Hi there. Tonight Obama is doing his 30 minute infomercial. I am a supporter, although I have mixed feelings about this infomercial idea. I am getting somewhat uncomfortable with the extravagance of the whole thing, although I still prefer his views and leadership over McCain's. I am still going to vote Obama this election, but I fear that this extravagant 30 minute thing is going to annoy some people. Perhaps I am also anxious for him to not have to try to talk about it and prove himself to the world and for him to go ahead and start being our president.
But I already look at him as my president now, partly because of how much I have disapproved of the current administration. I am so hungry to have a president I respect, that I naturally see Obama as president already - does that make sense? I guess it would be similar to being cheated on by your husband, and, after finding out, but before the divorce went through, you start dating someone else. I don't plan on any of that, but I plan to vote for Obama. And frankly, leaders like this arise in our consciousness as our leaders and role models, even before the get officially appointed into the role as our leader. Obama is already a leader who calls not just FOR change, but for US to change as well. Any leader who can lead us all into a transformation of ourselves is really a leader of hearts. Again, Edwin Friedman comes to mind when he speaks of this motivating power in A Failure of Nerve, when he said that true leaders aren't really running in front of us but are also beside us with the furthest-seeing vision. While a true leader can see in the distance for us, they are connected to us and our emotional states in this present moment. I think Obama fits this description, almost eerily. That's probably why I am so fascinated with him.
I have so much going on lately - and ironically, I am still unemployed. I don't feel like enumerating everything right now, but I am excited about the opportunity to do a Bible Study on Dinah (Genesis 34). I am excited because the women in my group elected to talk about Dinah next week and the website we're using (http://www.womeninthebible.net/) doesn't feature a chapter on her. So I get to do the exegesis myself. I am fascinated with how much time is actually given to Dinah herself compared to the time spent on the negotiation of her marriage and the later violence her brothers bring upon her betrothed's city, killing all of the male sons in the city of Shechem. It's a story of deception and violent "judgment" upon Shechem and his people, done by Jacob's sons, the sons of Leah, brothers of Dinah. It starts with something that appears to be a rape and ends with the rape of a city, in way, because as the sons of Jacob destroy the young males of the city, they take away the city's strongest form of defense against invaders.
When Dinah is "raped" (my RSV says something like "seized...lay with...humbled her...") Shechem actually goes to her family and asks to marry her. This would have been the honorable thing to do in those times, according to Jewish custom, and the Bible also describes him as having a very strong desire to love her and marry her. But in going to his family, her brothers deceive him into thinking they can marry and that they may also set up other trading relationships. So with their deception they take advantage of Shechem (like turnabout) by entering their city walls and destroying their integrity as a settlement and as a clan-based people.
I am fascinated with the parallels there and that it started between two people - and how quickly it became between two clans of people. Of marked importance here is, again how much time is spent on the brothers and their anger - both while deceiving and then after destroying - compared to the little amount of time spent telling us anything about how Dinah really felt about this. Even her father Jacob has more to say than she. She is really present for only about 2 sentences out of the 31 verses dedicated to this story.
I am curious about her brothers because they do take up a lot of space in this story. They are clearly angry and have a blood-lust for vengeance. Jacob doesn't want that kind of relationship to the Canaanite people. Jacob seems to want to be on good terms with them, perhaps because he had just purchased some land nearby from them, earlier in chapter 33. He has also just made peace with his older brother Esau, of the Edomites. Perhaps these are signs that he is "mellowing out" in his fatherhood, looking for a piece of land to own. Since he is in the land of Shechem, naturally he would have wanted to have been at peace with the peoples there. As the word "Hebrews" actually means, he and his family were foreigners there. At least I think that's what the name meant. I can't remember now. I guess I'd better look that up.
I am curious about the arrangement that the brothers make with Shechem for them to be circumcised. It says that they required them to be circumcised in order for them to be able to do business together. I suppose that would make sense, according to Jewish law, although I wonder if they really thought of it as law at their time? I am curious as to why this story spends so much time talking about circumcision.
I have been taking many of these early Genesis stories about the family of Israel as ways to talk about their interrelationships as well as their relationships outside of their family to the other clans they meet. But this story appears to start with a little promise when we hear about Shechem's apparent love for Dinah and he wishes to marry her. It ends with a terrible and destructive event that only explains why the Canaanites would hate Israel. I wonder how the Jews reading the Torah during Jesus' time would have reacted to this story? What did it mean to them?
Well, I think I am going to go. I have some knitting to do. Peace be with you,
Amy
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Ordination Exams, Check!
Praise God, Praise God! I am finally able to say that I have passed all my Ordination exams! Hurray! Miracles never cease!
I received a message from the local office where I took my exams, saying that I passed all three of them. However, strangely enough, I have yet to receive the official email that is directly addressed to me. If I don't get it tonight then I will email them tomorrow about that. It's possible that a mass email like this doesn't actually arrive immediately. I can't remember when the results arrived in my mailbox last time. I thought they came earlier in the afternoon, and that was when I lived in the central time zone. Oh well. We shall see. Maybe the office was supposed to forward the email to me that they got. I will find out soon.
I am so relieved - the last few weeks when I go to sleep at night or wake up and think about these tests I would have to pray to God for help. I would repeatedly tell myself that I had to lay all my anxieties on Him so I could go to sleep. I would repeatedly, silently, in the dark of my bed, ask Him to hear my prayer for a passing grade or to release me from this walk that I am on. I had this going on in my heart when I was preparing to preach the sermon on Moses' conversation with God over having to continue their walk through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He said, "Prove to me that we are under your favor and that you will be with us on this journey, or we aren't going another step." (that's paraphrased, of course - Exodus 33-ish) So, this walk I am on, a walk that we are all on in our own unique ways, in persevering our difficulties, calls us into closer relationship to Him, so that we are free to cry, beg, plead, rejoice, as if God is our very best friend, sojourner in the darkest and wildest times of life. I find it so often in my darkest and wildest journeys that while I am persevering to survive or succeed, I often must make time to talk to God about them, or I will forget His presence. The forgetting is just my own inattention to the greater, more important times in my life. We can so easily get so hooked into survival mode, that we might think we are all alone, when in fact, it's just like Jesus says to the man when walking on the beach - He carries us.
