roll away your stone, i'll roll away mine

Cristo ha resucitado! Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is risen! Christus ist auferstanden! Christus Surrexit! Cristo è risorto! Le Christ est ressuscité! Hristos a înviat! Христос Воскресе! Kristus vstal z mrtvých! Chrystus zmartwychwstał! Tha Crìosd air èiridh! Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց! Al-Masih-Qam! Ha Masheeha houh kam! ქრისტე აღსდგა! Kristus nousi kuolleista! Krisztus feltámadt!

Happy Easter, everyone!

I've had the most wonderful day. I led worship in a charming Latino church and joyfully celebrated the resurrection with them. They were such a warm family (literally -- most of them were related!) and made me feel so welcome. We sang (in Spanish and English), prayed, read and then ate at a picnic in the park. Oh my, did we eat! My family came too and my nieces were hilarious as usual. At one point in my sermon I said that in the resurrection Christ didn't just conquer death and sin (and was going on to say he conquered fear as well) and my niece Natalie yelled, "No!" It was great. I think she was trying to get a bracelet from my sister, but I'll just call that her first sermon. ;)

Hope you and your families had as blessed an Easter as I have. Christ is risen! Hallelujah!

good friday

a lesson in relaxation

-A really fantastic night's sleep. I would like to say that this led to my best morning run ever, but alas the Texas humidity got to me. But I was very productive sermonating and finishing up an Easter bulletin today, so maybe it helped me there.

-The perfection that is watching a little Harry Potter whilst drinking a cup of Belfast tea and having a biscuit (cookie). My favorite biscuit/cookie of the moment is definitely this one. Absolutely delicious with dark chocolate and pecans, plus I kinda have a thing for Geneva after being at the WCC.

-A mom showing her daughters around the library, letting them pick out books and explaining how checking them out works. What an important lesson!

craving cauliflower (really!)

Hiya dear blog buddies. We have another foodie special tonight. Are you still dreaming of roasted red peppers like I am? Fear not, there's another vegetable to roast to perfection tonight: cauliflower. I know, you're thinking it's broccoli's less-interesting, less-popular cousin, but give it a chance. (Especially if you've ever seen a cauliflower like this one I once bought in Belfast at St. George's Market.) It turns golden and nutty and fabulous and blows cousin broccoli out of the water! So here we go...

Here's your cauliflower. Say hello. Give him a quick rinse.

Cut cauliflower into roughly 2-inch pieces.

Toss on a baking sheet with half a sliced red onion, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, plenty of salt and pepper and more olive oil than you think you need (round about 1/3 cup). Those things attached to the ends of your arms are your most "handy" kitchen tool in this stage to mix it all together.

A little treat for the cook: after mixing together the cauliflower, red onion, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper together with your hands, rub your hands together with the oil left on them for a moment before you wash them and you'll have supple soft hands. Little things like this make me happy.

Then, put your cauliflower/onion mixture in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, mixing it up a bit a few times along the way. You may need to put the oven on broil for the last couple of minutes to make sure your cauliflower gets to optimum golden brown goodness.

You can also be cutting up some lemons.

And yummy, fresh parsley (or any herb you like, really).

Here it is in its golden splendor. As soon as it's out of the oven, add the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges alongside. Right before you eat it, squeeze a little lemon on and it will make that garlicky, nutty, sweet cauliflower sing.

(I should add that this gal likes her scrumptious roasted cauliflower with a side of steak. Mmm.)

Enjoy!

a prayer for palm sunday

Last year on Palm Sunday, I shared this prayer from Frederick Buechner on my blog. I'd like to turn that into a tradition and share it again this Palm Sunday. May we all say "Yes" to the One who shows the way through dusty streets on a donkey, through nonviolent resistance even in the face of the violence of the cross, through the women weeping at the tomb refusing to abandon their Lord even in death and through the wonder of the resurrection that echoes the "Yes" of God for all of eternity.

Almighty and everlasting God, speak to us during these holy days that we may hear you. Then speak to us again and yet again so that, if in our hearts we answer you by saying "No," we may at least know well to whom we say it, and what it costs us to say it, and what it costs our brothers and sisters, and what it costs you. And when at those moments that we can never foretell we do indeed say "Yes" to you, forgive our halfheartedness, accept us as we are, work your miracle within us, and of your grace give us strength to follow wherever love may lead.

