"I BELIEVE THOSE PEOPLE CHOOSE TO BE THE WAY THEY ARE"

And so one of my parishioners started off yesterday when we were discussing homosexuality and how it will affect the church, ie +Gene Robinson, the Canadian church's development of same sex blessings, the AAC and "orthdox" Anglicanism, the fallout from the Windsor Report, etc.

He splits his time between SW Montana and central California. He grew up in this town, and the only reason he has any connection to CA is because that's where his kids and grandkids live. According to him, there is a "homosexual agenda" and people are choosing to be a part of that lifestyle because it is becoming a major voting/political block.

Now, he and I obviously have a different set of ideas about all kinds of stuff. He's a Rebublican, I'm not. He's conservative, I'm more liberal. He can be loud and obnoxious, I can be quiet and obnoxious. Okay, so we're similar on that last point. But the fact that we were talking about this stuff is good news.

Tying it back to my sermon (see "Lent IIIA" below), I said, "Bill, I don't care if you don't agree with me. And whether or not you ever make the move to see homosexuality as genetic and accept gays as leaders in the church doesn't concern me. What concerns me is this: Are you willing to come to church on Sunday, exchange the Peace with me, come to the same table with me and share the Eucharist with me? Are you willing to accept the fact that Jesus can love 'those people' as much as he loves you? That's what I care about. So my question is, can you do that?"

He sat back for a minute and finally said, "Yes."

That seems to be my big push here. "You don't have to like me. You don't have to agree with me. You don't have to like every single member of this congregation. But you do have to be willing to accept the fact that God loves them just as much as he loves you; and you have to be willing to share a meal."

So far, it seems to be working.

"IF THE WOMEN DON'T FIND YOU HANDY, AT LEAST LET THEM FIND YOU HANDSOME."

For those who find the above quote slightly familiar, but just a little twisted -- I borrowed and spun the famous Red Green line. Trust me, there's no narcissism here, as I'm not handy and only mildly handsome.

However, I did manage to repair the downstairs toilet. In short, a flush would result in a high pressure spray of water emanating from the tank blasting against the washing machine, into the cat box, and a screaming kid -- "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I attempted some home remedies that included turning the water on the supply line down, so as not to generate an excess amount of water. I took the advice of one of my parishioners and put a plastic 2-liter coke bottle over the fill valve to keep the water in the tank. I even tried taping the fill hose to the back of the tank (shipping tape isn't even close to duct tape, fyi). Finally, I shut the *&%# thing off and drained it, labeling the whole contraption off limits until further notice. That was October.

Somewhere between then and now, I purchased a new thingy in hopes that that would work. Here's a little plumbing hint -- if it's a new thingy that looks like your old thingy, it won't work. It just looks better as it's spewing water all over your floor.

On Friday, Mrs. Ref made a trip to Bozeman. She bought all kinds of stuff. Including an entirely new replacement kit for the tank. A new thingy, a new float, a new fill line, a new seal, new washers, screws and bolts -- the whole shabang. Guess what I did Saturday.

And Saturday evening.

And Sunday evening.

Okay, so it took me something like 14 total hours to replace the guts to the downstairs toilet. But it doesn't leak. And we don't have water spraying out onto the floor and into the cat box. And we don't have a screaming kid. Not a bad weekend, I'd say.

So remember, keep your stick on the ice.

SERMON - LENT IIIA

What is it about today’s gospel that attracts so many people? Personally, there are many other stories that are more appealing than this one. For me, the story isn’t immediately appealing, but maybe that’s precisely why it is appealing in the first place. We need to work at teasing things out, we need to spend some time digging into this story. So let's dig.

For starters, take the time of day. It was "about noon." Now, that may not strike you as important, but I’ve heard it said that women would normally draw their water in the morning. The implication here is that this woman was not allowed to be part of that morning ritual. She had been ostracized by the other women of the community and was no longer welcome. Maybe those five husbands had something to do with that. Or her live-in boyfriend.

Then there is the obvious issue that this was a Samaritan woman. Samaritans and Jews don’t mix. Like blacks and whites, Catholics and Protestants, English and French, American settlers and Native Americans. Samaritans and Jews despised each other, and you can trace that animosity all the way back to the Divided Kingdom after the death of King Solomon. But here was Jesus, not only talking with a Samaritan, but willing to drink from the same cup. Remember, "Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans." Think about a white person drinking from a black water fountain in the South in 1956. Same thing.

