Bunco and Hanging out with Neighbors

Here is the link I promised yesterday for a great blog I have discovered on being missional in our way of life and worship: www.jeffgoins.myadventures.org.

Tonight was Bunco night. Bunco is a dice game and has made its debut in our neighborhood and is now three months strong. I am so glad one of the gals got this started. For all my talk about loving one's neighbor, why didn't I think of this? It is fun and a great reason to get together. It is a fast moving dice game which allows for plenty of interaction between the participants. There is lots of conversation, good food, and usually a glass of red wine.

Last month I got carried away and stayed out till two. I didn't feel so hot the next day, but I got to know two of my neighbors really well. It was a beautiful time of deep sharing; and an opportunity to apologize to one of them. I had been judgmental which in and of itself is wrong, but on top of that, my perceptions, which had shaped my reality of who I thought she was were also wrong. What we shared was heartfelt and sincere discussion well into the night that was soul searing and magical. It was honest, gutsy and true community. All because a bunch of neighborhood women got together to play a dice game. How much better is this than a church program? To me this was real outreach.

Today's Sneak Preview...

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition , with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6)

This is one of my favorite verses, and yes, you've read it here before. Remember those eagle's wings from yesterday? Well, add them to the prayer I will undoubtedly need to get me through today and I guess that's what is meant by getting through on a wing and a prayer. Today, I have a feeling, is going to be one of those "flying through life by the seat of my pants" kind of days...

It's only 8:21 in the morning and already I have had a lesson in patience and hopefully Nicole has had a preview of natural consequences. We got all the way to school, early and on track for the mega day ahead that doesn't have nearly enough margins in it between things...and she realized she had forgotten to put her homework agenda back in her backpack after I signed it. I had time to drive back home (which is way out of the way and backed up with insane traffic for our little town because of the bridge being out between here and there...) but then had to make sure I gathered everything I needed for the day because I won't get home till after 4, maybe later...But we had a little conversation about whose job it was to pack the agenda in the backpack. Final warning, final answer. Hers. And the next time I won't go back to get it.

Other things that I will be skidding through today, hopefully without getting brush burns...

• Dropping off a friend's son at the high school, which is why I have time to post now. I had just enough time to sit here for fifteen minutes, but not enough time to run home (again).
• A meeting in the next town for service projects we will be doing for our upcoming Faith in Action campaign at church. Of course, we never got confirmation of where the meeting is for sure, so there could be extra steps involved there too...
• That meeting is followed by a meeting with our ministry director to get back into leadership mode in the Outreach initiatives we are involved with.
• Matt is coming home today for a die contrast MRI of his wrist; the injection is at 1:30 the MRI at 2:45. We are running a special on MRI's in my family...I will try to get to some of that.
• School pick up is also at 2:45 and 3:15, then Tianna has a doctor appointment at 3:30.
• In the meantime my mom is withdrawing into a shell and it is hard to see.
• Cheering practice tonight at 6 for Nicole for two hours.
• A discussion with Matt somewhere along the line about how much we will be able to support him this fall.

I'll let you know how it all works out.