http://erikanderica.org/erica A blog by Erica Schemper Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:20:37 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Long story, but life has been a little nutty around here. So, in an effort to make myself feel better, I've spent the day thinking about things that would qualify as "good things", little things, that are happy-making. This is sort of my cross between Martha Stewart or Oprah's columns and that ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/03/09/some-good-things-in-the-middle-of-some-not-so-great-days/ Luke 4:1-13 Fox Valley Presbyterian Church (Originally Preached on Lent 1C, February 21, 2010) Temptation is not really a dirty word anymore. Think about it: it’s a word used to brand and identify: chocolates; resorts; a dating service in the UK ; there’s even a men’s deodorant line that has a scent named: ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/03/07/it-has-been-said/ Dear ERs everywhere, First, I am grateful for my ER, my access to medical care, my reliable car, the general goodness of God, etc. But I'm really really sleep deprived. So this thought is where my brain has been wandering off to. If parents bring their kiddo in during the night due to, ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/02/15/an-open-letter-to-emergency-rooms/ We had a 3.8 earthquake here last night. When I say "here" I mean a few miles away from where I actually live. And I don't live in a place where we have earthquakes. Our bedroom is at/below ground level, with the windows above our bed facing onto a street that ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/02/10/earthquake/ Series of text messages from last night: From my sister Emily: I always find interesting little surprises around after Zora visits. For example, I just got into bed and found a curious tiny orange cubic 'something' near my pillow. What could that be?? Cheese, of course. Me: Well honestly what is bedtime without ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/01/26/lol/ In part, for the sake of my own records, a few Zora moments that I want to remember for awhile.  She is really, at 3, a very interesting person. And I am learning that interesting persons are not necessarily the easiest ones to raise. Although she seems to enjoy being the ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/01/25/a-few-shameless-zora-vignettes/ Thursday night to Saturday are my version of the weekend. For me, this means squeezing out every last chance to be the domestic diva. The tally so far this weekend? Did a lot of dishes, but then made a whole lot dirty while I was making a pot of soup. Cut out ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/01/21/weekend-domestic-tally/ Words taken from sermons on Martin Luther King, Jr. are in italics. (With some adaptation, mostly for gender inclusiveness.) Holy God, sometimes we look around and it seems the world is crumbling... ...war after war, division after division, injustice after injustice, violence upon violence, and sin upon sin, we are surrounded by ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/01/16/prayers-of-the-people-weekend-of-haiti-crisis-mlk-day/ What a powerful editorial...the first paragraphs really stick with me. I have family in Southern California. When there's a big earthquake there, I worry a little, but not too much (the biggest disruption one of the last big one's caused my relatives was my cousin's disappointment that school was cancelled that ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/01/15/haiti/ Warning: this is a theology nerd joke. We are blessed with pastors at our church, both in quality and abundance. On Sundays there's often a line-up of three behind whichever pastor is preaching. In other words, there are four of us: Carl, Melinda, Bart, and me. Sometimes, certain members of the line-up ... http://erikanderica.org/erica/2010/01/12/misheard-in-the-sermon/