So, she’s a Samaritan, which carries its own problems, but she’s also a woman. Now, Jesus had women around him all the time – his mother, Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene – so maybe you missed this. But look closer. Look at how Jesus initially treats her. "Give me a drink." That’s not a request, it’s an order. And look at the disciples reaction – they were astonished that he was talking with a woman. Jesus eventually gets to a place where he treats this less-than-second class citizen as a worthy and complete person.

Then there is the issue of living water. "The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." This isn’t surface water. This isn’t water that evaporates. It isn’t water that sits and becomes stagnate and poisonous. It is water that is deep within you. It is water that is under pressure, and that pressure causes us to look for some kind of spiritual relief. That relief, however, can only happen through Jesus. It is he who taps that water, releases the pressure, and it becomes a spring within you, gushing up to eternal life. And it is clean and pure. It satisfies you forever like a cup of cold water on a hot day. And, because it is gushing and flowing, it also has the ability to wash all your sin away.

Finally, there is the issue of Jesus himself. He also is an outsider in this story – a Jew in Samaria. This is one outsider talking to another; and through the course of that conversation, they accept each other for who they are. She eventually introduces him to the rest of the community and after a couple of days, they come to believe Jesus is the Messiah. This is a classic case of hearing the preacher and allowing the Word to work inside you and change you.

So, what’s the common theme here? We’ve got an ostracized woman, Jews and Samaritans, male and female, living water that is in all of us, and outsiders treating each other with respect. As I look at this, the common theme here is acceptance. Jesus accepts the woman for who she is. She accepts Jesus for who he is. There is no name calling. There is no condemning. Jesus doesn’t threaten her with expulsion because of her past sexual indiscretions. She doesn’t belittle him because he has a different idea of where to worship. These people are coming together from different cultures, different backgrounds, different points of view, different everything and having a conversation.

Never once does Jesus say, "You must believe just like I do in order to be saved." Rather, Jesus says, "The water I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." Jesus digs deep within us to find that well of water, and it is not for us to determine who can and can’t have access to it based on their background or their culture or their sexuality or their gender or any other litmus test that we devise. It is our job to tell those around us what Jesus has to offer and then let him do the work of digging for that well to bring the waters of eternal life gushing forth; just as the woman told those in her community and they, the outsiders, came to believe that Jesus was the Savior of the world.

Because, ultimately, if we spend our time creating litmus tests for who can and who can’t belong to the church – if we spend our time creating our own set of purity laws while ignoring Jesus’ example of inviting everyone and meeting them where they are – then we have become not Christians, but 21st century Pharisees.

OKAY, I'LL BITE

I normally delete all those e-mails that say something like, "Someone loves you. Show everyone else you love them and pass this on," or some equally sappy thing. Now, if you participate in forwarding these things on, hey, that's up to you; but I don't get into that. I don't need a generic mass-emailing to tell me who loves me, or likes me, or that Jesus loves me, or that the world will end if I break the chain.

However, Susie, Ryan, and now my good buddy Jane have posted this little ditty about memories. Maybe it's the time of day. Maybe I'm procrasting from that sermon just a little too long. But either way, I'm giving into the Lemming urge and following the gang. So, for all three readers, post away. And if you aren't Susie, Ryan or Jane, I'll look for this particular item on YOUR blog.

If you read this, even if I don't speak to you often, please post a memory of me. It can be anything you want, it can be good or bad, just so long as it happened.

SERMON LENT II YEAR A

Hate is easy. It’s wrapped up in self-righteous, legally-justifiable fear. It is self-righteous because we believe that we have all the right answers. We are so sure we are right, that anyone who believes differently from us is seen as nothing more than a stumbling block, put in our way to trip us up and then to be kicked aside and discarded. We are so sure we are right that we refuse to listen to opposing viewpoints. We are so sure we are right that it’s easy to condemn the other side to hell. After all, if you’re not with me, you’re against me. And that leaves me no choice but to hate that which might destroy me.

It is legally justifiable because we rely on laws of all kinds to shore up our position, no matter how wrong it is. The Nazis legally exterminated the Jews and others who were a threat. Our country has legally enslaved and abused blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans. We legally bar certain people from entering this country.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me." Really??

