Pastor Annette's Blog
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"OF ALL THE THINGS GOD HAS SHOWN ME, I CAN SPEAK BUT A LITTLE WORD . . . NOT MORE THAN A HONEYBEE CAN CARRY AWAY ON ITS FOOT FROM AN OVERFLOWING JAR."
~ MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG, 13TH CENTURY MYSTIC |
  June 17, 2025
Beloved: The recipe picture shows four servings while the instructions promised six. Hmmm, I went with four, thinking I’d give one to my neighbor. That is, until I mistook the black vinegar for vanilla extract and ruined half of everything in the mixing bowl. I scooped out what I could and added lots more yogurt and a few extra drops of honey - but it still had too weird an aftertaste to share with someone else. So now I have to eat all four, as I’m way too cheap to throw it out. And so it goes, don’t you know? Vanilla extract can pass for black vinegar, so long as the jar lid stays on. But mix up their respective destinations and the results are . . . disappointing. Small errors, small lessons on the necessity of paying good attention to what I’m doing at the moment. The most organized pantry is of no use when I ignore my own labels. Labor altogether wasted if my head and hands aren’t in the same place and time. Not just cooking. Not usually cooking. But at my desk and in my car, worst of all in conversation with people I genuinely care about, I am prone to let my mind roam somewhere other than their living, breathing presence with me here and now. Such foolishness is hard to comprehend really, given what I know about time’s swiftness. I pray to attend to the sweetness of this life as closely as I can, repairing recipes and relationships as I go. We’ve another rainy summer day in Bloomington to enjoy. Peace & prayers to you wherever you are, whatever the skies there hold. ~pastor annette Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse
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 VBS Set, designed by Emily Briggs - built from styrofoam, pool noodles, leftover paint and lots of volunteer love. June 10, 2025 Beloved: I’m wet and dirty at 9:45 am but my porch is scrubbed and the rug is drying on the driveway. The blanket of yellow pollen has been washed into the grass and hopefully by evening I can move everything back in and start to enjoy the summer, watching my feeders from my swing instead of through the window. It really was joyful work, mask and all, an hour of exercise in which to be grateful for this house where I am so at home. I had to get the porch done early because it’s Bible School week, don’t you know. We gather in the evening for songs and snacks and the story of Joseph’s journey from prison to a palace and how God was with him every moment. I’m the cook and general house manager, while church members (from three little churches in Bloomington!) run the better part. My granddaughter is the littlest of the 15 kids or so who attended; plus, the BIG kids who are helpers now raise our attendance to something like 20. We will wrap with a short VBS program and a potluck supper on Thursday at 6 pm. The potluck sign-up is linked below. Everyone is invited, whether you worked VBS this year or not. I hope you will come. “For I know the plans I have for you, God says, plans for good and not disaster, for a future and a hope.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 Reworked slightly to make it easier for kids to memorize, this verse is one I surely need this summer ~ a future and a hope are not just churchy words to me these days, but a rock solid reality. I’m pretty old, in years at least, but I intend to get much older and to do a lot of living in this future of my intentions. I’ve no idea what this future looks like, except that it will be full of new experiences, new people and new joy . . . and that it has already begun. I have already turned toward it, now I am stepping into it with hope. I pray your summer is shaping up in ways you sense God’s goodness at work in it. You are so very dear to me. ~peace & prayers, pastor annette June 3, 2025
Beloved: Yesterday felt like real summer to me as I cleaned house and worked in my yard. I got sweaty and dirty as I scoured my bathrooms and planted perennials. I dragged hoses from bed to bed, splashing myself and the dog but drying out fast in the sunny air. By bedtime I was scrubbed clean and tired as a kid pretending he isn’t, then slept that deep, dreamless, delicious sleep that sometimes follows a day of good work. It’s no castle, for sure, but this little house does serve as a kind of citadel for me – a safe place from which to keep watch and view the landscape – a landscape that includes my tiny yard but also the larger world with all the calamity and wonder therein. Forest fires burn, wars rage and genocide by famine is justified. People are killed seeking food, according to the news, while government officials deny any such thing. If not for my porch swing, my flowers and my dog, my head truly would never stop spinning. But this quiet, peaceful beauty centers me and enables me to breathe and pray and be reminded that there is nothing new in this world, not since one brother picked up a weapon to destroy the other, for no better reason than jealousy. Human suffering is ghastly, and painful even for those observing from a distance. As followers of Jesus we are not free to ignore or deny such evil. We are allowed to care for ourselves in order to care for others, to draw strength from our own rest and prayers and meditation, so we are ready when our faith and courage is called into action. The victimized and suffering people of this world need people on their side who speak clearly and act boldly in defense of the truth of their humanity and the justice with which they must be treated. We may well be afraid, but we can still speak and act, trembling as we go. Suffering people need us too much for us to sit still when it comes time to move. Gratefully, I’ve landed among the best and bravest kind of community, with whom I am far less timid than I might be. As summer really gets going, I pray we will find our place in the work to which we are called. ~ peace & prayers, pastor annette A few folks asked for the corn cake recipe from last week’s Wednesday Night Supper. Here it is. Recipe ~ Sweet Corn Cake Ingredients
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I write a Tuesday morning devotional to members and friends of UBC. It is also posted here.
Enjoy! Pastor Annette Copyright
Everything on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons license, which gives you permission to copy freely, provided that you attribute the work to me, that you use the work for non-commercial purposes, and that you do not produce derivative works. Archives
June 2025
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