cause more bleeding.  Some died under the [...]
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    Posted: April 03, 2009, 7:18am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 5: Jesus is Judged by Pontius Pilate

    Number of comments: 2
    The fifth Station of the Cross is the judgment of Jesus by Pontius Pilate.  The Message says: At dawn’s first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate. [...]
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    Posted: April 02, 2009, 10:39am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 4: Jesus is Denied by Peter

    Number of comments: 2
    The fourth Station of the Cross is Peter’s denial of Jesus.  From The Message: All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean.” In front of everybody there, he denied it. “I don’t know [...]
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    Posted: April 01, 2009, 8:22am EDT
    by warriormare

  • From Palms to Passion (Palm Sunday, Year B)

    Number of comments: 2
    This coming Sunday is one of the most exciting and dramatic of the church year.  It is both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, and through the readings, we relive Jesus’ final week of life.   We watch and cheer as Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey, and [...]
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    Posted: March 31, 2009, 8:10am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 3: Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin

    Number of comments: 1
    The third Station of the Cross is the condemnation of Jesus by the Sanhedrin.  From the Gospel of Luke, in the New Revised Standard Version: When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. They [...]
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    Posted: March 31, 2009, 7:24am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 2: Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested

    Number of comments: 1
    The second Station of the Cross is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.  The New Revised Standard Version has this text: Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and [...]
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    Posted: March 30, 2009, 7:01am EDT
    by warriormare

  • 1: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

    If one counts today and next Sunday, there are now fourteen days left in Lent.  (Before I go any further, I know that we don’t usually count Sundays as part of Lent, but this is my blog, so I can do what I want.  Neener, neener, neener!)  As it happens, [...]
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    Posted: March 29, 2009, 6:19pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Wow!

    Number of comments: 2
    If it weren’t Lent, I’d use the forbidden A-word.  Tonight, maplestar and I led a discussion at church.  As part of the parish’s Lenten series on spiritual disciplines and prayer practices, I led a discussion on the Taizé community, with an eye to how one might integrate Taizé spiritual practices [...]
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    Posted: March 25, 2009, 11:28pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Continuing the love story (Year B, 5th Sunday in Lent)

    Number of comments: 2
    The love story that God writes on our hearts, that Jesus tells us in John's gospel, that Jeremiah relates to us -- this love story is filled with God's joy in loving us. I can't tell you why God loves us. I know that I'm not the world's most lovely [...]
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    Posted: March 24, 2009, 10:25am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Idols, Serpents, and a Savior (Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B)

    Number of comments: 2
    We’re halfway through Lent now, coming up on Rose Sunday, and I haven’t even been to worship since Ash Wednesday!  Of course, that’s because I went to an out-of-town funeral and then spent two weeks very sick with all manner of -itises, but I’ve missed it.  It’s so wonderful to [...]
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    Posted: March 18, 2009, 8:32am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Costs

    Number of comments: 2
    Tonight, I have one more cost to add to an abusive relationship.  The relationship started in the fall of 1990, until I left in the spring of 2007, so one cost is sixteen-and-a-half years of my life.  Another cost was quite dear, three stays in the mental hospital and one [...]
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    Posted: March 08, 2009, 7:03pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Stand up! Come forth, and speak!

    Number of comments: 1
    It has been quite some time since I posted a lectionary reflection here.  I have sorely missed my weekly time with scripture; even in some incredibly busy and very dark weeks, I’ve prayed for the energy and will to sit with the words, to let them fill me and bring [...]
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    Posted: January 25, 2009, 4:11pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Ramblings

    This week, I’m in Eagan, Minnesota, for meetings with co-workers.  My boss works from our Eagan office, and about half of our team, and there are other people here I needed to get together with.  Of course, this is the coldest week of the year, pretty much every year, in [...]
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    Posted: January 13, 2009, 10:50pm EST
    by warriormare

  • The rush and the blur

    Number of comments: 3
    It’s hard to believe that I last posted on December 26.  The other ten days of Christmas ran past me, and then the Feast of the Epiphany whooshed by with lots of light and wonder.  It’s been two whole weeks, and while that fortnight has been a time of great [...]
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    Posted: January 09, 2009, 9:58am EST
    by warriormare

  • Happy St. Stephen’s Day!

