Getting Back to the Presbyterians

...and other assorted topics.

Monday, J was off work, so we spent much of the day lazing around waiting for the furnace fixer to come. It was cold! Our furnace was making a noise like a rocket ship & vibrating the floor above. Alarmed, I called the home shield folks & asked for someone to come out. They couldn't get here until Monday, so we were very excited about the prospect of heat. Unluckily, it was a fried blower motor & he had to get the repair approved, then get the part in. It's been in the 50s in here since last week, except for the main floor in the evenings when J gets a good fire roaring. Once the guy had gone, we rented some movies & watched the second X-Men one. I actually enjoyed it. My choice was a Morgan Freeman suspense film...of course, we haven't watched that one yet. After the movie, J hung out with the bitties while I finished up my review. Then, we went to the very last Strengthening Families program. We got an award for perfect attendance. I would think that would be a given, but it wasn't.

Tuesday night was committee night at the Presbyterian church. I have felt so disconnected from them that I almost didn't go. However, I did agree to be on Program and Worship & I didn't want to let them down just because I am serving another church for now. So, I went & am so glad I did. I was happy to be among familiar church folks. I took along the Wayne Muller Sabbath book to recommend & Brendan ended up basing his devotions on the idea of Sabbath. I was surprised that when people talked about taking time from work to do something to focus on God & rest, they spoke of volunteer work, caring for an aging mother-in-law, making hospital visits. Perhaps I am a selfish beast, but that still seems like work to me, not time to refill the well. After our committee meeting, Brendan asked me to stop & talk for a minute. I told him about how much I like the justice focus at the other church, but that I hate the music & miss the tradition. I told him that I really miss his sermons, too. He said he knows that I'm learning a lot, but that, selfishly, he wants me back at this church. He says he misses me. I miss it there. So, I ended up bursting into tears when I was telling J about talking to him. I am halfway convinced that I need to be either a pastoral counselor or in academia so that I don't have to give up my church. Ugh. I feel so very silly to be so attached. She soothed me & said that we'll go to the UCC on Saturdays, then, and the PCUSA Sundays, unless I am preaching. I can't bear the idea of missing Christmas Eve at my place, so I think we'll go to the 7 o'clock service there, then visit at the UCC pastor's house until the late service at the UCC. I preach my first sermon on New Year's Day and am terrified. Brendan told me to come by & he'll help me with it. Thank God. He & Laura are my true mentors. The UCC pastor is great, but his background is Baptist & he just comes from a totally different place. Oh, I also found out (from J through a gay friend at work who knows the gay niece of a member of the church...how's that for a telephone line?) that several of the older ladies at the church are worried that someone said something mean to us after the newspaper article came out about us as a couple & that that's why we haven't been back much. Frankly, I'm GLAD they're worried. Maybe it will make them think about PC USA policy.

Wednesday, I went to Bible study. We were talking about faith vs. works vs. grace, it being Reformation Sunday this weekend. I wish I could go to the church showing of Luther, but we'll be dining at the UCC pastor's home. We'll have to rent it. J wants to see Kinsey, too. Maybe we can have a biographical film festival. She also wonders if there's a film of Storming Heaven. I don't think there is, but Matewan sure would give the flavor of it. What a great film. Horrifying, but great. If any of you don't know about the West Virginia coal mine wars over unionization, I highly recommend the film (directed by John Sayles, one of the greats) or the book (by Denise Giardina). Anyway, at Bible study, I asked Brendan about the doctrine of Holy Saturday. One of the fellas, a former Assembly of God-er, was incensed at the idea that God might choose to save everyone. A woman with whom I seldom agree, and who I think is quite holier-than-thou, got all upset when Brendan said that, to him, Holy Saturday is the most important day of the year. First, she thought that he was saying that it IS the most important day of the year, totally missing the, "to me" part. Too, she thought he said that Easter doesn't matter & she was spluttering & outraged over that, when nothing even remotely like it had passed his lips. He simply said that Easter is a celebration of something already accomplished, the resurrection having already been completed when they went to the tomb on the third day. Oooh, was she hot! The part of me that the devil possesses found her outrage wicked funny. I am bad.

After church, my grands & I went out for Mexican & I got caught up on the details of their visits in New York & Michigan. I also found out that they're going to Cleveland for Thanksgiving. So much for sticking to tradition this year. J is delighted. She had just wanted a quiet celebration at home. Of course, if Jazzbo & Heather invite us up there, I may suggest we go. I will surely miss going to Vivi's. To me, Vivi's IS Thanksgiving. I guess I'll just have to make our place really nice. Sigh.

Today is a day of doing reading for pleasure (just finished Nevada Barr's High Country) & school (immersed in John of Damascus) and of waiting for the carpet cleaners & the heat guy. The cleaners have now come & gone & the heat guy is, hopefully, getting us heat as I type. We have book group Saturday & it would be good to have a warm house. Gosh, I hope some of them wear costumes. I'll have on my witch get-up. Wonder what my profs, if they come, will think of that. It's quite bosom-y. Will they think it's weird? They didn't seem to find me wearing a tiara to school too odd. I am also working out whether to stay overnight in Lebanon Friday night. We're having dinner at The Golden Lamb. If I could find a good B&B room...I'd love to do Burl Manor again, but I'm sure they're booked. I am leery of Hatfield ever since we got put in that weird back room. Also, the innkeeper there is kind of oogy. I'm not sure I want to brave the ghosts at The Golden Lamb.

Tonight, I am making spaghetti carbonara for dinner. Then, we'll carve jack o' lanterns & maybe make caramel apples. We'll drink spiced cider & have a grand time! I love this time of year!