Happy Monday morning(if there IS such a thing)!

Slowing down
It feels like so long since I wrote a "personal" post I felt I should do something a little different today.  It also has been a while since I have commented on the blogs I read regularly.  It’s not that I have stopped reading blogs, but that I have been either out of my office for continuing education or playing catch up.  Now that Reformation/Confirmation Sunday is past I feel that my plate is a little clearer…which is a good feeling.  Now I need to get together with the Methodist and Presbyterian pastors to plan the Thanksgiving eve worship service.  Each year we rotate between the three churches.  This year its the Methodists turn to host with me preaching.

Halloween
Wednesday is Halloween or as I like to call Oct. 31…Reformation Day.  But for some reason that hasn’t caught on too well.  We celebrate Reformation SUNDAY and often forget the actual day of Reformation is on the 31st.  I thought about that recently and decided that next year for Halloween(Reformation Day) my wife and I are dressing up as Martin and Katie Luther (we would do that this year, but my wife has already purchased our costumes).  This year I am dressing up as a Roman Gladiator and my wife is going to be a Roman goddess.  I haven’t decided if I will wear my costume all day or not.  What are other people doing this year for Reformation Day?  Are you wearing a costume? If so, are you wearing it all day?

Confirmation Sunday
Along with Reformation Sunday we also celebrated Confirmation Sunday.  I had only one confirmand this year.  I told him on Saturday that he needed to make sure he remembered the Apostles’ Creed.  I said, "When we get to the part where you confess your faith, you are not going to have a LBW up there with you.  Being the only one, if you mess up, everyone will know."  I felt that was a reasonable thing to expect.  After all, the Apostles’ Creed was a piece of memory work AND it is something we confess every week (except Communion Sundays where we use the Nicene Creed).  This Confirmand apparently was scared silly on Sunday morning, but he made it through just fine.  Only one little slip up at the end (something his younger sister made sure he knew about when he sat down – She will get her turn in two years).  Was this a reasonable expectation?  Should I have let him bring a LBW up with him?

Personal stewardship update
As of this morning I have lost 18 pounds since mid-August.  I have been stuck at this point for a couple weeks.  I guess my body is adjusting to my new life style.  Hopefully I will start the slide downwards again pretty soon.  It is fun to wear clothes I haven’t worn for a few years.  The only problem is that I am running out of clothes that fit me; some of my favorites feel and look too baggy.  I guess that is not a bad problem to have.

Anyway…that is my life now.  I look forward to getting caught up on some blogs here this week.  So take care and may God’s blessing fill you to overflowing – so much so that people can’t help but stare at you and say, "I want some of that".

-edh-