RGBP Friday Five -- Excellent Edition

Songbird writes:

Friends, it's nearly Thanksgiving in the U.S. and it's the time of year when we are pressed to name things for which we are thankful. I want to offer a twist on the usual lists and use Paul's letter to the church at Philippi as a model. Name five things that are true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent or worthy of praise. These could be people, organizations, acts, ideas, works of art, pieces of music--whatever comes to mind for you.

This is harder than it looks, but I'll give it a shot. I'm sure I'll think of more after I've posted.

1. "True" I'm with Martin Luther, "We are beggars it is true." It is only grace that gets us through. We can do nothing on our own.
2. "Honorable" Eating locally. Kingsolver's memoir is sticking with me. She honors the land, the animals, the farmers, and their own bodies.
   
3. "Pleasing" My children playing nicely together. It makes my heart sing.
4. "Commendable" The fair trade gift people. They are trying to help the small artisans world wide.
5. "Excellent" Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son." I love Henri Nouwen's reflections on the painting.

RGBP Friday Five: Top Chef

RevHRod writes:
This Fall my family has been energetically watching Top Chef on the Bravo channel. My teenage daughter watches with the dream of some day being a chef. My husband watches because he loves reality shows and I mean, really loves them. Plus the whole competition thing really works for him. Me, I love cooking and good food. Every so often I get an idea from this group of talented young chefs who are competing for big money and honors galore.

The winner for this season was Hung. Not the fan favorite, but he won fair and square. In his bio, he says if he were a food "I would be spicy chili - it takes a while to get used to, but once you eat it you always come back for more!" With that in mind, here is this week’s Friday Five.

If you were a food, what would you be? I think I would be a good multigrain bread -- reliable, earnest, basic, healthy, but maybe with a taste surprise. Sounds pretty boring, huh?
What is one of the most memorable meals you ever had? And where? Gosh, there are many meals with friends, both in the US and overseas, but I will go with an early meal my beloved and I had together when we were dating. He counts it as his best meal ever: Valentine's Day, 1989, in - get this - Muncie, IN! I count it as great b/c it was so memorable for him that it helped him fall deeper in love with me!
What is your favorite comfort food from childhood? Kraft Mac and Cheese, no question. I sneak big spoonfuls now when I'm serving it to my kids. I know it's a health disaster, but all the kids I know only eat mac & cheese from a box.
When going to a church potluck, what one recipe from your kitchen is sure to be a hit? My congregation does soup suppers during Lent, and when we bring my m-i-l's corn and sausage soup, everyone enjoys it.
What’s the strangest thing you ever willingly ate? Reindeer meat when I was an exchange student in Finland visiting Lappland.

Bonus question: What’s your favorite drink to order when looking forward to a great meal? I don't do mixed drinks, and I'm not not a very sophisticated wine drinker, so a glass of white zinfandel will do.

Friday Five: B-I-B-L-E

1. What is your earliest memory of encountering a biblical text? I encountered not just one text, but the whole thing when I received a Bible from my church as a second grader. Of course I tried to start reading from beginning to end and came crashing to a halt in Exodus.

2. What is your favorite biblical translation, and why? (You might have a few for different purposes). My denomination uses the NRSV as its standard, and I usually prefer it, too. There are still times for the poetry of the King James, though.

3. What is your favorite book of the Bible? Your favorite verse/passage? My favorite book is the Gospel of Luke, the Magnificat and the Sermon on the Plain seems to highlight God's care for the least, lost and last. My personal favorite passage is the story of the Prodigal Son. The behavior of the older brother is so typical, and always convicts me (and the words of the Father, "All that I have is yours," give me hope). For proclamation I like Luke 4:16-21, which one of my sem profs called Jesus's Mission Statement.

4. Which book of the Bible do you consider, in Luther's famous words about James, to be "an epistle of straw?" Which verse(s) make you want to scream? I'm not ready to cut out a whole book, but any of the writings about women/wives being subject, quiet, etc. always creates trouble.