    Merry Christmas!  Today is the second day of this season of twelve days of feasting and celebration.  Many Americans will celebrate the day at the shopping malls, and many others will return to work after a holiday, probably more tired than they were on the last day they worked.  And [...]
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    Posted: December 26, 2008, 8:28am EST
    by warriormare

  • Light Shines in the Darkness

    Number of comments: 2
    Life as a church organist is certainly busy at times like this! Two services Christmas Eve (with a choir potluck between services) and then another service Christmas morning. And as a church organist, serving the parish in which I grew up and where I used to serve at the altar, I [...]
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    Posted: December 26, 2008, 6:50am EST
    by maplestar

  • Today I Stood in the Presence of God

    Number of comments: 2
    Dear ones, I’ve been rather quiet of late, and I know I owe you several updates.  The first one is that I’m home from a weeklong trip to Jacksonville, Florida, where I had the great privilege and honor of being in the room with my grandfather last Tuesday, when he [...]
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    Posted: December 21, 2008, 2:57pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Photo Meme: Twelve Days of Christmas

    Number of comments: 1
    Here’s a challenge for you, which I’ve extended to my friends on FriendFeed.   Sometime between now and the twelfth day of Christmas, observe your surroundings and take photos of, well, things in groups from one to twelve.  I’ve already taken mine, just of random things around the house.  I’ll let [...]
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    Posted: December 12, 2008, 10:55am EST
    by warriormare

  • Insurance Rant

    Number of comments: 1
    Here’s an email I just sent to our corporate benefits department.  I’ve changed names to protect the innocent, and the not-so-innocent.  Good afternoon, My name is Heather Mina, and I’m a Software Engineer assigned to the southeastern Virginia, office.  I’m writing to give feedback on the health insurance available to us [...]
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    Posted: December 11, 2008, 12:45pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Thursday Morning Check-in

    Number of comments: 3
    So.  In the last month, I’ve been to see a neurologist, neurosurgeon, geneticist, dentist (four times), oral surgeon, physiatrist, and physical therapist.  I’ve had a root canal, a molar extracted, an MRI of the brain, an MRA of the brain, and a lumbar puncture.  My Beighton score has been taken [...]
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    Posted: December 11, 2008, 8:22am EST
    by warriormare

  • Project 365: A week (and more) in

    So a happy feast of St. Nicholas to you! (And quick promo before getting underway for warriormare’s reflections on today’s readings, before I get underway.) So this was the start of my Project 365, aiming to take a photo every day. And it went better in some ways than I thought [...]
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    Posted: December 06, 2008, 8:20am EST
    by maplestar

  • It’s that time again!

    Hi, friends! warriormare here - I’m working on updating my address list for Christmas cards.  I absolutely love sending cards, and usually send about 200 every year.  It doesn’t matter to me one bit whether I ever get one back.  So anyway, if you’d like me to send you a card [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2008, 1:02pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Receiving the kingdom as a little child (Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra)

    Number of comments: 2
    This coming Saturday, December 6, is the Feast of Saint Nicholas of Myra, for whom Santa Claus is named.  There are many wonderful stories and legends around this beloved Saint, who is the patron of sailors and of children.  Of course, for those who observe this Feast in praying the [...]
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    Posted: December 01, 2008, 8:50pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Preparation, Busyness, and Expectation

    What a busy time of year! Yesterday, if it hadn’t been clear to me before, it certainly became clear that it’s a time of preparation for Christmas. The morning started with the liturgical observance. The children joined us at the start of the service for the lighting of the first candle on [...]
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    Posted: December 01, 2008, 5:54am EST
    by maplestar

  • Beginning at the End (Advent I, Year B)

    Number of comments: 1
    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  That is the proper greeting for this coming Sunday, which is the beginning of the church year.  We have finally made it through Ordinary Time, and we are beginning the whirlwind of feasts and fasts that lasts until the Easter season culminates at the Pentecost.  Our lives [...]
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    Posted: November 26, 2008, 2:58pm EST
    by warriormare

  • We Gather Together (lectionary reflection for Thanksgiving, Year A)

    Number of comments: 1
    Tomorrow is the US holiday of Thanksgiving.  There are many wonderful stories about days of thanksgiving to God, in the early years of the European colonists, and the holiday has been observed in many different ways.  Today, it is primarily observed as a day of thanks for the gifts of [...]
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    Posted: November 26, 2008, 2:16pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Home from the Doctor

    I took a hundred-mile drive (each way) to meet with a geneticist today.  She went over a detailed family history, went over my medical history, examined my joints, took a Beighton Score, and examined scars on my body.  And she diagnosed me with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Classical Type.  The diagnosis of [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2008, 4:58pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Project 365: Day 1

    Number of comments: 1
    As fall turns into winter and the weather gets quite cold here (Last week, my thermometer was reading 7 degrees F. Yes, single-digit temps in November.), I find that it’s difficult to force myself to get out and around, especially without a driver’s license. And it is very easy to [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2008, 5:45am EST
    by maplestar

  • If cleanliness is next to godliness, what does that say about me?

