The kingdom of God...

The kingdom of God is like...


The statement was made by Melissa Clodfelter at night, by the pool side table. She had heard it over and over in her mind while sharing the sacred space that this gathering is. YCW, the conference, it's awesome. Truly this is what the kingdom of God is like. (Thank you Melissa for those small words).

Today has been about coaching. About conflict. About owning. About what we bring to the table, and what we can leave behind.


And to top it off some parts of the CCs got to go and not just have fab food but also be cheering on a fellow clergy chick buying a pretty cool mustard yellow wintercoat (yes, despite the heat) just because you need some happy during winter!

conflict

The CC are talking conflict today. Does this have anything to do with the general view that the coffee at the hotel is slightly...so-so? ;)

But seriously, management and leadership will always have to do with conflict, and knowing how to deal with it is very important.

The quote right now: Do not sacrifice yourself for the congregation, the congregation will not sacrifice itself for you.

Any thoughts on that?

pool side spirituality

The day ended. A walk back home through the warm night, surrounded by the songs of cicadas. Conversation about art and creativity, and back at the hotel we sat down among friends at the pool, sharing wine and crackers and stories.
There is something about the intimacy of water that makes conversations thrive.
So we talked about weddings and Holy Eucharist, about the big issues and some silliness. Overhead lightning turned darkness into blazing light, if only for an instance at the time. And the God-given golden strands of communion and fellowship gleamed in the midnight-blue Georgia night.

Qualities of an adaptive leader

Featured speaker Melissa Clodfelter

There has been references to "The Practice of Adaptive Leadership" by Heifetz, Grashow and Linsky.

There will be glitter glueing.

There has been sharing great questions. Like do you behave what you believe as you say you believe?

There is hopefully a few helpful answers.

Communion

Holy moments in places you didn't think could feel that holy.

The story of Hanna giving birth to Samuel and really saying "here I am" long before he is -not in words (thank you Erica for your thoughts!) but in action.

So here we are.

powered by great shoes

Wonderful Atlanta greeted us upon arrival. And after a ride on a Marta train and bus CC could breathe in a sigh of relief at Emory Inn. After traveling for 20 hrs or so, they needed that.


They did get online and found Suzanne and after a nice salad and wine (realizing there would be much hunger in the morning if not) and chat they crashed the Binder Party at room 220. The joy! There was filing and turning boring binders to wonderful conference ones and peeking in goodie bags until it was all time to go to bed.

Sunday morning was a day as good as any. Coffee and a muffin and CC were good to go. They did take a stroll down the road a mile or so to get some groceries. It was hot. Got back and rested for a short while before going to the mall. One has to have great shoes. NBCC did find great shoes. BCC got great other stuff.

Time for registration and the conference can start!

A challenging day

Challenge 1: Getting up. Hold on, not really, since neither NBCC (Non-Blonde Clergy Chick) or BCC (Blonde Clergy Chick) could sleep very well.
Challenge 2: Choosing a magazine to bring. Oh, the choices. Should one choose an arty—farty mag to prove one's cultural cred? Or maybe something ambitious and serious, like the Economist, to present oneself as good leadership material? Or the ever-so-ironic smut magazine? Ok, maybe not. Neither did we pick the Barbie magazine or the very stylish Danish interior design mag. The result: fashion mags. Yeah, we admit, the Clergy Chicks luv them glossy pages. And, as a bonus, there were scores of pretty magazines on the plane too. We only read the really serious ones, of course. Cross our hearts, we did!
Challenge 3: Being very good and kind, we of course volunteered to get bumped to a later flight, if SAS needed our seats. The 300 euro thank you-check had nothing to do with our willingness to help. The only thing we got from this un-selfish act was getting to board last. On our original flight. Without the 300 euros.
Challenge 4: Air conditioning on the plane. As bad as ever.
Challenge 5. Maneuvering the United customer ”service”. Ha.
Challenge 6: The Big Mac-munching female fashion crime against humanity, or at least fellow passengers, waiting across the row from us for the Atlanta flight. Seeing to much in spite of full coverage is apparently possible.

See? For these two Clergy Chicks, there is no such thing as a challenge to big. There are only possibilities. *cue smarmy smile*

Long journeys like this actually are great opportunities to for once get to talk about Bible interpretation, priestly formation, parish life and all those things that take a little too much time to fit into the daily life of picking up kids from school, cleaning dishes, writing sermons, spending too much time on facebook, etc etc.