Well, more to come, I pray. Thanks for your prayers. - A
I received a message from the local office where I took my exams, saying that I passed all three of them. However, strangely enough, I have yet to receive the official email that is directly addressed to me. If I don't get it tonight then I will email them tomorrow about that. It's possible that a mass email like this doesn't actually arrive immediately. I can't remember when the results arrived in my mailbox last time. I thought they came earlier in the afternoon, and that was when I lived in the central time zone. Oh well. We shall see. Maybe the office was supposed to forward the email to me that they got. I will find out soon.
I am so relieved - the last few weeks when I go to sleep at night or wake up and think about these tests I would have to pray to God for help. I would repeatedly tell myself that I had to lay all my anxieties on Him so I could go to sleep. I would repeatedly, silently, in the dark of my bed, ask Him to hear my prayer for a passing grade or to release me from this walk that I am on. I had this going on in my heart when I was preparing to preach the sermon on Moses' conversation with God over having to continue their walk through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He said, "Prove to me that we are under your favor and that you will be with us on this journey, or we aren't going another step." (that's paraphrased, of course - Exodus 33-ish) So, this walk I am on, a walk that we are all on in our own unique ways, in persevering our difficulties, calls us into closer relationship to Him, so that we are free to cry, beg, plead, rejoice, as if God is our very best friend, sojourner in the darkest and wildest times of life. I find it so often in my darkest and wildest journeys that while I am persevering to survive or succeed, I often must make time to talk to God about them, or I will forget His presence. The forgetting is just my own inattention to the greater, more important times in my life. We can so easily get so hooked into survival mode, that we might think we are all alone, when in fact, it's just like Jesus says to the man when walking on the beach - He carries us.
Well, more to come, I pray. Thanks for your prayers. - A
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
8.00 Dollars!
I got a check in the mail for $8. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but every bit counts. It was for taking some online surveys. I have another $40 coming, I believe, from several online survey sites. That stuff actually makes some money, but it seems like you have to belong to the right ones. Some of them are probably scams, like those that just want you to click on bunch of little advertisements. They are real ways for people to advertise, but I question their value to me. I want to be paid for being exposed to all these advertisements, but usually it seems like they require my credit card in return.
I also got a check for $159.20 for preaching two sermons this past weekend. I think the sermons went well. I traveled all the way to Socorro and Magdalena to preach in them because they are yoked parishes, which was an incredibly beautiful, yet remote drive. I wish I had taken my camera. The view driving back from Magdalena through to Socorro was my favorite part. Wow. The weather was perfect for driving too. I think I need to take some money out of retirement if I am going to make it into the next month. I think I will also get $40 tomorrow for taking a four-hour computer class at UNM. Of course, I think that will be taxed as income.
I am a knitting instructor now at Hobby Lobby, as I said in my last blog. This is the first week my advertisement and sign up sheet is out at the store but no one is signed up for this week's class. I'm okay with that. I think I am going to post advertisements on some public bulletin boards around town so work gets out, in addition to simply offering some private lessons at 10/hr. The classes are 5/hr. I think that's reasonable, because the classes are usually 2-3 hours long.
It looks pretty good, even though the pixels aren't very good in this blog. They look nice printed out full size on a piece of photo paper. Now I need to put some of those posters out on bulletin boards with those little tabs on them with my phone number.
This past week I helped my boyfriend get some of the last little bits of things installed in his new studio. He has been working on an addition to his house where he can start a professional recording business. I am so inspired by his accomplishments so far and it also inspires me that he already has his own small business of installing sound equipment. The plan is he is going to "Christen" the studio on Thursday night by having some of the old band back together and they'll play in the studio room. The recording equipment isn't in there yet because the building will need one more inspection first, but he actually has walls now, and paint on them. Carpet is going in very soon. I'm proud of him. I plan on being up there at his house on Thursday night to share in the festive nature of the event. One of his best friends is an incredible guitar player and he has no idea how close the studio is to being finished. So I need to be there to see his face - maybe bake some cookies for the occasion for it too!
Well, I think I'll go and work on my resume and flyers to advertise. I'm expecting a call soon too from a hospice organization.
Peace,
Amy
Thursday, October 16, 2008
It's a new day
Today I have been spending more time on preparing my sermon. Yesterday I wanted to do more on it but I had several errands to run, two of which took a way longer time than expected. But they went okay! I am applying to a local employment agency who is helping me get a license to teach in local public schools as a substitute teacher! That's going to be so cool, though tiring I am sure. It takes like 2 months to get the whole process done, which includes a background check, reference check and fingerprinting. Surprisingly, they don't do a drug test, which I think would be appropriate to do to teachers. I am also starting to teach evening knitting classes each week at the local Hobby Lobby. The first project will be a beginning class on making an interesting scarf that looks like a bunch of diamonds stacked on top of them. My next class will be a potholders/coasters class to teach casting on/binding off and to learn a couple of interesting combinations of purl-knit stitch patterns (like rib, chevron, etc.). Other projects will be mittens (shaping class with straight needles), a hat (knitting in the round), and perhaps an entrelac purse class for advanced students (this would require knowing how to pick up stitches, increase/decrease, purl, knit). I also just found a simple-looking knitting pattern for a reusable grocery bag, which I hope to learn. This might be a nice project for the eco-minded. So there's a lot I can teach and hopefully I will have some takers. For a 15 dollar fee for 3 hours of instruction, I think it's pretty reasonable. If you live in Albuquerque, and have always wanted to know how to knit, go here: http://www.hobbylobby.com/stores/stores.cfm?page=3.2&menu=1&storeno=067 The class will be in evenings so you can go after work!
Let's see... I am also sewing a leopard tail for Halloween. I bought 1/4 yard of fake fur at Hobby Lobby yesterday, cut it lengthwise and folded it over in the shape of a tail. As soon as I finish stitching up the sides with black thread, I'll turn it back outside-in and will stuff it just a little bit with some "fake snow" I used at Christmas party last year (it's just cotton batting, but touted as "snow" at JoAnn's:). I haven't decided how to attach it however. My boyfriend is pretty excited about the idea. I have had a pair of fake leopard ears on a headband for several years now. If I can rememberwhere they are, I could wear those too! Happy Halloween!
Halloween is also the same day as Reformation Day. That was in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg
Let's see... I am also sewing a leopard tail for Halloween. I bought 1/4 yard of fake fur at Hobby Lobby yesterday, cut it lengthwise and folded it over in the shape of a tail. As soon as I finish stitching up the sides with black thread, I'll turn it back outside-in and will stuff it just a little bit with some "fake snow" I used at Christmas party last year (it's just cotton batting, but touted as "snow" at JoAnn's:). I haven't decided how to attach it however. My boyfriend is pretty excited about the idea. I have had a pair of fake leopard ears on a headband for several years now. If I can rememberwhere they are, I could wear those too! Happy Halloween!