    Enclosure: [download]
    Number of comments: 1
    One of the tasks that has been occupying my time for the last month or so has been unearthing the apartment I’ve rented since moving back to my hometown seven years ago this month. When I use the verb unearthing, I assure you that I’m not exaggerating. So I have [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2008, 11:11pm EST
    by maplestar

  • BREAKING NEWS ALERT!!!

    Number of comments: 3
    I had my divorce hearing this morning. I am now single. After fifteen years of emotional and verbal abuse, and seventeen months of separation, I’m now FREE, and it feels WONDERFUL!  Here is how wonderful I’m feeling… Peace and blessings to you, my friends! Posted in My Life   Tagged: divorce, family    [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2008, 3:26pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Seeking the Lost (a lectionary reflection for Proper 29, Year A)

    Number of comments: 3
    This coming Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King, also called the Reign of Christ.  It is the last week on our liturgical calendar, so the proper greeting for your fellow parishioners on November 30, the first Sunday of Advent, will be a joyous “Happy New Year!”  On this [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2008, 9:43am EST
    by warriormare

  • Happy Friday!

    Number of comments: 1
    Hurray!  Friday is here!  I’m feeling incredibly better, after deciding not to take the topamax ever again.  It does nothing to prevent the back-of-skull headaches, because (surprise!) they aren’t migraines.  And the side effects were making me absolutely miserable… and also making me fall way behind on all my deadlines [...]
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    Posted: November 14, 2008, 9:34am EST
    by warriormare

  • Remembering

      Last evening, I was walking down the street, headphones in my ears listening to some of Stuart McLean’s stories from The Vinyl Cafe when I heard a quiet musical sound.  It didn’t make sense in the context of the recording, but I didn’t hear anything else, so kept walking, and [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2008, 5:24am EST
    by maplestar

  • Trapped

    Number of comments: 3
    I spend a lot of time in my mind these days, since my body doesn’t work quite right.  See, the connective tissue throughout my body doesn’t form properly, so my ligaments and tendons can’t hold my joints together the way they should.  If I move any of the joints in [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2008, 9:36pm EST
    by warriormare

  • The Meaning of Life

    It came to me today - the meaning of life.  Well, it’s the meaning of my life, the reason I am here on this planet.  It may not be the meaning of your life, but I suspect it is.  It surprised me how simple and obvious it is, but I [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2008, 3:30pm EST
    by warriormare

  • So much for NaBloPoMo

    Well, it’s hardly a surprise that daily posting has not happened (although the effect is lessened, since warriormare has been posting when I haven’t).  Life has gotten busy, dealing with a change in parish leadership and preparing for a service with a couple of elements that only occur infrequently.  So [...]
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    Posted: November 07, 2008, 6:06am EST
    by maplestar

  • Living with Fear

    One of the aspects of living with chronic pain that I had not anticipated is that I live with fear as a constant companion.  I do not particularly relish fear as a guest.  Fear is not one of my favorite friends.  Like pain, fear is a gift that is intended [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2008, 8:51am EST
    by warriormare

  • How do Christians move forward after the election?

    Number of comments: 1
    I’m going to say some things in this post that will undoubtedly make me unpopular.  Basically, I’m going to take the stance of a prophet, and a prophet’s job has always been to tell us the truths that we don’t want to hear.  So here goes. For our brothers and sisters [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2008, 9:46am EST
    by warriormare

  • Wooden Arrows

    You may not realize it as you stand so casually one hand in your pocket carelessly dropping words from your lips loosing them like a thousand wooden arrows aimed at the candy-apple Rokr held in your perfectly manicured hands. You may not realize it but those carelessly loosed arrows fly in every direction up, down, north, south leeward, windward toward the church or [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2008, 4:44pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Spectator Election


    I got my chance to vote three weeks ago, when Canadians re-elected the Conservatives to a minority government.  Today, it’s the Americans’ turn.  And if the polls can be believed, the result looks like it might be more to my liking.

