Rocky Roman Road

Is it an old road in disrepair, or is it an ancient ice cream flavor?

I've been preparing to teach on the book of Romans tomorrow night and have been digging into the relationship of Julius Caesar and Octavian Caesar.  May sound boring, but it's actually pretty interesting.  I might blog some on it later.

Until I get something more substantive and original, like the first part of my autobiography, here's a poem the priest that facilitated our Vestry retreat wrote.  He based it on a session in which he asked we all bring "sacred objects" and tell something about why it was important to us.  I brought a book, and those that know me may well be able to recognize the section about me.  

I've edited what was forwarded to me because what I received appeared to leave a line out and the original included a misreading of a block of text on my t-shirt.   So, here's a lightly edited version a poem by Father Eric Duff of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California.  :)

Bracelet

Biggest fan

The sergeant

Raised to be a host

New mother

Another fan

Went to get a mammogram

Don’t get a referral

I’m sure its cancer

Surrounded by support

Appeared on my doorstep

Finished workshop

He cared for me in ways I could never imagine

Gone

I do ideas

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Gave up on objects

The truth possesses me

Valid criticisms

God’s very much alive

I’m uncertain about Quantum Mechanics

Brought this little Bible

NRSV

Still didn’t have a clue

Making disciples through covenant

Every week it came alive

All kinds of written things

A touch of heaven

The word is life

Got a little bit of wear on it

Seven story mountain

A conversion of will

Turning your will over

Deep connection

Made that transition

Turn that on its head

I’m new

Don’t have anything to say

My son had cancer

Thought he was going to die

Hung on to medal of Saint Jude

And rosary

Cancer free for 12 years

I love my son

Stuck to the fireplace

Split up

She started going to church

Turned their lives around

She crocheted

Sits in my front room

Life changed

Holy Spirit came

Saint David’s

Patron Saint of Whales

Pirates can’t see it

Connected through the generation

So simple

Just wood

He read it as part of the Eucharist we celebrated.  I thought it did a good job expressing our unity and diversity.