Category Archives: Ministry

7 Quick Takes: Bye Bye Nick Rolovich Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Update on the Nick Rolovich debacle. There has been debate in the local media on whether Nick Rolovich (the head coach of the WSU football team) was going to be granted a religious exemption from being vaccinated because he claims to be Catholic.

Well…

Seattle Times: WSU football coach Nick Rolovich fired for refusing COVID vaccine; defensive coordinator is acting head coach

Adding to Rolovich’s pain is the fact that because he was fired “for cause”, he is not entitled to have his contract bought out. His anti-vaccination stance cost him upwards of $3.6 million. Rolovich can appeal his termination to the president of the university, but I doubt that’s going to be successful because the president likely approved the athletic director’s decision to terminate him.

He is suing for “unlawful and unjust” termination because they wouldn’t grant him a religious exemption. (The process, by the way, is completely blind. They don’t look at the name of the person asking for the exemption–just the argument.) The various employment lawyers on the news have said that his case is weak because he would have to prove that the COVID vaccine is against Catholic teaching… and the Pope has encouraged people to get vaccinated. (The first statement on the subject was issued back in December 2020.) The Diocese of Spokane has even had priests who have appeared in videos encouraging Washingtonians to get vaccinated.

I’m having a massive bout of schadenfreude over this because my parents are UW alums and this shows that not even the highest-paid state employee (Rolovich) is immune from the consequences of not being in compliance with Governor Inslee’s mandate. If I have to be vaccinated for work, so does he!

— 2 —

Regarding religious exemptions… Some of my clergy friends have had strangers contact them to sign religious exemption forms for them because they don’t want the COVID vaccine for their jobs. (All of my friends have said a pretty emphatic “NO!” to those requests.) They’re pretty stunned at the chutzpah of these strangers because they can’t be bothered to join a church but think nothing of using a random clergy person to get out of facing the consequences for not doing someting required for their jobs.

Seriously… get vaccinated or don’t get vaccinated, but own the consequences of your decision. It’s cowardly to try to use someone else to get out of facing consequences.

— 3 —

Who else got fired? There have been people like state patrol troopers, ferry workers, and others who tried to challenge the mandate on the grounds that “it violates their Constitutional rights” (spoiler alert: IT DOESN’T), but they lost on Monday. Inslee is a lawyer, y’all. Do people really think he isn’t familiar with both the Constitution and the Supreme Court rulings on the subject, including Jacobson v. Massachusetts and Prince v. Massachusetts?

I'm totes not a fan girl of Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Nooooooo...

Also, fact check: the Supreme Court has NOT ruled against COVID vaccines. (There are some anti-vaccination people out there claiming this.)

— 4 —

Empathy. This quote from Kelly resonates with me in a huge way.

I’m also sharing it because I hear almost daily “I don’t know how you do all you do!” Surprise folks – I don’t know either! All I know is whatever system I’m currently using is making me tired, irritable, and leaves lots of dog hair everywhere that isn’t getting cleaned up on a regular basis. I would not recommend my current system to anyone even if it makes me look “productive”.

This is totally me… except that it’s cat fur instead of dog hair.

— 5 —

Words with Friends. If any of you play Words with Friends, feel free to challenge me. I’m “skagitcatherder”.

— 6 —

How I’m coping with life at the moment. YouTube has a bunch of “Live PD” videos, and I’m watching those while working on various things and to fall asleep at night. I have no idea why car chases and police officers tasing people is relaxing for me. It just is.

— 7 —

Breakfast. I need to get up, throw real clothes on, and go to the vet to pick up Jethro’s box. This means that I need to eat breakfast, and I hate most breakfast foods. If I’m being honest, I want an eggless Egg McMuffin (yes, McDonald’s will make it for me if I’m willing to pay extra) and hash browns, but that’s not doable for financial reasons so… it will probably be chicken and cheese taquitos from the freezer section of the local grocery store. (They’re not even artisan or organically made–they’re the cheapie kind that are full of preservatives.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: July 21, 2019

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For Today… July 21, 2019

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… sunny and in the 80’s. It’s also humid, which is not making me feel good. I don’t do heat well.

