Life in the hood-ie.

I've grown accustom to wearing hoodies in cooler weather. Don't know why. I think it's because I can toss up the hood when the unexpected snow or rain occurs or toss something in the handie-dandie pocket, which also doubles to warm my hands or make me look relaxed if I'm standing around.


In the middle of February, a hoodie can be very comfortable. I can pull the hood closer to my neck to keep the draft off or pull my hands into the sleeves to stay warm (a habit that I may start to have, yet question the "fashion statement" when I see younger people doing the same thing - I'm a confused person).


But the other day was a little different. Mid-February, driving across Nebraska, and I'm starting to feel too warm in my hoodie. Maybe the fact that it was in the 60s the entire way. Maybe it was the warmth that I felt as I watch the birds flying around. Maybe it was the joy as the wind pushed me along partway, giving me more than 35 miles per gallon for an hour or two.
Maybe I'm just a confused person - but we've already come to that conclusion.

But all of these also signaled the start of a frequent outdoor exercising, a start to fresh air laps around town and scenic walks around the lakes.
The advantage is that less people look at me funny if I'm walking at a fast pace around the lake then at the Mall. Otherwise, I've found that if I'm wearing a hoodie that says something such as "Firefighter", a few people will follow to see what the big deal is. But that can be fun too, as I just keep walking in circles, and am too lazy to switch hoodies.

And now I'm waking to snow, and not a "ooh, how romantic like a Hallmark movie" kind of snow - this is a "yeah, it's still February, the roads are messy, and it's cold. Ha!" kind of snow. It's the kind of snow that I would even question driving to the Mall just because of the roads that lead out of my town don't get plowed too well.

I've resolved this "cold" or "safety" issue by moving an exercise bike into my living room. The tough part is that it's not the "best", meaning I'm accustom to adjustable seats, backs, pedals, everything. Whatever it took to make it comfortable, I could do it, and I remember sitting in a fitness center on a bike watching television for 45 minutes (watching tv kept my mind occupied). This bike is satisfactory, requiring a little more effort to make some adjustments (hey - that's a form or exercise!), and a pillow or block in a small of my back to "fit" in it. And biking uses different muscles in different ways, so while I can trot out trot out two miles, pedaling is a different story.
I made the decision to move it to my living room because my home is my escape. It's where I go to "get away from it all", although there are other issues lingering there, yet I can turn on the television to keep my mind occupied.
The first day, I was able to complete a couple of 10 minutes sessions, having to adjust the bike each time. Day two (yesterday) was a little better, able to complete 20 minutes while watching the Dayton 500.

While I may not be able to wear my hoodie while sitting on the stationary bike (it does get a little warm for me after a few minutes), I can adjust for many things.
Pulling the hood up for the precipitation
Easily tossing it aside, as opposed to my heavy coat
Having varieties
... to name a few.

If like was like a hoodie, how could we adjust?

A different kind of Systems Theory

The body is a complex system, with each little part being affected by other little parts. What a person sees, smells, tastes, touches, or hears can set off a series of events inside their body that can make them feel good or bad.

But you probably already knew that.

And people react in different ways to the same things. You might like a certain food that I won't like, or I might jump at certain sounds while others won't flinch.

Valentine's Day is a good example. Some people will always see it as the sweet, romantic time of the year to exchange candy, cards, and flowers. While I might see that as well, I also have a ten year old memory of a house fire that killed two firefighters.

Some people might say "don't let things get to you", but they don't know how much has built up on a person's nerves already. Would it be ok if I said "have another bite of oatmeal" without giving any concern for how much oatmeal has already been eaten?

I'm not trying to be a downer - nothing like that. I'm saying that there is a reality that some people don't see or choose not to see. There is a part of people that can be easily overlooked until it's too late. There is a speck, or a splatter, of something going on with some people that even the most observant of folks might not see.

While I'm working on my walking habit, striving for the benefits to release the stress of life through my shoes or by enjoying the sights, as well as reaping the physical benefits from it, I hope to work on a spiritual side. I'm not quite sure how to do this yet, other than my personal one-on-one chats with God as I round the corners or dodge a stray cat, but I'm sure I'll find many ways. I'm not to a point to wait too much longer. My health depends on it. Emotionally, I have to move away from the stressors in my world to refocus my energy. Mentally, I have to readjust my brain to clear my head. Spiritually, I have to get my time with God that I don't get otherwise. Physically, I have to continue working on getting in better shape and get my body untwisted.
Four different aspects, but all one system. If one part is failing, all the parts fail.
Like trimming the table legs, each one, a little at a time.

And right now, the table is really lopsided, and getting lower.

My goal is to "get it together" - literally. But in a good, healthy way.
With God's help. By God's grace.

