Rainey Days

Last night, by the time I arrived in my room, it was nearly midnight East Coast time. I was tired from the flight and stress of hauling luggage through airports, but there was a long line of women checking in at the hotel front desk. I waited about 20 minutes, and received my room key for a room on the 15th floor. I schlepped my heavy bags through the massive lobby, into the elevators, and down the long hallway to my room, only to discover that there was a mistake: it was a king bed, and I’m supposed to be sharing the room with two other women. I schlepped all the stuff back downstairs to resolve the mix-up. The solution: keep the room for just one night, since my roommates weren’t arriving until the next morning anyway. I was annoyed, but seduced by the “reduced rate” they offered for my inconvenience. So I schlepped by bags back up to the 15th floor. I noticed that I had an “adjoining room” and on the other side of the interior door, I could hear three women laughing and talking as c...

After a 4.5 hour flight, I'm in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm totally excited about the Women in Ministry Conference which starts tomorrow afternoon. I was looking forward to the heat of the southwest after the windy chills in Baltimore, but it was 90 degrees when I landed tonight, and I started sweating right away. How quickly we can forget how "hot" feels. I was also hoping to breathe freely here, having heard for years how arid climates are so much better for asthmatics, but my seatmate on the plane informed me that Phoenix is very polluted and asthma is terrible here. Oh well. At least the hotel is really fancy; there is a Starbucks in the lobby which I plan to visit tomorrow. Did you know that US Airways now charges for your luggage? I learned that today at check-in for my flight. They also charged for food, drink, and headsets. What's next? Charging people to use the plane bathroom? Here's some irony for you: my taxi driver to the hotel was a Palest...

This past weekend, I went back to Valley Forge for Homecoming weekend. I've never been before, so I was really looking forward to it. I thought that I would have the occasion to see old college friends, and in fact, I did run into some buddies. I saw my favorite professor, now retired, who still supports my ministry each year. I talked to my cousins who are sophomores, and teased them about over-cutting chapel. I devoured my turkey grinder (previously mentioned in this blog many times). I heard about some possible missionary support from a few churches in Pennsylvania, and I watched a basketball game in the gym where I used to keep statistics for the Patriots team. All in all, it was a very productive and enjoyable trip. While I was there, I ruminated a bit on the difference between the Valley Forge Christian College that I went to and the college that it has become today. It's not the same school; the campus boasts state-of-the-art buildings and is now beautifully l...

Here in the Philadelphia area, the submarine sandwich is an art form. This is the city known for the Philly Cheeseteak sandwich, after all. All pizza places have just an extensive menu for their "hoagies" and "grinders" as they do for their pizza selections. Today I indulged in one of my all time favorite meals, and I decided if I were to go before a firing squad, and I were given my choice of "last meals," I would choose this: a large turkey "grinder" from Bob's Haven Deli, located conveniently across the street from my alma mater, Valley Forge Christian College. And I would enjoy every last bite and die happy!

Believe it or not, I try to post regularly on this site. Unfortunately, I don't always have the ability to connect to the internet on my travels. I was in West Virginia this past weekend, and I just wasn't able to update the blog. I got back home yesterday, and I'm headed out of town again in a few hours. I got the chance to do a ladies fellowship on Tuesday night, and while I was in the area, I arranged a service on Sunday night at a church where I'd never been. I like to tease my West Viriginia friends about being out in the backwoods, but truly, I love that area. I've found that the people respond very freely to the Lord in those churches. This weekend was just further proof of that. The ladies fellowship had a topic: Being Overwhelmed--something a lot of wives and mothers probably feel at times. When I was preparing for the service, I really felt that God was leading me to share about my depression in France. It's not a subject I enjoy talking about,...

I've been sick with a head cold for days now. Earlier this week, I could barely string thoughts together because I had such a sinus headache. Thankfully, I feel much better now, but I still have a sore throat and some sinus congestion. I've got to preach tomorrow and Tuesday night, so I'm really hoping I'll be back to full-strength by then. In the meantime, I just keep drinking tea and popping vitamin C. Pray for me.

