I've been losing weight... and didn't even mean to!

One of the side effects of being sick in January was that i started losing weight. Now i'm down many pounds (haven't counted) and dress sizes**!!

Here are some pics:
From September 2004, during Welcome Week:
















From March 2006, during Spring Break trip to Disneyland:
















** Why do we call them dress sizes when it's not just dresses that use those sizes??

Disneyland in T-minus 3 days and counting...

Michelle and i are headed to our favorite place for a couple of days of R-n-R-n-R-n-R.
Rest & relaxation & rides & reconnecting!!

i call her my best friend... and i haven't really spent any time with her all quarter!! Geez! So... 2.5 days in sunny Anaheim should help to correct this problem.

So, i went on weather.com to check out the forecast... WooHoo!! It's gonna be sunny and in the 60's!! I might come back from this little mini-vaca with a tan!!! Or at least some more freckles!!

Have i mentioned that i love Mickey Mouse?!?!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!!

So... ok... to be ordained, i have to pass several exams (i talked about the Ord exams awhile ago).

Today, i got back my results from the Bible Content Exam (mentioned in #5). You need a 71 to pass... and all that really matters is that you pass.

i got a 79!!!! i passed!!!!!

i know that it's not an amazing score (79/100)... but i don't care!! i passed!!!

yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New preaching date...

So... I was planning on preaching today... but that changed awhile ago because of a guest preacher scheduled for later this month. I hadn't really put any effort into rescheduling. I knew I needed to... I knew that I should. But I was putting it off... and not deciding on anything... avoiding what I knew I needed to do. (And, really, somewhere deep inside, I want to!)

So... today, during Ross's sermon, I was convicted. I need to stop avoiding this... and so, I told Ross I'd preach Palm Sunday or the Sunday after Easter.

He agreed with Palm Sunday. So... I'm preaching on Sunday, April 9th @ 10:15am at First Pres Chruch in Burbank. I'm scared to death, and wasn't planning on telling anyone... but now I realize that I need to share this.

I covet your prayers as I prepare. And, against my own wishes, I'm inviting friends to be there. I don't want an army... but it would be nice to have people I know and trust there to support me.

My scripture choices will come from the Lectionary. Since it's Palm Sunday, I have 2 sets of texts to choose from:

Liturgy of the Palms - Usually for churches that worship at least one other time during Holy Week (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday)
Hebrew Bible:
Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Epistle:
Gospel: Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16

Liturgy of the Passion - Usually for churches that are not worshiping on MT or GF. This squishes ALL of Holy Week onto ONE SUNDAY!
Hebrew Bible: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16
Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mk 15:1-47

Thankfully, my church is worshiping on Maundy Thursday - so I don't have to follow the Liturgy of the Passion unless I want to.