bronze_ribbons. "Make firm my changeful heart / so I may do my part" (Reply)

Longevity buns at the Panda buffet after church.

The two senior Asian men at the table (one 67, the other 79). Watching them try to outrank each other over the bill was especially entertaining.

The postlude was a violin and guitar rendition of "Come, Come Whoever You Are," which had been the closing hymn.

As the musicians played, a couple in the front row (co-founders of the fellowship) waltzed together to the back of the meeting room. A magical moment.

Didn't care for the too-casual arrangement of "Eternal Father, Strong To Save" on this weekend's "Prairie Home Companion," but the sound of the entire auditorium singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" -- that was worth tuning in for.

Abandoned fully drafting the homily around 6 a.m. and extemporized the bulk of it. Didn't fall flat on face or scare off visitors.

Being able to refer one of the visitors to Church of the Larger Fellowship.

BPAL's "Port Royal" and "Taurus" both very nice and spring-appropriate.

Three poems accepted by

kingfisher1031 for SGVPQ 34.

The New York Times occasionally runs "Op-Charts" (by Adriana Lins de Albuquerque and several co-designers) that analyze aspects of the Iraq war in graph form. (It's one feature that definitely comes across better in the print edition than online.) The latest one, "In Memoriam," is here.

This morning's opening hymn (words by Carl Seaburg):

God who fills the universe
from the atoms to the stars,
make firm my changeful heart
so I may do my part
and bring joy to all the earth.

God who webs the universe
with amazing mysteries,
make glad my fragile soul
so I can see life whole
and bring hope to all on earth.

God who keeps the universe
by the truths of living love,
make strong that love in me
so I can set it free
and bring peace to all on earth.