Friday Five: It is Well With my Soul Edition

Over at RevGalBlogPals, kathernnzj writes:

There are many perks in my life for which I give thanks and then there are some that make everything right in the world during the moment I am enjoying them. I'm wondering what a few of those things - five to be specific - are for you.

1. Hot water. Oh, how I love it. I can camp. I can go a few days, a week. But the glories of hot water. If I had to add a fourth to the Trinity, it would not be Luther. What's better- a hot bath or a hot shower or a hot tub or a sun-warmed ocean? I can't choose, for they each have their own glories. There is a special kind of giddiness, especially now that I am a mom, in closing the door and having my own steam haven. In those moments, all is well with my soul. (At least until I start making a to-do list in my head or I finish my book before I'm completely shriveled.

2. I love my family- my husband, our son, and our dog. When I come home and there are arms to greet me, tails wagging, a chorus of "Mamamamamama"- everything slides into place for me. Too often, I let the tasks of home immediately intrude, but I try not too- throwing myself onto the floor in the piles of Cheerios and dog hair to feel the love.

3. Romance novels. I cannot deny the giggly feeling of finishing a romance novel that had snappy, witty dialogue, well-written characters and a believable plot line. Oh, I read my theological books, my well-researched biographies, thick volumes of scientific research and slim volumes of poetry or essays on whatever, but occasionally a pink-covered novel with something purple (ahem) on the cover slips into the "to read" pile. I know I should demur and acknowledge a guilty pleasure, but I only feel guilty if I finished the book and it sucked. A well-written novel makes me glad I can read, just like good writing in any other genre.

4. Communion hymns. The swell of a congregation singing a song together, with heartfelt voices, stirs me like so little else. When people sing "It is Well with My Soul", "Precious Lord" or my two favorites "Give me Jesus" and "Jesus Loves Me", I feel overcome by the presence of the Spirit. I don't belong to a tradition in which people are too frequently "slain in the Spirit" (pity), but I think many of us have been struck and hard during a well-timed communion hymn.

5. November foods. One of the exchanges for living in Alaska is that we have a gorgeous fall that lasts about 2.5 weeks, somewhere at the end of August to the end of September depending on where you are in the state. Then begins the holding patterns until winter weather. Nevertheless, we still get the *harvest foods* of November, which I love. Mmmmmm. I SO heart turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, apples, green bean casserole, variations on stuffing, and wild rice. I love egg nog with Thanksgiving. By Christmas, my head is full and food becomes a necessity, but in November, it's still a luxury and I still have time to enjoy it.

Religious Holidays in Anchorage

You may have read in the Anchorage Daily News about a new policy regarding certain religious holidays and the scheduling of school activities. If not, a link to the article is here . The new rules do not mean that school will be out on these new holiday inclusions, but that the Anchorage School District will avoid scheduling activities, like sporting events, on these days. The new list includes Passover, Rosh Hashanah , Yom Kippur , Eid al - Fitr and Eid al - Adha . They are added to a list which includes New Year's, Orthodox Christmas and Easter, Good Friday, Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. The new holidays may be unfamiliar to some: Passover is a Jewish celebration, in the springtime, that commemorates the events in Egypt that led up to the Exodus. The name of the holiday comes specifically from the fact that the angel of death "passed over" the houses of the Israelites during the plague which killed the eldest sons of the Egyptians. Passover is a holiday

Latibule

I like words and I recently discovered Save the Words , a website which allows you to adopt words that have faded from the English lexicon and are endanger of being dropped from the Oxford English Dictionary. When you adopt a word, you agree to use it in conversation and writing in an attempt to re-introduce said word back into regular usage. It is exactly as geeky as it sounds. And I love it. A latibule is a hiding place. Use it in a sentence, please. After my son goes to bed, I pull out the good chocolate from my latibule and have a "mommy moment". The perfect latibule was just behind the northwest corner of the barn, where one had a clear view during "Kick the Can". She tucked the movie stub into an old chocolate box, her latibule for sentimental souvenirs. I like the sound of latibule, though I think I would spend more time defining it and defending myself than actually using it. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure how often I use the

When the Body of Christ is Fat

Bitmoji Julia enjoys tea Within a very short amount of time, two people whom I love were called "fat ass". One of these slurs occurred in the church building and the other occurred in the same building and within the context of worship. Both incidents were the result of a person with already impaired judgment lashing out at the person who was in front of them, perceiving them to be unhelpful or denying aid or service. Regardless of the "why", the reality is that the name was uncalled for, hurtful, and aimed to be a deep cut. The reality is that a person who is under the influence of legal or illegal substances and often displays impaired judgment can still tell that body shaming- comments about shape, appearance, or size- is a way to lash out at someone who is frustrating you. That means those words and that way of using them are deeply rooted in our culture. An additional truth is that when we, as a congregation, attempted to console and listen to those who h

Faith, Grace, and Hope

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