church.

My dad is a pastor, and I grew up at the church that he started when I was just a baby. It was a mission start congregation with its first gatherings meeting in the basement of our house. I was just born a month before the church was born, so I can't really say I remember this phase. I have been told that we carried all of the folding chairs and hymnals in our trunk though, so that mom could never use the trunk to hold her groceries.

The church grew as I grew and I have always loved this congregation. I was fully involved, fully known and fully appreciated by the family that made up Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church.

When I went to college I taught Sunday school at an local congregation. But it was hard to get to know people. I loved my third graders and the college friend I taught with. We had a great time in that classroom every Sunday, but worship was hard and I never really felt a part of the larger church there.

When I was at the seminary, I was assigned a congregation to volunteer at 10 hours a week. Because I had come from a growing, thriving congregation, I was told they were going to give me an opportunity to experience the other end of the spectrum. And that they did. It was a tough congregation. Things had been done the same for 100 years, and to suggest any different was not only insulting, but it was an insult to the dead relatives of the living members who made that the law 68 years ago. (sometime I'll write about my attempt to volunteer for the Swedish meatball dinner. Bad times.) The church was made up primarily of three big extended families and it operated similar to a very dysfunctional family reunion. On a postive note, I have heard that a new pastor has been called to this church and some cool things are now happening...

When Rory and I first got married we periodically attended a huge church in Burnsville, Minnesota. We liked the worship, the music, the preaching, but we were there only a handful of times, kind of tried to get involved, but nothing really ever clicked. During that time we also frequented my home congregation and Rory's home congregation, two churches that still love us to pieces and we love them to pieces too.

We moved out to Montana for a season and stumbled upon a tiny little church that we fell in love with from the start. I wrote all about it here. There was something about this little body of believers that felt so real. The music left lots and lots to be desired, but the preaching was good and the biggest thing was that we were known in that church. The 50 or so members were excited when we walked through the door and the feeling was mutual.

We have spent many Sunday's worshiping in different congregations just as a visitor. Rory and I both love visiting churches, seeing what God is up to in a congregation and enjoy meeting the people that make up a particular church. I also have spent lots of Sundays worshipping at a Bible camp while working on staff, and lots of Sunday's working at the nursing home, bringing men and women off of their floor down to the chapel to gather and break bread.

When we moved to Nebraska we quickly found a large congregation about 15 minutes from our house. The music was unbelievable, the preaching superb, the kids program above average. The Sunday morning worship was exactly what we were looking for. We have been a part of that congregation for a year now, and just at our one year mark we realized that after a year of trying, we still didn't really know anyone. We joined Bible studies, small groups, prayer meetings, and went to various gatherings, but the Bible studies all ended, the small groups seemed to fizzle and in the end we realized that we were playing the roles Sunday morning worshippers well, but truly were not actively a part of this community.

So we had a conversation last week, discussing how we wanted to be a part of a church in Gretna, where we live. A smaller church that we could really plug into. We are a part of a small group with our apartment neighbors who attend a community church down the road. Though we love that small group and love that church, Rory had visited another Gretna congregation once and kept talking about it.

So today we went and were immediately welcomed. Upon arrival we were passed from person to person as we were introduced to lots of people. We stayed for pizza after the service and then Rory stuck around for a few hours and helped move this church from their current space (store front) into a new building where the congregation will now meet to worship. We were apart of this one-year-old church's first move and it felt so good to be so involved.

We were looking for community and ways that we can use our own gifts within a worshiping body, and I am confident that this will happen. The worship was great, the music simple, the preaching solid and the people genuine.

I wanted to write all of this out after feeling the excitement of being welcomed and a part of a congregation. Because it really does amaze me how hard it truly is to find and then belong to a church. Rory and I are two outgoing, church-loving people and we have sincerely struggled with finding a church home. I think part of the problem is that we have been so nomadic, so our seasons at a church are short. And I would say that our different church backgrounds makes some difference, but honestly, we both are one in mind for what we appreciate and look for in worship. Our different denominational upbringings isn't really a huge deal as long as the church a Bible believing, scripture preaching, alive congregation.