Did God get interupted?

Did you know that God rested on the seventh day? Because of that, we're suppose to have our days of rest. Even preachers.
What some people don't realize is that a "day off" for pastors isn't really a day off. People still call asking what time the office will be open, or when a good time to call will be, or why the pastor should have a day off (yeah, I've gotten each of those calls in my career, and then some). Pastors also run into folks when shopping or going out to dinner, which is fine, and at times, very nice. But some people will ask those "church" questions ("How much was the collection this week?" "Did you visit so-and-so yet?" "What time is the meeting next month?") when I'm trying to enjoy my burger or decide what to purchase. And as silly as this sounds, some will even want to stop me to discuss my personal life ("As we drive by your house we see that you're up late at night watching tv..." - so how late do *they* have to be up to be driving by my house to slow-up to see my tv on?~ yeah, another true story). And I get the occasional phone call from colleagues who are checking up on something or making plans, and don't know that it's my day off (we take different days, depending on our personal and local needs).

So I wonder if God had some angels coming to him on that seventh day asking questions, or looking for some help on something, or pondering on that whole "land and sea" thing. Did God have to take the heavenly phone off the hook for a day or two for his rest? Did God have to mute the glorious cloud-intercom to catch up on things after all that earthly creation? Did God foresee some favorite movies for a healthy cry or a good belly laugh?

For me, it's catching up on some shows or doing some shopping or playing with my dog or cooking. For some of my colleagues, it's crafting or knitting or reading (something other than work-related books) or gardening.

For now, I'm going cook a pot of soup and find a good movie.

Finding time for excuses

Enough was enough. I hadn't seen a movie in a while, and I wanted to have a good time. I couldn't decide on the Lego Movie or Monuments Men, but by the time I got to the theater, Monuments Men was starting in 10 minutes. So I bellied up to the counter, got my medium bag popcorn, diet soda, Raisinets, and Butterfinger Bites, and to the show I trotted (I could have skipped along, but I look silly enough already).

When I went to find a seat, most of the "eye-line seats" were taken, so I got something a little more "up close" - not my personal preference, but it wasn't all that bad. I didn't have anyone in front of me debating on which special effect was better than another, the aisle was behind me, so no one was kicking at my seat, and the closest people to my side was an couple about six seats over who seemed to enjoy the show just as much.

After watching a GREAT movie, I logged my snacks into "My Fitness Pal". I knew that my candy was a bit much, but I didn't realize that my medium popcorn was 630 (corrected) calories. I've had complete meals that are less than that! (I'm now glad I didn't get a large bag)

All the more motivation to exercise, right? Why not?

Even though I wasn't dressed for "exercise walking" (I was still in my Sunday clothes), I figured I could walk around the Mall - three laps equals a mile. And if I could knock out six laps, I'd be back to my two-mile mark, but it has been a while since I did two miles straight. But being indoors, I thought I could get past the clothing issue and push on.
What I didn't know was that it was Children's Fun Day at the Mall - hundreds of kids and the families running around doing games, crafts, etc. I wouldn't have an issue, except that my enthusiasm was starting to drop more and more.

But this is where experience pays off. When I've worked at jobs with lots of people, it has always been something where I've had to rush from point-to-point, so I was able to powerwalk six laps (two miles) through, around, and in between the crowds while averaging my better pace times.

I could easily find excuses for avoiding the movie - it took from my Sunday afternoon nap time.
I could very easily find excuses for avoid walking - who would want to fight that crowd?!
But I saw a good movie and had a great walk, and all I had to do was move take the first steps.

It's so easy to find a reason to *not* do something, instead of simply moving forward and making something happen.
But moving forward isn't really all that hard, either. And it's a lot more fun!

I can see clearly now...

I have three more sessions of my "Great Preaching" class. It has been interesting, and the fellowship time with my colleagues has been the best - in my opinion, this is a great way to glean from one another, as well as simply learn without a stressors that we pastors deal with in our common days. It's a nice "change of pace" for a couple of days.

With that being said, I have to say that my nerves are a little on edge as I prepare for the next session.
Each session, a few people from each group (there are about half a dozen group across the Conference) will have submitted a video recording of a sermon - and not just "any" sermon, but one that is focused on  the material that we're covering in the upcoming class. For example, we're learning about preaching through story telling (I may not be saying that totally correctly, but that's my best interpretation), and so the sermon is to use a story.

