Traveling VBS

Each year, our diocese has a Bishop's Bike Ride across Ohio. This year, the ride's theme is From Defiance to Alliance. It's the first year my husband will be riding, and the first year we'll be offering a traveling Vacation Bible School for children along with the ride.


Last year, there were this many riders:


And my husband and a few others have these great biking jerseys:


So far, we only have 2 families confirmed as attending the VBS, but we'll go ahead with it as the Beta testing of a traveling VBS.

Each day, we will take a field trip to local points of interest, and have an activity that relates the field trip with something about God. Our trips will include a Butterfly House, the 577 Foundation, Berry Picking, a wilderness area, a zoo, and a pool.

The other coordinators and I are pretty excited about it. Hopefully it will go well this year and we'll have a big increase in enrollment next year.

Living the Cathartic Effect

Alright, like many things on the internet, I've now discovered that the tornado picture in the last post was of one several days earlier in a different state. Still a pretty amazing photo.

But here are some actual photos of my home town, taken by an old friend of mine.

When I was very young, I hung out with two other friends and we were called, "The Three Musketeers." This is the home one of the Musketeers grew up in. Only a wall left standing:


Here is what is left of the High School auditorium where I had my Senior Recital, was part of Bye Bye Birdie, and many other productions:


And this is the Lutheran church across the street from the school. The pews on the left are a mess, but the pews to the right of the aisle were untouched. I've also been told that the walls of this church were green, but the wind stripped them. Wow.


Even though I no longer live there, and the house I grew up in sustained no major damage, I'm still having disaster dreams most nights. I have to carry my mom on my back away from a tornado. My son and I watch a passenger jet crash a few blocks from my house, etc.

So although I normally hate scary movies, last night my husband and I decided to go see "The Happening". It was scary, and more gory than I prefer. But it helped. I was able to say, "That scary thing isn't true," and to let go of some of the real scariness that has been overly affecting me.
It gave me a good reminder about why kids sometimes like to be scared by movies or playing around--it helps them put their real-life fear in perspective.
Thank God for the Cathartic Effect

The Episcopal Church Welecomes You

I've been thinking recently it's time to re-activate this blog. Maybe not confine myself quite as strictly to just children and spirituality.

And then a tornado hit my hometown (yes, this is a picture of the actual tornado that hit Chapman):


Luckily, there was only 1 death and few injuries. But the loss of buildings and "stuff" is tragic.
Several friends' homes are gone, and several others have walls, roof, etc missing.

It's been a rough week trying to process this from afar. Then I drove to church this morning, and look out my windshield and see this:


If you can't quite see the window, here's a better look:



Jesus invites us in. With whatever baggage we may have. Set it down. Stay a while. Grieve. Heal. Then go back out into the world to help others.
Amen.