So for those of you loving your church, keep an eye out for the new guy. And for those of you looking for a church to love, don't give up. I wrote my seminary thesis on the decline of denominational loyalty and how a lot of people are simply looking for a church they love more than a denomination to ascribe to. I would encourage you to find a church that you can plug in to, where you are an active part of the community and where you feel fed and nourished each week. I'll keep you posted on our transition into this new community of believers.

henri nouwen

My friend Shannon sent me the following words recently. It made me pause, and I thought a lot about my motives in life, and why I do what I do. I hope you enjoy these words as much as I did.

down with boredom.

I just read a great blog post written by my former youth director and loved it. It was all about not letting yourself get bored. That boredom is an option, a life choice, and if you are bored, it really is your own lack of imagination getting in the way.

Then I read a pep talk about not being afraid to fail. Failure is not the enemy. Not trying, not creating, making excuses...those are the enemy.

So I've got a plan to play hard this weekend. It is completely overly ambitious (we've got plenty of other things going on...) but sometimes I need to make a list with big projects so that when I am looking for the activity that suits the mood, I have a few ideas to choose from.

Maybe this weekend I will...

1. copy cat Ali Edwards' Type Drawer. I found my type drawer at a garage sale last May and it has been waiting for some pictures to fill it ever since. I have a friend at camp working on my type case as we speak, sawing out dividers that make the actual picture squares too small. I can't wait to get started on this project!

2. sort through my books and start an account at paperback swap. This is a genius online library-type system my friend Sarah showed me. You list your books you'd like to give away, and start a list of books you'd like to receive. You build up points for each book you give, so you can "buy" new books with your points...

3. make some closing ceremonies snack food. We are having friends over Sunday night for the last day of the Olympics and I am hopeful to get crafty and make some themed goodies like these gold medal cookies.

4. finish my family reunion album.

Happy Weekend Everyone.

family reunion album

A classmate from my Donna Downey class took this picture below. And when I got it I remembered that after posting the canvas art class, I never reported on the second class!


This class was called Bloom, and out goal was to make a handmade album by the end of class. You can read more about this class on her website found here. Oh, actually, you can't. I think this class just got replaced with her apron class so there is nothing about it on her site anymore....

Anyway, our supply list said that we should bring 17 pictures that are two inches by three inches. When I went to find 17 pictures to document, I decided to focus on my Grandma's birthday party that she celebrated for a week at our family bible camp. She foot the bill for all of her descendants to attend (over 100 people!) and told everyone, "I don't care if you can make it to my funeral. But I do care that you come to my birthday party."

When it came time to plan her party, we got the ball rolling quickly, even though her 90th birthday was still two years off. She got very excited as we planned the week together and thought two years was too long to wait, so the reunion party was moved up a year and therefore renamed 'Grandma's 90-1 party' All of our reunion t-shirts had a logo with 90-1 on it.

She ordered four dairy queen ice cream cakes for the party and chose the theme, "Great is Thy Faithfulness' for our week together. The whole week was a fabulous celebration of God's faithfulness to our family. It is for this reason that I LOVE scrapbooking: This party was in 2007 and three years later, I am soaking up every picture, reliving every memory and feeling the faithfulness of God, celebrated in the life of one woman, all over again.

Donna's class was full of new techniques to try. We made our album from scratch, something I have never done before. This album was made out of cut cardboard, cut in staggered sizes with a box cutter, and each page was covered with paper or fabric, punched with holes holes and binded with binder rings.

This book is still in process, but my weekend plan is to finish it...I'll keep you posted!

some more short stories

I wrote earlier about my new found love of the short story and how I am on a quest to find more great short story authors. Well, my first attempt was horrible. I got an audio book from the library because the title had god and love in it and it seemed like it would be good. But the whole first story was sick and immoral, lame and so unoriginal I didn't bother finishing the first story, let alone suffer through the others.