We bless you for the one who shows us the way and is the way and who will be, we pray, at the end of all our ways. Remember us. Remember us. For your mercy's sake. Amen.

**Here's a look at how people celebrated Palm Sunday around the world.

wonderland in alice

My mom and I went to see my grandmother in Alice this week and had the best time. We enjoyed a lazy morning spent drinking coffee and chatting, followed by lunch at the fabulous Bluebonnet Inn and a visit to a little Texas museum. It was definitely a relaxing couple of days, and wonderful to have a bit of time with Grandmother.

This is an old theater sign in downtown Alice, Texas. I can only imagine how great it was in its heyday.

The charming Bluebonnet Inn in San Diego (Texas, not California!).

Here's the little museum in Alice that my granddaddy always loved and used to take my mom to. It could maybe use a bit of work, but has some fun treasures crowded inside.

(You can tell I really love old lanterns.)

And a really great treasure found hidden among all the old saddles and lanterns...my mom's high school yearbook.

Pretty gorgeous, huh? (She still is.)

What a fun time we had. Thank you for your hospitality, Grandmother!

catching up with old friends

-Having a perfect hazelnut latte at my favorite coffee haunt. Hazelnut lattes are my favorite (at St. George's Market in Belfast on Saturdays, the man at the coffee stall would start making me a hazelnut latte as soon as he saw me). I told the girl working there how pretty it was and she replied, "It took me a year to learn how to do that!"

-Planning for an upcoming Easter service (how is it that Easter is later than ever and still feels like it came quickly?) and enjoying some wisdom from some of my favorite theologians.

"Love is the victor. Death is not the end. The end is life. His life and our lives through him, in him. Existence has greater depths of beauty, mystery and benediction than the wildest visionary has ever dared to dream. Christ our Lord has risen." Frederick Buechner

"The wonder of Easter is not for arguing or explaining or disputing in order to domesticate it to our categories of reasonableness. It is for storytelling that leaves us in awe and for preaching that asserts in the world what the church knows deeply and trusts completely. Both story and sermon break out of Friday defeat into God's wonder." Walter Brueggemann

-Going around town to put up some flyers for a play opening this Friday and running into so many people I know. It was just one of those days where you see everybody. What fun!

embracing spontaneity

Having a pretty free weekend, I was very easily persuaded by my sista to make a spontaneous little trip to Houston and hang out. Ash had a full-day photo shoot Saturday, with back-to-back families all coming to have pictures taken in bluebonnets. My stylish sista made up for a slightly sparse bluebonnet crop (it's dry!) with amazing vintage furniture set up in the middle of this great field. It looked amazing. I got to see my sister do her photography thing (she's so good) and meet a lot of her friends and clients. We also thankfully had a little shade tree that we kept huddling under, moving with the shade to stay out of the constant sunshine. The sound of wind through leaves of a tree, children looking just so cute, a relaxing time to hang out with Ash, plenty of water and a Sonic lunch...just a perfect, tiring, blissful day.

Sunday was wonderful, too, because I got a lot of time with Clay and those adorable nieces of mine. Oh, they are funny. I awoke early Sunday morning by Natalie charging into my room, saying "Weeeezaaa!" Here are some pictures of our fun...

This rabbit was a toy Ash and I used to play with as children. Gigi loves anything cuddly.

Natalie and Gianna had a little dancing time.

Followed by bubble wrap time (who doesn't love bubble wrap?).

I thought it was important to document the amazing footwear/bandaid combo Natalie was rocking. She loves bandaids (preferably Cinderella - pronounced "Cigarella" - ones) and wears them like stickers. She also loves flip flops and isn't all that concerned if they're not matching. You'll also notice that her ensemble was made complete by her strawberry bathing suit. The girl's got style.

Sisters enjoying a sweet hug (they just started doing this on their own...so precious).

