Staring contests and lighter fluid

Last Thursday night, a group of us went to Buca di Bepo in Cherry Hill for some marvelous Italian dining. It was quite the experience, and I had never realized how educational getting Italian could really be. I've compiled a list of a few of my learnings.

1. You will lose a staring contest with the Pope if you try. He never blinks.
2. Some jobs should require a singing audition when you apply.
3. It's very hard to sing a (very) familiar song when ther person leading is incredibly tone deaf
4. You can you get lasagna in the form of a log
5. Lasagna in the form of a log is delicious
6. Sitting the "Queen's Chair" provides an incredible feeling of power
7. Feeling powerful and actualling being powerful are two different things
8. When one says, "If I were a nun, I'd be like that", one needs to be very clear on what piece of art you are pointing at.


That's it for that. It was a great time of just chilling and chatting it up. Speaking of things like that:

Saturday night we had a bonfire. It was a time to just sit around and catch up with each other. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to just "stop" and connect with friends, some of which I don't get to see very often. And once I got over Deb not wanting to douse the wood with lighter fluid, I enjoyed the fire too. Seriously, lighter fluid is a lot of fun...

The Hands and Feet of Jesus

On February 28th, a group of yam members went over to Camden to help out with a ministry there. They passed out clothes and food to those in need, and were able to talk with some of the people there. Deb wrote a bit about it in her monthly newsletter, and this is an excerpt from that:

"This weekend I was able to deliver the quilts (from Quilts of Love) to Brenda and had the opportunity to meet two of the prostitutes she is working hard to get off the streets. As I sat talking with them, my spirit ached for them. They were both coming down off crack and were in desperate need of a long sleep and hot shower. The described the place where they live: a drug house that just got hit by some 'stick-em-up boys' (thugs that hold up drug houses to steal all the cash). One of the girls had been raped the night before, and the other hasn't seen her 4-year-old twin boys in over 2 years. Both had been disowned by their respective families.

"After they ate breakfast, one of them said to me, 'Why would you come down here and do this for us?' I told her that it was only by God's grace I wasn't in her shoes and that I wanted her to know how much He loves her. That she matters to Him. She let me paint her fingernails and pray for her."As we were leaving, I stood on the curb with them as Brenda had to physically hold one of the girls upright. I began to wonder if Jesus did that for Mary Magdalene. I am so thankful to serve a Master who made friends with prostitutes and touched lepers. The religious elite were not for Him....He had very little time for their rubbish. But the sinners...that's where His heart was! What a joy to know we have a God who doesn't just love the pretty ones!

"In my version of the story, when all those little children came running toward Jesus, He spotted the most un-cute of them all and hugged that one first. So if you get the chance, find a way to put your faith into action. Remember, you don't have to go to Africa to find yourself a leper to love!"