So this weekend I went another route. I have had these American Girl books around since I was ten and decided to read them through this weekend. They were so good, I was left seriously wanting my own Kirsten doll! Might just have to have a little girl before I can actually justify myself getting a doll at age 28. But, if you have a little girl, you must read these books to her. Maybe it's because I'm Swedish and from Minnesota and have great great grandparents who came to America to make a farming life for themselves, but I really enjoyed these sweet stories.

And then, on Saturday, I got the MOST WONDERFUL package in the mail. My friend Amanda had read my shout out for good short stories and sent me this book! She said she saw it at the bookstore and just decided to get it. Honestly, an unexpected, thoughtful gift might just be one of life's greatest surprises. I can't wait to crack this one. Thanks so much Amanda!

U, G, L, Y: You ain't got no alibi, you're ugly!

So. I was in the grocery story this weekend and came across this fruit nestled between the grapefruits and tangerines.

I saw it and thought it looked sort of moldy. Unsure of why they would put out moldy fruit, I looked closer and saw that this fruit has a sticker on it: UGLI. The fruit is actually called an Ugli fruit. I felt so sorry for it. (My ability to personify inanimate objects has always been outstanding and so clearly an ugly grapefruit looking thing was able to stir my heart.)

I stood there for a moment, thinking that on my worst day, I am fortunate not to have an UGLI sticker stuck to my forehead.

I picked one up, put it in my cart, came home, curious as to what this thing might taste like (personification of object officially over here). And in the end, it is much like a huge orange that is so stinking juicy it had to be eaten directly over the kitchen sink. There actually was more juice than fruit inside of each section. Refreshing and delish. Not ugly at all. If you get the chance, get yourself an ulgi fruit. I believe I should wrap up with some wise comment about how it's not whats on the outside but...

humble pie.

Ahhh!!! I am laughing/frustrated screaming right now. Because that sweet tutorial I put together?!! That one that teaches you how to use a Reader? Well, I was wrong on part of my recording and now the whole vimeo world knows it...and will know it FOREVER!

So. Turns out, if you have gmail, you can just click on the Follow button on the side panel and just by clicking and adding your face to that list, the blog will appear in your google reader. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!! Why did I make an entire tutorial to explain this?!!! A girl might just want to make sure she knows what in the world (wide web) she is talking about before she goes and makes any more tutorials. Until then, I'll stick to stories and scrapbooks.

The rest of the tutorial is still accurate...and I still stand behind a Reader. Just know that you can subscribe and you can follow, and to be so honest, I don't have a clue what the difference is between the two. (seems like subscribing is more private and following is public?!!) But I'm done pretending to be the expert!

Please forgive me!

R.eally S.uper S.imple

How to use an RSS reader from Becca Groves on Vimeo.

I made a video for this Monday Morning! I think you can probably see that I've been at work on the layout of my blog. I'm hoping it's a bit easier to navagate. Basically, it was just time for some spring cleaning, and since I am all about organization it actually was very happy work. I organized my posts and will continue to do so for easier categorized reading...

Anyway, this video I am posting is all about keeping the blogs you read organized. I have had a few people ask me how they can find out if I've posted something new and an RSS reader is the best way. Don't be scared...it's pretty basic stuff and if you already use one, you know what I mean. But for those of you who don't use one, consider this video tutorial my personal gift to you as you begin your own spring cleaning, sorting your blogs, organizing your daily readings...

Happy Monday everybody!

hip! hip!

The newsfeed was posted on Luther Seminary's home page, so it's official! Dad is going to serve as interim pastor at the seminary. This is the seminary I went to, and if there was one thing all of us seminarians needed BADLY, it was a pastor. The irony! Seminary can be tough on a person's faith, and there desperately needed to be one person caring for our spiritual wellbeing. Dad will be a perfect fit for this need.

For those interested, this is the article written by seminary president, Rick Bliese (a great guy!)

around here

(My version of Ali Edwards's Around here.)

Around here we have our laptops on our laps a lot. We cozy up on the couch, passively watch the tv and hit our keyboards with intensity.