Halloween is also the same day as Reformation Day. That was in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
first snow!
I am so glad to report that we have had our first snow here - not in Albuquerque, but up in the East Mountains. I led our 4th Women's Bible Study last night and after that, drove over to my boyfriend's house and as he and I stood there looking out the window, it started to snow! It didn't accumulate unfortunately but it was definitely something that gets me in the mood for winter!
In the meantime, I have continued to search for jobs, watch a fair bit of daytime TV, knit stuff, and conduct my Bible studies. I have also been with the kitties a lot more than usual because I have been out of work for so long. Misty has become particularly michievous lately, having actually found her way onto the kitchen counter and into the top shelf of dishes! Oh my gosh. That might explain why I found small chips of my Pfalzgraff plates on the shelf inside. I found these little chips of plates inside the shelf and was completely confused earlier this week. She has also found a convenient way to roost on top of the refrigerator now. The other day when making cookies I turned around and found myself eye to eye, a little bit startled by her. She was just lazing over the corner of the fridge, her flippy-floppy tail doing its little dance. I think she likes to keep me on my toes.
So this shed is getting furrier. Don't worry, if you ever came to my house for dinner, I will wash all the dishes right before using them. I promise. I'm a bit overly-careful to prevent cat-hair-ingestion.
My sermon is this Sunday. I am preaching from Exodus 33, in which Moses intercedes for the Israelites to God after they refuse to continue on their journey to the Promised Land. Moses really stands up for them with demands for reassurance that God will continue to have favor for them and that he will go with them on this journey. But his demands are center stage, sharing center stage also the promises that God does give him, in kind of an elliptical form. God's response to Moses is one in wich He "draws the line" somewhere along the lines of, "yes, I will always be with you," but "no, you cannot know me thoroughly..." The story wraps up with God placing Moses into the cleft of rock, a little sheltered spot, and God then moves forward ahead of Moses in such a way that Moses is shielded from God's face. This is almost as if to say, "this is how I shall do it, going ahead of you."
I have been thinking my focus will be the fact we don't know everything there is to know about God and that this is okay, if we can be reassured of God's permanant presence in our lives, and God's faithfulness to His covenant with us. That's about all I have now. Tomorrow I hope to get back to it early in the day. Peace out. Amy
In the meantime, I have continued to search for jobs, watch a fair bit of daytime TV, knit stuff, and conduct my Bible studies. I have also been with the kitties a lot more than usual because I have been out of work for so long. Misty has become particularly michievous lately, having actually found her way onto the kitchen counter and into the top shelf of dishes! Oh my gosh. That might explain why I found small chips of my Pfalzgraff plates on the shelf inside. I found these little chips of plates inside the shelf and was completely confused earlier this week. She has also found a convenient way to roost on top of the refrigerator now. The other day when making cookies I turned around and found myself eye to eye, a little bit startled by her. She was just lazing over the corner of the fridge, her flippy-floppy tail doing its little dance. I think she likes to keep me on my toes.
So this shed is getting furrier. Don't worry, if you ever came to my house for dinner, I will wash all the dishes right before using them. I promise. I'm a bit overly-careful to prevent cat-hair-ingestion.
My sermon is this Sunday. I am preaching from Exodus 33, in which Moses intercedes for the Israelites to God after they refuse to continue on their journey to the Promised Land. Moses really stands up for them with demands for reassurance that God will continue to have favor for them and that he will go with them on this journey. But his demands are center stage, sharing center stage also the promises that God does give him, in kind of an elliptical form. God's response to Moses is one in wich He "draws the line" somewhere along the lines of, "yes, I will always be with you," but "no, you cannot know me thoroughly..." The story wraps up with God placing Moses into the cleft of rock, a little sheltered spot, and God then moves forward ahead of Moses in such a way that Moses is shielded from God's face. This is almost as if to say, "this is how I shall do it, going ahead of you."
I have been thinking my focus will be the fact we don't know everything there is to know about God and that this is okay, if we can be reassured of God's permanant presence in our lives, and God's faithfulness to His covenant with us. That's about all I have now. Tomorrow I hope to get back to it early in the day. Peace out. Amy
Friday, October 10, 2008
Today's a good day
Happy Friday! So glad it's Friday. Hopeful-ish things have happened today. I applied for a new job I saw open up with a hospice looking for a bereavement counselor!!! Wooo hooo! I did't get the job, but it was heartening for me to get a really great lead like that. It forced me to sign up with yet another career/job search website however. I am now with CareerBuilder.com, Job.com, Jobing.com, Monster.com and a myriad of many other smaller, lesser-known folks, many sites related to either healthcare or teaching. I am even on Policelink.com, because there is something in me that says I might actually get some good work using my training in Critical Incident Stress Management, which is an immediate, post-trauma, debriefing type of caregiving to people designed to prevent traumatized persons from experiencing PTSD. Kind of like grief, trauma is a natural reaction to an extraordinary experience and is a subjective response, but when they become disorders, that's when one's health is compromised. I would LOVE to be a bereavement - whatever person with that hospice company. It would be the break of a lifetime, to begin paid, professional experience, whether on contract, temporary or permanent hire.
I also got a contact from UNM - a university department nonetheless - who said they would be considering my application working there. It took about 4 weeks for the resume to get that far, from the date I applied! So it will be a while longer, apparently. But just getting that letter was a relief because it proved that someone is actually reading my resumes.
I am now signed up with their temp agency (UNM Temps) and have been thoroughly impressed with the personalities I have met, a feeling of hospitality from them, etc. This appears to be a great organization to be a part of, so we shall see how much work they are able to provide me. They are actually paying me to take a training course on THEIR mainframe accounting software. If you want to know more about them, let me know with a comment.