5. Inclusive language in biblical translation and liturgical proclamation: for, against, or neutral? Mostly I am for it, and I try very hard to avoid exclusively male language for God (or for people) when I preach or teach. However, the same sem prof as above noted that where the NRSV uses plurals to avoid the masculine singular pronoun, it sometimes dilutes the direct, personal message of the scripture. It is not just people in general who must take up the cross, but me.

Bonus: Back to the Psalms--which one best speaks the prayer of your heart? Depends on the day, doesn't it? That's the great think about Psalms, there is something for every mood from repentance to joy.

RGBP Friday Five: Thankfulness List

Five things I am thankful for:

1. My children. They are 5 (almost 6) and 3, and although they can be frustrating and maddening at times, they are constant sources of wonder and joy. Listening to them playing together (when they're getting along), reading together, my 3y0's belly laugh when I tickle him, the astounding rate at which my 5yo is learning new things in school, hugs, their amazing eyes (blue and green, compared to my brown) are some of my favorite things. They are healthy, happy, smart, strong and friendly. What more can I ask?
2. My husband. He is always ultimately my strongest supporter and ally. When I'm feeling rotten, talking to him usually really does help. He made the above children possible, and would do anything for them and does a good job with the day-to-day stuff, too. Sometimes we get to have a conversation w/o the kids around and I remember the intellect and humor that drew us together to begin with.
3. My parents and in-laws. Yes, even my in-laws! They are in relatively good health, stable in their own marriages, and close enough to be active parts of our lives. And they don't meddle or tell us how to raise the kids or run our lives.
4. Friends, old and new. Thanks for unlimited long distance, too, because I can spend hours on the phone with my best friend from sem. Also, a new clergy friend and a new non-believer friend have added great dimension to my life.
5. My therapist. I'm a woman with 2 young kids trying to become ordained. 'Nuff said.

RGBP Friday Five -- Endings

On Endings and Goodbyes:

1. Best ending of a movie/book/TV show I still like the ending of the "MASH" television show. I think they were the first to make a big-deal-two-hour-extravaganza ending show. Also, the ending of the Bible is pretty good, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

2. Worst ending of a movie/book/TV show "Dallas," no question.

3. Tell about a memorable goodbye you've experienced. In 4th grade when my best friend's dad was transfered, we camped in my backyard with a couple other friends and had a great time.

4. Is it true that "all good things must come to an end"? Only in the sense that all things end. My marriage is good, and I don't want it to end, but eventually one of us will die.

5. "Everything I ever let go of has claw marks on it." --Anne Lamott
Discuss. I love Anne Lamott. We don't give things up easily, do we? I think of friendships I've tried to maintain long after we've both moved on. Hopes, dreams, they don't go away easily.


Bonus: "It isn't over until the fat lady sings." I've never loved this expression. So propose an alternative: "It isn't over until the kids are asleep, really."

RGBP Friday Five -- Either/Or

There are two types of people in the world, morning people and night owls. Or Red Sox fans and Yankees fans. Or boxers and briefs. Or people who divide the world into two types of people and those who don't. Let your preferences be known here. And if you're feeling verbose, defend your choices!

1. Mac? (woo-hoo!) or PC? (boo!)
I'm a PC user because it's what my DH needs for work, but we use as few Microsoft products as possible! Monopolies make me nervous. Go Open Source!

2. Pizza: Chicago style luscious hearty goodness, or New York floppy and flaccid?
Oh goodness. Either one means I'd have to fast all day to save enough WW points. Now I'm into making my own -- whole wheat crust, low fat cheese -- hardly seems like a pizza, really.

3. Brownies/fudge containing nuts:
a) Good. I like the variation in texture.
b) An abomination unto the Lord. The nuts take up valuable chocolate space.
Once again, a tough question for someone 10 weeks into her Weight Watchers journey. However, in the one cubic centimeter I would be able to eat and stay on plan, I think I would prefer no nuts.

4. Do you hang your toilet paper so that the "tail" hangs flush with the wall, or over the top of the roll like normal people do?
Over the top, of course. But if anyone else in the house happens to replace a roll of toilet paper, I try not to complain about how they do it.

