I’m a strong believer in energy.  People have energy, places have energy, and energy can linger.  It’s a good idea every once and a while to clear the space you’re in of any negative energy.  This afternoon I did just that.

I gathered up some candles and incense, and for an hour watched the incense burn and clear away any negative energy that might have been lingering.  And I have to say- it was one of the most peaceful hours I’ve ever had!

Watching the smoke drift up from the incense, it felt like my burdens and worries were being carried away with it.  At the end of the time I felt refreshed and refocused (which is hard to do at 5 in the afternoon).

It was a great exercise on Ash Wednesday to watch the incense stick change slowly into ashes as the smoke drifted out the window.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

I know it’s been way too long since I’ve posted, but as part of my Lenten disciplines, I hope to be posting more.  Recently I’ve been reminded how important it is to stop and reflect on each day, week, month and more.  If we miss that time to reflect on what’s been going on the days blur into one another and we might miss important stuff.

So during this season of Lent (and hopefully beyond) I will be taking more time to stop and reflect.  Right now that means blogging, but it may take other shapes and forms as well.  I’ll let you know.

Poison Darts are a part of life.  You know what I’m talking about- those hurtful and destructive things that are thrown either at you, or a group, or even our nation as a whole.  It seems that the typical way of responding to these Poision Darts is to run around yelling “I’ve been struck by a Poison Dart!  It hurts! It hurts!”  Don’t get me wrong- I’m not saying that they don’t hurt, and I’m fully aware that they can be debilitating, cause paralysis, and many other manifestations of pain.  It’s the part where we start running around yelling about it that doesn’t seem to work.

What if, instead of running around with the Poison Dart still in- spreading that Poison throughout our bodies, multiplying and compounding the problem- we just pulled it out?  There would still be a problem; there would still be pain involved.  But the poison wouldn’t spread through the whole system affecting everything, not just localized parts.  And if the poison isn’t everywhere, the problem is much more manageable.

Our culture has taught us that it’s better to run around yelling than it is to pull out the Dart.  I was struck this morning while listening to NPR and stock indices going down around the world because people are afraid that the economy will be in a recession.  It seems to me that it’s turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy.  It all starts to snowball on itself.

Poison Darts are a part of life.  There’s no getting away from them.  But they are much more managable if we take them out when they strike rather than letting more and more of the Poison seep into our systems.  And for me, just having the image of taking out a Poison Dart helps me to deal with them.

This past weekend, BJ and I got away from the Piedmont and increased our altitude.  I was officiating a wedding for two really wonderful people, and these wonderful people picked the Biltmore Inn for the site.  Who can argue with that?

No, I was not actually staying at the Biltmore Inn, but I got to spend a good bit of time on the estate grounds.  And hey, it was the perfect time for a weekend away (not to mention that I got Monday off from work as well!).

The weekend started with a rehearsal on Friday night at the location of the wedding.  And let me tell you- it was spectacular!

This was my view during the ceremony

The rehearsal went well, and since there was time in between the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, BJ and I stopped for a drink at the bar.  Of course they only serve Biltmore wines!

The view of the estate behind us

After drinks was the Rehearsal Dinner, which was held at the Biltmore Barn.  It was such a great place for the dinner!  The atmosphere was casual and relaxed, while still being very elegant.  The food was delicious- simple food done incredibly well.  My favorite part of dinner was the grilled pimento cheese sandwich.  It was amazing!  And the barbeque- did I mention the barbeque?  And the dessert.  I don’t usually like apples too much, but the apple cobbler stole the show!

Saturday morning we trekked to the north side of Asheville to see some friends of mine- Bill and Aimee Buchanan who are pastors at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville.  The four of us had breakfast together and a chance to catch up.  So what do four ministers talk about over breakfast?  Beer.  Apparently Asheville is known for its breweries, and BJ and I were only too happy to get an insider’s knowledge of the best places to stop.

Lunchtime found us at Jack of the Wood, home of Green Man Ales.  If you ever stop by- I recommend the Green Man pale ale.  It’s great!  We each got a flight of beer (sampler), and the Pale Ale won hands down.