We legally turn these people away every day. Refugees from Cuba, Cambodia, Africa, and people from Mexico who come here escaping terrible conditions at home or chasing the American Dream. But we consistently pass laws to protect the interests of those in power. That poem on the Statue of Liberty has become a joke.

We do it with laws of the state, and we do it with laws of religion. We are really good at picking out those biblical laws that support our personal bias, while ignoring those that we count as trivial, or make us uncomfortable. We would rather attack those people who violate our interpretation of biblical morality than to seriously ask ourselves why we ignore the edict to treat the alien as a natural citizen.

Hate is based on fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of change. Fear of a loss of power or control. Whites hate minorities because of this. Americans hate aliens because they take jobs away from honest people. Northwesterners hate Californians because they screw up our way of life. Straight people hate gays because they are different.

Hate is easy. All you need to do is find someone different from you who challenges your lifestyle and/or your belief system.

Love, on the other hand, is hard. Just ask any parent or anyone who has been married for awhile. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your enemies. Love the alien. Love one another. Can you love a neighbor who lets his dog run free and strews garbage all over your yard? Or does "other" things in the yard? Can you love someone who threatens your way of life? Are you willing to love the person in the other pew, or the other parish?

Love is hard, yet we are called in both the Old and New Testaments to love all sorts and conditions of people.

We are living, I think, in dangerous times. We have a presidential administration that has polarized our country like never before, and that operates from a position of fear. Our country, currently, is not high on the list of World’s Most Admired. ECUSA seems to be splitting apart at the seems, mainly over the issue of homosexuality. People who voice their opinion, on whatever topic and whatever side, are attacked with the most base of arguments.

And into this fray, we are called to stand and love. That may be the hardest thing in the world to do: to stand up while being attacked and say, "I love you."

There’s a song by The Bare Naked Ladies called, "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." I think it sums up where we are perfectly. "When you’re lovers in a dangerous time, sometimes you’re made to feel as if your love’s a crime."

By being open and welcoming and willing to love the Other, those people who are legalistic or "morally superior" (whatever that means) or just plain afraid will attempt to make you feel that loving someone is a crime.

It’s a crime because you don’t "make a stand." It’s a crime because you allow "those people" to be treated with dignity. It’s a crime because you aren’t following the rules. It’s a crime because you are failing to condemn those who don’t march in lock-step with those of the "true faith."

Hate is easy. It would have been easy for God to give up on us. It would be easy for God to hate us based on our actions. It would be easy for God to hate us based on how often we neglect him. But God didn’t, and God doesn’t and God won’t.

Into this mess, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, not to condemn, but to save" through love. And look where that got Jesus.

Hate is easy. The question is, do you have the guts to stand up and face the world in love?

S -- A -- T-U-R -- D-A-Y -- NIGHT

Okay, I'm embarrassed I even know that song. But hey, it is Saturday. And not a bad day at that. While I only got outside for a little bit to enjoy the mild weather (as in, a walk to the post office), it has been productive.

I managed to chat with a friend about sermons for tomorrow. It's comforting to know that someone else thinks like you do.

I got all of the dishes and laundry done.

I massaged my sermon a bit, and just spent some time going over it and getting comfortable with it. That's always a good thing when one leaves the text in the sacristy.

And I heard from the woman who works on the Ruby Valley website. I stumbled across this a few weeks ago. It's not a bad little site, actually. I noticed, though, that there wasn't any current info regarding CC & St. Paul's. So I e-mailed her with the updates. Nothing. I'm learning that the general response time out here is slower than I've ever been used to. So sometime last week, I walked over to my neighbor, who is on the Chamber of Commerce, and gave her the info personally. Wha-la. So, if you are interested, you can take a peek at the "quaint" little church in Sheridan that I serve. Maybe one day I'll manage to get a picture of St. Paul's on the site.

And finally, I am -- dare I say it -- getting ready to watch Gonzaga play. Seems like everytime I mention this, they lose. If they lose today, I will NEVER mention EVER AGAIN on this site when GU plays, nor will I sit down to watch them. Call me superstitous, but aren't all sports fans? Man I hope they win -- it would make March really really rough.

MISCELLANEOUS LENTEN RAMBLINGS

When in doubt, Ramble. For Shrove Tuesday, VC put together a crash pancake supper. People were called, flyers were made, and we ended up with 35 people coming to our place to eat. It worked out perfectly because all of the batter, sausages and eggs were used up and nobody was turned away.

