Things have been wild in the Village since 118 6th grade students from the Chelan Public Schools arrived yesterday for their 4-day environmental school. We've always wanted to know what it was like to be back in a school cafeteria. They are well-organized and a lot of fun to have around. They don't participate in Village life other than meals, so we just work around their energy and get on with our days! The 6th grade students from Manson come next week.
Since I missed the book post last Wednesday, I'm doing two, still from the stash from the Faith Women's Book Group. The first one is Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik. This is a wonderful book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The premise is a book group started in the late 1960's by some women who have moved into the same neighborhood in south Minneapolis. The book takes us through four decades with them. The author's conceit is to have each chapter be from the perspective of whichever woman is hosting that month, and includes the book she chose and why she chose it. The chapter headings themselves would make a great year's reading. There are, of course, the subplots of the lives of the women, and that part was pretty solid, I thought. The story of one woman, told in letters she writes to her deceased mother, makes up another theme through the book. If you've ever had the privilege of being in a long-time book group, this book will resonate on every level. By the way, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (or AHEB) is the name they give their group.
Thank you, Kari!
The other book is Something Mis ing by Matthew Dicks. When I started this I thought it might be too weird to finish, but now that I'm well into it I like it a lot. It becomes a laugh-out-loud read as you go along. It will make you look more carefully at your pantry, your jewelry box, and your garden supplies as you follow the adventures of Martin, a thief who carefully cases his "clients" and stocks his own home with things he knows they won't miss. (The book title is correctly spelled!) I'm not quite done, and it is becoming quite suspenseful as it goes along. A really good read.
Thank you, Sheryl!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
St. Michael and All Angels
Today is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels - Michaelmas for all you anglophiles out there. At Vespers tonight we'll read the texts and sing some very American angel songs - Angel Band being one.
There hasn't been much blogging time. We survived (nicely) the LENS conference last week. On the first day of this gathering of clergy and other church professionals our Northwest Washington Synod Bishop Chris Boerger officially installed me as pastor here at Holden. When we got to the "Be among us to..." part, that was done in true Holden style. It was hilarious! Here are pictures. The first is "Be among us to baptize," the second "Be among us to lead worship," the last is the Grand Finale!
We were out very briefly (Friday night - back in Sunday morning), but got a few errands accomplished and Nancy went to a meeting and an ordination. We'll get in some kind of routine around those things as the year goes by - whizzes by, the way this month has gone!
I know I missed the Wednesday book last week. I'll make up for it by doing two tomorrow!
Happy Michaelmas!
There hasn't been much blogging time. We survived (nicely) the LENS conference last week. On the first day of this gathering of clergy and other church professionals our Northwest Washington Synod Bishop Chris Boerger officially installed me as pastor here at Holden. When we got to the "Be among us to..." part, that was done in true Holden style. It was hilarious! Here are pictures. The first is "Be among us to baptize," the second "Be among us to lead worship," the last is the Grand Finale!
We were out very briefly (Friday night - back in Sunday morning), but got a few errands accomplished and Nancy went to a meeting and an ordination. We'll get in some kind of routine around those things as the year goes by - whizzes by, the way this month has gone!
I know I missed the Wednesday book last week. I'll make up for it by doing two tomorrow!
Happy Michaelmas!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Wednesday Book
Yes, it’s the Wednesday Book, and yes, it’s Friday! It’s been a busy week at Holden with a busier one to come. Nothing slows down here very much even as the number of guests diminishes as we get closer to Fall and Winter.
The Women's Book Group at Faith gave me a stack of books at my last meeting with them in August. Each one came with a special recommendation and review from the giver, and these books are my first reading list at Holden. A few days ago I finished Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R. Gaines, which I believe the book group also read for their September meeting. I loved this book about the effect of the Enlightenment and the use of reason on the intuitive sense of transcendence and mystery. Set at a meeting of Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederick the Great, Gaines tells the story of each of these men in the context of the changes going on around them. Frederick was the voice of reason and change, Bach the master of articulating the power of transcendent mystery in his music, expressing his own deep and abiding faith as well.