Around here we dream a lot. We talk about the future, get excited about possibilities and wonder how our days ahead will unfold.

Around here our cat serves as family mascot. We wake up in the morning with him spread over both of our chests and we laugh and snuggle before the day begins. And other days, we wake up, throw him off of us and fly into the bathroom to begin a day we are already starting late.

Around here we are always scraping our cars off, defrosting our windshields, warming up the engine and wondering for the umpteenth time if we should budget for a garage space. We’ll never do it though. We like our tight budget too much.

Around here we can hear our neighbor’s piano lessons every Monday and Tuesday afternoon and evening. We often will laugh and say, “sounds like someone didn’t practice.”

Around here we physically show excitement when we realize there is a LOST we haven’t watched yet. Same goes for Modern Family.

Around here we are trying to eat more produce. And it’s been going well so far. However, too much asparagus has repercussions the next day, I’ll have you know.

Around here we are thrilled, almost hyper, when the sun comes out and shines over a blue sky. The word elation comes to mind.

Around here we watch the Olympics with lots of verbal commentary. Curling was an unexpected new favorite event, and Shawn White got us so excited we nearly dyed our hair red in support of his amazing flippy-spin-flip-twist move.

Around here we play, tinker, putz, create, try, collaborate and make cool things either on our computer, out of paper, out of fabric or into new board games and handmade radios.

Around here “I’d imagine this will end up on your blog” is said a lot. But said with love and support. And I love that.

laptop vacation

Do you need to get away? Do you need winter to stop blowing for a while? Then let's go on a little laptop vacation!

FIRST STOP: MUSIC
First, I need you to right click on this link and click on "open in new tab." I have been listening to this play list (of 140 songs!) to death lately. It's like a friend gave me the best mix CD ever. This music will serve as the background music for your laptop vacation. (if you don't like a song, be sure to skip around. You're sure to find a few favorites in the 140 songs...)

The site with this play list is called Dear Lizzy. I really love this blog, and on a good day I am inspired by this woman, and on a bad day I feel very inadequate. If you start feeling like these pictures and ideas are making you feel less-than, please quickly click back to this page for more Laptop Vacation instructions! We don't want to feel inadequate on our vacation! But if you are inspired, enjoy all of Dear Lizzy and her glorious photography, scrapbook layouts and creative ideas...

NEXT STOP: EYE CANDY
Now that you have your music playing, right click on this link and "open in new tab." And now just soak up some Anthropologie goodness. I am linking you to the kitchen page, because I find that colorful aprons and dishtowels calm my anxious heart. (This apron below stopped me in my tracks!)


I had the good fortune of introducing a friend to the Anthropologie site recently, and it felt like such an honor... like introducing two friends that I know will get along smashingly. When you're on that site, be sure to stop by the lovely Dresses page and then check out how wierdo the sandals are! A girl like me may never be able to afford any of this stuff, but she can still drool, right? (Not the sandals though. More like, choke on my spit, those things are in style?!!)

THIRD STOP: READING + MINI ASSIGNMENT
Again, right click on this link and Open in New Tab (are you getting this?...it's such a helpful computer trick for keeping multiple sites open at the same time...) Ali Edwards has done it again, naming the simple, everyday moments, helping us all stay present in the moment.

After you read her list, open up a word document and take seven minutes to write out your own personal Around Here reflections. Make sure you use a font you love, print them out and stick them to your fridge. Since we're on a laptop vacation, I'd try to keep your observations positive and hopeful. But every vacation has a crabby day too...and I think it is probably more honest to add in a crabby reflection or two for good measure :)

I hope you have enjoyed this Laptop Vacation. The pilot has turned on the fasten seat belt sign as we begin our descent back to your hometown. Thank you for traveling with us.

my crafty mama

My mom is blogging! I got her set up with her own blog a month ago so she can share her creations. My mom and the entire Bredberg side are the craftiest of the crafty. This is the side of the family I visited while in Mesa and basically they just play all day...(you'll see in the pictures!) They do stained glass, make stepping stones (she made the five in her blog header), quilting, meet to make cards, fused glass, make jewelery, and all sorts of woodworking (by Uncle Don and Uncle Wayne if you count ALL of the construction he has done at Venture Out!)