I am thinking… about my Camp NaNoWriMo piece. I’m around 3,000 words behind, so I think my character is going to have a long conversation or write a long letter.

I am thankful… for the opportunity to help with VBS for the last two weeks. I was washing dishes for it, and it was fun though exhausting!

Me in dishwashing clothes.

One of my favorite things… calm and quiet. It’s in short supply in these parts with Daniel.

I am wearing… my “All Together Now” shirt from Old Navy and jeans capris.

I am creating… my my Camp NaNoWriMo piece.

I am reading… Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchet. I’m just a few pages in but very much enjoying it.

I finished Inspired by Rachel Held Evans on our 3 (!!!!) hour drive home from Seattle last Tuesday. It was wonderful though bittersweet as it is her last book with her passing on May 4.

I am hoping… the intensive ABA therapy with Daniel works. We are really struggling here.

I am learning… that my sleep deprivation is at a point where my body is just dropping into sleep at night, regardless of my plans to get some writing done.

In my kitchen… Cherry Delicious, a cherry cobbler recipe where the crust is made with cake mix and butter. I made two pans of it for coffee hour this morning, and I think I had one serving left of the gluten-free pan. (It was as good as the regular one, though the crust wasn’t as soft.)

In the school room… Daniel has ESY this week and then he’s off until the first week of September.

Post Script… an excellent guide to tipping.

Shared Quote… “What I love about the Bible is that the story isn’t over. There are still prophets in our midst. There are still dragons and beasts. It might not look like it, but the Resistance is winning. The light is breaking through.
So listen to the weirdos. Listen to the voices crying from the wilderness. They are pointing us to a new King and a better kingdom.” – Rachel Held Evans, Inspired

A moment from my day…

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Why I’m Helping At VBS Edition

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7 Quick Takes

It’s week 1 of VBS at the Spanish-speaking mission attached to my congregation. We had a team from multiple churches in the diocese doing it this week as a mission trip, and I volunteered to help them in the kitchen. I’m not volunteering tomorrow (Daniel is off of school), so I thought I’d talk about WHY I’m helping this week.

Also, if you’d like to help refugees and give me some help in reaching my Camp NaNoWriMo word goals, my fundraiser for RAICES is here.

— 1 —

Because I have nothing better to do. My demon child has started ESY and I have four hours to myself. Why not go spend time on my sore feet in a steamy kitchen?

— 2 —

Because my First Aid skills needed a thorough retest. Apparently, I do know what to do if some idiot tosses 180F water on themselves… especially when *I* am that idiot. (The answer: strip every affected piece of clothing off and douse in cold water, except for my shirt because I didn’t want to be standing in the kitchen in my bra.)

— 3 —

Because I have fiendish plans for global domination by teaching everyone on earth the “Penguin Song”. Actually… I kind of do! (Not to mention, everyone loved it and it will now probably be sung at diocesan youth gatherings.)

— 4 —

Because the steam from the industrial dishwasher is a great facial. My skin is better this week, even if I’ve had to work without my glasses on to keep myself from being bat blind for several hours.

— 5 —

Because I get fed. I was going to be snarky about this one, but I’ve enjoyed having other people make me breakfast. It’s nice not having to make my own bacon… and I never make bacon for myself!

— 6 —

Because we had an amazing team putting on VBS this week. Last year, some of this group came in to do the food while next week’s team was doing the program. This year, it’s youth and adults from four different churches combining for the first week, and the bigger church coming and doing it next week. The combined group has been SO. MUCH. FUN! They all get into doing the Penguin Song with me, we brainstormed verses for “Boom-Chicka-Boom” today, and they have been super flexible with making things work for the kids.

— 7 —

Because these are the coolest kids in the world. I wish I could share pictures of the kids from this week because they are so precious. They are so happy to see me, they enjoy having fun, they say “please” and “thank you”, and some of them patiently taught me my colors and numbers in Spanish two years ago while playing UNO. It really saddens me that these are the kids who would be in the horrible conditions on the southern border, and they are one of the reasons I’m being so utterly vocal about the issue.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: December 2, 2018

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For Today… December 2, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was sunny, but chilly today.