Gaines has a clear preference for Bach, which is probably one reason (sic) I thoroughly enjoyed this book. His artful weaving of the “Royal Theme” - the very complex 21 note fugue theme Frederick (or someone working for him) set for Bach to improvise on the spot in three parts - makes for an ingenious plot device. We are allowed enough history to stay clued in, and enough drama to keep us interested. Even the complicated musical descriptions make for good reading, although I’d be interested to hear how those sections are for non-musicians. The Royal Theme becomes Bach’s foundation for A Musical Offering, one of the last works of his life, and even the structure of that piece is full of the intrigue of the whole debate. It was fun to listen to that piece as I read.
Here is a quote from the end of the book:
The Enlightenment, which set out to rid the world of its superstitious credulity, still usefully instructs us to find and tear down the veils of illusion wherever they exist, to be just to one another, and to keep studying; even if empiricism could not find a perfect order hidden in the universe, after all, it took us to the moon. ... The beauty of music, of course, what sets it apart from virtually every other human endeavor, is that it does not need the language of ideas; it requires no explanation and offers none, as much as it might say. ... Bach’s music makes no argument that the world is more than a ticking clock, yet leaves no doubt of it.
A great read. Thanks, Marilyn!
The Women's Book Group at Faith gave me a stack of books at my last meeting with them in August. Each one came with a special recommendation and review from the giver, and these books are my first reading list at Holden. A few days ago I finished Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R. Gaines, which I believe the book group also read for their September meeting. I loved this book about the effect of the Enlightenment and the use of reason on the intuitive sense of transcendence and mystery. Set at a meeting of Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederick the Great, Gaines tells the story of each of these men in the context of the changes going on around them. Frederick was the voice of reason and change, Bach the master of articulating the power of transcendent mystery in his music, expressing his own deep and abiding faith as well.
Gaines has a clear preference for Bach, which is probably one reason (sic) I thoroughly enjoyed this book. His artful weaving of the “Royal Theme” - the very complex 21 note fugue theme Frederick (or someone working for him) set for Bach to improvise on the spot in three parts - makes for an ingenious plot device. We are allowed enough history to stay clued in, and enough drama to keep us interested. Even the complicated musical descriptions make for good reading, although I’d be interested to hear how those sections are for non-musicians. The Royal Theme becomes Bach’s foundation for A Musical Offering, one of the last works of his life, and even the structure of that piece is full of the intrigue of the whole debate. It was fun to listen to that piece as I read.
Here is a quote from the end of the book:
The Enlightenment, which set out to rid the world of its superstitious credulity, still usefully instructs us to find and tear down the veils of illusion wherever they exist, to be just to one another, and to keep studying; even if empiricism could not find a perfect order hidden in the universe, after all, it took us to the moon. ... The beauty of music, of course, what sets it apart from virtually every other human endeavor, is that it does not need the language of ideas; it requires no explanation and offers none, as much as it might say. ... Bach’s music makes no argument that the world is more than a ticking clock, yet leaves no doubt of it.
A great read. Thanks, Marilyn!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Second Sunday
While working on my sermon for tonight, I was inspired to write my Fall Holden newsletter article:
God gives seasons for gladness of heart it says over the stage in the Village Center. As Summer gives way to Fall, and soon Fall to Winter, the rhythm of nature’s seasons and the seasons of Village life indeed make our hearts glad.
My first call as a pastor was at Holden in 1976. It is a remarkable thing to return into this office in this Village. The community is new - new every busload as Holden goes - and the times are different. But the rhythms of season and work and worship and life remain as the patterns that sustain and support us together in God’s grace.
It is wonderful to walk through the Village and say hello here, ask a question there, meet a companion on the way, learn about the day’s work. And the wonder of it is contained in our nightly gathering around worship. In proclamation and prayer, in song and silence, the strength of community is manifest in this simple, daily routine of Vespers. Looking around the assembly in Koinonia as so many sing Vespers ‘86 (Holden Evening Prayer) from memory brings its own wonder. And I am in awe of the quiet compassion of the staff as they gather around a dear friend or a new sister or brother in Christ at the corner bowls of Prayer around the Cross.
Ronald Blythe is a historian, writer, and lay reader in the Church of England. He has two books chronicling daily life in the village of Wormingford, Essex, England. His writing describes well the experience at Holden of the day-to-day wonder of Village life and worship.