So enjoy! Click here to see all of her and the Mesa families creations! (And leave a comment or two so she'll stay motivated to keep posting!!!! )

the weight of lent

We just got back from Ash Wednesday service. In my life, Ash Wednesday has always been a meaningful and significant evening, solemn and thoughtful as we begin our 40 days of Lent, looking towards the cross, and what the death of Jesus means to those of us who believe in Him.

I recently saw a Lenten devotional book. It was on Climate Justice, and focused on caring for the earth. I'm all for good environmental stewardship, but I was so frustrated by how this devotional book missed the mark entirely. Lent is about the saving of souls. Not the saving of sea shores. Lent is about Christ coming as God with us, here to take on the very sins of man, to create in us clean hearts. Not to clean our rivers and streams.

Tonight we sang O Sacred Head now Wounded and the words stilled my heart like a comforting friend. There is something to be said for tradition, for only singing particular songs during this season of contemplation and deep gratitude. For me, the lyrics below are what Lent is all about.

computer tips and tricks

Are you ready for another Computer Shortcut? Because I think you're going to like this one. You know why? Because Rory LOVES this one. He was so excited to share it with me.

You know when you are trying to cut and paste from a website into a word document and all of the formatting is messed up, tables end up screwing up your spacing and the font, size and margins is just a mess? Yes?!! This annoys you too?!! (see, I knew you'd be excited about this one!)

Here's what you do: highlight and copy as usual. And then when you go to paste into your word document you hit control ALT and the letter v (usually you would hit just control 'v', but the key to this trick is hitting ALT at the same time). A little box will pop up and you politely tell Microsoft Word, "Unformatted Text" by clicking on that option. And then you take a deep breath because you don't have to spend the next eight minutes trying to get the selected text to match your document.

Genius!

fabric flowers

I am inspired. I took what I learned on Saturday night from Donna Downey and went to make it my own. Sunday was a perfect day watching the Olympics as Rory napped on the couch beside me as I hand stitched these colorful flowers. I felt very domestic!

I had a vision of this little art piece in my mind, sketched in out on paper and it turned out exactly how I had envisioned it (although I am planning to add a few more leaves...) The buttons on the flowers are from my Aunt Jane...they were my Grandma Harrington's and I love that I am able to use them like this.

Donna has a fabric flower tutorial on her website. You can watch it here. These flowers are so simple, and turn out so stinkin' adorable! I've got a few more ideas sketched out, and can't wait keep on playing.

Canvas Art

The first class I took with Donna Downey was called, "Elegant Garden." This class was full of new techniques and I can't wait to start making my own creations based on her stunning ideas. I mapped out the basic steps of how we created this layout below. And for the record, I am in LOVE with the fabric flowers. I have many ideas of ways I want to use these...

I used the picture of me and my niece, Mara, working hard at the balloon toss at the last Bredberg family reunion. I love this pictures because we are working so hard just handing the balloon back and forth and everyone else was ten feet apart at this point :)

the great donna downey...

Well, I met Donna! And she was wonderful. I had no idea how many people would be taking these classes, and as it turned out, the class before mine was filled, but in my two workshops there were only six and then nine people! DREAM COME TRUE! It was low-key, calm and filled with fun conversation. I actually had written her a bit of fan mail, taking my opportunity just to tell her I appreciate her art, assuming that I would never get to just talk to her!

I can't believe how much I learned in her workshops. I feel like it may take many days to cover all that I want to pass along...because I want to share what I learned and hopefully inspire you too. Speaking of Inspire, Donna has a weekend retreat called Inspired. And based on all I learned in this evening of jam packed creative ideas, I would try to get there if you're anywhere near North Carolina in May...

I'm going to share what I learned all week long, so get ready for a beautiful and inspired* week!