I am also proud to say I saved 10 bucks at the grocery today with my Smiths Rewards card. It was my first use of the card, and I got so much back because I bought so much stuff on sale. I have been shoring up resources in this way - I bought a lot of frozen and canned stuff. It's weird because I haven't been eating much and skipping some meals. This is terrible, but I should go ahead and name it. I believe it is another way for me to "shore up resources," but I know it is not particularly healthy. The only good thing about it is my fridge is cleaner than it's been in months, and it's giving me a different view of another side of life I haven't experienced in many years. I remember when I first moved from Virginia to Dallas I only made 800 bucks a month! My rent was 300 in a creepy neighborhood, living in an efficiency with Texas cockroaches, ground floor level, all bills paid. It was one of those parts of towns where a lot of people just walked around during the day when others were at work. It was, according to my parents and friends, and a gut feeling, a dangerous neighborhood for a single white girl of 23 years old. I used to eat spaghetti and bread just about every night and I brought my lunch to work every day. Now I'm 37 and I wonder where I got the nerve, the business sense and perseverence at such a young age? If I could do it then, maybe I can do it now, although my rent is much higher and I have a much greater appreciation for quality wine.
Just like they're saying about the economy on TV, we're strong, we're survivors, we're fighters, the world isn't going to just end if the bottom falls out.
On another note, I am working on a flyer and sign up sheet so I can teach some knitting classes at a nearby Hobby Lobby in Albuquerque. The classes aren't posted yet online, but I have to turn this stuff in by October 22nd in order for it to be published for the November calendar there. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity. I love teaching it! I am going to teach a scarf pattern that allows you to avoid having to learn casting on and binding off right away. It's a scarf that starts and ends on one stitch. My reason for choosing this pattern is so that students can go home and finish the scarf by just pulling the thread through the last loop to finish. I will have to teach them how to increase and decrease however. The Increase 1 is the first stitch they will learn and the most "challenging" for a beginner, and if they can do that, they can do everything else with a lot less grief.
I found an interesting website that might help with scholarship money for future education too, FastWeb, which even shows a calendar for knowing when certain scholarships are due and the many scholarships there are out there.
Well, tighter belts mean that the "necessity is the mother of invention" thing is coming more into play. I have noticed some pretty interesting new inventions, product ideas, and e-commerce ideas going on. Have you? I am hoping and praying that these times will birth in the American people a new sense of entrepreneurship, a new sense of responsibility, appreciation and care for what we have. It's happening in me. Is it happening in you?
Lastly, I am really chewing on my message when I preach on October 19th. I will be doing that down in Socorro and Magdalena. I am going to preach it from Exodus 33, in which Moses confronts the Lord with questions, asking essentially, for God's reassurance. It's a famous passage in which Moses demands to see God's "glory" and that's where God draws the line and says, "Let me put you up in the cleft of this rock and hide you there as I pass by... no one can see my glory and live." I really love it. I think it really speaks to me and is quite timely for others right now too. Everyone I know is struggling some with the economy. It reminds me of grade school when it was also tough times. I remember the 70s too, sitting in the back seat of our big blue Ford Gran Torino station wagon, waiting for an eternity for my parents to pump it with gas, noting a long line behind us. Things have been worse, things have been better. Things could be WAAAAAY worse. I'm pro-Obama, in case you couldn't tell yet. We cannot see the future very clearly, just like we cannot know all of God or think we have the authority or tolerance to see God 360 degrees around. All we can be reassured of is that God's favor is on us all and we are not allowed to know everything about Him. We don't even have to. We just need to follow him on this wilderness-type journey. In a way, it's supposed to take a little bit of pressure off of us, so we're meant to spend our energies on other, much more productive things - not worrying about the future - but having reassurance that what we see is not all there is.
Every morning when I go out of my apartment to my pickup truck, I get a full view of Sandia Crest, about 10000+ feet above sea level. Although everything surrounding the crest changes on a daily basis - depending on snowfall, cloud formations, humidity, etc., it only looks like it changes from one day to the next. Some days it's virtually gone because of clouds. But it is always there. That, in some other form, will be my hermeneutical bridge for the sermon I preach on the 19th. It may even be a sermon illustration. We'll see.
I should give a plug for someone/something very special. If you are interested in getting involved with online dialogue with a class of seminary students doing Biblical exegesis, go to http://www.encounterscripture.net/ I was involved in part of the startup for this site. In the Spring, their seminary offers Biblical exegesis/translation classes in the New Testament and usually offers a way for the public to read and follow the work of the students. I was really proud to share this with my significant other (I am going to call him "SO" for a while), who then responded in saying that he thought it was very "enlightened" of my 70+ year old professor to want outside people to read up and interact with the students' research and heartfelt assessments. I think outside people can actually sign on for the "e-class", assuming it's the same as it was when I was a teaching/office assistant.
Well, I need to go and make chocolate chip cookies! I bought the red-white-blue package of chocolate chips today because they were the cheapest. Anyways, I am proud of the savings today, the possibility of work, etc.
God is good. Thank God for small favors and plentiful grace. Thank God for the gratitude we feel when we're surviving and we finally get even a small break, a sliver of light. Amen.
Amy-san
I also got a contact from UNM - a university department nonetheless - who said they would be considering my application working there. It took about 4 weeks for the resume to get that far, from the date I applied! So it will be a while longer, apparently. But just getting that letter was a relief because it proved that someone is actually reading my resumes.
I am now signed up with their temp agency (UNM Temps) and have been thoroughly impressed with the personalities I have met, a feeling of hospitality from them, etc. This appears to be a great organization to be a part of, so we shall see how much work they are able to provide me. They are actually paying me to take a training course on THEIR mainframe accounting software. If you want to know more about them, let me know with a comment.
I am also proud to say I saved 10 bucks at the grocery today with my Smiths Rewards card. It was my first use of the card, and I got so much back because I bought so much stuff on sale. I have been shoring up resources in this way - I bought a lot of frozen and canned stuff. It's weird because I haven't been eating much and skipping some meals. This is terrible, but I should go ahead and name it. I believe it is another way for me to "shore up resources," but I know it is not particularly healthy. The only good thing about it is my fridge is cleaner than it's been in months, and it's giving me a different view of another side of life I haven't experienced in many years. I remember when I first moved from Virginia to Dallas I only made 800 bucks a month! My rent was 300 in a creepy neighborhood, living in an efficiency with Texas cockroaches, ground floor level, all bills paid. It was one of those parts of towns where a lot of people just walked around during the day when others were at work. It was, according to my parents and friends, and a gut feeling, a dangerous neighborhood for a single white girl of 23 years old. I used to eat spaghetti and bread just about every night and I brought my lunch to work every day. Now I'm 37 and I wonder where I got the nerve, the business sense and perseverence at such a young age? If I could do it then, maybe I can do it now, although my rent is much higher and I have a much greater appreciation for quality wine.
