Select from among you…
This weekend I was offered the option of a funeral or a baptism, so I took the baptism which turned out to be eight baptisms and it was a blast. The main sanctuary was set up for a wedding at noon, so our parish witnessed the full arc of life: baptism, matrimony, and death. It’s continually humbling to be close to these moments of life.
Speaking of matrimony, my marriage prep group - four couples - wrapped up the final session last week. Nobody fled the room, so it looks like they’re all going through with it. They’ve all been great and I’m very much looking forward to seeing them plunge ahead into this new life together.
Elsewhere on campus, a ladies ministry ran one of their semi-regular food sales: from-scratch tacos and other assorted goodies. I have now tried lengua (tongue) tacos and they were delicious. 11/10, will be ordering again. Interest in the next OCIA program is beginning to grow - we’re getting more and more narthex conversations from people asking about the next session. We’ve got a meeting coming up to discuss next year; sussing out a place to meet will be high on the list.
Our pastor is about to start a slightly hectic spring and summer travel schedule which means I’ll be stepping in for daily communion services for awhile. I’m also penciled in to lead a May crowning at the end of the month, so that will be fun. Daily stuff means more preaching, so more at-bats. I like the daily homilies: short and to the point. My next scheduled weekend for preaching is Ascension Sunday, so I’ve got a bit of time to work on that one.
In my ongoing conversations with my cohort-mates (we have a groupchat, of course), I’m struck by how very different the directions our diaconates have taken, especially in the different vibes (for lack of a better word) at each of our parishes: very modern in one place, very traditional in others. Very rich in one place, very working-class in another. One of my favorite expressions about the Church is that it’s A Really Big Tent, but the mind sort of boggles over the scale of the Bigness. One thing we all share in common is that we’re busier than ten rats in a bag of Cheetohs.
Gardenwatch: things are doing well. The temperature has cooled off a bit and I think we’ve got some rain in the forecast this week which will be nice. I’ve got some business travel and will miss most of it.
Bookwatch: closing in on the end of Swann’s Way. I feel sort of invested now so I’ll probably continue to the next book, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower. I also coming close to the end of De Sales' Treatise, so it will be time to pick new spiritual reading before too much longer. About halfway through the Dicastery’s publication.
Dogwatch: still growin'. Training is highlighting some personality differences. One is very well motivated by food or treats of any kind; the other one is variable in his mood. What entices him today is boring tomorrow, that sort of thing. He keeps it interesting for sure.
Radiowatch: nothing at all, sad to say. Occasional tinkering with ADSB and ACARS but not much else. Radio tends to be a cold-weather hobby any more.