Rain and Jazz

What an evening, it's raining outside and I'm listening to some fabulous jazz. Two of my favourite things. I've always appreciated the rain, especially in the fall as it nourishes the ground for the springtime... tomorrow I take possession of my house, so I'm aware that the rain tonight will help my garden in the spring... and it's watering the flowers on my porch. I was in a prayerful state earlier this week, walking along in the grass - any time I can be physically reminded of the power of the divine (such as blades of grass brushing to tops of my feet) it brings me closer to incorporating God into all that I am and do - and usually happens when I least expect it. And jazz - well, jazz speaks to my soul, so to listen to the rain on the window and have my soul being fed by the music on my speakers - I am this evening a spiritual being having a human experience.

Blog By Request

So this morning was consecration Sunday, or stewardship Sunday, or the day Anglicans traditionally avoid church because the sermon is about money. "We need more money! Give more money!" Well, I was preaching this morning, and I didn't talk about money. We had an insert in the bulletin about the financial issues of the church, so people know it costs about $918 each day to keep our doors open. But what I talked about was the gifts that we give, and how they are given to us from God. One gift of knowledge I received from some aborioginal friends was that gifts are like water - as long as they are flowing, they remain healthy. When they stop moving, as with water, they become problematic - stagnant, potentially harmful or dangerous. So, God has granted each person a number of gifts - countless gifts - that can be used not just for personal benefit, or just within the church context, but for the whole world. Determining what gifts are to be used in which context can be a challenge, but hey - if it was easy, it might not be worth doing. The best thing we can give is what we have been given. Finances are important, but it's all about who we are, not what we have.

Far Too Much Enthusiasm!

So school started this week - wow, am I a geek. Keener. Brain. Freak. I have 2 classes this term, that's all I need to complete before I begin my thesis. I've got a Friday class on 3 theologians (Augustine, Aquinas, Lonergan) understanding their different views on similar aspects (God in natural revelation, psychological analogy of the trinity, that sort of thing). My other class runs every other Saturday for 4 hours - it's title is Social Ethics and Christian Responsibilities, but more accurately it seems to be the Catholic Response to ethical issues - VERY interesting. Today we did some basic learning on Aquinas, and debated how desires can lead to natural and artificial goods, depending on what the impact is on personal dignity (an over-simplification, but good enough) in the modern context. I managed to bring up camping in one example, whereby the natural good is the desire to be closer to God through nature, but the vehicle (my fancy canoe) could be an artificial good for some... the basis of which is in what the canoe means to me - as a safe and efficient piece of equipment, it's a natural good; as a status symbol it's an artificial good. So, my brain was racing the entire day with other ways (what if two natural goods, both based in dignity, are conflicting with each other? I want a safe vehicle to transport my stuff [such as said canoe] so I have a mini SUV... but I want to be ecologically responsible, which means rejecting the SUV... what's the Thomastic balance? I'm still pondering). So, lots of enthusiasm about homework, and study, and getting right into the depths of an academic environment again. The thoughts that keep me up at night!! Sigh...

New term... New excitement!!!

How do you know you're a geek? When you get so excited by school orientation that you can't sleep. Next indication - you go to extra lectures at the school before classes start! Had a fantastic first gathering at the college this week, it was SO great to be back in that environment - I feel so alive in that setting... hehehe. My classes for this term should be great - they're the ancillary courses for my degree - one is Augustine Aquinas and Lonergan and the other is Social Ethics and Christian Responsibilities. Yup, typical for me! I'm really looking forward to it, geek that I am...
I attended a lecture on Thursday presented by the Elliott Allen Institute of Theology and Ecology (EAITE - check my links - where I got my eco-theology specialization) - environmentalist John Seed from the Rainforest Information Centre in Australia was in town - delivered a lovely and inspiring message on vision and empowerment. So much fun...

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Ever have one of those days?

So, in the past week I've left Manitoba - complete with a decent amount of tears and hugs - and started up in Hamilton. A day of house-hunting Wednesday wasn't very fruitful (sigh), and I started at my new position on Friday. So, I spent the rest of the weekend writing my sermon for today, and confirming all my plans for my trip to Africa and Britain this fall...
And this morning was when the fun started... my new boss got called out late last night for a pastoral emergency, and she was out most fo the night. So I had offered to cover the service this morning - not just the homily as originally planned. I knew it would be a great day when I announced the wrong hymn to open worship - I had picked up last week's bulletin from somewhere - at least people can laugh with me!! Anyway, it was one of those days where if it could go wrong, it did - the altar wasn't set properly, I almost dropped the host on the floor, a whole collection of smaller problems that all add up. Ah well - God will be where God will be, it's not the end off the world.
The rest of today I did a bunch of nothing - some Greek studying, went to the gym for a bit. Nothing exciting. I'm hoping tomorrow is a nice day, I want to head out on the Bruce Trail for a hike!