Notes from discussion on Emerging Churches

On Friday I was invited to a Q&A on emerging churches with Pastor Gene Templemeyer of Spring Garden Baptist Church. Here are some thoughts I ws able to jot down. Not much but I could type only so fast on my iPhone! I'll link to his blog later today.
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Theology should be a way to measure a church, but not the way.

Apostle's Creed as the dance floor for theology: It gives us the parameters to dance around the details.

The one advantage white Canadian churches may have to ethnic churches is that they are so close to dead that they're desperate for change.

Re conservative theology w liberal execution/application:
Emerging isn't either-or so much as both-and; liberal and conservative don't exactly apply.
- dynamic balance instead of one only.

We don't want to follow culture, we want to speak into culture. We need then to know about it but also critique it.

Twitter and Facebook: An Introvert's Voice

Today I'm refraining from going on to social media in support of recognizing those in slavery today. Does blogging count? I'm not going to over think it. Am I just jumping on a trend? It's a movement that caught my attention and one which I can easily participate in - well, as easy as not posting or tweeting can be.

Which leads to the topic of this post. It's actually quite hard for me not to do either of those because I have so many thoughts swirling in my head that I need an outlet. As a teen, it used to be calling up my friends or writing letters to them (some of the replies I still have!). Diaries never worked because I wasn't as motivated to write to my future self or a mystery reader as I was to friends.

But now, life is different, both with technology and life stage. I can't call up friends or family whenever because they are usually at work. I can text but boy, that would be a lot of buzzing and tri-toning on their end. I do send the odd message but only if it's specific to them.

That's where Facebook and Twitter come in. Yes, they can be too-distant methods of connecting with people but for an introvert who doesn't think fast on her feet with quips and zingers, or who isn't as confident saying them out loud, these mediums are a great way for me to find my voice. They help me discern too what I want to share and keep private, exercise the art of being concise and assess what statements and which persons are worth responding to.

I've also been able to connect with people I otherwise wouldn't, either due to location, life stage or self-confidence. I wouldn't say I have relationships with most of them but that's not really what I expect anyway. They might help turn these acquaintances into something stronger but I'm just glad to have a way to keep the acquaintance. Those I have stronger relationships with know who they are in my life and actually have little contact with me via either media.

Why do I use them so much though? People keep exclaiming to me that I'm on Facebook so much or that I tweet so often. First of all, most of my Facebook posts now come from Twitter so I'm actually not on as much as people think. Look for the "via Twitter as @MrsBlah" next time a post appears. As to why I tweet so much... I have a such jumble of thoughts going through my head most of the time that I need an outlet to expel the thought to in order to regain some peace. Some people use Twitter for noble causes, some of which I follow and am inspired by. Honestly though, for me, it's just a repository for my excess thought bubbles. And really, I don't actually tweet that much!

I've been told that my tweets have been amusing and I've received my share of likes. I don't aim for them but I must say, they are confidence boosters and nice extras to my day. If anyone's looking for really deep 140-character statements however, I'll have to point them to other proficient tweeters. If anyone's expecting me to post less, I'll do so when I have less thoughts spinning around. If anyone wants more than an acquaintance with me... comment on my posts, reply to my tweets and let's arrange a meet up. When we do, I'll tweet about that too. =)

Because I'm a picky mommy... but aren't all mommies picky?

Prepping for baby!  Yes, we have a baby registry; no, we don't expect/want all new things; yes, I am very particular about some of the items I've listed!  So here is a list of the items that I care to have the exact item of (there is a rhyme and reason, if you want to question a preggy mom!!).  Gently used is perfectly fine unless otherwise noted.  =)  Items we really want/need are marked with an asterisk (*).

*Britax Baby Carrier bib set
*Britax B-Ready Universal Infant Car Seat Adapter
*Halo SleepSack Swaddle Pour-Piece Cotton Take-Me-Home Newborn set (cream, grey or turquoise)
JJ Cole Essentials Blanket - Gray Red
JJ Cole Diaper Wipes Caddy 
*Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads   There is no such thing as too many!
Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump - I have one already but a backup would be nice.  This I would not take used though!
*Melissa & Doug Basic Skills Board
*Melissa & Doug Wooden Clock
*Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Sensitive Tummy Start Set
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Sensitive Tummy Kit
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Medium Flow Sensitive Tummy Nipple 2-pack
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Variable Flow Nipple 2-pack
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Milk Feeding Bib
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature 5-oz Bottle (single or 2-pack)
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature 9-oz Bottle (single or 2pk)
*Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Microwave Steam Sterilizer
*Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Standard Neck Breast Pump Adaptor

Some items to give an idea of what I'm looking for:

Shermag dresser: I'm basically looking for a minimum of 5 drawers that aren't too deep (takes too long to find any baby items otherwise!) in either espresso or black brown.  Greige (like the Ikea Hemnes dressers) are nice too.
Anything Thomas the Tank Engine or Snoopy - these would be for Derek of course.  =)

Burberry quads Fall 2012

Here are preliminary pictures of the quads and swatches of two of them against Trench, Porcelain, Almond, Midnight Brown and I think Pale Barley.

Makeup Mondays: Moisturizing Mileage update

I've posted the pictures to go with the original entry here as well.  Sorry it took awhile!

Tube cut in half.

Here's what's inside.  Mind you, there was 3x this much when I first cut it!  This is after 2 weeks of use post-surgery on tube.  I also scraped product from the top half into this bottom half.

Just squeeze the bottom half until it "folds" a bit and can be inserted into the top half.

Baby Thursdays

Are you a parent-to-be?  Wary of all the poopie messes and beyond that are coming your way?

Have no fear!  Or at least, less fear.. there's this great product that helps get out organic stains so your whites won't (necessarily) have yellow-brown continent shapes on them.  It's Buncha Farmers' Stain Remover.  It works on poop, food, even grass, so you will definitely have use of these beyond the first year.
 
SnuggleBugz.ca just had 3-for-2 sale but these are worth buying just on their own.  We saved a good bunch of white onesies with Derek, which was especially great since we borrowed those!  Some of the shirts would be stained just like this wall....

... but after a bit of rubbing the remover on and putting it through the wash, things came out good as they were before.

These are usually available in most baby stores - I've seen them at Dearborn Baby and Once Upon A Child - but since SnuggleBugz.ca has free shipping on orders $40 or more, I'd throw it in with an order from there.  I also find that Snuggle Bugz has a better website than Dearborn.

Makeup Mondays: I'm selling my stuff

Yep, that's right!  I'll be selling a good bunch of my MAC items and other things (UD Naked palette #1 if I get a good offer??).  If you're interested, click here.  You'll find a separate blog with all the items going up for sale and the latest of updates of what's left and what's new.

It hasn't officially started yet but feel free to browse.  I will post here and on Blah's Blahg Sale once it's all set to go!