I am thinking… about how to work it so that I get the maximum number of assessments done on the computers in F110 for Keyboarding. I tend to be faster on those than on my laptop.

I am thankful… for the beginning of Advent and that I’ve largely been able to avoid stepping into retail establishments playing insipid secular Christmas music.

One of my favorite things… Advent music.

I am wearing… jammies. It’s late.

I am creating… typing session certificates.

I am listening to… Advent hymnody.

I am hoping… tomorrow goes well, and I don’t have to deal with an obnoxious student in my Keyboarding class too much.

I am learning… flexibility in my internship.

In my kitchen… Greek chicken from Trader Joe’s.

In the school room… Daniel is doing well and loved by his teacher and staff.

Post Script… some thoughts on missionary John Allan Chau and how the mission organization who sent him has some serious explaining to do. I rarely agree with my dad’s anti-Christian thoughts, but I’m with him 100% that going to the Sentinelese people was stupid. I’m also profoundly happy that India is refusing to recover his body, as doing so would be dangerous for both them and the Sentinelese.

Shared Quote… “Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide.”
? Neil Gaiman, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

A moment from my day… “Mama, I’m not in the tree. #fakenews”

I'm not in the tree. You can't prove it. #fakenews

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: VBS Edition

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7 Quick Takes

I’ve been helping Resurreccion with VBS this week. Here are the highlights!

— 1 —

Being able to be useful. I’m one of the few native Californians that doesn’t speak Spanish (I understand it but can’t speak it) and there was already a church youth group doing the program so I offered to just be an extra set of hands whenever I was able this week. This meant washing dishes for Christ. 🙂 They needed someone to do the breakfast dishes so I jumped to it. I may or may not have flooded the kitchen (twice) on Tuesday but I figured stuff out so that I was able to do all of it on my own on Wednesday. I’m bummed that I woke up with a migraine this morning and didn’t get to help. 🙁

— 2 —

Learning how to play Uno in Spanish. The church doing the program had math board games and card games for the kids and that included Uno. Most of the kids knew how to play it but one little girl didn’t… and didn’t understand a lot of English. I learned (and in a few cases reinforced) my colors in Spanish and learned the word for “zero” in order to explain what card she needed to play. (Like most kids who grew up watching Sesame Street, I did know how to count to ten.)

— 3 —

Doing the “Penguin Song” with some of the kiddos. Because it is *ALWAYS* appropriate to sing at VBS!

— 4 —

Teaching my kiddos to sing “When I Was One”. We had kids as young as 3 and it’s kind of hard to find math boardgames to do with them (they eventually just had them do extra playground time) so I did “When I Was One” with my younger kids to reinforce their numbers in English and because it’s fun. 🙂

— 5 —

Learned my numbers up to 20 in Spanish. One of the helpers with the math games had the same idea I had: drilling the younger kids on numbers and having them yell them back in Spanish.

— 6 —

Learned some new games. This one was popular with the kiddos.

— 7 —

Gave a lot of high fives to kids. When I was playing “Set” with some of the littler kids, I’d give them high-fives when they made a set because social praise is a fabulous reinforcer. Their smiles were so incredibly wonderful.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: First Week of School Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

My Practical Accounting class. I love the class so much that I made myself late for choir practice last night so I could get the worksheet of class examples to balance. (The fact that Mount Vernon has the crappiest way of doing street repairs and closures also made me late because a large chunk of Division was closed and I had to take Fir to Riverside to Fulton to some other street to Kincaid to get to my church on 18th.) I also worked through some things in my workbook that aren’t required just to give myself some extra practice.

— 2 —

My Excel class. The book and workbook are still MIA so we have some temporary online codes for the e-book and SNAP. I’m really wanting my print book because it’s kind of annoying to have to jump between the window with the e-book and Excel while working on projects and exercises.

