* No one in the immediate family gets awards – their significance goes without saying!
* No one gets an award who would expect to get one – that defeats the purpose.
* Awards are presented in random order; I’m giving 7 for no other reason than that it seems like a good biblical number. (and, after two whole years’ worth of precedence, it’s now “the way it’s always been done”)

I’m sure you’ve been waiting eagerly, so with no more waiting, here you go!

Award #1: Synod Peeps
There are three in particular: M. Ehrenfried, T. Goodhart, and S. Midge. I could easily add J. Grevenstuk (but I won’t since she got an award last year ) or any number of others (there are several who could easily be added to that list), but these three have been consistent for several years now. Those who know me well, know that I look forward to the RCA’s General Synod each year more than just about any other event (General Synod is our denominations big yearly meeting). Not only do I enjoy seeing the church work at that level, I love the camaraderie and the unparalleled opportunity to worship, catch up, study, argue, and have fun with one another.

Award #2: The Webster Arboretum
If you live in the area, you must check the arboretum out. It is free; there are several beautiful paths for walking; it has a wonderful little pond, and it borders on a park with an excellent playground. No matter what life throws your way, it is the perfect place for a little bit of quietness.

Award #3: Richard Reinhart
Richard Reinhart is the author of a number of exceptional bread cookbooks. There is absolutely nothing more incredible than fresh bread. Baking it is good for the soul; eating it is good for the body; sharing it is good for community. All in all, there is little better than the smell of bread in the oven and Richard Reinhart’s books make it possible for normal people to produce nearly bakery-quality breads in a home kitchen. I particularly recommend The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and American Pie. You don’t want to actually go through the hassle of making your own bread? It doesn’t matter, his writing makes great reading, even for non-bakers.

Award #4: Letter Writing
I have never really been a letter-writer. Over the past months, however, I’ve grown to love letters and begun writing them. There’s something about putting pen to paper, about addressing an envelope, about affixing a stamp – something that isn’t matched by hitting “send” on an e-mail or txt. I’m not so ignorant as to believe that the “good ol’ days” were actually all that good (they certainly had they’re problems!) but I do appreciate some of the good ol’ things, and letter writing is beginning to rank among the items on that list – especially when done with a fountain pen!

Award #5: the Men who Knit
Whether it’s the men on MenWhoKnit.com or Ravelry, these men have remained a constant source of encouragement and support. Ironically, I have met few of them in real life, yet they are clear proof that online friendships can be strong and life-giving. I could name many, but particular mention certainly go to E. Mason, G. Patrick, B. Rohr, and J. Wilcox. I hope – over time – I can extend to them even a portion of good will and encouragement that they’ve shown me.

Award #6: AIDS Care, Rochester
I have only recently become aware of AIDS Care Rochester, but since then I have become increasingly impressed by the work they do. Testing, counseling, prevention services, etc., etc. The list of what they do is too long for this setting. I tentatively hope to ride their 5-day AIDS Red Ribbon Ride in August 2012. It is a fund raising ride, so stay tuned – in the next few weeks I hope to have my fund-raising page up and running!

Award #7: LuYH & Psalms for all Seasons Committee(s)
For the better part of a decade, I have been working with an awesome group of men and women culled from the RCA and the CRCNA in an effort to produce the first RCA/CRCNA bi-denominational hymnal. It has been an immense amount of work but everyone on the group is wonderful. I love every moment spent with them and, as the end begins to appear on the horizon, I’m looking forward to publication. The award goes to the subgroup who just published an off-shoot project entitled Psalms for All Seasons (you want this Psalms resource!) but also to the editorial committee of the hymnal (publication 2013). Love you all!

Have a wonderfully blessed and love-filled new year!

Grace and peace,
`tim

Russian Tea

1 Jar Tang (1 lb 5 oz)
1 1/4 c. Instant Tea (1 oz jar)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 1/2 c. Sugar (1 lb 5 oz)
2 pkg Unsweetened Lemonade
2 tsp Ground Cloves

Mix well and store in an air tight container.

To serve: add a Tbs or 2 per cup of hot water. Enjoy!

NOTE: If you’re giving it as a gift, it’s convenient to include a coffee measuring scoop – they’re 2 Tbs, a good amount for a mug of hot water.

NOTE2: You can replace part of the sugar with Splenda (make sure to measure by volume, not weight!). However, I don’t – I’m a fan of Splenda, but don’t think it tastes right in this recipe.