5. Toothpaste: Do you squeeze the tube wantonly in the middle, or squeeze from the bottom and flatten as you go just like the tube instructs?
From the bottom mostly.

Bonus: Share your favorite either/or.
Stick shift (real driving) or automatic (pointing) for your automobile?
Stick shift all the way. I taught my DH to drive stick when we were dating in college. Now we consider nothing else. (Quickly limits our car shopping options.) However, someday I expect we will have to buy a minivan, and as far as I know, those are only automatic transmission. I will be very sad, as I'm sure I'll be the main driver of the minivan.

RGBP Friday Five -- Party Time

Hey, I'm actually doing two Friday Fives in a row! So, party on!

1) Would you rather be the host or the guest? I would rather be a guest. Hosting requires crisis cleaning in our house, and I'm much more stressed about what people will think about me, my home, my choice of party decorations, themes, games, etc.

2) When you are hosting, do you clean everything up the minute the guests go home? Will you accept help with the dishes? The minute folks go home? Hah! I just today tossed the last decoration from my daughter's birthday party in November. I know it's not good for the environment, but all I've done recently is kids' parties, so the dishes are all disposable.

3) If you had the wherewithal, and I guess I mean more than money, to throw a great theme party, what would the theme be? I don't really know. It would also depend on whether it was a kid party or an adult party.

4) What's the worst time you ever had at a party? The party itself went fine, but the prep for my DD's party -- our first for her friends, not just family -- was really bad -- yelling, stress, etc.

5) And to end on a brighter note, what was the best? When my DD and DS went to DD's friend's 4th b-day party, they both had fun, and so I had fun.

RGBP Friday Five

What are you . . .
1. Wearing -- Jeans that are, thankfully, a little too big b/c Weight Watchers has been working for me!

2. Pondering -- Vocation: how can I be a mother and a pastor and stay here? It doesn't seem to be possible.

3. Reading -- Mostly magazines: Christian Century, Sojourners, Good Housekeeping, Parenting. The book I read on vacation was Shopaholic and Baby.

4. Dreaming -- Of my DD starting Kindergarten next fall; of a little parish to lead; of making my house a nice small home.

5. Eating -- Pizza! No one wants to cook on Friday! Yes, it even works with WW!

RGBP Friday Five: Creature Comforts

Reverendmother writes...

Maybe it's the arrival of crisp October, my favorite month. Or maybe it's the fact that the divine little miss m has been sick all week (and if the baby ain't happy, ain't nobody happy). Whatever the reason, my thoughts have been turning to cozy creature comforts--those activities and spaces that just make a person feel good. And so...


1. Comfort beverage: Hot tea, usually herbal. But if I can get it, when I'm sick I prefer Ribena (hot). Ribena is a blackcurrant concentrate that can be diluted and drunk hot or cold. You can make it as sweet and syrupy as you want, depending on how much you dilute it. I encountered it first in Finland as a high school exchange student and then in its homeland, the United Kingdom, when I did a college semester near Oxford. We've ordered it online a couple times. I really should stock up for the cold and flu season.

2. Comfort chair: Our big brown one, while not exactly the color we imagined, it has a mushy pillow back and is wide enough for me to tuck my feet up under me.

3. Comfort read: Calvin and Hobbes. I have the 3-volume hardcover set. It works to sooth mental health aches, too. Second choice, any non-thought-provoking magazine.

4. Comfort television/DVD/music: "Who's Line is it Anyway?"/"M*A*S*H"/Anything Indigo Girls

5. Comfort companion(s): My husband, children, or best sem friend (via phone), but if I'm really sick, I prefer to be alone.

RGBP Friday Five: Civic Duties

Friday Five: Civic Duties

It's that season of the year when lawn signs are sprouting as surely as flowers in the spring; elections are just around the corner. And so today we bring you a Civic Duty Friday Five.

1) How old were you when you voted for the first time? I imagine I was 18, but I don't have a clear memory of the event.