I am moved by our small worshiping congregation, by the privacy of their public prayer, and by the impossibility of my ever knowing what is going on as they kneel, sit, stand, sing, say, dream. In service terms, worship is that ultimate reverence which a community and an individual has to reactivate week after week. It must be familiar, even commonplace, and yet at the same time elevated and inspired. ‘Wonder is the basis of worship,’ said Carlyle. Wonder is unlikely to fill the entire act of worship, but I notice it creeping in here and there. ... Church-going nowadays can be a traditional or pop concert sans worship. Yet who can prove its absence? No one - least of all myself as I kneel, sit, stand, sing, say, dream ... . One cannot always tell when something wonderful is going on.
The Village Pastor
God gives seasons for gladness of heart it says over the stage in the Village Center. As Summer gives way to Fall, and soon Fall to Winter, the rhythm of nature’s seasons and the seasons of Village life indeed make our hearts glad.
My first call as a pastor was at Holden in 1976. It is a remarkable thing to return into this office in this Village. The community is new - new every busload as Holden goes - and the times are different. But the rhythms of season and work and worship and life remain as the patterns that sustain and support us together in God’s grace.
It is wonderful to walk through the Village and say hello here, ask a question there, meet a companion on the way, learn about the day’s work. And the wonder of it is contained in our nightly gathering around worship. In proclamation and prayer, in song and silence, the strength of community is manifest in this simple, daily routine of Vespers. Looking around the assembly in Koinonia as so many sing Vespers ‘86 (Holden Evening Prayer) from memory brings its own wonder. And I am in awe of the quiet compassion of the staff as they gather around a dear friend or a new sister or brother in Christ at the corner bowls of Prayer around the Cross.
Ronald Blythe is a historian, writer, and lay reader in the Church of England. He has two books chronicling daily life in the village of Wormingford, Essex, England. His writing describes well the experience at Holden of the day-to-day wonder of Village life and worship.
I am moved by our small worshiping congregation, by the privacy of their public prayer, and by the impossibility of my ever knowing what is going on as they kneel, sit, stand, sing, say, dream. In service terms, worship is that ultimate reverence which a community and an individual has to reactivate week after week. It must be familiar, even commonplace, and yet at the same time elevated and inspired. ‘Wonder is the basis of worship,’ said Carlyle. Wonder is unlikely to fill the entire act of worship, but I notice it creeping in here and there. ... Church-going nowadays can be a traditional or pop concert sans worship. Yet who can prove its absence? No one - least of all myself as I kneel, sit, stand, sing, say, dream ... . One cannot always tell when something wonderful is going on.
-Ronald Blythe, The Word from Wormingford, p.168.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday Book
Wednesday will be the day for book reviews, thoughts, recommendations and all.
One of the neat things about being at Holden is all the people who come through here on Teaching Staff and just in the Village who are reading lots of great stuff. But this week I got brought up short on reading a book I should have read two years ago: Three Cups of Tea. Greg Mortenson's mother, Jerene Mortenson, has been here all week talking about the work of the Central Asia Institute. I was inspired to finally read the book, which is as great a read as everyone has said. As an educator and a woman she brings a particular perspective to the ongoing work of the CAI, and that is good to hear. I also heard Greg Mortenson at Luther Seminary last January, and was impressed with his humility. He doesn't have any of that "Rah, rah, look at all the great stuff we've done.'' attitude. He simply tells the story of the need and the steps that are being taken to meet it. Impressive all around.
If you're like me and haven't yet read Three Cups of Tea, make yourself a cuppa and go for it!
One of the neat things about being at Holden is all the people who come through here on Teaching Staff and just in the Village who are reading lots of great stuff. But this week I got brought up short on reading a book I should have read two years ago: Three Cups of Tea. Greg Mortenson's mother, Jerene Mortenson, has been here all week talking about the work of the Central Asia Institute. I was inspired to finally read the book, which is as great a read as everyone has said. As an educator and a woman she brings a particular perspective to the ongoing work of the CAI, and that is good to hear. I also heard Greg Mortenson at Luther Seminary last January, and was impressed with his humility. He doesn't have any of that "Rah, rah, look at all the great stuff we've done.'' attitude. He simply tells the story of the need and the steps that are being taken to meet it. Impressive all around.