Grace and Peace,
`tim

My self-imposed rules are simple (and essentially the same as last year):

* No one in the immediate family gets awards – their significance goes without saying!
* No one gets an award who would expect to get one – that defeats the purpose.
* Awards are presented in random order; I’m giving 7 for no other reason than that it seems like a good biblical number. (and, after ONE whole year’s worth of precedence, it’s now “the way it’s always been done”)

Award #1: The Men’s Knitting Community — There are a handful of people who fit into this category – particular mention goes to Bradley and Eric. Remarkably, my experience of the men’s knitting community is almost entirely online and yet it has been the most supportive, encouraging, life-improving and love-giving group of people I know.

Award #2: Staff – This year I moved from a no-staff church to a church with several employees. I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about paid staff at a church; sometimes churches hire staff so that the people of the congregation can get away without doing anything, and in some churches, the staff is power-hungry, controlling, and threat the rest of the people in the congregation as pawns. The staff at my new church is wonderful! They give generously of their time and energy and have an institutional knowledge of the congregation (and the willingness to share it) that has been invaluable.

Award #3: Juel Grevenstuk — Most people don’t know the work that goes into making General Synod, commission meetings, etc. go so smoothly. Juel does. Why? Because she handles a lot of it herself. This summer Juel was fundamental in facilitating thousands of specifics for a General Synod at Northwestern College – which doesn’t hold a lot of large conferences… that means that she had to do a lot more than normal – and she did it graciously. Also, I’ve had the joy of touching bases with Juel at the fall commission meetings for a number of years, but since I’m no longer on a commission, I missed that time of connections and realized how important it had become to me. Juel deserves a lot of the credit for freeing General Synod, commissions, councils, and various other groups to do the work and fun of Christ’s church without worrying about the specifics of human need.

Award #4: Matt Reimink — I mentioned Matt last year in relation to Ragbrai (although his role in my life certainly transcends the yearly pilgramge we made to the “holy land” of corn and pie). Since we now live in New York, Ragbrai didn’t happen this year for me (and isn’t likely in the near future — it’s FAR, FAR away!) However, I did have the joy of participating in Matt’s wedding last spring and did get to meet up with him on a quick trip back to Michigan for a meeting in August. He’s been the source of solid support, huge encouragement and great fun. He is one of those people I look forward to keeping in touch with despite distance.

Award #5: My Bike — OK, it’s an odd award. It’s an especially odd award considering the fact that we spent very little time together this year. Sometimes absence does make the heart grow fonder. I’ve never been considered an “athlete,” but learned that biking does wonders for my mental status, patience level, and quality of life. Go figure?! Perhaps exercise is good for me!

Award #6: Surrogate Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents — Moving meant leaving behind a lot of “family.” There were many people in our last congregation that made it possible for JJ and I to both embrace God’s calling in our lives. Special note goes to “Aunt Deb” and the Nevenzels, but there were certainly others too. JJ and I miss you; our daughters miss you; without you, we’ve learned just how much sanity you provided us! To our friends in New York: We’re looking forward to you increasingly becoming our “family” too – it’s been a slower transition than we thought it would be, but we couldn’t be doing it without all of the aunts, uncles and grandparents who show us (especially our girls) such love!

Award #7: Kathryn Kurtz — This is perhaps the most unusual award of the year. I’ve never met her; I will likely never meet her; I’ve never had personal interaction with her via phone or internet, and I likely never will. However, as I’ve reflected over my life and loves (of people… of liturgy… of diversity… etc.), I’ve increasingly noticed that her writing has been strangely influential. This, despite the fact that she writes fiction and historical fantasy. It is an odd, but true, fact of my life – and she deserves to be recognized for it.

Well, there you go — the 2010 Old Year’s Awards. Thank you all for the life and love you’ve made possible! Please continue! May this next year be joyful and love-filled for one and all.

Grace and Peace,
`tim

Oddly enough, even though I’m usually the kind of person that tends to dream into the future (sometimes overly-ignoring the past), the new year’s transition is one that typically makes me look backwards to weigh the past rather than forward to create a list of mostly-unattainable goals.

One of the problems with looking back is figuring out what lens(es) to examine the past through. There are a lot of ways to evaluate the past – many of which are remarkably unhelpful.

Money? Success? Power? Career? Accomplishments? Society tends to suggest these are the things that make life worth living – the lenses through our lives should be evaluated. I disagree.

It’s a little old, and perhaps a bit cliché (ok.. it’s really old… but then, by some designations I’m getting a little old and maybe eve a bit cliché…. Don’t you dare suggest I’m “really” old yet!)

I don’t care, I still love Rent.

