Over at RevGals it’s Friday Five again; it’s been a few weeks since I have played. Here we go!

1. What type of Fat Tuesday celebration your church will hold next week… This is my first Shrove Tuesday with my pastoral charge and apparently they serve beans and gingerbread as well! And sausage. 
2. Are there other ways of acknowledging the roots of Mardi Gras that you’d like to employ (a possible title for this subject might be, “Beyond Pancakes”)? (Note: this is a trick question.)  Is there another way other than pancakes? 😉
3. Have you found ways to weave the playful nature of Carnival into the preseason observances of Lent? Hmm… I have been on Study Leave this past week, working on some Interim Ministry things as well as putting the final touches to an art show I was both organizing and exhibiting. It was entitled Take Heart, based on Matthew 14:27: But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Opening night was last night and I am both exhilarated by the response and tired out and glad it is behind me. Click here for a link to the show details. While these may seem to be disconnected, separate things, that’s not the way that they are shaping up to be. Having come late to artistic expression, I am only now realizing the potential and capacity of art to impact change. 
4. What kind of celebratory breather would you enjoy for your own sanity before the solemnity of Lent takes hold? I don’t do much solemnity during Lent; Lent has become a time to refocus on following Jesus, which doesn’t necessarily mean solemnity. This year, I am taking on the Lent Photo-A-Day Challenge and may blog each day based on the photo. 
5. Speaking of sanity, what works for you as a means of sustaining your spirit through the Forty Days and Triduum? Reminding myself (again) that it’s about Jesus and not about me creating the perfect Lent and Easter experience for my congregations. Monitoring my energy and commitments, saying no to some things that I might like to be involved in, but at a different time. Dying Easter eggs with my granddaughter. I started with my older granddaughter and now that she is away at university, her younger sister is about ready. Click here to find out how to make the most beautiful Easter eggs ever! And last, but not least, counting down the days until we leave for Cuba!