Ellis and Stella

After writing about Gil and Virginia, I thought of two other love stories that I wanted to write down. The next love story is my great aunt Stella and my great uncle Ellis. They were married 66 years before Ellis passed away a few years back.

I have to confess that I have not spoken to my great aunt Stella since the funeral. That embarrasses me to admit…especially since I have a circuit of old women who I call regularly from my days working at the nursing home. It seems if I am staying connected with ladies living in a nursing home in Minneapolis, then I should work at staying connected to my own blood family.

I called Stella without any particular questions in mind other than I wanted to hear what she knows of love after 66 years of marriage. And I wanted to know what is like to sleep alone after 66 years of companionship. I just wanted to know what she misses the very most since Uncle Ellis died.

I called her and she answered, and my heart swelled and my eyes filled. I thought for a minute that this could be quite awkward if I just call her and start crying! But I got it together as quick as I could. It's just that it was such a strange thing that happened. Hearing her voice made me instantly miss my Grandma and Grandpa Harrington. My whole childhood of Harrington family time was filled with just this tiny family of Grandma and Grandpa and Grandpa’s only brother Ellis and his wife Stella. When I heard Stella say, “hello” in her super-high-and-sort-of-squeeky voice, I was instantly homesick. So sad and sorry that icons of life pass away. Sad that I hadn’t ever thought to call Aunt Stella in three whole years.

She’s a kick of a woman. I tried to explain that I wanted to write an article of sorts on her and Ellis. And I wanted to put it on my computer magazine column. (I had to think quickly of how to explain a blog, without using the word blog and without getting too technical.) She laughed and said, “Sure. I don’t care. I don’t know people, and they sure don’t know me!” But I wish you did know Stella. She uses words like pertnear for ‘pretty near’ regularly as she talks and she has a honesty about the way things are that is endearing and real. I said, “what should a girl like me know about a marriage that lasts 66 years?” And she replied, “Marriage is give and take. And to be honest, I think I mostly give. I don’t know!”

Then we talked about how the best marriages probably have a husband and wife who both think they mostly give. And she said, “and then you find happiness.”

She met Ellis while working at a restaurant in 1938, she said, “the other girl who was a waitress was going with a fella in Dysart and that fella was a good friend of Ellis. We went together for about a year and a half before we got married.” Soon after Ellis was drafted and was gone overseas for three years. Stella sent him a letter every single day of those three years. And Ellis wrote to her long love letters just about that often.

When I asked her when she misses Ellis the most she told me, “It hasn’t been too many times this winter that I don't wake up at night and I swear to goodness that Ellis is right beside me. And so I put my arm around him like I would when he would have trouble breathing during the night and when he is not there I am just so disappointed. And I have to realize that he’s not here no more.”

They never had kids. She said she told Ellis that she wouldn’t have kids until she had a home first. And by the time they had a home she felt too old to have a family. She cared for her own father and mother and my great grandma and commented that she sacrificed a lot, caring for them and working full time to help pay for their needs.

Ellis died in the middle of the night. Stella was there when he collapsed on the floor and held him when he breathed his last breath.

I asked her how she spends her days now, living in her home, all by herself. She told me that a friend brings the mail by around a quarter of ten, and meals-on-wheels delivers a hot meal a bit before noon. One person will deliver the church bulletin during the week, “so I keep up to date that way” and she’ll often get a phone call from one of the other five widows in town. “We check in on each other. We know how quiet it can be.”

Calling Aunt Stella was the best thing I could have ever done with my day. I called her with a reporter mindset calling to get the scoop on love, but melted into a little girl who just plain loves my family and misses the generation that, because of His great love, is already with Jesus.

my happy place...

My friend Jenn emailed me a month ago and said, "heads up. Donna Downey is coming to Nebraska to teach a few classes."

Honest to goodness, Donna Downey?!! As in, I read her blog everyday, love her stuff and feel indebted for how she has inspired me, Donna Downey?!! So I signed myself up and got my school supply list. I had to buy some new toys for the classes I signed up for, and today I am off to learn how to play with them! I can't wait to show you what I learn! I'll post pictures on Monday.