After a quick nap at the hotel, it was time for the main event!  My first wedding- as a minister, that is.  And I couldn’t have married two more wonderful people.  Clearly they were meant to be together, and I was honored to be officiating the ceremony.

It was kind of fun to stand under the arbor

The day was beautiful, the people were wonderful, and the dinner that night was unbelievable!  I ate everything, and I was proud to do so!  BJ and I even got a few dances in and showed off our skills.  The bride told us they wanted to hang out with us and learn to dance like us.  I was proud. 

As a minister, a lazy Sunday morning is something to be treasured, and BJ and I did.  We slept in, took our time getting ready, and then stopped by the Dripolator for coffee.  After the initial jolt, we went downtown again for brunch at Tupelo Honey’s.  Yum!  Double yum!  And to make it even better- Tupelo Honey’s is a farm to table restaurant, so our food was local.

After all that food, I think it’s time for a walk…

I know, I know- two posts in one day!  What’s going on?  I preached a sermon on Sunday which included the 10 Commandments done in a positive way.  Because let’s face it, I can check off not killing anyone that I know of, but have my words or actions done things to kill/maim another?  They may be a little saccrine, but I get kind of mushy when I think about God’s incredible love for us.

Positive 10 Commandments
1. I am the Lord your God, I brought you out of Egypt.  You shall have no other gods before me.
1a. I am the Lord your God and I love you more than you can imagine.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.
2a. Love me back- love me first- before anything else you can think of.
3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
3a. It’s easy to think of not using my name in an exclamation, but there are other ways to wrongly use my name.  Use my name to build up the kingdom, not tear it down.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
4a. What could be better than a day just for us together?  A day where toil ends and praise flows.  It’s a day to rejoice!
5. Honor your father and mother.
5a. Just as you love your heavenly Parent, love your earthy parents.
6. You shall not murder.
6a. There are ways to kill that do not involve the stopping of breath, so do not be content simply to say “Do not kill.”  Do the things that bring life to one another.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
7a. Always remain faithful—faithful to your God and to those who love you.
8. You shall not steal.
8a. Give freely of yourself in love and in humility.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9a. Speak the truth, but remember that even truth can be destructive.  Speak the truth in love as it says in Ephesians.
10. You shall not covet.
10a. Be content.  Be content and happy with all that you have and all that you are.  Remember, you are created in the image of God!

I stole this idea from a friend of mine- Corey Nelson- who did a much better job with it.  I wrote his down, I just couldn’t find them in the midst of sermon prep time!

The church I work in has a preschool, and many of the classrooms are right outside my office.  In order to get to places in the church, I often have to walk through lines of 3 and 4 year-olds trying their hardest to be quiet and stay in line.  I have to admit, I usually like walking through these lines because I get to smile and wave at these cute kids.

A few weeks ago on one such ramble through the church I heard a small voice saying, “What’s your name?”  So of course I stopped and told the girl my name, and I asked hers- which she promptly told me.  While I thought it was sweet that she asked my name, never did I think she would remember it.  But no!  I was wrong!  Every time she sees me now I hear, “Hi Jo! Hi Jo!”  She even introduced me to her mother one day. 

This morning I was on my way to staff meeting when I passed by a line of children- quiet fingers to their lips.  Then my new friend calls, “Hi Jo! Hi Jo!  I love you!”

I wonder how different our lives would be if for greetings we gave a “Hi there! Hi there!  I love you!”  with the same unrestrained joy as my 3 year-old friend.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the gloom!  And I’m not talking about the weather.  It seems that everywhere I turn I hear messages of doom and gloom.  I know things are bad- I’m not trying to dispute that at all.  Maybe things are as bad as they are being made out to seem, and maybe they’re not- I don’t know.

What I do know is that the more we talk negatively, the more we worry, the more anxiety is ramped up the worse it will be.  There is no denying the huge numbers of Americans (and people around the world) who have been devastated by the financial crisis.  There are also those who hear the news, panic, and make things worse.  There are some lucky enough to have not been impacted too greatly yet by everything.  But if all we do these days is talk about how bad it is, then that’s how bad it will be.

