She Didn't Follow Her Script

We did vacation Bible school a week ago. I was the village scribe and my job was to help kids write and seal their own parchment scrolls with wax squeezed out through a glue gun. My shop's co-owner, Edna Ruth, helped the youngest market-goers stamp letters into ancient Roman fluorescent play dough.

Our script said we were not Christian. We didn't know anything about the rebel Jew Jesus or why he and his followers were stirring up trouble. We were to ask the kids questions, to learn more as the week progressed.

"Who is this Jesus? Why is Paul in prison? Shouldn't he just give up talking about Jesus so he can be set free?" That was our script.

This is the script Edna Ruth followed, the script of her life--

"Of course I have a god. I know THE God. And his son, Jesus. Have you heard of him? Let me tell you all about him! He's made the biggest difference to my life and I love him with all my heart."

Even play acting, she couldn't say anything other than what she knows to be the truth. And I love her for it.

Tunics and Togas and Peplos, Oh My!

It's that time of year again, when the straight rows of chairs in the sanctuary are stacked and stored to make room for an ancient marketplace, this year in Rome. With five of us to costume in ancient Roman dress, the living room is draped in toga fabric (aka old sheets bought for a song from the Goodwill Outlet store).

I am the local scribe, a task I found myself drawn to, the write job for me. (buh-dum-ching!) Bamboo styluses (or is that styli?), parchment, and sealing wax are the tools of my trade. There's been word around town about a prisoner, Paul, who can't shut up about some Jewish rebel named Jesus. Have you heard of him?

If you happen to be in the Roman marketplace next week, Tuesday-Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m., drop by my booth and I'll help you write a letter to a loved one or transcribe a poem for you. And maybe we can both learn a little about this rumor going around.

See you there?

Hey, Bidder, Bidder!

Come on down to the Unknown Artists Auction tomorrow night! The evening features

• cheesecake!
• entertainment by the Kennedy viola duet and a Karaoke team
• a silent auction of 5 pieces
• a bidding auction of 20 pieces
• the chance to take home art by a local artist (my contribution is above and authors of Millstones and Rosemoor also have entries)
• the chance to donate towards building houses for poor families in Mexico
  

Friday, April 17, 6 p.m.
Vancouver Church of Christ
9019 NE 86th St.
Vancouver, WA 98662
$15/couple

LAUNCH!

With all the preparation of getting a shuttle into space, the excitement of smashing a bottle of champagne against the bow of a ship, the fanfare of revealing a new ad campaign...

I am pleased to announce...

the totally reworked, reworded, and reinvented website of the Vancouver Church of Christ...

...has LAUNCHED!

Thanks to Judy Sword, Lori Davis, Brian Snyder, Jurgen Achterbosch, and Bonnie Miller for helping get it all together.

Check it out!

http://www.vanchurch.org/

(feedback welcome)