That may seem simple enough, but the book we're covering for the next session is written by one of our instructors - a professor who teaches preachers how to teach preachers to preach. So she must know something of the craft. For me, her book is written in a very simple, conversational manner, so as I read it, I have to stay with it, or turn way back in the book every time I'm drawn away. So while catching up with an old friend who writes fiction, I thought I would try to enlist her insight (how to notice things, remember things, write/talk about things, etc).
At the same time, I am back to wearing contact lenses after a couple of weeks of some issues between my new vision insurance and the eye clinic corporation I went to. So that means using eye drops at the proper time and having reading glasses. (I have a condition that requires that I wear contacts, but one eye is so bad that my vision can not be completely corrected with contact lenses)  But as I was trying to read, I couldn't seem to focus on the page well. Did I lose a contact? Did I miss my eye with the drops? Are the contacts the wrong prescription? I finally took off my reading glasses and thought "Boy, those look dirty".
Um, yeah.

Opening up to someone with a better skill when we're were stumped, instead of struggling along?
Taking another look things, making sure all things are clear, instead of trying to push through the fog of  uncertainties?
Taking the time to enjoy the fellowship with one another, not only to socialize but to learn?

Live a lot, laugh even more.

Gentle and lovable

While doing a sermon series, I talked with the kids about how we are who we are by our names and also as Christian. In this, I mentioned that my name, Kevin, means "gentle and lovable". Of course, the snickers and laughs came with that as I expected, and I'm sure there was a couple "whatever" from the one or two "old grouches" that you might expect in every setting.
But as I closed one of my Services and stood at the back of the church to greet people and shake hands (you know, all the preacher-nice stuff), one lady walked up to me - one who could easily be considered a matriarch of this church, and told me how I AM gentle and lovable, especially when I'm with the little children, and when I'm doing things like a baptism, there is something in my face.
I was very humbled by this. And at the same time, the previous blog posts I've written about the children I've baptized or sat up front with came to mind, or how the littlest of kids have taken over the Services and made it the most fun for me.
I also asked this woman to pass this along to a committee chairperson who would need to hear things like this - not to toot my horn, but so that when someone says "what is said", there is something more than "eh, he preaches a good sermon".

I've seen many humbling moments when love and caring for others is evident - making sure someone has time for their family and themselves, or checking on a person just to see how their day is going, or sending a note to say "hi", or like what happened in my case, recognizing those small things.

I once read how many positive reinforcements it takes to wipe out a negative. I don't remember the number, but I also recall that the number is compounded when a negative is something false or misleading.
In a world that's already so full or negatives, shouldn't we be focusing on positives?
What would happen is we focused ONLY on positives?
What if we stuck to only positive comments?
What could we accomplish if we only said positive things?

Say Whaaaaat?

I'm working on a Sermon Series on how we're defined, focusing on our personal history, our choices, and faith.
It's not secret that I don't particularly like doing sermon series outside of the lectionary because it requires me to think that much more. Yeah, sounds lazy, but in honesty, a sermon series means looking beyond material that is available to me that offers suggestions for hymns and prayers for the day and litanies (if some of these words don't make sense, it all means "the stuff that you see in the bulletin and do doing the worship service).
That doesn't mean that I can't do it - I've had good training from some great instructors over the years, and I've also learned some lessons in the School of Hard Knocks, but preparing a worship service involves more than just me. It involves the musician who can or can't play a particular hymn. It involves the communion stewards that have everything ready before the service starts. It involves the secretary that has to put everything in the bulletin. It involves an tech who inputs everything from the bulletin into a computer to be projected on an overhead. It involves ushers who need to know if something is a little "different" that Sunday so they can have things ready during the service. It also involves the congregation who can get worn out if the standing and seating is too much here and there (yeah, I count the "ups and downs" in a service).
Every time I work on a service, I learn something more about myself, especially now with a lot happening around me. One of the things that seems to be happening a lot is how people say a lot before they realize what they are saying, or who they are saying it to without realizing the people they say it to might actually check sources or question something or call them on it.
If a person is going to claim something, I wonder if they realize the person they claim it to might actually know someone across the country or on the other side of the state. Or if someone wants to make statements on social media then retract and deleting the comments like they never happened, do they know that replies are spit over email (the comment "you can't unring a bell" comes to mind). Or someone might have the same medical condition as someone else and not know that knowledge isn't limited to themselves.
Sure - mistakes are made. Thanks to Facebook's way of "auto-loading" hyperlinks with the touch of a button, I posted "American the Beautiful" instead of "America the Beautiful". But my brother caught my error, politely pointed it out, and I edited my comment. I didn't drop the whole thing like it never happened. I didn't retaliate by finding errors in any of my brother's posts.

If you're not a police officer, don't try to play Adam-12. If you're not a paramedic, don't try to play Emergency. If you're not a shrink, don't try to play Dr. Ruth. If you're not a pastor, don't try to play Michael Slaughter.