A mother sheep and her lamb(s) ...

Yes, it's Cana Ruth helping in the messy kitchen. She is taking roasted almonds, dipping the end in semi-sweet chocolate and then dipping it in grated pecans. Yes that is the edge of our Advent wreath you see. Gee. It must be Christmas.

I couldn't decide which of the pictures I've taken and experiences I've had in the past few days to share. The picture of Greg Taylor playing the piano in the lovely Corder sanctuary Sunday night? The picture of our district's second Young Adult Initiative task group that met tonight? Or Cana? You see what I decided upon.

I have been nearly maniacally baking the last three weeks (as well as reaching #46 of #47 fall charge conferences) and I want to get it all done by Friday before I go to cabinet, so that I can take the best of what I do there to share.

Today I also had lunch with Breon (that's STEVE Breon by the way) and it was good to hear how well things are going at Platte Woods, the largest church in my district. We talked about many things (and many people, too, of course, as former d.s.s and current d.s.s are wont to do). I told him about a difficult place in my district where the church has been hurt through no fault of its own. I shared with him one of my descriptions of who I am in relationship to the churches and clergy of the district--over the centuries the word "shepherd" is one that pastors willingly take on. However, the last few months, I've felt not so much like a shepherd as a mother sheep. "You'd better get back if you try to mess with my sheep." "Hey, _______ (a student pastor with little self confidence) you are doing a terrific job, new son sheep!"; and "you better try to be a little nicer to the other sheep, daughter, or it is going to be a long row to hoe in the ministry gig." Don't know if you know what I mean, but it feels like an image that fits. Same goes for that sweet 17 year old dipping almonds above...even if she will be 18 in April, she will always be my beautiful, petite, word-smithing, math-hating, knitting-guru-lamb until my dying day.