And be sure to stay tuned for tomorrow's post. It's a love story that will kick off your Valentine's Day perfectly.

i got all choked up

forget the superbowl commercials...these olympic commercials are awesome!

(insert olympic theme music here)

GREAT NEWS!! I just got back from Sioux Falls where I recruited more summer staff and spent the evening with our friends Mike and Sarah. Sarah and I met our very first day of Gustavus and the rest is history. I am confident we will never ever run out of things to talk about.

Here's the deal: Sarah and Mike are going to the Olympics! FOR TEN DAYS!!! Mike is from Vancouver, and just moved to the states when he married Sarah. So he's a local, and knows his way around (a head start from everyone else trying to take in the olympics and take in a new town...)

They fly out on Wednesday and I have sent very serious instructions with Sarah to keep us in the loop with all of her behind the scenes, day-by-day information. I'll keep you linked up with her blog and we can all live vicariously.

Two words for Sarah and Mike: Lucky Duckies.

hello, dear friend. i've missed you so

While in Sioux Falls, Sarah and I stumbled upon World Market. WORLD MARKET! The four in Omaha closed last year, leaving a small void in my heart. I love it because there a variety of things packed into this store that turn out to all be things that I adore. Classic furniture pieces, throw pillows, fondue sets, books on heirloom tomatoes...

Here. I'll take you on a tour and explain why I love this place like I do. We'll start here with Sarah, showing us the Easter baskets covered in petals and ladybugs. Bright and colorful, some shaped as watering cans and others as white picket fences, I would like one in every color.

This is a wide view of the store, showing the big pictures they sell (I always like what I see) as well as area rugs, curtains, furniture and food from all over the world.
They sell dishes, like these beauties ready for Valentine's Day...

and sparkly decorations. Sarah and I paused at this area and wondered who actually gets to purchase these fancy hanging decorations, and wondered where they live and what do they do. It seems like the sort of thing we adore in the store, and would adore at home, but just have never seen them in use. And olives. Honestly. A store that devotes an entire shelving display to olives, selling every kind of gummies one aisle over is just a store that demands more fans.

Sarah and I left with brand new journals and a valentine card. Their gift bags, wrapping paper and stationary area is also always a delight. And this time I even found Mrs. Meyers DISH SOAP GARDENIA SCENT!!! COME NOW!!!

mpr interview

A good friend just passed this along. It is a Minnesota Public Radio broadcast interviewing Renee and Jonathan, who survived the earthquake. (the picture above is Ben, Renee and Jonathan)

So often the church has such horrible spokespeople saying stupid things on behalf of God. But Renee absolutely embodies peace in this interview, is so thoughtful and seems wise beyond her years and wise even in the midst of this horrifying season she is living through. I am proud of her ability to speak truth in this dark time.

She is inspiring and their interview left me excited to be a part of God's mission in the world.

leadership

I always wanted to go into ministry of some sort. I remember telling people if I could find a job that combined kids, Jesus and the outdoors, then I would have found my perfect fit.

So camp ministry seemed like an easy choice. My favorite conversation is wondering 'how the faith is passed on.' Camp Ministry is this conversation lived out in real time between counselors and campers (and often visaversa!).

Lots of my gifts fit this job well. But there is one part of this job that I just haven't felt equipped for yet. Managment. Overseeing and managing 70 college students who have campers on five different site at Carol Joy Holling, not to mention the other two camps we run and the numerous day camp groups that all go out...is just a lot to take on. I like to have a good feel for what is going on at each site, with each counselor, with each camper. But with this big of an operation, we have to rely on systems of communication, empowering and entrusting our site coordinators who head up each site. And make sure that our ten days of staff training paint a picture of the summer ahead that excites, motivates and raises responsible, creative counselors.

To say this overwhelms me, is a serious understatement.

So I've done some reading lately, trying to build my own knowledge and abilities for the job I feel called to do. I want to do it well.