To go postmodern- language creates reality.  Not completely, I understand, but we do have the power to make things a little worse for ourselves or a little better.  So if all that is said is the negative, that’s all there will be.  I am trying hard not to be in the doom and gloom camp.  Which means for the most part I can’t watch or listen to the news right now!  I hope you will join me in talking about the good things in life and not just the storm clouds hanging over our heads.

This was a weekend of high flying adventure for me!  I was working (of course), but both my Friday and Saturday events were great.  Friday night was a high stakes game of putt-putt with the young adults.  Girls versus guys.  The girls got started strong making pars and even a hole-in-one or two, and at half time (okay, I know it’s after the front 9) we were in the lead.  There may have been a victory dance, a few high fives, and some smack talk… but that’s no reason for the dismal upheaval that took place.  While at half time we were up 5 strokes, in the end we lost by over 20.  Sad, sad, sad.  You may ask, did the boys get that much better?  No!  They didn’t!  We got that much worse, and a lot of it was due to me.  I did have the worst score of the bunch!

So what did I learn from this putting adventure, you might ask?  I got some good putting skills from Kelly, but my hand-eye coordination is dismal.  I didn’t play enough video games as a child!

After putting around Friday night, Saturday morning found me with the youth of the church going to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Museum of Natural Sciences.  Wow!  Double wow!  It was definitely one of the best exhibits I’ve ever seen, and I recommend seeing them if you ever get the chance.

Even though all the science of how the scrolls were preserved for 2000 years was explained, I am still awed that they were.  I know I get excited finding old letters from friends, but old letters (if you will) from the history of two religions were found- it’s amazing!  It’s the stuff that fiction writers come up with.  I really was in awe, being in the presence of these ancient documents and all that they represent.

2000 years from now, if someone was lucky enough to find my putt-putt score card from this weekend, I don’t think they’ll be nearly as impressed.  Sigh.

I talk about my sister a lot because she’s my hero.  She’s one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, and pretty much everyone who knows her feels the same way.  All through growing up (and let’s face it- through last year too!), she was the one who took care of me.  She’s the one I call when I’m down, or need help, or advice, or want to rant… I could go on.  I can’t tell you how many pep talks she’s given; how many times she’s done stuff to make me feel better.

I always get excited when I have a chance to repay her kindnesses and stability that she’s always offered me.  I was fortunate to be able to help out in the early days after she had her son, Ryan.  And this weekend I helped her move.  Now, the move itself isn’t a big deal- that’s normal stuff.  But I also invited myself over last night to cook dinner, wash dishes, break down boxes, and help in any other way she needed.

And I have to say, it was nice to be needed by my sister.  She’s always so put together and calm.  Now don’t get me wrong- she’s still handling the current craziness that is her life with much more grace than I would be able to, but with a 13 month old who’s not handling it so well… she needed an extra hand.

Asking for and receiving help are two of the hardest things to do for independent women, but keep in mind that there’s usually someone waiting in the wings who wants to do it!  (Cue flighty sister here)  So take it from me- the best part of my week is being able to be there for my sister.

It’s official- I will be having knee surgery on Monday, November 17th.  And believe it or not, I’m actually looking forward to it.  I know, I know, I’m a little weird.  I’m not looking forward to the surgery itself and especially not the recovery process, but I am looking forward to the final results.

For those who haven’t heard, I’m actually mirroring a surgery I’ve already had done.  Ten years ago I had a Tibial tubercle osteotomy on my left leg which made a significant difference in my life and the life of my knee.  Originally the doctor thought it would make enough of a difference to balance out my right knee.  While this is sort of the case, I still dislocate my right knee cap more frequently than I’d like.  And last summer, in the middle of my youth Mission Trip, I dislocated it very badly.

After a trip to my doctor and lots of x-rays, surgery was recommended.  Not only to keep the dislocation from happening again, but to help prevent the bone and cartilage loss that’s already happening.  Fun stuff.

So by the end of November 17th, I will once again have balanced scars on my knees, mirroring bone slices and screws.  But yes, I am looking forward to it.

To read a little more about the surgery, check out:  http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/osteotomy-for-patellar-tracking-disorder