Just like they're saying about the economy on TV, we're strong, we're survivors, we're fighters, the world isn't going to just end if the bottom falls out.
On another note, I am working on a flyer and sign up sheet so I can teach some knitting classes at a nearby Hobby Lobby in Albuquerque. The classes aren't posted yet online, but I have to turn this stuff in by October 22nd in order for it to be published for the November calendar there. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity. I love teaching it! I am going to teach a scarf pattern that allows you to avoid having to learn casting on and binding off right away. It's a scarf that starts and ends on one stitch. My reason for choosing this pattern is so that students can go home and finish the scarf by just pulling the thread through the last loop to finish. I will have to teach them how to increase and decrease however. The Increase 1 is the first stitch they will learn and the most "challenging" for a beginner, and if they can do that, they can do everything else with a lot less grief.
I found an interesting website that might help with scholarship money for future education too, FastWeb, which even shows a calendar for knowing when certain scholarships are due and the many scholarships there are out there.
Well, tighter belts mean that the "necessity is the mother of invention" thing is coming more into play. I have noticed some pretty interesting new inventions, product ideas, and e-commerce ideas going on. Have you? I am hoping and praying that these times will birth in the American people a new sense of entrepreneurship, a new sense of responsibility, appreciation and care for what we have. It's happening in me. Is it happening in you?
Lastly, I am really chewing on my message when I preach on October 19th. I will be doing that down in Socorro and Magdalena. I am going to preach it from Exodus 33, in which Moses confronts the Lord with questions, asking essentially, for God's reassurance. It's a famous passage in which Moses demands to see God's "glory" and that's where God draws the line and says, "Let me put you up in the cleft of this rock and hide you there as I pass by... no one can see my glory and live." I really love it. I think it really speaks to me and is quite timely for others right now too. Everyone I know is struggling some with the economy. It reminds me of grade school when it was also tough times. I remember the 70s too, sitting in the back seat of our big blue Ford Gran Torino station wagon, waiting for an eternity for my parents to pump it with gas, noting a long line behind us. Things have been worse, things have been better. Things could be WAAAAAY worse. I'm pro-Obama, in case you couldn't tell yet. We cannot see the future very clearly, just like we cannot know all of God or think we have the authority or tolerance to see God 360 degrees around. All we can be reassured of is that God's favor is on us all and we are not allowed to know everything about Him. We don't even have to. We just need to follow him on this wilderness-type journey. In a way, it's supposed to take a little bit of pressure off of us, so we're meant to spend our energies on other, much more productive things - not worrying about the future - but having reassurance that what we see is not all there is.
Every morning when I go out of my apartment to my pickup truck, I get a full view of Sandia Crest, about 10000+ feet above sea level. Although everything surrounding the crest changes on a daily basis - depending on snowfall, cloud formations, humidity, etc., it only looks like it changes from one day to the next. Some days it's virtually gone because of clouds. But it is always there. That, in some other form, will be my hermeneutical bridge for the sermon I preach on the 19th. It may even be a sermon illustration. We'll see.
I should give a plug for someone/something very special. If you are interested in getting involved with online dialogue with a class of seminary students doing Biblical exegesis, go to http://www.encounterscripture.net/ I was involved in part of the startup for this site. In the Spring, their seminary offers Biblical exegesis/translation classes in the New Testament and usually offers a way for the public to read and follow the work of the students. I was really proud to share this with my significant other (I am going to call him "SO" for a while), who then responded in saying that he thought it was very "enlightened" of my 70+ year old professor to want outside people to read up and interact with the students' research and heartfelt assessments. I think outside people can actually sign on for the "e-class", assuming it's the same as it was when I was a teaching/office assistant.
Well, I need to go and make chocolate chip cookies! I bought the red-white-blue package of chocolate chips today because they were the cheapest. Anyways, I am proud of the savings today, the possibility of work, etc.
God is good. Thank God for small favors and plentiful grace. Thank God for the gratitude we feel when we're surviving and we finally get even a small break, a sliver of light. Amen.
Amy-san
Thursday, October 9, 2008
hurting eyeballs
My eyeballs hurt today. I haven't been sleeping all that great. Last night it was partly Misty's fault because that crazy fluffy cat was very active! Unfortunately whenever I heard a sound I wondered if she was up to naughty stuff - just being a cat. She has a tendency to try to get my attention when I am trying to sleep and of course, she gets it! I love her but occasionally we have a night light that. Then as soon as I get mad at her I can see her look up at me in the near-darkness and I know she is using those humongous kitty eyes and fluffy cheeks and I immediately just want to laugh. That's the problem. She's so dang cute.
Both cats have been kind of needy lately, even though I have been home a lot more than when I used to have a job. It is probably because I am often at my computer, looking for a job. That is a full-time job in itself, and unfortunately I haven't been taking a lot of time to just "be" - I end up "doing" so much and until I suddenly realize it's late at night. Periwinkle finds a way to work herself onto my lap between my tummy and my laptop computer, which is quite a dainty feat. She is so careful and doesn't walk on the computer. It's a tight fit but she makes it work, even though she's a full grown cat.
Hey - I have a fun pattern that I adapted to a hot pad for use in the kitchen. I knit half of a square, starting with a single stitch, increasing the last stitch of every row until it's a triangle (half a square). Then, from one side, I knit perpendicular to it, adapting a pattern from the entrelac style of knitting, but I used the garter stitch the whole time so there is no "wrong side" to it. It looks pretty cool now. Here's a little diagram that shows t
he directions that the stitches are going.
he directions that the stitches are going. My pattern, using size 7 straight needles and comparable yarn, went as follows
Make slip knot on left needle.
Make slip knot on left needle.
Row 1: Inc1, turn
Row 2: K1, Inc1 turn
Row 3: K2, Inc1 turn
Row 4: K3, Inc1 turn
Continue in this pattern until you have 33 stitches on needle.
Now, to "grow" rows perpendicular to the rows just created, do the following:
Row 1: Inc1, K2tog (for the rest of this, knit the second stitch with next stitch on your left needle). turn
Row 2: K3. turn
Row 3: Inc1, K1, K2tog. turn
Row 4: K4. turn
Row 5: Inc1, K2, K2tog. turn
Row 6: K5. turn
Row 7: Inc1, K3, K2tog. turn
Row 8: K6. turn
Row 9: Inc1, K4, K2tog. turn
Row 10: K7. turn
Row 11: Inc1, K5, K2tog. turn
Row 12: K8. turn
Row 13: Inc1, K6, K2tog. turn
Row 14: K9. turn
Row 15: Inc1, K7, K2tog. turn
Row 16: K10. turn
Row 17: Inc1, K8, K2tog. turn
Row 18: K11. turn.