#ycw2010

Long time has passed since Clergy Chicks went a traveling together. But now order is restored.

In Sweden midsummer celebration is going on. But in the home of non blonde Clergy Chick packing replaces dancing around the pole singing about the poor frogs without ears and tail. Oh, the joy.

There are loads of expectations for the coming conference. Many happy reunions, many new aquintances and some serious inspiration coming up! Follow us here (and if you are a young clergy woman -do join the network) and do comment. We like questions, praise and an occational report from reality.

again on her own

So, blonde CC has been traveling again. And again without her less blonde soul sister. Blonde CC went souz to Germany, to visit friends and see some of ze cool Luzersites.

And of course to work a little too. Zere is no traveling wizout some work.

Berlin was nice. Sunny and fun. Productive and efficient.
Eisleben was also nice. Sunny and fun. And not efficient at all.

Next time, maybe blonde CC can lure her non-blonde sister to come wiz her? One does get ze funniest accent.

traveling home

Blonde Clergy Chick took her family to non-blonde CC's home. That must be the best way to travel, staying with friends of the kind that have transcended the barrier between friends and family. Yeah, blonde CC is very happy to have a friend like non-blonde CC. She rocks.

(And no, this is not written just to ensure continued hospitality. Honestly.)

London

Non blonde CC is in London. Working. The youth group got funds for a fun trip. We are doing plenty of touristy stuff. Madame Tussau's (how do you spell her name?), shopping, sights, a musical and sunday, before we rush home we'll go to a church down town and hopefully see some british younger churchgoers then.

It is great, but non blonde CC misses blonde CC.

Confessions

Blonde Clergy Chick also has been traveling without her sister. Yes, she is ashamed.

She even visited churches, talked to other clergy, listened to a sermon (although in a funny and almost non-understandable language), climbed bell towers and pulpits, drank wine. Yes, it was a real Clergy Chick fiesta, and all of this without non-blonde CC. Though it must be admitted, there was almost no shopping on this trip, which of course would have driven non-blonde CC mad.

Next time, huh?

Choo Choo

On the train again. Blonde Clergy Chick does not really lament the disappearance of steam trains, is pretty happy about the high speed ones, but still, they don't sound as good, do they?

betrayal

Non-blonde Clergy Chick is traveling without her sister. This cannot be anything else than a betrayal of the worst kind. Or maybe blonde CC is just plain jealous?

Registration and first day

Clergy Chick really think it's strange that the people that are teaching pedagogy are themselves not very pedagocial.

But it certainly helps when Clergy Chicks are among friends and can laugh it off during recess!

Up where we belong?

Blonde Clergy Chick is on the train to Uppsala and the church leadership program.
Non-blonde Clergy Chick will join her there.

Theme songs for this day:

Queen - We Are The Champions
Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes - Up Where We Belong
ABBA - The Winner Takes It All

What was that? Blonde CC thought she heard someone whispering "hubris". Strange. And the pounding opening rhythm of INXSs Suicide Blonde. Even weirder.

Alcohol

Now, our Lord liked the occasional glass of wine, so the Bible tells us. Martin Luther downed his share of beer. The CCs, in the footsteps of these greats, are not opposed to alcohol, when used with moderation.

But. The CCs can't help but wonder whether it is really a very good idea to start drinking strong beer and cider at ten in the morning? Even if the ones drinking are bikers.

Shutting up

The Clergy Chicks wonder, very calmly, what the deal is with people who CAN'T SHUT UP WHEN KIDS ARE TRYING TO SLEEP, AND THEY ARE ASKED KINDLY TO THINK ABOUT THAT, AND STILL STAND OUTSIDE, LAUGHING AND TALKING LOUDLY, THE VERY THIN DOOR TO CC'S ROOM WHERE THE CC OFFSPRING ARE BEING PUT TO BED? The CCs are just a tiny bit annoyed, that's all.

Mattis

Now, this being married thing is all well, think the Clergy Chicks. But that Mattis certainly has a rugged charm. The CCs asked their offspring whether any of them would agree to substituting their dad for the robber chieftain, but they would not have it.

As an afterthought, blonde pk added: "When me and dad come here, we will have Lovis (Ronja's mother) for my mother." Blonde CC did not appreciate that thought nearly as much as the one with the robber father. Not nearly.