December 4 – Wonder
How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

Great question… I think by seeing and appreciating the beauty in the smallest of things and in the minutest details. By watching for the unexpected expression of God, like the time I came across a luna moth on my way home from a difficult on-call experience…

Or a pristine blue sky with clouds floating over a lake in the Rocky Mountains…

…things I would walk by or not see unless I was alert to God’s working in the world.

December 5 – Let Go
December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

I let go of my identity as a church (or parish) based pastor. I had a dream and a hope towards working in a specific position and ministry. But for various reasons, it was never meant to be. I had to let go of my being in charge of my ministry and work. God had a far better place. Funny how that works.

December 6 – Make
December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

I’ve not done as much of my usual creative work this fall. I haven’t even been able to get my Christmas cookies baked because the kitchen is not yet “free” of workmen and construction debris. Soon!!! I have been more creative with my intentional use of image and metaphor to communicate what perceptions or issues I see rising from discussions with my cohort. I had always been a doodler… now my doodlers have a more intentional direction. That’s kinda cool. (Though I MUST stop drawing piles of cow manure and flies when someone offers a really stinky idea in staff meeting…)

December 7 – Community
December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

This is a sweet one. There’s my friend Frankie, whom I Skyped for conversations and prayer. There’s the Pastorettes, a group of women pastors who are there for the journey and who encourage, challenge and love one another. There’s our small group, which we have transitioned out of, but for whom I have a great deal of love. There’s CiB, a caring, dynamic church that has become our family. There’s my CPE cohort — unlike many of my pastor friends, my CPE group is a nuturing, fun-loving group. There’s my family — scattered throughout the US, they are always there if we need them.

That’s enough for one day…