All in all, a delightful, restful weekend. I tend to be such a planner and so it's a wonderful thing to embrace a little spontaneity. Thanks for a great weekend, Sista!

glimpse of grace for my Grandmother

I hope you've had a perfect day!

frittata with a side of fascinating

-Making a delicious fluffy frittata for breakfast. I'm a wee bit obsessed with frittatas these days (kinda like roasted red peppers). They're easy and you can throw in anything you want (today was tomatoes, thyme, parsley, onions, white cheddar, s&p and a teeny bit of cream). Just so good.

-Running further than I've done before thanks to the banana I had before running and my ipod to keep me going. Two guesses as to who I was listening to while jogging (you'll only need one).

-Having the last meeting of my Bible study project from my time at the World Council of Churches as a Steward, where my friends and I are looking at how to create just communities of women and men (alongside friends from Serbia and Haiti). We've discussed some doozies (like Tamar) and tonight ended with 1 Corinthians 14: 26-40, the text that says women should be silent in church. Tough one. I love what my friend Chris said about this text, though. (And really wish I could convey in typing the emphatic way in which he said it.) He said, "We have to remember that this one text isn't the only voice about the role of women or other often-subordinated people found in scripture. This might be one of the loudest, but it's not the only one and certainly isn't in line with Jesus' ministry or who God is in all of scripture." I have deeply enjoyed this little Thursday night Skype Bible study ritual of ours. My friends are fascinating.

looks like a lady

-Meeting Rachel for coffee and enjoying the way she just knows everybody. Through her, I met a lot of new people today, including a woman from Romania. We talked about Tirgu Mures, where I went last summer for a youth mission trip, and the beautiful landscapes and complicated economy of Romania. I love when little parts of my life collide in that way.

-Visiting the Nave Museum to see a ceramics exhibit by Susan Budge, which was fantastical, bizarre and fascinating. She incorporates eyes into a lot of her abstract art which, come to find out, speak to her working in her studio while her baby boy constantly watched her. Above was my favorite piece, called "Blue Tears" but which looked to me like a woman's hug. I found it very comforting.

-The little ladybug that somehow accompanied me on my way home (this happened a while back too). I set it free in my yard, like I did with the other one. Maybe they'll find each other and hang out. Ha!

journeys (human and otherwise)

-Stumbling upon some previously unknown Mumford & Sons songs from my friend Melissa, including this one that is just amazing (Below My Feet). The lyrics are incredibly powerful, and I found myself dancing to it. Mumford & Sons never fail to inspire me. They have such authenticity and spiritual depth.

-Reading a book that describes the delights of food so richly that I just had to cook in response. The book's called The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais, and tells the life story of a boy from India through his international travels all centered around food. It's delightful (and makes me hungry through vivid descriptions of Italian pastas, Indian curries and French steak frites).

-Watching a family of squirrels joyfully frolic around the backyard. One of the adults ventured out of the large oak tree for a nut or something, only to be apprehended by the dog on the way back. So, it went up a smaller nearby tree and managed to leap across from the top of small tree back to the large oak, where its cute baby waited to greet it.

speak, peek & laugh

(No, I'm not practicing my opera skills...I'm just an enthusiastic speaker!)

-Speaking at First Presbyterian here in Victoria about my experience as a Steward at the WCC and just having the best time. That congregation is wonderful, and remember me as a child there. It was a great thing to be invited to share my experience and to help folks learn a bit more about the work and mission of the World Council of Churches. The local newspaper covered my talk and put a little article about it in today's paper. Have a read here if you like.

-The cute shy little boy in the coffee shop who smiled coyly at me from behind his mother.

-Talking to my dear friend (and former roommate) Katrina in Belfast and enjoying seeing her face and hearing her laugh again.

3 years of awesome

Today is my awesome niece Natalie's 3rd birthday! We had a little party yesterday and just had the best time. I'll let you in on the fun...

The slinky that Natalie got from Great-Grandmother was a huge hit. Natalie called it her rainbow.

The birthday giant chocolate chip cookie I made Natalie. We used to always have giant cookies instead of cakes for our birthdays growing up.

My Grandmother's birthday is also next week and so we celebrated her birthday too! Natalie sang to her. :)

Natalie loved her birthday cookie.

So did Gigi.

Having bouncy fun.

A cute cuddle.

Natalie loved her balloons, and also loved singing happy birthday to every single person in the room. So much fun.

What a wonderful day!