If you're like me and haven't yet read Three Cups of Tea, make yourself a cuppa and go for it!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
First Sunday
I'm taking a little break from getting ready for worship. It's all in the evening here. I still need a routine, so it feels a little disjointed to be doing my final preparations in the afternoon.
We woke up this morning to a little dusting of snow on the peaks around the Village - on Buckskin, the saddle, and on Dumbbell. A foretaste of the feast to come. It has been cold and rainy for the last three days, with not much letup in sight. There are lots of games being played in the Dining Hall and lots of reading and knitting going on!
Larry came into the Village on Thursday, and we've managed to get all the boxes unpacked and our living area fairly organized. I'm sure it will all get rearranged soon, but at least we can find what we need when we need it most of the time.
That's the news from the little village in the Railroad Creek valley. I'd better quit while I'm ahead. They've had to turn on heat, and the whole system's a little out of whack. The power has been going off from time to time all day.
We woke up this morning to a little dusting of snow on the peaks around the Village - on Buckskin, the saddle, and on Dumbbell. A foretaste of the feast to come. It has been cold and rainy for the last three days, with not much letup in sight. There are lots of games being played in the Dining Hall and lots of reading and knitting going on!
Larry came into the Village on Thursday, and we've managed to get all the boxes unpacked and our living area fairly organized. I'm sure it will all get rearranged soon, but at least we can find what we need when we need it most of the time.
That's the news from the little village in the Railroad Creek valley. I'd better quit while I'm ahead. They've had to turn on heat, and the whole system's a little out of whack. The power has been going off from time to time all day.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
First Day at Holden
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot -- "Little Gidding" (the last of his Four Quartets)
This Eliot quote came to mind for me today in the bus on the way up from the lake. It’s an odd experience to return to this place where I first served as a young pastor and now do it as a not so young pastor! As with every community, nothing is the same from year to year, and I’ll be slowly learning the rhythms and patterns of these particular people in this particular time.
Last Friday Larry and I drove both our cars with our 29 boxes (944 lbs.!) of stuff so that Larry could accompany them up the Village when he came in for the Science and Technology Committee meeting. I drove back to Seattle, and he came home on Sunday, surviving a grueling six hour ride because of a fire on the east end of Snoqualmie Pass. Our original plan was to both come in to Holden today. But there’s just too much to do in Seattle before we can both get out of there. So I arrived today (with more boxes) and started my year’s ministry by blessing the Holden School at Vespers tonight. A nice way to start. Eight students this year - 5 in high school, 3 in elementary school. One of the high school students will be a distance learner from places like Nepal as she travels the world this year with her parents. Holden is an interesting and diverse place for somewhere so small and remote. Larry should come in on Thursday, and it will be nice to get organized for the year ahead.
And so we arrive where we’ve started, which is surrounded by God’s grace for all our endings and beginnings.
P.S.: These sheep welcomed us to our Holden home! The wool is spun and the sheep knit at St. Placid Priory in Olympia.
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot -- "Little Gidding" (the last of his Four Quartets)
This Eliot quote came to mind for me today in the bus on the way up from the lake. It’s an odd experience to return to this place where I first served as a young pastor and now do it as a not so young pastor! As with every community, nothing is the same from year to year, and I’ll be slowly learning the rhythms and patterns of these particular people in this particular time.
Last Friday Larry and I drove both our cars with our 29 boxes (944 lbs.!) of stuff so that Larry could accompany them up the Village when he came in for the Science and Technology Committee meeting. I drove back to Seattle, and he came home on Sunday, surviving a grueling six hour ride because of a fire on the east end of Snoqualmie Pass. Our original plan was to both come in to Holden today. But there’s just too much to do in Seattle before we can both get out of there. So I arrived today (with more boxes) and started my year’s ministry by blessing the Holden School at Vespers tonight. A nice way to start. Eight students this year - 5 in high school, 3 in elementary school. One of the high school students will be a distance learner from places like Nepal as she travels the world this year with her parents. Holden is an interesting and diverse place for somewhere so small and remote. Larry should come in on Thursday, and it will be nice to get organized for the year ahead.
And so we arrive where we’ve started, which is surrounded by God’s grace for all our endings and beginnings.
P.S.: These sheep welcomed us to our Holden home! The wool is spun and the sheep knit at St. Placid Priory in Olympia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