2) What was the contest at the top of the ballot? I turned 18 in an off-year, 1987. The next year I voted absentee in the primary and general election for the President since I was out-of-state at college.

3) Can you walk to your polling place? I imagine I could, but there are no sidewalks for part of the way. It would be a bit of a hike, and the road w/o sidewalks is a 35 mph that everyone treats as if it were 45.

4) Have you ever run for public office? No, but my grandmother was on the school board while I was in junior high.

5) Have you run for office in a club or school or on a board? I've always been in on clubs when they just start out, so "running" for office is not really the right word. As an undergraduate, I was Vice President and then President of the Women's Soccer Club in its 3rd and 4th year of existence. As such, I was responsible for creating our schedule, securing transportation, finding a coach (who would volunteer; we had no money), recruiting players, fundraising, uniforms -- you get the picture. These were burdens of "club" status, no varsity standing with the university. As a grad student (the first time) I helped start a student chapter of Habitat for Humanity. I think I was their first secretary. Since then I've been laying low.

RGBP Friday Five: Groups

Friday Five: Groups

From Reverendmother:

Last night was the second meeting of the Night Owls, a new women's circle at the church I serve. It's a nice group--we're getting to know one another and figuring out the format and flow of the evenings.

And speaking of groups...

1. Tell us about any group(s) you currently belong to. (e.g. book club, knitting circle, walking buddies, etc.) This is pathetic. I really don't belong to any groups right now. Boy, I didn't realize I was this isolated.

2. Do you feel energized or drained by being in a group situation? If the answer is "it depends," on what does it depend? Self-chosen groups I like (like the Women's Night Out group I participated in on internship). Groups that are inflicted upon me (like my internship cluster) I usually don't like as much.

3. Is there a role you naturally find yourself playing in group situations? That is, do you naturally fall into the leader role, or the one who always makes sure the new person feels welcome, or the quiet one who sits back and lets others shine, or the host? I usually am the person in the background, even in groups I like, but in groups I don't like, my participation almost always remains grudging at best.

4. Handshakes vs. hugs: discuss. It's a familiarity thing, but I'm glad to hug the folks I know.

5. Ice breakers: a playful way to build community in a lighthearted manner, or a complete and utter hell of forced fun and awkwardness? I have both used icebreakers in a meeting/group I led and hated having to do them. I think I've used the more low-risk ones. Really don't like the rub your neighbor's shoulders, thing.

RevGalBlogPals Boo boo Friday Five

Friday Five: Boo boo alert

After a tumble in a parking lot the other day, I'm sporting a lovely abrasion on my leg--so attractive. It's the same leg I hurt when I fell off the same pair of sandals on the same sort of uneven pavement in Edinburgh last month. Will I ever learn to wear less dangerous shoes and/or pay attention to where I am going? As I drove home to take care of it I called my husband and said, "Boo boo alert!" Here is our Friday Five on that subject.

1) Are you a baby about small injuries?
I think I'm reasonable about small injuries, small illnesses (like my current cold) make me crazy, though.

2) What's the silliest way you have ever hurt yourself? I got a high ankle sprain during soccer practice in college while we were simply jumping over the balls (side to side, as a training/agility thing). I landed on the ball and that was it.

3) Who took care of your boo-boos when you were a child? Mom, of course.

4) Are you a good nurse when others have boo-boos? I think so. Right now my kids are at the age where a kiss cures most things. It's really cute when my son (2) says, "I alright," after I kiss his current bump on the head, whatever.

5) What's the worst accidental injury you've suffered? Did it require a trip to the Emergency Room? It's a tie between the ankle sprain above and the broken finger I had playing soccer in high school. How did I break a finger playing soccer, you might ask. Well, I was the goalkeeper. I continued to play that game, sticking my hand in ice water at every break as my finger swelled up. I can't remember if we went to the ER for Xrays or if we just went to the medical office where my mom worked. I kept playing that season. I had a friend in the training room who figured out how to make a sort of splint for my finger out of tape that would fit underneath my goalkeeping gloves.