Ames Flood

Yesterday was a tough day in Ames.  It just hasn't stopped raining in central Iowa and the water has to go somewhere.  Here is a picture from the Des Moines Register showing a part of the ISU campus near Squaw Creek.  That is the football stadium in the center of the picture and at the top is Hilton Collesium, home for the indoor sports events as well as concerts and conventions.

Unfortunately one young lady was swept up in the flood waters and drowned.  The city was closed yesterday when two major highways into the city were topped by the flood waters.  It is reported that the water supply has been contaminated so that is gone as well.

Memories of Cedar Rapids two years ago has me depressed today.  I know all too well how many of these people feel. 

My prayers are with them all.  And in those prayers is the hope they will find. . .

Peace.

We had a raccoon in the yard

Well, we have moved to West Des Moines.  The Rev is settled into her pulpit and I am back on the sales floor,this time at Slumberland.  I think we are going to like Des Moines.  It is a beautiful city with a lot happening.  We are still learning our way around, of course, but what we have seen so far is very nice.

But not everything has been pleasant.  Our home is nice but no one told us about our nocturnal visitor.  We discovered after a couple of nights that we had a local raccoon that had decided our back patio was a great location for his personal latrine.  I stayed up one night to see if I could scare it away but I missed him.  I can tell you though that he came between 3 AM and 3:30.

I wasn't looking forward to this battle but as it turned out, it was a simple solution.  I went to Home Depot and found a product called "Critter Ridder".  I just spread the granules around the patio and I haven't seen the raccoon since.  I can't believe it was that easy but it worked.

Guess I have to recommend Critter Ridder.  It worked very well for me.

Peace

Peace to This House

It is official - we have arrived.  The Rev had her first service at our new church.  We are now officially off and running.

In all, things went well.  The Rev preached on the lectionary passages from Luke that described Jesus sending out the 70 disciples to share God's peace.  It fit well with her message introducing herself to this new congregation.

We have been working hard these past few weeks getting moved to Des Moines and getting ready for this day and this new chapter in our lives.  We have moved into the parsonage and Rev is in her new office.  It is good.  Now the real work begins.

Luke tells us that Jesus' message from the 70 was "The Kingdom of God has come near you".  May Jesus' message be felt in your lives as well as ours.

Peace to this house.

Freedom Day

I have blatantly stolen this post from one of my favorite blogs - 365 Days of Poetry.  

Peace

SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010

Tending the Seeds

setting the trowel down
dirt still under my nails
I revel in my work
neat lines of green beginnings
new life sprouting up
with a future and purpose

so that it makes me wonder

setting the quill down
ink still under their nails
did they revel in their conviction?
neat lines of traitorous text
new life declared
with a future and purpose

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