Row 19: Inc1, K9, K2tog. turn
Row 20: K12, turn.
Row 21: Inc1, K10, K2tog, turn
Row 22: K13, turn
Row 23: Inc1, K11, K2tog, turn
Row 24: K14, turn.
Row 25: Inc1, K12, K2tog, turn
Row 26: K15, turn.
Row 27: Inc1, K13, K2tog, turn
Row 28: K16, turn
Row 29: Inc1, K14, K2tog, turn
Row 30: K17, turn. Now to decrease the diagonal edge of the square. You're in the homestretch.
Row 31: K2tog, K14, K2tog, turn
Row 32: K16, turn
Row 33: K2tog, K13, K2tog, turn
Row 34: K15, turn
Row 35: K2tog, K12, K2tog, turn
Row 36: K14, turn.
Row 37: K2tog, K11, K2tog, turn.
Row 38: K15, turn.
Row 39: K2tog, K10, K2tog, turn.
Row 40: K14, turn.
continue after this pattern decreasing and knitting together until you have completely joined every row of the triangle to a new row. If you have come this far in the pattern, you will see what I mean. It looks kind of cool! You will arrive at one stitch remaining on a corner of the hot pad.
enjoy!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
this just in
This just in... I am still looking for a job. My plans today are this: to call Hobby Lobby and Einstein Bros about jobs. Even though these things have nothing to do with my career path or area of education, I wouldn't mind being a part-time knitting teacher or a bagel baker. I really wouldn't mind. I love doing both. Please God help me out a little! I need to feed my cats or they will feed on me! Ha ha. That's really gross. Obviously, if you're reading this, I am having a moment of insanity and anxiety mixed together just enough that I can kind of laugh at myself.
Edwin Friedman would say I need to refresh myself, and my sense of adventure. He would say (in his book "A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix) that anxiety is the number one thing that prevents us from achieving all that we can and all that God calls me to be. My anxiety, that is. In times like these, we can't be too anxious because so much else outside of us is creating anxiety for us these days - the stock market falling, the unemployment rates, the lack of credit available to everyone, the anxiety about electing a president who is right for the job, not to mention the jillions of other things that cause us anxiety. I have to remind myself that finding a new job is one of those top things that cause us serious stress - along with losing your job, getting divorced, death of a spouse, and moving into a new (or in my case, rent) home. I think just by naming that anxiety in my life, I can be more powerful and open to what else this world is demanding of me right now.
If you are still reading this blog, try to find the book I mentioned by Edwin Friedman. He was a genius of the pastoral counseling world. He stands on the shoulders of giants in the world of family systesm theory, but Friedman's book speaks to the everyman and everywoman who seeks to get over the pathologies of this age. He was definitely on my mind these past 2 weeks as we all bit our nails watching the markets and questioned what kind of Band-Aid our Congress was going to vote for. I kept praying and hoping that this Band-Aid would work. I questioned is this just something they are trying to create to avoid making the American people angrier than we already are? Is Congress afraid of adventure, are they afraid of our wrath? I get it - the Band-Aid is supposed to prevent further economic disaster. I am not an expert in this subject but I think as we try to figure out how to respond to this situation, we have to identify when we are acting out of pure fear and anxiety.
Okay. I have to disengage from that for a second. I just wish our hearts and motivations are in the right place when we start fiddling with something that is really broken. I remember when I was about 6 years old and my parents left me alone with their old 8-track stereo system. I was so curious I pushed a button. That messed things up. So I pushed another button thinking that would fix it. That messed things up even worse. Then I started doing all kinds of things to it - switching it on and off - until my dad showed up and got angry at me. I was told to not "mess with it," because I was making it worse. Sometimes things have to unravel or reset themselves to a point before we can get to a familiar place and work from there. Sometimes perhaps we Americans should be a little more humbled, brought down a peg, so we can finally see where we really need work done. What would have happened if we had not passed these Band-Aid bills in Congress? Would we have finally found our way back? Will we find our way back now?
Sometimes disasters happen to make way for better things. I cannot say that in every situation, for some people are just dealt a crappy hand in life and someone should give them a break/leg up. But other disasters free us up to seek better ways of life. For instance, I hope that with this awful economic situation we're in we can give better breaks and incentives to small businesses, and particularly to those who are Green businesses in competition with the Corporates. It is in the best interest of this nation, individuals and the planet that we find ways to keep that conduit of fresh, new business flowing.
Regarding other, craftier stuff - I am looking for a cheap computer program or some kind of tip to help me design knitting patterns on graph paper. I am thinking about designing some basic yet cute designs with simply a standard garter stitch pattern. The "design" will actually be a graphic or a word or something in stockinette stitch. Any recommendations out there?
If you are also unemployed and reading this, feel free to comment and read at your leisure. These are things many people are afraid of right now, I realize. Some people have it much worse off than I. I wish all of you God's peace and a little bit of good timing.
Amy-san
Edwin Friedman would say I need to refresh myself, and my sense of adventure. He would say (in his book "A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix) that anxiety is the number one thing that prevents us from achieving all that we can and all that God calls me to be. My anxiety, that is. In times like these, we can't be too anxious because so much else outside of us is creating anxiety for us these days - the stock market falling, the unemployment rates, the lack of credit available to everyone, the anxiety about electing a president who is right for the job, not to mention the jillions of other things that cause us anxiety. I have to remind myself that finding a new job is one of those top things that cause us serious stress - along with losing your job, getting divorced, death of a spouse, and moving into a new (or in my case, rent) home. I think just by naming that anxiety in my life, I can be more powerful and open to what else this world is demanding of me right now.
If you are still reading this blog, try to find the book I mentioned by Edwin Friedman. He was a genius of the pastoral counseling world. He stands on the shoulders of giants in the world of family systesm theory, but Friedman's book speaks to the everyman and everywoman who seeks to get over the pathologies of this age. He was definitely on my mind these past 2 weeks as we all bit our nails watching the markets and questioned what kind of Band-Aid our Congress was going to vote for. I kept praying and hoping that this Band-Aid would work. I questioned is this just something they are trying to create to avoid making the American people angrier than we already are? Is Congress afraid of adventure, are they afraid of our wrath? I get it - the Band-Aid is supposed to prevent further economic disaster. I am not an expert in this subject but I think as we try to figure out how to respond to this situation, we have to identify when we are acting out of pure fear and anxiety.
