Senior Sermon and a New Sheep

Monday was my senior sermon at the Eden chapel.  Each third year student gets the opportunity to do a senior sermon (not all take it), but it is particularly stressful because it means preaching in front of a group of people who know something about preaching.  It's a very critical environment.  I was happy with it, although there are a few things I would do differently if I did it again.  

I preached on the book of Judith, which is apocryphal so that was new for some people.  As many of you know, my thesis is on the book of Judith.  (Incidentally, it has been narrowed to the language of the body in the book of Judith and my official proposal is due on the 1st.)  But I wanted to preach on a particular passage that I have just fallen in love with-- Judith 15:8-13.  The passage is about a victory dance, but a very peculiar one in that Judith does not allow anyone to dance for her.  Instead, she crowns them and dances along with them.  I preached about dancing-- why Judith didn't want them to dance for her, and why our God is worth dancing for.  It was fun.  You can read it here, on my other blog where I post all of my sermon manuscripts. 

Evelyn didn't actually stand in the pulpit with me.
She slept the whole time.
But I took this picture afterwards.

I got a pretty good drum circle going, too, which was just so perfectly fitting for the topic. 

They sounded great.  Thanks, drummers!

In baby news, I don't think it would be possible to have a sweeter, more patient little baby.  Lately I've been feeling a lot of guilt for how much I cart her around.  I've had a lot of things that I've had to go to Eden for in the morning this past week or two, so she comes with me.  When I go to the church office, she comes with  me.  Anything I do in the evening, other than class, she comes with me.  I worry that I am robbing her of her baby-hood, but she seems so happy.  

She has fallen in love with her new sheep.  Somehow this sheep is a girl, and her name is Cedric.  I don't know how these things happen in our family, but we often just have these bizarre conversations, one thing leads to another, and we end up with a girl sheep named Cedric.  Anyway, Cedric arrived via USPS for her baptism from her Nana and Papa.  

Here she is:

Happy Babies

This is how she likes to sleep now, smothering herself with Cedric.  

Mama, stop bothering us.  

Alright, well, a very happy and bountiful thanksgiving to you!  We'll be having Potluck Thanksgiving at the church, followed by Nacho Thanksgiving with just the three of us (with one vegetarian and one milk-etarian, turkey just didn't seem right).