Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

I apologize for not writing for a long time (yet again). As the title implies, it has truly been a whirlwind of craziness this summer thus far. When did it become almost August? Here's a bit of an update on what's happening in my corner of the world:

• On the health front: I'm doing really well with eating gluten-free. I actually very rarely have cravings and/or miss regular bread stuff. I eat lots of fruit & veggies, along with yummy homemade hummus & black beans. I do eat gluten free pasta & bread, but not on an everyday basis. Overall, I'm feeling much better than ever before - TBTG! But, I am still fighting the iron deficiency stuff & have weekly iron infusions scheduled for the month of August. Bummer, but hopefully these will be the last ones!
• At the church: attendance has been pretty good throughout the summer, despite vacations. Had two good sermons (according to others) these past two weeks - hoping to produce another one this week. We're facing financial strain, as many mainline churches are, so we're working hard to get our stewardship up and get some new activities planned for the fall.
• I spent a week in Montreat! Youth Conferences are the best - I always have a blast. My small group (aka The Goon Squad) was truly amazing! It was also good to see friends I've not seen in two years, which is far too long. Made some new friends as well. Good times.
• On the personal front: my mother came and spent about three weeks with me here in PA. It was super nice to have her around! We saw Mika Brzezinski at Barnes & Noble in Lancaster! Met her, listened to her talk about her book, took pictures, and even met the Governor of PA - Ed Rendell. Amazing.

That's what has been going on here. Working on sermons for August, planning confirmation class for this year, working with the stewardship & finance committee on budget stuff. The basic pastor stuff! I promise to update more often - I always say that, but I will make an effort this time!

Remember that you are loved! Blessings!