Grace and patience

It seems Ranjit and Maya will have the youth group out at Jubilee Farm in Carnation this weekend. If the name Carnation is familiar, the town of Tolt was renamed a long time ago after the Carnation milk company's headquarters farm just north of town, now owned by Nestle and no longer a working dairy farm.

There's a comment on the page right now that resonates a bit:

... Farming teaches us grace; we're not always in control. Grocery stores set up strange expectations, strawberries in December from some faraway land. ...

Way back when I was always so impatient for artichoke season (and especially the artichokes!) to arrive. Actually, I still am -- do they even grow them somewhere other than California?

A new Christus Rex

Dr. Stanford continues his excellent work with the latest release of the APCK newsletter, Christus Rex. I'm almost a week late with this, but plead "busy." (And at least temporarily running two other blogs isn't helping, but the other non-work-related one will end next week.)

No doubt there'll soon be a request for a story about this year's Diocese of the Western States Family Camp -- but I'm still working on my photos from the event. The downside of digital photography is the amount of control you can get over the end product, as opposed to simply dropping the film canister off at the photo shop or drugstore, and the pursuing perfection takes time.

At home

We were all happy to see Deacon Ed back today. Still a ways to go on recovery, it seems, as he was sitting in the very front pew and not in the Sanctuary. Fr. Davis noted his recovery but stumbled slightly when he noted that Deacon Ed was now home -- "oops, rather, he's here at church," one could almost hear him think, but Deacon Ed saved the day by announcing "I AM Home!" Everyone laughed -- of course you are!

And welcome back.

Reunion

Headed off to a high-school reunion this coming weekend. According to this map we have three associated churches in the state, but they're several hours' drive away. Oh well.

Almost forgot!

Fr. Davis has had his hands quite full lately, but managed to get an e-mail newsletter/update off to the parish at... 2 AM??? (Well, okay, at camp Fr. Webb and I were clearly the early-birds, up at dawn, and I guess Fr. Davis like the rest of my household is a night-owl.) And from what I read he's even busier than I knew. Please pray that the coming transition goes smoothly.

But I'm glad for the missive because it reminded me that tomorrow is Mens' Breakfast (8:30 AM Morning Prayer followed by breakfast and fellowship, and since our Junior Warden is away maybe not too much of an outside work party on a hot day (forecast to reach 80F with, ugh, sun, but when the cat's away...). Despite my previous post, I had forgotten.

He also notes that Tent City 4 will be moving in up Avondale tomorrow. We'll be providing a couple of suppers during this stay; the first by our youth in just two weeks, organized by Meghan.

Back from camp

We actually got home a bit after midnight into Monday morning, but things have been so crazy ever since I haven't even managed to fully unpack and store my suitcase, for all my usual goal is to have it unpacked and BACK IN THE CLOSET before 15 minutes have passed from when I enter the door into the house. And half the camping gear remains unstored...

There will be material to come, I promise. I was thinking "Saturday," when Kathy is away for the day for a Kairos Prison Ministry followup with the women attendees in Purdy prison, but I just remembered that that's Mens' Breakfast, Fellowship and Work Party day.

Suffice it for now to say "we had a good time!" And even when it wasn't as good as it could have been (I got little very sleep), it was good.

Preparing for camp

Early Thursday we plan to hit the road to the Diocese of the Western States Family Camp. The camp blog is providing helpful last-minute information -- okay, temperatures from 50 to 90F, prepare for cool evenings. But now... bring the kayaks, the bikes? We'd need to trailer a haul all the toys. Or go spend more money on car-top rack accessories.

But some other advance prep is looking ominous. No Internet. And worse, the nearest cellphone signal is well over 10 miles away so there will be no Internet that way either. So I guess I'll just have to be disconnected from when we leave I-5 on the way down Thursday until we reach it again on the way home Sunday.

72 hours.

I can do that.

I think.

This just in

A bit more news than usual during Announcements:

Deacon Ed is home; it seems the hospital couldn't do much for him but he's in good spirits.

The Tent City 4 dinner by St. Bartholomew's Youth is now set for Saturday, August 6th (the camp will be located just down the road a short ways). The parish-wide effort is set for late September or early October (and of course there a good chance that I will be away).

Fr. Seraphim Hicks is back from Sierra Leone, but this time he contracted a disease there; I bid your prayers for recovery.

And young Matthew in Redding has been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer similar to the one that took his father two years ago; the doctors give him 90 days but I'm praying for a miracle.

Bowling Night

Looking through the notices in the Sunday bulletin I noticed that the Youth Group is planning to have a Bowling Night soon. Bowling. It's been many years since I last went bowling. Maybe because I could never score much above 120. But why should the kids have all the fun? You never know: we have folks with so many different and sometimes surprising talents maybe we have some bowlers in our midst too.

Touch and go

When I got home Thursday afternoon I was looking forward to a long stretch at home and reconnecting with St. Bartholomew's, but I had not thought it through until this morning. At least until August I will continue to be a sometime visitor: here this Sunday and next, gone the following for the Diocese of the West Family Camp, back the next, then gone August 1st for a high school reunion back East.

After that I don't know. There are two possible business trips coming in August; one of which might impinge on a Sunday when it occurs, the other of which will if it occurs.

And come September, I'll be away a lot until December.

Prayer request for Deacon Ed

Apparently after last Sunday's service Deacon Ed (I know, it's properly Deacon Miller, but the Pacific Northwest is pretty informal) was feeling some pain, and went to have it checked. They ended up checking him back into the VA hospital. He is reportedly in a lot of pain, more than the morphine can fully counteract. Apparently he is now facing a major procedure to correct the issue.

I bid your prayers this week for Deacon Ed Miller.

HEAR us, Almighty and most merciful God and Saviour; extend thy accustomed goodness to this thy servant who is grieved with sickness. Visit him, O Lord, with thy loving mercy, and so restore him to his former health, that he may give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

July 4th Anniversary

Tomorrow, July 4th, is the anniversary of Dr. Ed Miller's ordination into the diaconate. Six years, and again on a Sunday. Well done, sir.

That didn't last

Last week I wrote: "The happy news is that I have no work travel (currently) planned for July and August."

Well, now I do. The date hasn't been set and it's somewhat likely it won't impinge on a Sunday, but if the meeting in Atlanta is set for a Monday I'll be headed out Sunday morning. But if it's the first Monday in August, well, I was going to be away anyway.

My concern is whether the meeting will repeat monthly. There's a chance it will. Hard to keep up with the church when one is gone so often.

But at least for now, as of this afternoon, I am home for a while. I hope.