How do we evaluate the year behind us (and, perhaps equally as importantly: what do we strive for in the year ahead)? Love…

So, with that in mind, I’m working on the 2010 “Old Year’s Awards” — Stay tuned, they’ll be coming soon! I’m following the same rules as last year…. It’ll be a quick look back at 2010 and the people (and things) that have made my little corner of the world more loving and more hopeful.

Grace and Peace,
`tim

When JJ and I started talking about the likelihood of moving, we were immediately faced with a uniquely 21st century dilemma: What to do with our Facebook friends.

On the surface, the answer seems simple: nothing.

The problem is, something seems “wrong” with doing “nothing.”

Here’s what I mean: When I look at my Facebook friends, I notice that they fit into several different categories:

With the possible exception of the first category, each of them contains individuals who’ve “friended” me for various (potentially now-defunct) reasons. There are those who…

Obviously, I want to remain connected with the people in the first category. I may also need to remain connected with the people in the second category (I want to in many cases as well!) The question is, what is the best way of dealing with people in the third category?

You see, there is this strange reciprocity on Facebook. It seems rude to “unfriend” someone after previously “friending” them unless there’s been some kind of obvious break up. On the other hand, it seems equally as rude to put someone in the awkward position of having to “unfriend” me if we’ve been “friended” out of obligation but may not need to (or want to) stay in contact when I move 9 hours away. (This may be particularly true with people who’ve “friended” me because I was their teacher or minister).

(NOTE to Facebook: This is why I think you should set friends to time out in a year if they haven’t interacted at all. In other words, set the software to automatically unfriend people who haven’t written, chatted, or even “liked” each other’s status in 12 months. They can always refriend each other. Or better yet, give them a 1 month warning so that they know they need to get back in touch with one another before the auto-un-friending descends upon them!)

Until Facebook decides to instigate an auto-un-friending policy, we’re left with mitigating these waters on our own. Months of thinking about it have brought me to the conclusion that the best way of handling it is to do a massive-friend-purge when we move.

It isn’t that I don’t like most of the people involved (I do). It isn’t that I don’t want to be friends with them (I do). It’s that I want to give those who’ve “friended” me out of convenience or obligation a gracious way to respond to the fact that they we probably will not stay in contact when I move.

I’m sure it isn’t the perfect way of handling it. I don’t even know if it’s a good way of handling it. I do know that it’s the best option I’ve been able to come up with.

So, if we’re friends now, and you notice in the next few weeks that something happened and you’ve stopped getting my witty and thought-provoking status updates on your News Feed, it isn’t that I don’t like you.

Seriously, if you refriend me, I will eagerly reciprocate the refriendification. If we were somehow connected out of obligation or convenience (and the reasons no longer hold true), you will now have a wonderfully gracious way of opting out.

Don’t worry, the massive-friend-purge will not happen for a few weeks, so the defrendifying, refriending and refrendification will be entirely unnecessary for a while.

I write this now, because I wonder what you think.

How is a situation like this best handled? Leave a comment on my blog… drop me a message on FB… or an e-mail… give me a call… or write on my wall (if it’s appropriate for public consumption). Let me know what you think and what your experiences have been….

Grace and Peace,
`tim

A Thought on Dirt

Until recently, I had never really taken the time to think about how amazing dirt really is. In the last couple of weeks however, as my church (and place of employment) broke ground and started construction on the second half of our facility, I’ve begun to see the beauty of this, the most basic, and yet infinitely complex of elements.

Of course, the modern world doesn’t consider dirt to actually be an element. We reserve that title for substances that are impossible to discern with the naked eye. Fortunately however, our propensity for making everything more complicated than it really should be didn’t stop the ancient world from recognizing the immense value of this unique substance.

As a boy in northwest Iowa, I was raised knowing the worth of good dirt. And even though I now live in Michigan, where the dirt will require another million years or so to reach the moist warmth of the black gold my homeland produced, I have yet to forget the lessons of my childhood.

We had a pile of dirt in our front lawn. Actually, it was my Dad’s pile of dirt, not mine, but in line with the traditions of most children, I quickly took ownership of it. I don’t know where it came from, but eventually that pile of dirt was to end up insulating one of the three walls of the house we built. (Of course, my Dad actually built it, but as with the dirt, that didn’t stop me from thinking it was mine either.) One day, as I bathed myself in the elemental beauty of that black playground, my hand broke through into a nest of baby gardners. It was amazing. Hundreds of green and yellow snakelets hissing and squirming burst out onto my lap like a clown’s peanut can at a birthday party. With the swiftness of animal instinct, I hurled myself away from the roiling mass, but not without learning a very important lesson: Dirt is the root of all life.

