turning fifty and other thoughts

I hit 50 on Thursday, and one of the Sunday School classes in our church threw a party on Friday evening, which included good food, friends from three of the churches I have served, an extended drama (thanks Lea) which included Wolfman Jack, commercials for metamucil, adult diapers, and other products, and fifties music. It was fun. It was good to see everyone, especially friends we don't see very often. And our older daughter was home from Chapel Hill and Toyko/Beijing.

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Tomorrow is our "promotion Sunday" for children and youth, and it is fairly low-key. We will also consecrate acolytes and welcome new members. I am preaching from Jeremiah 1. 4-10, the Old Testament lection which is a favorite passage, and I am trying to connect that in some way to infant baptism. The sermon will eventually be posted on the Providence UMC website, under the "Churches" link to the right.

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Summer reading: Doug Marlette's The Bridge is exceptional; Murakami's Kafka By The Shore is not a book I would choose from his corpus (read instead Dance, Dance, Dance or The Wild Sheep Chase. Not sure what I will dive into next.

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I have been listening to the soundtrack from the film Once, which is perhaps my favorite movie of 2007. In the story an Irish street musican (who also repairs Hoover vacuum cleaners) meets a Czech woman who sings and plays the piano; both are estranged from relationships, and the story proceeds from there. Glen Hansard, of the Frames, who also acted in the wonderful movie The Commitments years ago, is featured. The music is hauntingly beautiful, and I highly recommend the movie, which was filmed in Dublin (a great city). Check it out.