Reverend Ref +

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.