From the DOD:
One day a couple of years ago, when Mary and Lydia were 4 years old, I picked them up from pre-school and headed to the store to get our shopping done. As we were riding along Lydia told me that she needed some new crayons for Ms. Debbie’s class. She said that hers had worn down and she had to borrow some from the teacher. I told her we would pick some up at the store while we were there. I asked Mary if she also needed some. She said she did. I commented that hers must have worn down as well. She said that they had not worn down yet. I asked her why she felt that she needed new crayons too. Without hesitation she replied “Because mine won’t color in the lines.” I laughed and told her that I knew how she felt. At the Consultants Training Event I heard some information that confirmed something I had already suspected. The church is no longer “staying within the lines”. Phyllis Tickle, an authority on religion in America shared with our group some fascinating information about what is happening to the Church in this generation. It is emerging. Before you “yack “on any preconceived notions you may have about Emergent Churches, take a look at these adjectives that describe emerging worship: Authentic, Communal, Dynamic, Faithful, Multicultural, Expressive, and Ecumenical. As I was listening to and attempting to process the huge amounts of information presented last week, I realized something. I believe that our church has been emerging all along. Before the word “emergent” was a buzz word, we were already trying to live as authentic, dynamic, faithful Christians in the Scottsboro CP Church. And as Roy noted Sunday, we are very ecumenical. If that’s the case, then I’m not afraid of this Emergent Movement. Now, granted, since a little knowledge is dangerous, I’ll hush about all of this for a while. But I’ll be praying a lot about it… “For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!” (Galatians 6:14-16 –The Message) Peace of Christ, Rachel

Mary and Lydia are about as different as 2 sisters can be. They are obviously not identical twins and neither are their personalities. I love them equally and uniquely and they seem to tolerate me pretty well. Mary tends to be more of a morning person. But if she is not ready to get up she is very grouchy. Lydia is pleasant enough in the mornings, but that may be because she stays half asleep until she gets on the bus. Once, when they were in pre-school I went into their room to wake them. I thought I’d be clever and call them the names of two of the dwarfs from the story of Snow White (and yes, I can name all 7). I fell onto their bed and dramatically said “What is this we have here?! I see two dwarfs in this bed…” I looked at Mary and exclaimed “I see Grumpy!” then to Lydia, “And I see Sleepy!” Lydia rolled over slowly and looked at me through sleep-squinted eyes. She stared at me for a few seconds and wryly remarked “And I see Dopey.” Ouch. Where do they get that biting sense of humor? Roy talked to the children Sunday about names. This got me to thinking about names as I listened to my two tell their names. I named them for people in my family; Mary after my mother and Lydia’s middle name, Rebecca, is for my niece, Myra, who shares this middle name. I didn’t know it at the time, but I found out that my great-great grandmother’s name was also Lydia. My mother named me for the Rachel in the Bible. She was terribly unhappy in her marriage and hoped for me to be as dear to a man as Rachel was to Jacob. I still choke on the irony of that a bit. But the name I’m most proud to be called is also a family name. I share it with all of you as brothers and sisters in Christ. Peace and Grace to you, fellow Christians! I’ve enclosed a copy of our family tradition. It’s often tough to follow but it’s what makes us Christians. -Rachel “Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home. Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:9-18 (Contemporary English Version)