What a weekend. And we're starting vacation tomorrow...
We went with some friends to their synagogue, because 3/5ths of the family was helping out with the service. Even though Hibi insisted when she was 2 years old, as we'd pass by all those synagogues in Boston that she wanted to be Jewish, I'd never been to a synagogue, and neither had she. Well, except for one of those faux-Jewish experiences, the Jews for Jesus type of church service, which was actually very interesting to us. It was right before we discovered the Orthodox Church, and perhaps the sense of ritual and liturgy helped us along that path? Who knows. Anyway, our experience was a good one, and I hope to go back sometime.
Ah, but blogger (or our new Mac, I don't know) isn't letting me put a link in the text. It was www.magpieima.blogspot.com 's synagogue that we attended.
Anyway, then in the evening said friend had a big birthday party for herself! I think I'm inspired. I think I'm going to throw myself a party next year. No more waiting around for someone else to do it for me. ;-)
This morning we had a very small choir at church, but we still managed to pull it off and I heard many compliments. After church, I walked into the hall for coffee hour and saw that a crowd of people was gathered off to the right, *not* where the coffee hour snacks are. Someone told me that a little old lady had fallen. Oh, that's too bad. But when this person mentioned there was blood on the floor, I ran back in the church to make sure Paul knew, as this sounded more serious than just a fall. He opened the door between the church and the hall, and I was startled to see huge puddles of blood everywhere! A man was cleaning it up and told me that she had hit her leg on the kneeling bench on her way out of the pew. That just didn't compute. That much blood? I went back in the church so I didn't have to step through the blood, and then saw a bunch more blood on the floor by the first pew. I don't know when I've seen so much blood.
(Susan, someone told me that you said it looked like someone had a miscarriage! Yeah, I can see that...)
So, it turns out that she had an ulcerated varicose vein, *and* she was on blood thinners. She was still at the hospital last I heard, about 8 pm this evening.
We're heading out on vacation tomorrow! We're going to Yellowstone and Glacier. Paul and I haven't been since we were first married, and the kids have never been. I'm looking forward to it! Doubtful there will be anyplace to blog from. (Yay! ;-)
But any would-be evil lurkers, don't even think about it, since we have a huge, mean, bald-headed guy house-sitting for us. Okay, not really. He's bald, but very sweet and a terrific guitar player. He just moved here from New Mexico to try to make it as a musician. Maybe he'll play his chicken song for you if you stop by. ;-)
About Me
- Elizabeth
- Portland, OR, United States
- I am living in the age of quarantine and a brand-new LPN.
12 comments:
Ouch, I hope she's doing better - she is in my prayers.
I have been to a Bat Mitzvah, and I agree, it reminded me a lot of our Orthodox service.
And, travel safely and enjoy!
my old labor room days kick in at the oddest times!!!It was a huge amount of blood. You would have had to see it to believe it.
so uh, what do you think? Do Jews need Jesus? or would it be too Un PC to suggest otherwise?
Elizabeth.. i was wondering if you guys belonged to a food co-op? maybe somewhere not too far from North portland?
Liz--no offense intended here but Jews don't need Jesus. You can trust me on that ;-)
ELizabeth--it was lovely to have you and your family join us that day. Thanks for coming!
Christina--I do my shopping at Food Front Co-op on Thurman, just west of NW 23rd. It's pretty quick to get there from N. Portland--just hop on 405 and it's the first exit. Well, fast except when there's traffic. I try not to go then!
I never heard how the little old lady is doing. Maybe I'll find out this Sunday.
So, do Jews need Jesus? Well, to quote Benny and Joon, "what does it mean to *need* someone?" I don't know. I don't think the question is one I'm asking these days. I'm more interested in whether those of us who follow Jesus are also following his message of love. And being overjoyed when I find that people in other religions are also following their religion's message of love. Finding more in common with folks like that than needing to divide people up into "those who follow Jesus" and "those who need Jesus."
What do you think, Liz?
what I think is that "no one comes to the father except through me". That's what I think. Showing love is all well and good. But what is that "love"? Is it keeping your lips zipped on controversial subjects because "that mightn't be loving"? What I have found is that a lot of people who are all about good works and less about Jesus actually are less "loving" than they think but they filter out what doesn't fit that image of themselves. Because then they would come face to face with the fact that everyone sins and that God has but one remedy for sin and that is the blood of Jesus. Another thing is where is the cut off? It is so easy to look at some do gooder like Mother Theresa and say for sure she is going to heaven if you believe in salvation by works. And to look at someone like oh, say Hitler and say for sure that he is in hell as he is as close to pure evil as one can think of (at least as far as someone universally recognized anyway). But what of the people in the middle? When have you done "enough"? Yet another thing that I have seen is that most of the people I know of who believe that what one believes doesn't matter as long as one is a "good person" is the astonishing amount of pride that I have seen amongst those who are "doing good". They may be out saving the world but they have precious little patience with people who aren't "getting it". And despite their claims that truth doesn't matter, most of these people DO in fact have a belief in truth: they have their own absolutes but they are usually pretty smug that those absolutes are not the same ones found in the religious doctrines that they are dissing.
Okay, what you think, Liz, is registered. But this blog is not for arguing.
I never said anything about salvation through works. And I think there's enough pride to go around. Myself included.
I am about Love, and that is what Jesus himself said that he is about.
And I'm not about attacks, either, so if you have an attack on me or anyone else it'll have to be done somewhere else.
hello? you asked me what I thought. so I told you. I don't get it. You asked me what I thought as regarding Jews and salvation, I told you and now you are ripping me a new one. whatever.
so, um, I am just curious: is being all about "love" also being all about dancing away from any disagreement because it might spoil the good "love vibe" in the tie dyed air? It's one thing if someone gets outright abusive but geez, are you one of these sorts that pretty much censors anyone that doesn't parrot your politically correct views? As I recall, since we are on the subject of the imitation of Christ, Jesus did not shy away from touchy subjects in the name of "love".
Jesus WAS about "love" but sometimes that "love" was about telling the truth, painful as it might be. I have been around plenty of christians who are too terrified of rocking the boat because they think that it isn't Christlike or something so they walk around with stupid phony grins on their faces all day. Its sort of a turn off.
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