Buffalo Wild Wings

So, I had a great time at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Urbana (technically, I think it is in Savoy) on May 2nd. My friend Ruth and I, along with my new friend Jon, played trivia (of course). We actually did quite well, too -- first, second, and third place in this round (with yours truly coming in third)! Yes, my nickname on Buzztime Trivia is "Pasta"... It is all thanks to my young friend Grace, who (when she was 2 years old) couldn't quite pronounce "Pastor"... thus I became known as "Pasta Amy". As an Italian, I don't think that the nickname is all that far off, really...

Our server, Sam, was the greatest! He had a bunch of tables of not-so-greatful kids and parents that didn't know how to tip... but he was the best to us! Yay for Sam! I think we tipped him about 50% that night -- and not just to help make up for the jerks at the other tables who were treating him like crap. Alas, Sam is moving to Chicago. I wish him the best of luck. Sam, let me know if you want any contacts in the Windy City, and I'll try to get you hooked up!

So...more about the trivia... If you have never played Buzztime Trivia at a Buffalo Wild Wings, you are missing out! It is serious fun! Plus, if you sign up for a free account, you can earn points that could result in your winning prizes (and not just bragging rights)! I'm officially signed up now, so the points are slowly adding up. My working lunches now tend to involve some theological reading material and trivia... Asian Zing Boneless Wings, fresh celery with ranch or blue cheese dressing, a good book, and a Playmaker... Nice!

Grandma

My grandmother passed away last Thursday (May 1st). She had lived a long and full life, and she was blessed to go peacefully. The Monday before she died, my dad was able to visit with her. She was so clearly at peace about it all, that it truly helped us to be more at peace with it, too.

The process of grief has been interesting for me. I mean, I have had to deal with the death of grandparents before -- all of them have now passed -- but, this is the first death of a relative since my becoming a pastor. I deal with funerals and I work with people in grief as a pastor, but it is a very different thing to go through that process myself. It has not been easy to put my role of "pastor" aside and simply be.

To all who have expressed their sympathy to me and my family, I thank you. Your words of comfort have been true blessings to me during this time.

A Flood of Posts is Coming Soon...

So, I have been doing a lot of blogging lately... but (unfortunately for you), the posts have all only made it as far as my paper journal. With the death of my grandmother and some odd scheduling these last few days, I just have not been able to get online like I usually can. I have a busy day planned for Thursday, and I need to write a sermon for Sunday... but I will be posting (if all goes well)!

Practicing Our Faith

So I started leading a new book study at church this week. We are studying the book, Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People, edited by Dorothy C. Bass. The book explores 12 different Christian practices - "shared activities that address fundamental human needs and that, woven together, form a way of life."

The group that met today talked a bit about things that people yearn for today. That is, what are we all out there hoping and wishing to find? The first thing that was mentioned today was "belonging" -- we all want to feel like we belong (and maybe even fit in). Another person mentioned "rest". (How sad that we have bought into the culture's belief that we can't rest until we retire!) There was also some talk about play -- not a practice that is explored in the book, but definitely something that we all need to practice!


I'll be posting things from time to time about the book study. If you aren't a member of the church -- or you just aren't able to come to the study -- I invite you to join us all here!