With that success in mind, Mrs. Ref suggested that we do a Lenten Soup Supper. So, I made a few contacts, and we quickly put together a Soup Supper program. Actually, we managed to get all of the Tuesdays in Lent covered as far as who is going to bring soup. And yes, we're doing it on Tuesdays because, hey, I'm already up there. As for the program . . . well, that's my department. I'll read a little here and there, re-think the Gospel for the week, take some notes, talk a little bit, ask a few questions, be charming and engaging, and we'll all get through it.

Last night was our first "program." It seemed to go well. The people enjoyed the soup and homemade bread. We had a relatively good discussion about Jesus in the wilderness and how his temptations really aren't that different from our. A few people actually came because of the program part and were looking forward to hearing me say whatever it was I was going to say. We got some good feedback and there's a chance that we actually might get a few new people on Sundays.

After the dinner, we had a vestry meeting. The big news here is that I have a new senior warden. Having never done this before, this is both a good thing and an interesting thing. We discussed several items, as usual, but there seemed to be a good feeling about the future of the church in VC, what with the success of the pancakes and soup. We have a sizable amount of pledges for the year. Now, when I say, "Sizable," you have to understand that nobody has pledged at this parish (or CC for that matter) in a long time. "Sizable" actually means, "More than we've ever had." So, starting from below ground level, this is a good thing.

Best quote of the night: I was being told about the "Winter Fest" weekend in VC where they have a broomball tournament and other activities. It could be scarce this year because of the relative lack of winter, but it's still cold enough for ice. Anyway, in reference to this, I was informed that, "Dozens of people come into town for this."

This morning was the weekly Lenten breakfast. This is a community-wide event with parishes from Twin Bridges to Laurin (pronounced "Lor-ray"). It starts at 6:30 am. It was CC's turn to host it. At least I didn't have to cook. So my alarm went off at 5:30, I woke up, showered, told The Kid I was leaving, and went over to the parish hall to do the meet and greet thing. At 6:55 am, I phoned home and woke up The Kid for school. Then, at 7:05, I started my "program." We had about 50 people show up for this. It was great. Only about six of them heard my sermon from Sunday -- that was better. So I re-did my sermon, was charming and engaging, and it went well. At 7:25, I ran home, had to drag The Kid out of bed because she was "only going to sleep for five more minutes." Ish. Got her out the door and went back to help clean up. Then I took a nap.

Finally, there's this story about the suicide of an Episcopal priest in Mrs. Ref's hometown, and my former diocese. I don't pretend to know what was going on in his head, but I would hope that if I ever had serious problems I would have the strength to ask for help. That's the deal, though, isn't it? Having the strength to ask for help. And that applies not only to our regular lives, but in our Christian lives as well (which, you could argue, should be the same, but I'm too tired to quibble). Are we strong enough to ask for help? Are we strong enough to give up control to God? Are we strong enough to not rely on ourselves, as Satan insists we should, but on the knowledge that God wins?

Pray for Alan's family, St. Luke's parish, the Diocese of Spokane, and Bishop Jim Waggoner as they all deal with this tragedy.

LENT 1-A

I like readings like this. There are so many different directions I can go, which means that I don’t have to worry about repeating myself in three years. Today, I want to focus on temptation and death.

If you didn’t notice, temptation plays a big part in today’s readings. In the second story of creation, Eve is tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. And in the Gospel, Jesus is led out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Both people face temptation and death, but both handle it in very different ways.

Have you ever noticed that we are very rarely tempted to do something wrong on a grand scale? For instance, I owe a whole heap of money on my student loans, but I’m not going to go rob the local bank to cover it. Or you may be having trouble at home, but you probably aren’t likely to murder your spouse.

Temptation and sin start small. If the speed limit is 70, maybe you creep up to 72, then 75, then 80, slowly working your way into a major speeding ticket. Or maybe you don’t report some of those cash gifts on your income tax. Or you think, "It’s only a few grapes, or a couple of baseball cards. Nobody will miss them."

And as you get more comfortable with the notion of doing a little bit wrong, that little bit grows slowly and steadily larger. Pretty soon you can start rationalizing all kinds of stuff. "The company won’t miss this, they have plenty." Or maybe a well-timed house fire is the solution. Slippery slope? Maybe. But as Obi Wan said, "Once you start down the dark path . . ."