    But as I spend much of my day in [...]

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    Posted: November 04, 2008, 1:28pm EST
    by maplestar

  • Not much to say

    Number of comments: 2
    So I haven’t been posting much.  I had a lectionary post started for All Saints’ Day, but it really wasn’t going anywhere.  I didn’t have a point, was just kind of blathering.  Church was great, and the parish really put on a wonderful show.  I rode that crest for a [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2008, 9:42pm EST
    by warriormare

  • Waiting

    Number of comments: 1

    I really wish it were not true, but it is. Life involves a whole lot of waiting. And I don’t usually like it!

    This afternoon was the final race of the 2008 Formula One auto racing season. The race started at noon and finished sometime before 2:00. At this point, [...]

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    Posted: November 02, 2008, 4:36pm EST
    by maplestar

  • NaBloPoMo: All Saints Day

    Number of comments: 3

    It seems strange. For several years, the start of November has meant my annual attempt (usually abandoned quite early in the month) to complete NaNoWriMo. But I’ve found that to be very frustrating, because I never have the time I need to devote to [...]

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    Posted: November 01, 2008, 8:09am EDT
    by maplestar

  • I’m tired of whining and complaining at you…

    Number of comments: 1
    … but I’m going to write another whining and complaining post.  Sorry!  Sigh.  My brain MRI is still two-and-a-half days away, and I’m getting more and more jittery about it.  Then I have to wait for the results, and that has me even more jittery.  Two years ago, I had [...]
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    Posted: October 28, 2008, 10:03pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • A time-waster

    With a hat-tip to Rev. Dr. Mom, here’s the Four-Variable Intelligence Test. warriormare came out more mathematical than anything else: Your result for The 4-Variable IQ Test… Mathematical 30% interpersonal, 5% visual, 30% verbal and 35% mathematical! Brother-from-another-mother! Like mine, your highest scoring intelligence is Mathematical. You thrive on logic, numbers, things representing numbers, [...]
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    Posted: October 26, 2008, 7:31pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Feeling sorry for myself

    Number of comments: 2
    Fair warning - this post is all about whining, moping, and self-pity, and I’m not even going to bother with the niceties of parallel construction.  So if you’re looking for insight or even for halfway decent grammar, you’ll need to look elsewhere tonight. I emailed the ex yesterday, to set up [...]
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    Posted: October 25, 2008, 8:04pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • A case of the Thursdays

    I just got home a little bit ago from taking maplestar to the airport and then stopping in for a follow-up visit to the orthopedist.  The ankle/Achilles tendon is no longer painful, but remains unstable.  Of course, I was diagnosed with instability in both ankle joints in 1985, so this [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2008, 10:50am EDT
    by warriormare

  • The Promised Land (Proper 25, Year A)

    We have a fun combination of readings for Sunday.  The gospel from Matthew is the one in which Jesus gives us the first and great commandment.  The epistle from Thessalonians is loving and tender.  The psalm reminds us that God is always there for us, when we need refuge and [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2008, 8:47am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Happy birthday, maplestar!

    Number of comments: 2
    Today is maplestar’s birthday.  I won’t tell you how old he is, just that he’s a whippersnapper who’s not even as old as my baby sister!  We awoke to a lawn full of pink plastic flamingos, courtesy of the Journey to Adulthood group at my parish.  The flamingo closest to [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2008, 8:54am EDT
    by warriormare

  • Evangelism, Service, and Mint Dark Chocolate 3 Musketeers

    I’ve been a terrible blogger - last week I didn’t write my customary lectionary post, and then I went out of town for several days without even letting you know!  Well, maplestar is here, working on his laptop in the family room while I am on conference calls for my [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2008, 12:24pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Dribs and Drabs - just a personal update

    Number of comments: 3
    This week hasn’t been very bad, since Saturday’s unpleasantness.  My plan for this post is to make a bullet list, and not to elaborate very much on any one thing.  We’ll see if I can keep that up.  Sunday night I watched the pilot episode of Firefly and ate my [...]
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    Posted: October 10, 2008, 3:00pm EDT
    by warriormare

  • Grace, Preceding and Following (Proper 23, Year A)

    I’ve been really late this week getting my lectionary reflection written.  This week’s readings felt somewhat disjoint to me, from Moses challenging God to save the lapsed Israelites because it would look bad from the Egyptians’ point of view, to the “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, [...]
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    Posted: October 10, 2008, 11:47am EDT
    by warriormare
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