Okay. I have to disengage from that for a second. I just wish our hearts and motivations are in the right place when we start fiddling with something that is really broken. I remember when I was about 6 years old and my parents left me alone with their old 8-track stereo system. I was so curious I pushed a button. That messed things up. So I pushed another button thinking that would fix it. That messed things up even worse. Then I started doing all kinds of things to it - switching it on and off - until my dad showed up and got angry at me. I was told to not "mess with it," because I was making it worse. Sometimes things have to unravel or reset themselves to a point before we can get to a familiar place and work from there. Sometimes perhaps we Americans should be a little more humbled, brought down a peg, so we can finally see where we really need work done. What would have happened if we had not passed these Band-Aid bills in Congress? Would we have finally found our way back? Will we find our way back now?
Sometimes disasters happen to make way for better things. I cannot say that in every situation, for some people are just dealt a crappy hand in life and someone should give them a break/leg up. But other disasters free us up to seek better ways of life. For instance, I hope that with this awful economic situation we're in we can give better breaks and incentives to small businesses, and particularly to those who are Green businesses in competition with the Corporates. It is in the best interest of this nation, individuals and the planet that we find ways to keep that conduit of fresh, new business flowing.
Regarding other, craftier stuff - I am looking for a cheap computer program or some kind of tip to help me design knitting patterns on graph paper. I am thinking about designing some basic yet cute designs with simply a standard garter stitch pattern. The "design" will actually be a graphic or a word or something in stockinette stitch. Any recommendations out there?
If you are also unemployed and reading this, feel free to comment and read at your leisure. These are things many people are afraid of right now, I realize. Some people have it much worse off than I. I wish all of you God's peace and a little bit of good timing.
Amy-san
Blah-being unemployed!
Apparently I have nothing better to do than to procrastinate about looking for jobs today. I have been at it since the end of August, and for a while it can be fun to get stuff done around the house, explore daytime TV and let my cats lie all over me. I've already complained about being unemployed before. Today it bugs me that I have a masters degree and no one desires to hire me. What else can I do to make money? I have imagined doing many things, such as even entrepreneurial stuff, like marketing my own talents - beyond the standard resume + cover letter.
I applied to several jobs with the state of New Mexico, mainly at the university. There is a joke around this town that true New Mexicans live on "New Mexico time." As someone who grew up on the East Coast, and then later lived in the fast-track world of Dallas, Houston and Austin, this different time-line for getting things done kind of maddens me. "Maddens" as in drives me a little nuts. I have to remember that "when in Rome" etc.
And the time line is complicated yet further by the fact that I am also looking for a much different career path than before. As much as I would love to do any of the work I am presently considering, my dream is to be a chaplain and/or teacher. Right now, I am investigating how to get into the baking business as a small business owner with NO CAPITAL AND BAD CREDIT, how to become an elementary school-level tutor, how to be a sort of "free-lance" preacher/chaplain, how to market my skills and talents in teaching people how to knit. None of these projects offer enough income individually, and I'm looking at a major juggling act right now. Hmmmm. I am even thinking about how to manage my own little website and make some money on the traffic and ads. Perhaps all of this stuff can work together, or I won't even need to juggle a bunch of them. Oh, how much I miss hanging out with dying people in hospitals!!!
I really do. That's my dream job. Caring for people in dire circumstances. That's what I have been doing for over this past year until that internship finished up. I am one of these folks who is quite talented at this kind of work, but my experience and current certification don't yet measure up. Some of that hopefully will change on October 27th!!! That's a special day for me, or a depressing one, maybe, because that's when I will get a special email to tell me whether I passed my ordination exams or not. I pray that I may pass at least 2 of the 3. That would really help my confidence levels. Of course, I want to pass all of them because I don't want to retake them again.
I have so many amazing experiences working as a chaplain that I miss it so. Please pray for me.
I must say that I feel a little twinge of irritation today because a Catholic sister who is a friend of mine got a job. She was in the same internship as me. I am irritated because I feel like I am better than she and she has an entire community of sisters and superiors who helped to place her there. I have to tell myself repeatedly that this irritation is really my own anxiety about not having found a job yet, and that this happened because she and I are simply on very different life paths. So I need some help remembering that.
Anyways, I have some phone calls to make and a meeting at 11 am. Thanks for listening (are you?). Peace to you. May time be a gift and not a curse for all of us right now.
I applied to several jobs with the state of New Mexico, mainly at the university. There is a joke around this town that true New Mexicans live on "New Mexico time." As someone who grew up on the East Coast, and then later lived in the fast-track world of Dallas, Houston and Austin, this different time-line for getting things done kind of maddens me. "Maddens" as in drives me a little nuts. I have to remember that "when in Rome" etc.
And the time line is complicated yet further by the fact that I am also looking for a much different career path than before. As much as I would love to do any of the work I am presently considering, my dream is to be a chaplain and/or teacher. Right now, I am investigating how to get into the baking business as a small business owner with NO CAPITAL AND BAD CREDIT, how to become an elementary school-level tutor, how to be a sort of "free-lance" preacher/chaplain, how to market my skills and talents in teaching people how to knit. None of these projects offer enough income individually, and I'm looking at a major juggling act right now. Hmmmm. I am even thinking about how to manage my own little website and make some money on the traffic and ads. Perhaps all of this stuff can work together, or I won't even need to juggle a bunch of them. Oh, how much I miss hanging out with dying people in hospitals!!!
I really do. That's my dream job. Caring for people in dire circumstances. That's what I have been doing for over this past year until that internship finished up. I am one of these folks who is quite talented at this kind of work, but my experience and current certification don't yet measure up. Some of that hopefully will change on October 27th!!! That's a special day for me, or a depressing one, maybe, because that's when I will get a special email to tell me whether I passed my ordination exams or not. I pray that I may pass at least 2 of the 3. That would really help my confidence levels. Of course, I want to pass all of them because I don't want to retake them again.
I have so many amazing experiences working as a chaplain that I miss it so. Please pray for me.
I must say that I feel a little twinge of irritation today because a Catholic sister who is a friend of mine got a job. She was in the same internship as me. I am irritated because I feel like I am better than she and she has an entire community of sisters and superiors who helped to place her there. I have to tell myself repeatedly that this irritation is really my own anxiety about not having found a job yet, and that this happened because she and I are simply on very different life paths. So I need some help remembering that.