The first book I read is called, "Leadership and Self Deception" a book published by the Arbinger Institute. It was a quick read, written in story form. I took a lot from this book and felt convicted many times. Central to the main theme of this book is how we assign blame to others when we feel (and know) we, ourselves, have fallen short. And how this human habit of casting the blame often leads to feeling like the victim and feeling like others around you are incompetent and lazy. All actions and motivations will stem from this attitude overtime, and we can either sit in our misery and frustration, or see our coworkers as human beings and decide to jump on board and help the cause of the organization. This is a complete general overview of the book, and honestly just one tinsy point...it's more of a whole concept to take in.

The second book I read this week is called, "Tribes" by Seth Godin. I have followed Seth's blog for a year now, and this book was just as insightful and helpful as his daily blog posts. This book is a motivator, helping the reader see how they can be a leader no matter where they fall in the hierarchy of their workplace. And how creative change, new ideas and belief in a cause will always be more interesting to be a part of than the status quo. I got a collection of Seth's books from my coworker, Casey, and I have already cracked the next book in the stack. He's fun to read and gets lots of wheels turning in my head all at the same time

If you have any other helpful books on how to lead, how to organize a team of 70 college students, how to motivate and empower, please comment below. I'm wide open and ready to learn.

my thoughts on Warren Buffet (edited: Ha! I'll spell his name correctly: Buffett!)

Lunch, yesterday, was for real a blast. A few observations:

• The Omaha Chamber of Commerce is a really impressive, tightly knit group of people who take their networking seriously. I saw so many cards passed and sincere collaboration ideas shared. It was just entertaining to sit and watch these interactions unfold.
• Chamber people are classy people. There were 2500 people at this luncheon (I know!) and everyone was wearing dark suits with new haircuts, good makeup and nice watches (you can sort out which gender each of those comments pair up with.)
• Networking is everyone's top priority. Our table was super conversational and in the end of the meal we each had nine new contacts. At our table we had the head fundraiser for Omaha Salvation Army, the director of sales for KGBI (a local Christian radio station), a man who hosts a Saturday evening local Omaha television show on NBC, an attorney, and the woman who runs the young entrepreneurs arm of the Omaha Chamber.
• I'm pretty sure a memo was sent out before the event, warning people not to drink their water during the meal. I didn't get this memo. I drank my water and then another glass. And then I sat for the next 90 minutes, marveling at how no one else at the table touched their water, and wondering how they knew better than to drink it. And then I sat and marveled at how distracting a full bladder is.

Warren Buffet interviewed Hank Paulson, the Treasury Secretary for President Bush. It was very casual, two leather chairs up front with them basically having a conversation about what went wrong and why our economy is in its current state. It was interesting, but its so hard to know the truth when everyone has a different spin on the same story. And it's hard to concentrate when so much of your energy is plotting your path to the bathroom as soon as these two guys wrap it up.

But it was a great experience for sure. I love networking and this kind of event is every extroverts dream gathering.

our superbowl

Sunday came around, and it was time to stop going places. Do you ever just hit that wall? I have been in and out all month, and I just wanted time in my own livingroom. So we cancelled our superbowl plans, and decided to lay low.

We watched the game and commercials, after we tivo'd an hour or so, allowing us to skip through the many car and cbs commercials.

At some point during the game the multi-taskers in us took over, and I made sugar cookies and Rory built a battery-free radio. I was happily mixing my dough and Rory was happily coiling wire. By the time the Saints won, we feasted on cookies and milk and listened to the talk radio station Rory found on his little radio. He kept saying, "lick your fingers and then stick this wire between them and then you'll hear the station." No clue how that actually works, but it sure was cool.

lunch with mr. omaha

Mr. Warren Buffett is speaking at a luncheon that Rory got tickets for as a member of the Omaha chamber of commerce. I'm taking a half day vacation and am ready to learn the secrets of making millions. :)

I told this to my sister last night on the phone and her husband Jedd yelled from the other room,"I can tell you the secret of being a millionaire. First, you just have to find yourself a million dollars and then it's easy from there..."

We'll go see if we can learn something about "finding" that million dollars. I'll be back later today with what I learned...