— 3 —

Fitting in. I thought I’d be the oldest in a class of 18-20 year olds. I was wrong. My Practical Accounting class is a good mix of ages and I’m liking this mixture a lot. We do have some youngsters but also people my age and some who are older.

— 4 —

CCF. When I walked into the student center on Tuesday at noon, the Campus Christian Fellowship was tabling. (“Tabling” means that they had a table with information and a sign-up sheet for emails about activities.) I signed up to get emails on events and I’ll be heading to hang out with them for dinner and Bible study tonight. They also have a chapel service on Tuesday during the noon hour and I will definitely attend those as they seem like a nice break in my day.

Honestly, I’m looking forward to religious activities like this where I’m just going as “Jen” and not “Pastor Jon’s wife Jen who we expect to know everything about all that is happening despite the fact that we did not call HER as the pastor and she has her hands full with a full-time job or a kiddo with special needs”.

— 5 —

Prayer request. Please keep my dear friend Eileen and her family in prayer as she deals with the passing of her father. She is one of the deepest and wisest people and I hate that she is having to grieve, though she would be one of the first to tell me that it is a part of life.

— 6 —

The Skittles meme from Donald Trump Jr. In case you didn’t read my post from Tuesday, let me explain why Donald Trump Jr.’s Skittles meme is so horrific.

1.) Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. Wrigley, the maker of Skittles, responded as such to Trump Jr.

2.) Trump Jr. used the picture from a refugee photographer without said photographer’s permission. The photographer is horrified by how his picture was used and has emphatically said that Trump Jr. did not have permission to use it. Seriously, Junior. Didn’t your dad teach you not to take things without permission??? Oh wait…

3.) The idea behind the Skittles example originated with a children’s book by Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher. Lest you think I am making this up, the link to my source is here and Snopes.Com backs me up.

And for the record, I would totally eat a handful of Skittles and I would joyfully accept every refugee. SKITTLES ARE CANDY AND REFUGEES ARE PEOPLE, CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD WHO DESERVE BETTER THAN TO BE TREATED LIKE A DISPOSABLE COMMODITY.

— 7 —

Srsly?!?!? My backpack with my accounting book and working papers fell off the chair next to me at Starbux and the two people in my part of the restaurant gave me nasty looks even after I said, “Sorry.” Y’all, I’m sorry that my accounting book weighs more than Daniel does and that the sound disturbed you sitting there and drinking coffee. To be fair, the two of you are now having incredibly loud conversations with other people and I’m not giving you snotty looks. Try to show a modicum of compassion, m’kay?

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Ways to Have a Good Rapport with Your Church Kids

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7 Quick Takes

One of my church kids from Montana just got married last month and I just found out that she’s pregnant. She was one of the few people (like 2-3) I trusted with Daniel after he got out of the NICU so I’m ecstatic for her and I know she’ll be a FABULOUS mama.

This news and other news I got via Facebook got me thinking about all of my church kids from the last 14 years. Jon and I have always made an effort to keep a good rapport with our church kids and in my case, some of them have talked to me about things that they were afraid to tell their parents. (Don’t worry — I’m aware that I am a mandatory reporter and my rule is that I’ll listen but I am not keeping any secrets that will harm them or someone else.) Given that all of this is on my mind, I thought I would share some things I found helpful as a pastor’s wife and some things that I continue to find helpful as an adult in the church.

To give my kiddos some privacy, names have been changed to those of Anglican saints and I’ll tend to combine several similar stories into one.

— 1 —

Learn their names. This one is a no brainer. I know that I hated it when people referred to me as “Pastor Jon’s wife” rather than my actual name because it made me feel like I wasn’t worth their time. And seriously, “Jen” is not to spell or pronounce. 🙂 Actually learning the names of your church kids shows them that they’re worth it. Bonus points are awarded if you remember that little Etheldreda prefers to go by “Dreda”.

— 2 —

Sit with them at coffee hour or at a potluck. I have seen occasions in churches where the adults all separate into groups and completely ignore the kids. The adults who have the best rapport with the kids are the ones who go and sit with them and talk to them. You are completely welcome to “table-surf” and go hang with the adults as well but consider spending 5 minutes talking to the kids and listening to what they are talking about. If a kid is sitting alone reading a book, go sit with them and ask them about what they are reading. You might learn something. I know that Hildegard, one of my kiddos in northern California, educated me on the Divergent series and The Fault in Our Stars.