God knew that. The book of Genesis tells the story of God creating dirt, and then, as if he had created it just for that purpose, on the sixth day, he played in it. You don’t believe me? Check it out. Genesis chapter 2, verse 7. Just a couple of pages into the sacred scriptures, God is playing in the dirt. Imagine the tiny divine sand castles God might have built on the shores of Lake Michigan or the gourmet mud pies carefully crafted from the best the world has to offer. Then, as if growing bored with inanimate objects, God built an adult. Knees, feet, fingernails, earlobes, nose hairs, lungs, appendix – everything but a bellybutton (if childhood jokes are to be trusted) and liking it, God took a deep breath and blew into it. The dirt became a man, and humanity was created.

Jesus liked dirt too. One apocryphal story from his childhood tells of him making small birds in the soil of his childhood homeland, and upon being chastised for playing during the Sabbath, he breathed into them and they flew away. Later, in the course of his public ministry, he healed a blind man with dirt and a little spit. Not to mention, the famous incident where he stooped to the ground and wrote the mysterious words that would set an adulterous woman free and silence her accusers.

Unfortunately, as humanity has “progressed,” dirt lost its position of favor among those of us who were created from it. Now, as if denying our own history, we participate in innumerable personal and familial rituals to rid ourselves of this primal element. Although perhaps providing a certain degree of freedom from disease, the side-effects of a germ-free society are devastating. Why? Well, it can all be sifted down to one very simple equation: E=D.

Enjoyment = Dirt.

The level of enjoyment one has in his or her life is relative to the amount of dirt one encounters. In other words, the more we play in dirt, the happier we are. The opposite seems to be true as well: the less we play in dirt, the less we enjoy life. As a matter of proof, let me direct your attention to two groups of people: Lawyers and 3-year olds. Lawyers encounter a minute amount of dirt in their daily lives, while 3-year olds practically sweat the substance. Let me ask you, who seems to enjoy life more? Is it the executive lawyer with a multimillion dollar office and a cleaning staff to protect her from dirt, or, is it the 3-year old who pulls of his shirt in the summer heat and paints “war-strips” on his chest after tracking down a “hippopotamus” in the grove?

The answer is simple: the child.

Jesus told us to be like little children, which according to pastors and scholars, was in the context of teaching about faith. Could it be possible, though, that faith is only part of what Jesus was talking about. I think so.

I think Jesus was talking about dirt too. Of course, I probably won’t mention that on Sunday morning. After all, if everyone ran outside to play in the dirt during worship, my Consistory might not be very happy – let alone the people who are signed up to clean the church next week. But maybe – just maybe, it’ll happen some other time. Hours after everyone has gone home from worship, and hours before anyone might call for a visit or a counseling session. In those quiet moments just before the moon rises or shortly before the sun peeks its face over the eastern horizon. Maybe, I’ll throw on some old blue jeans, a T-shirt and some sandals and carefully sneak out to the pile behind the church to explore what’s hidden depths of one of God’s most popular playgrounds.

Of course, you’re welcome to join me. I’ve gotten over my childhood need to pretend everything is mine. But please don’t tell the Consistory or the people signed up to clean next week. It’s a lot easier to explain if they think the kids did it.

(c) 2003, 2010 Tim TenClay

Grace and Peace,

`tim

My self-imposed rules are simple:

• No one in the family gets awards – they go without saying!
• No one gets an award who would expect to get one – that defeats the purpose.
• Awards are presented in random order; I’m giving 7 for no other reason than that it seems like a good biblical number.

Award #1: Emily… For all the work she’s done at church… all the ways she’s gone above and beyond… all the times she picked up the slack when others fell through.

Award #2: the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America… for an historic vote on the Belhar Confession and taking the monumental step of sending it to the Classes for approval as the RCA’s fourth standard of unity.

Award #3: Joe Chicago’s Pizza our absolutely favorite pizza joint. Sophia refers to it as the “monkey place” because of the reprinted poster on the wall of a monkey embracing a large bottle of some kind of liquor. This award should probably be shared with Skile’s Tavern, who make the best thin crust, greasy pizza in the world. Truly incredible. The two are too different to be compared, so both win!

Award #4: Joe and Todd… Joe is one of the key organizers of the Men’s Knitting Retreats and Todd, put together the midwest version which I had the pure joy of attending in November.   On a related note, MenWhoKnit.com deserves mention. The people from these two (overlapping) groups have, unquestionably, made up the most supportive, most encourage and most caring group of people I’ve had the privilege of interacting with throughout the past year.