And that is just what happened to Eve. The serpent asked her, "Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree’?" ANY tree? No, not any tree. God said, "You can eat from any tree except this one, or you will die."

Really? You’ll die? Do you think God would create you just to kill you? What is God hiding? I don’t think he’s telling you the whole truth. I don’t think God trusts you. He wants to keep you in the dark. That fruit won’t kill you, it looks just like all the other fruit. I bet if you eat that fruit, you’ll be just as good as God, and then you’ll be free. You won’t have God telling you what you can and can’t do. C’mon, just one bite. It won’t kill you.

Was there ever a time when you were tempted to do something wrong, however small, that, in retrospect, was really huge? Whatever that thing was, you did it and shortly afterwards, did you feel like dying? With me, it was baseball cards. I stole a handful when I was maybe eight or nine. I was tempted into such a small thing by a schoolmate. I didn’t get caught, but right away a part of me died. I was no longer an innocent school boy, but a guilty thief.

There’s a song lyric that goes, "Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then." That’s Adam and Eve. Their eyes were opened, and they stared into the face of knowledge that they weren’t ready for. And that knowledge caused a part of them to die. They were tempted by such a small thing right into death.

Now contrast Eve’s temptation with that of Jesus. First, Eve seems to be wandering around the garden on her own. So the encounter with the serpent could have caught her off guard. But look at the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ temptation. Jesus isn’t on his own, wandering around the wilderness. He is led there by the Spirit. Jesus knew that the world held plenty of temptations, which is why he allowed himself to be led by the Spirit. Jesus relied on God.

In contrast, Eve relied on herself. God gave her a brain, and she used it. But she was not yet wise enough to know when she was in over her head. Kind of like a teenager, actually. But Jesus let God lead. The whole scenario of the temptations of Jesus revolve around him taking charge; they revolve around him placing himself on par with God. Like Eve did, and which he refused to do.

Jesus knew, and Eve did not yet understand, that short-term gains have long-term consequences. What seems to be the right quick answer usually isn’t. We need to spend time . . . time working on our relationships, time working on our knowledge, time developing the ability to see the big picture. In some respects, it’s a lot like chess. New players usually go for the quick and easy victory. Experienced players learn to see several moves into the future; they can predict the consequences of their actions.

So this Lent, instead of looking for quick and easy grace through quick-fix self-denials, spend some time looking at the big picture. Spend some time looking how the Spirit can lead you through this Lenten wilderness. Spend some time figuring out a new way to practice your faith. Spend some time figuring out how that can impact your life, or the life of this parish, or the life of this town.

ASH WEDNESDAY SERMON (or something like that, as I made it up as I went along)

It's Lent. Today is the first day of that season of fasting, prayer, self-examination, self-denial and penitence. We hear alot during Lent about these particular topics. But what does it all mean, and how can we live into this season with a vision of holiness?

I was talking with a friend of mine this morning who is preaching today at her field ed site. Jokingly, I asked her if she was going to do the "hell and damnation and down on your knees you worthless worms" sermon.

She said, "C'mon, you know me better than that. Even in Lent, there is Good News."

She's right. Even in Lent, there is Good News. As I see it, the whole point of the fasting, prayer, self-examination and self-denial is to re-order our lives so that we put God back where he belongs. If all we do is deny and abuse ourselves, we have failed. We live the entire year accumulating things and focusing on our own desires. But now we are asked to do without and put the focus outside of ourselves. Self-denial leaves a hole in our lives, to be sure; but if we work at living out a holy Lent, then that hole gets filled with the voice of God.

So how do you view Lent? I have come to see Lent as equal to times of personal struggles. We have all experienced the death of someone close to us: a friend, a parent, a spouse. During those times, and afterwards, it does seem like we are wandering around in the desert. But even here, there is Good News. Isaiah talks about this when he says, "The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places."

Lent is a parched place. Other times in our lives are parched places. But the LORD will guide us, we just need to be willing to let him. We need to recognize that our tendency to be self-indulgent doesn't allow God the room to work.

This Lent, spend some time in prayer and fasting and self-examination and self-denial, and let God guide you; because in that journey, there is Good News.

I NEED A NAP

We all survived the weekend. The bishop arrived Saturday afternoon and met with the vestry of both churches. That went well and was informative. He made the point several times that, compared to his last visit, there has been a 180 degree turn in outlook and attitude.

