Okay okay okay...

So, a dear friend sort of chastised me (gently) last week for not blogging lately. She reminded me that it isn't a good idea to link from the Sacred Tapestry website to a blog that hasn't been updated since last Advent...2008... Okay, I hear you. I'm sorry. Truth is that it's been such a busy year that the blog hasn't been a priority. Between a 60 hour workweek, a doctorate in progress, and a family, not to mention Board of Ministry work and some side projects, well, you get the idea.



But here is the thing. Like many of you, I have discovered that while I can do a great number of things at once, I don't always do them well. And when I'm this busy, sometimes important things get lost in the mix. Like sleep. Like taking a walk with my husband and holding hands. Like hanging out by the lake with my children and just listening to them talk. Well, I'm taking Advent seriously this year, maybe more seriously than I ever have in the past. I'm asking myself, "What am I doing to prepare the way for Christ in my own life? Am I making clear the path, or is the path so strewn with the litter of the millions of activities in my life that the path is obscured?" I've taken on too much, and while every activity is important and I can justify every late night, every missed lunch with a friend, every gray hair, new wrinkle, and extra pound, (after all who has time to exercise???), the truth is that I know all my busy-ness has cluttered the way to experience God in my life, and I don't like it, and I will change it. I know that Christ focused on relationships and spending time with people we know and love as well as bringing new people into our circle of friends. I know that the man with the most important "agenda" in history made time for those around him. He didn't have many "projects." His ministry was with people, not paper. He made time to pray and rest. I get it. I do.



So, after Christmas, ask me to lunch. Invite me to a dinner party. Take me to a movie. Invite youself over to my house for tea one afternoon. Hold me accountable. I want to make 2010 a time to build relationships. I want to take better care of myself. I want to be a more patient mother, a more loving wife, and most of all, a more focused Christian. I want to make the path to experience God one that is swept clean of distractions.



Yes, I'll still be working on my doctorate. I'll still the the sole pastor and administrator of a toddler-aged church plant. I'll still be the silent auction chair of my son's shool gala. (I know...why didn't you say something sooner before I commited???) But I'll blog more and have more leisurely conversations with friends and family. I'll spend more time meditating and praying. I'll walk my dogs longer and exercise more.



It's a new year. It's Advent. Change is in the air! Join me! Make clear your own path and invite God in. And invite me for coffee sometime. I'll come.



Blessings for a holy and joyous Christmas, and a calm, focused, and compassionate life in 2010.



Teresa