Award #5: Von Morgens früh…und bis zur Nacht… my favorite album of the year. Absolutely life-transforming collection of music related to the daily prayer cycle. The album is worth every penny for the masterful “Laudate omnes gentes” (Track 2) and one of the most beautiful and haunting pieces ever set to music: Arvo Pärt’s “Magnificat” (Track 11). That said, every single track is worth the price of the album.

Award #6: Matt & Ragbrai…. This year I eagerly rode my third Ragbrai; Matt has ridden with me through all three of them. Both the ride and the co-rider have been more valuable than any amount of professional counseling could have ever been in providing perspective, relaxation, and rejuvenating (yes, believe it or not 500 miles on a bike can be both relaxing and rejuvenating.)

Award #7: Seminarians… Ok, this may seem like an odd award. Those of you who know me well know that I did not consider seminary a particularly enjoyable experience. This year, however, I’ve had the opportunity to spend more time with current seminarians than I have since my graduation a decade ago. I can’t speak to all of those preparing for ministry in the RCA, but I can say this: the RCA is on the cusp of receiving some it the most thoughtful and intelligent seminary graduates we’ve seen in decades. I hope and pray that rather than dumping them into local congregations hoping they don’t hurt themselves or others, we welcome them into ministry, encourage them along the way, support them, and help them sail faithfully into ministries (both old and new) that the church needs.

There could be more, but I’ll stop there.

Whatever the past year has brought to you and yours, I hope the new one finds you increasingly healthy and wise and that it’s filled with unbelievable amounts of both joy and hope.

Grace and Peace,
`tim

We’ve been to Ikea (an old favorite), Whole Foods Market (our first time), Trader Joe’s (first time… we’re in love…), a Hawaiian restaurant (in honor of Terika!), Wow Bao (yummmmmm!) – just to name a few.

Today I even got to take my first trip to Loopy Yarns. It wasn’t as big as I expected, but I did pick up some great Merino Top:

Anyhow, thought I’d touch in.

And have I told you how much I LOVE mass transit?!

Grace and peace,
`tim

I wrote last about Friday morning (which was beautiful and wonderful). Friday afternoon took a major twist for the worse – headwinds and heat… ugh. The last 30 miles just about killed me. Finally, when we got into town they put us out in the middle of nowhere. Yep, it’s my biggest pet peeve of Ragbrai. They couldn’t care less about those of us “traditionals” — the people who use the baggage truck. If you’re a charter or in an RV, the towns often give great spots, but if you’re in the baggage truck… out of luck. Mt. Pleasant put us 1 1/2 – 2 miles away from downtown in some fairgrounds with only a single food booth (unless you count popcorn). We had to pay for shuttles (which we did) and ate downtown. They tied with Chariton for the Wost overnight towns of the week.

Best towns of the week: Ottumwa and Red Oak. I liked Indianola too.

The last day was a fairly short day (about 44 miles). I was pretty sore but made it through reasonably quickly. By 2:00, Brenda (my wonderful Sister in Law) dropped off the van and by 3:30 we were on our way back home.

Home by about 11.

Ragbrai is over.

It’s hard to believe it’s all over. In the end, it’s was a great week. Over all, I was severely under-prepared (especially for the hills this year). If I ever end up doing it again, I’ll have to definitely make sure I put in more training miles.

The people this year seemed more friendly than last year. Last year everyone seemed a bit surly. I think maybe it was the heat. This year people were a lot more friendly, more talkative, more cooperative, more patient, etc.

A few things about good through-towns:

A few things about good overnight towns:

I’m totally sorry it’s over, but am sure glad to be sleeping in my own bed and was incredibly happy to NOT put my seat on a bike saddle this morning!

Thanks for following. If you’re interested in pics, I put a few up on facebook here and a few (some overlapping) on flicker here.

Grace and Peace,
`tim

Enter the idea of turning your blog into a book.

The problem with that? Books are expensive and blogs are ever-changing.

Enter the website Blogbooker. With almost no effort, Blogbooker will convert your blog (if you use WordPress or LiveJournal) into a single .pdf file. And best of all? It’s free! Yeah… free!

You can’t format or do anything particularly exciting with it, but it does backup your entire blog in a single, reasonably small file. Even better? It does it quickly.

Check it out. That’s b l o g b o o k e r [dot] c o m.

Grace and Peace,
`tim