Saturday evening he and his wife took my family out to dinner. Good food, good conversation, and just getting to know each other on a more personal level. I also found out some other information that is both exciting and a little scary. It seems that, as he begins to shape his ministry in the diocese, and reshape the diocese itself into a healthy and functional place, he wants to put me on some diocesan committees. Exciting because, well, it's a chance to play a leadership role in the diocese. Scary because, well, for the same reason. Different sides of the same coin.

"Oh, you mean now that I'm graduated and ordained and instituted, people actually take me seriously???"

Sunday came with a flurry. We invited the bishop and his wife over to our place for breakfast at 7:30. I did my famous "pancake art," sausage, hash browns and juice. It was a busy morning. The Kid requested a sea otter. I made a mitre for the bishop, an organ (kind of) for his wife (she plays), and the obligatory heart for Mrs. Ref.

After breakfast I met with the baptismal candidates and the confirmand to run through the service. We did a quick pre-game, filled out the forms, and got organized. After that quickie meeting, I got the church set up for the service.

Service started at 9, and we had 42 people at CC. It was wonderful. The organist once again played much too fast, but we all did our best. Got the baptisms and confirmation handled with minimal liturgical lapses, and we could barely move around the church during the Peace. Afterwards we had a great coffee hour with many goodies. And I mingled.

At 1, we headed up to VC for the Celebration of a New Ministry. I used the propers for William White because I thought it seemed appropriate for this particular time in the church. A couple of visiting clergy made it over for the service, and that was nice to have them be a part of it. I also managed to enlist several parishioners to present the traditional gifts -- bible, book of prayers, oil, stole, keys, and bread and wine.

We had 20 people at this later service. While not the turnout of the earlier one, and some disappointment that more of the CC "regulars" didn't make it up, it was still a great service. However, I am glad to be finished with it all. I'm still exhausted.

No time for naps, however, as I need to get ready for the pancake supper in VC on Tuesday (sorry, no pancake art here), the two Ash Wednesday services, and the usual Sunday fare. Did I mention that I'm really looking forward to my vacation in June.

IT HAD TO BE DONE

Cleaning the church, that is. Mrs. Ref (with a little help from yours truly) made two pots of soup and we had a cleaning party at CC tonight. We had enough people show up so it wasn't too much work, but not enough so that all the soup was gone.

One group of women cleaned the church proper. Polishing the pews and woodwork, vacuuming up dead flies and other multi-legged critters, cleaning bird droppings off the reredos -- yes, apparently there was a bird in the place. The other group of women cleaned up after the soup supper.

The one other guy and I worked in the parish hall replacing burnt out lights, cleaning those damn light covers that you see over flourescent fixtures but are almost impossible to remove or reattach without breaking something, cleaning off the cobwebs, and sweeping the floor.

Nothing says "clean" like company, I always say. And what better company to have than the bishop. And, oh yes, I got that hole covered behind the altar, so no worries about damaging the Holy Reverend Sir at my very first visitation.

Best moment of the night -- well, let me just say this: It's usually a good idea to see if the lights have actually been turned on before deciding that they need to be replaced.

And now I'm trying to figure out how to run itty bitty baptismal certificates through my printer and get everyone's name and pertinent information to fit in the preprinted spaces. The fun never ends.

SEX AND THE CITY

Yesterday was one of those "mandatory" days. So, I climbed in my car at 7 and drove to Three Forks (this is the place where the Gallatin, Jefferson and Madison Rivers converge to form the headwaters of the Missouri River). At 8, I climbed into another car and three of us headed up to Helena.

At 9, I climbed into a chair for the mandatory clergy training on preventing and awareness of sexual misconduct and abuse. At noon, I got to stand up for lunch. Lunch consisted of meat and vegi trays from Safeway, some bread, Miracle Whip, mustard, and some not so good cookies. Regular and Diet Coke were also offered (yuck) and Rootbeer.

At 12:15, having made my way through the line, I climbed back in my chair to eat. At 12:30, Part II began.

At 4, we were dismissed, made the obligatory "personal business" stops, climbed back into the car, and drove to Three Forks. At 5:15, I was discharged from the vehicle, climbed into my vehicle and made my way home. At 6:20, I laid down on the couch. At 8:15, I was in bed.

Spending 11 hours on your butt takes alot of energy.