Anyways, I have some phone calls to make and a meeting at 11 am. Thanks for listening (are you?). Peace to you. May time be a gift and not a curse for all of us right now.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Happy Late St. Francis Day
In memoriam: Bill the Skink. I am remembering Bill today because this past Sunday was St. Francis Day. The folks at church got to bring in their pets, photos of pets, and photos of past pets, so that we might celebrate and bless the creatures who bring us joy and remind us of our humanity and humility. Thank God for the creatures who bring us down to earth!
Now, in addition to Misty and Periwinkle the cats, I only have a fish named Bob. Bob is a tough little Tiger Barb who has put up with my irregular feedings, and an occasional kitty paw in the water. I can't believe he's still alive. I brought him a friend once, who he proceeded to pick to death. I guess Bob rules the tank. I've had this little fish for over a year now.
Bill the skink was a good lizard, who I had for over 11 years! He also put up with a lot because he traveled with me around Dallas as I kept moving around, then he moved with me to Austin, where my life took a really disorganized turn for another 5 years. Finally, he died of what I guess may have been old age, because I couldn't figure out what else caused it. These types of skinks (called "Schneider Skinks" or "Berber Skinks") have about a 12 year life expectancy. St. Francis would be happy to know that Bill not only breathed life into mine, but he also was a source of frequent entertainment for 
Periwinkle, who came into my life later on as a 2 month old kitten. Every time I try to take a picture of that cat, she's asleep!
Happy Late St. Francis Day to everyone. Don't forget to hug and love the animals in your life.
furry shed explained, and other things
I have set this blog up because I used to use a journal. Unfortunately, this means that most people who read this will be rapidly confused by my storytelling. Right now I cannot make much of a blog-entry (is that the right terminology?) because a cat is on my lap getting her fur all over me. She thinks that it is all about her and yet, she's probably right. This blog will serve partly as a place for me to complain - after all, like - how many people are unemployed out there? - like an enormous percentage in New mexico, I am having trouble finding work too. Sucks. Hopefully one of the many resumes I have sent out will stick. I have been gradually having to adjust and readjust my career expectations since my internship ended 2 months ago and instead of applying just for the jobs I want - teaching and chaplain jobs - I am also applying to places like crafts stores, bagels (to be a bagel-baker) and am signed up with about 50 percent of the local employment / staffing services. EEEK! What are we going to do as a nation - with so many of us unemployed and the economy in the toilet? If you have seen my toilet, that's a really terrible assessment of the economy.
Well, it is presently the international Balloon Fiesta here until October 12. The balloons are incredible - if you leave the house before 8 am, you can see all the way across the city (the Rio Grande Basin) all these balloons just hanging there in the sky like dozens of colorful earrings. I still haven't gone because I really don't feel like dealing with the crowds. But I'm enjoying it anyways!
We got about 1-1/2 inches of rain this past weekend, if you were up in the East Mountains near Sandia Crest. That's a LOT o rain - and it fell steadily all night long. We actually offered prayers of thanksgiving for it in church Sunday.
Last night was the 3rd night that I led a women's Bible study at an Episcopal church. We are loosely guided by http://www.womeninthebible.net/. It's a pretty good website. I think that the group of women should get the credit for how well this class is going because they are eager for the fellowship and for the stimulation we get for just encountering what the Bible says to us without a lot of filters. Last night we had a wonderful discussion sharing what we believe have been "religious experiences," after talking about Hagar, the Egyptian slave-girl of Abram and Sarai. If you're reading my blog, stop it now and read about Hagar instead (Gen 16:6-16 and Gen 21:1-24?). She was a "stranger in a strange land" and experienced further alienation in part due to the traditional slavery customs of the time. Next week we'll look at Rebecca!
Anyways, I guess I should explain "the furry shed" - I live in a small, poorly-ventilated apartment with 2 cats - need I say more? Well, additionally, I shed - because of my long hair - and I like to knit - so that's another fuzz-related issue I have. Furthermore, sometimes I use fuzzy logic and fuzzy intelligence to navigate my life, which sometimes drives certain "types" of people beyond madness. So there are all kinds of reasons to call this blog what it really is - coming from a "furry shed"!
Lastly, I may blog again later and I should apologize in advance because I am preparing to write a sermon and when I do that I start to leak at the seams with things that I am learning. I might actually try my sermon out on you (textually, of course). Thanks for writing this. More will emanate from my head later on. Cheers!
Amy-san
Well, it is presently the international Balloon Fiesta here until October 12. The balloons are incredible - if you leave the house before 8 am, you can see all the way across the city (the Rio Grande Basin) all these balloons just hanging there in the sky like dozens of colorful earrings. I still haven't gone because I really don't feel like dealing with the crowds. But I'm enjoying it anyways!
We got about 1-1/2 inches of rain this past weekend, if you were up in the East Mountains near Sandia Crest. That's a LOT o rain - and it fell steadily all night long. We actually offered prayers of thanksgiving for it in church Sunday.
Last night was the 3rd night that I led a women's Bible study at an Episcopal church. We are loosely guided by http://www.womeninthebible.net/. It's a pretty good website. I think that the group of women should get the credit for how well this class is going because they are eager for the fellowship and for the stimulation we get for just encountering what the Bible says to us without a lot of filters. Last night we had a wonderful discussion sharing what we believe have been "religious experiences," after talking about Hagar, the Egyptian slave-girl of Abram and Sarai. If you're reading my blog, stop it now and read about Hagar instead (Gen 16:6-16 and Gen 21:1-24?). She was a "stranger in a strange land" and experienced further alienation in part due to the traditional slavery customs of the time. Next week we'll look at Rebecca!
Anyways, I guess I should explain "the furry shed" - I live in a small, poorly-ventilated apartment with 2 cats - need I say more? Well, additionally, I shed - because of my long hair - and I like to knit - so that's another fuzz-related issue I have. Furthermore, sometimes I use fuzzy logic and fuzzy intelligence to navigate my life, which sometimes drives certain "types" of people beyond madness. So there are all kinds of reasons to call this blog what it really is - coming from a "furry shed"!
Lastly, I may blog again later and I should apologize in advance because I am preparing to write a sermon and when I do that I start to leak at the seams with things that I am learning. I might actually try my sermon out on you (textually, of course). Thanks for writing this. More will emanate from my head later on. Cheers!
Amy-san
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