— 3 —

If they do something amazing, congratulate them. I promise that it will not give them a big head if you congratulate little Edith Cavell Jones on scoring that winning goal in the field hockey match last Thursday. She will think it was cool that you noticed.

— 4 —

Involve them in something you are doing. When I would have to do some baking for work or for a potluck in Montana, I used to invite some of the kids over individually (usually with a parent) to come and help. Most of them were involved in 4-H or Girl Scouts so it usually satisfied some kind of badge or program requirement and it was just a fun time to get to know them.

Another fun one was when kids would come and hang out with me at community events where I had crocheting with me. They’d sit next to me and we would crochet a row together with my hand guiding their hands. One of my prized possessions is a picture that one of them drew of me crocheting at one of these events.

Karlie's pic of me crocheting

— 5 —

If you have something judgmental to say, bite your tongue. To quote the book of Ecclesiastes:

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

I have seen just about everything on the planet as a pastor’s wife and then as an adult in the parish. I have seen more teen pregnancies and pregnancies out of wedlock than I can count on fingers and toes. I have seen people develop drinking problems. In the last week or so, I learned that one of my kids who used to be Josephine Butler Yeats is now Joseph Butler Yeats. Whether or not I agree with the idea of people being transgendered, it is not for me to comment on to anyone in public. If you think that the kiddos are not paying attention to your words and actions on the subject, you are sorely mistaken. I have watched kids shut down completely around certain adults who desire to be Titus 2 women but who come off as shrill, judgmental, gossipy, and critical.

Probably the best example of this was when Ninian and Hilda Beckett’s daughter got pregnant by her boyfriend at the age of 21. I had someone say to me in a very catty fashion that they were scandalized and had no idea what to say to Ninian and Hilda. The response I would have loved to say was “How about ‘congratulations on your grandchild’?” (Unfortunately, I was sitting in their parlor on a pastoral visit and it seemed wrong to break out the snark while enjoying their hospitality.) When the baby was baptized at one of the churches in the parish, there were some people who were up in arms over the fact that Jon allowed this. (Another Lutheran pastor came and did the baptism.) They said these things in the presence of some of the church kids and guess who the kids went silent around after that?

You are more than welcome to disagree with someone’s decision but seriously, watch what you say.

— 6 —

Teach them how to be adults in the church. In Jon’s first two parishes, we had kids doing everything from serving as organists to ushering to lectoring to leading the nursing home services. It was great because they knew from an early age that they belonged in church and the church was interested in letting them share their gifts. I wouldn’t advocate for a 16 year old to serve on the finance committee but church councils could benefit from a youth member as could call committees. I have seen some of the youth ask better questions than the adults. 🙂

— 7 —

If you share a building with another congregation and they worship in a language other than English, try learning a few words of that language. My church in Washington has a Spanish language service and currently, they’re hanging out with us on Sundays. They’re the service that has most of the kids and it has been really wonderful to watch the adults who attend my service interacting with the kids. My Spanish is incredibly bad (I was passably good at Spanglish until I spent nine years in the Midwest and didn’t use it) and occasionally French comes out instead; but they seem to be pretty happy that I’m trying. At least, none of them are face-palming at my horrible Spanish in my presence. 🙂

— Bonus —

Be authentic in your faith. “Authentic” seems to be an evangelical buzz word these days but I think that its meaning is well understood. Being authentic in your faith means being honest about teachings with which you struggle, that you don’t know everything, and that you are persevering through because you believe in your heart that God is present in all these things. It is completely OK to say something like “this is a hard teaching for me because [insert concise and tactful explanation]” or to respond to questions they ask with “I don’t know the answer but I am willing to find it for you.” I have never had a kid in Confirmation or youth group mock me for not knowing an answer and some of them were more willing to talk to me about what they believed because I was honest with them about my faith.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.