"Women have no earthly business to go out as missionaries into these wild countries!" --President Theodore Roosevelt

Let's use money/possessions as an example to illustrate the difference between the two cultures. In an I-Self culture, the individual makes his decisions alone and carries the weight of those decisions, as well. In early childhood, we start giving kids money (my three year old niece commented on Saturday at her cousin’s birthday party, “I like the presents with dollars in them.”). We tell kids that they can buy what they want with “their” money, giving the decision-making control to the child. As kids age, they branch out with “their” money to get bigger things, perhaps their first car. It is solely theirs, if they paid with “their” money. Neither the child nor the parents sees it as a “family car.” Now, let’s say that the car needs new tires; who is responsible to pay for them? Most parents, when approached, are going to say, “That’s your car.” We expect our children to take the responsibility to work for their needs, not ask for handouts. Our society makes it very difficult to d...

During the minister’s retreat that I attended last week I had the occasion to hear Dr. Beth Grant , who is the chairperson for the Network for Women in Ministry. Her subject matter was “Developing community in an I-self culture.” I-self culture is a somewhat clinical definition for a culture which emphasizes an individual over the group. Scripture clearly indicates in passages such as Ephesians 4: 15 -16, and Hebrews 10:25 that in Christian community, we experience growth and maturity. Yet in our culture, we’re trained from birth for independence, both acting and thinking as individuals. For Americans, healthy development equals autonomy; the classic example of this is a two year old child who can say “I will do this by myself !” We reward this type of behavior, and in school, our education system assumes independence and all the associated competition as a goal. With the possible exception of sports, our education prepares us for solo achievement, however isolated we become as a re...

Today was my middle niece Olivia's birthday party. She and lots of little kids went to the pumpkin patch to pet farm animals, pick their own pumpkin, and ride a haywagon. We got to eat lunch and open gifts afterward. I got GREAT pictures, because it was such a lovely day and the kids were so into the farm. I enjoyed spending my Saturday with the kids.

I don't know who all reads this blog, but I'm going to the Women in Ministry Conference in Phoenix, AZ in a few weeks. I've already reserved a hotel room, but it's $150 a night, so I'm interested in sharing the room (and the expense) with another woman. If anyone is interested, or knows someone who would be interested, please contact me at 410-608-7246.

Williamsburg, VA -- Last night was the first session of Minister's Retreat here in our district. This year's theme is "Together;" to reinforce the idea that no man is an island, we had a luau as the kickoff event. The Crosswalk Community Church pastored by Mark Morrow hosted the event in a large tent on their lawn. With fresh fruit, shrimp cocktail, chicken kabobs, and sliced pork and roast beef, it was a feast! Everyone enjoyed the festive spirit, enhanced by the live goldfish in the centerpiece vases, the complimentary leis we received, and the calypso music broadcast from the speakers. Our speaker for the evening was Dr. Bob Rhoden, our forme district superintendent, and as always, he was excellent! As one woman said this morning, "That man can say more in 20 minutes than most preachers can say in two hours." He preached from I Cor. 3:5-15, "The Test of Fire." He asked three powerful questions about the ministry we will eventually present...

This was such a beautiful weekend, made even better by the camping trip I had with the Girls Clubs of the Eastern Section. I was the speaker for the campfire devotional time on Friday night and two Saturday sessions; the theme was "Race for a Lifetime" so I created a rather ditzy "jogger" character to get the girls attention and started each session with a little dramatic performance. With girls there as young at seven years old, I had to keep their attention! I really enjoyed the girls; they were so sweet when I talked to them during the free time. In spite of the girls being their awkward ages--missing teeth and stringy hair--I saw so much that was truly beautiful in them. I stayed in a cabin at Elk Neck State Park, while the girls were in the youth group camping section. Nancy Rabbitt, the genius behind the weekend, arranged the cabin for me, and I was glad not to have to pitch my own tent. I didn't sleep so well, in the cabin, however; my close friends a...