Women Pastors

The big-city denominational office had sent a female pastor to serve in an old country church - and the local elders were having a hard time accepting the new minister. But they wanted to be gracious, so the board invited the pastor to join them on a fishing trip.

Once at the lake, the group got into a boat and motored out some fifty yards from shore when the pastor announced, apologetically, "I'm so sorry - I've forgotten my fishing rod."

So she stepped out of the boat, walked across the water to the bank, and picked up her equipment, and walked on the water back to the boat.

"Just like a woman," one of the elders muttered. "Always forgetting something."

Lily's World

Tam got me an espresso coffee machine a few years back, and most mornings I'll make myself a coffee while Lily & I are having breakfast. There's usually extra milk froth, so I make Lily a babycino too (froth with chocolate on top), and she loves it.

The other morning, though, I asked if she'd like a cino, and she said no. I was a bit surprised. "Are you sure, honey?" I asked.

"I want a baby cino latte this time."

Pray in May

Last year I decided to focus on prayer in May. Mostly because pray rhymes with May, but a little because I knew prayer was something that my life generally needed more of.

This year I'm doing it again, because prayer is still something I'd like to get better at. Here's the list of ideas I wrote down at the start of the month. We're halfway through May already, and many of these haven't happened, but they're still good ideas I think, so I'll keep trying to do them.

• Pray with "Sacred Space" every day (www.sacredspace.ie)
• Read Bible every day, and journal any thoughts
  
• Pray with Tam every night before going to sleep
• Coffee with Tam once each week and write prayers in a notebook together
• Have mates over to pray and play wii (I know, sounds odd)
  
• Lead a prayer night at home group
• Organise PRAY12 with youth group (12 hours of prayer - June 19-20)
• Fast from something
• Write lyrics to express prayers, how I feel, to God. Even just 1 or 2 lines a day.
• Set aside 2 half-days, to spend time with God
• Picnic with family one day, somewhere in God's awesome creation
• Play worship songs on guitar at least once a week
• 1 hour of focussed prayer a week (e.g. use one of the 24-7 prayer guides)
• Pray for each youth person every week
• Go to a church prayer meeting
• Organise to get all married couples prayed for weekly
• Organise to get all youth prayed for weekly
• Email a short weekly prayer points email to people in the church
  
• Set up a prayer space at the church
• Get other people to pray in the church services (e.g. youth, children)
  

Lily's World

Me (after Lily gets on the bathroom scales): How much do you weigh, honey?
Lily: 62 months.

Crikey, she's getting big.

The Thief

Luke 23:42. "Jesus, please remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Was the thief on the cross the only one to still believe Jesus was the Messiah, even while they both were being crucified? That's a lot of faith.

Did the early disciples ever envy the thief, because he got to suffer just as Jesus did?

Will we envy him when we meet in heaven?

I'll want to talk with this man.