Happy Tuesday Afternoon, readers, and thanks for letting me take over this space (albeit temporarily) while Pastor Paul enjoys some much-needed R&R on the West Coast. Onward…

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. [Ephesians 5:15–17]

The verses above have been rattling around in my brain for the last few weeks now. When you work at a church, the months after the stress and busyness of Christmas can seem like the perfect time to recharge before entering the next big ministry season at Easter. It’s the chance to get caught up on things that got pushed aside during the holidays, a time to revisit projects that have been sitting on the back burner, and even an opportunity to grow a little—spiritually, mentally, academically—by investing more of our days in reading or studying rather than running from one activity to the next.

Why then, do I find myself consistently having (what seems like) even less time than usual to do any of those things? I’ll tell you why: I’m not “making the most of the time” that’s available. I’m not making the wise choices. I’m being foolish. Because while my intentions are usually pretty good, my ability to take action gets derailed so easily. My phone is always in my hand. Social media is a click away. Netflix and Hulu and Amazon Prime and Disney+ and Peacock (How many streaming networks is too many? Asking for a friend.) are right there anytime I’m bored. And so the path of least resistance becomes the road too often traveled, and before I know it, the time that I could have used to better myself, to grow in my faith, to “understand what the Lord’s will is”—is replaced instead with doom-scrolling and back episodes of a show I’ve already watched a thousand times.

As we enter the Lenten season together this Wednesday, let’s all take a good hard look (pay careful attention, if you will) at how we’re spending the time we’ve been given. Are we walking in wisdom? Or are we being foolish and handing over the time we’re gifted each day to grow to something that instead just keeps us standing in place?

For your reading accompaniment: Waymaker Worship
This album isn’t new by any means, but it is one I’ve had on repeat lately. I love the simple arrangements and mashups of some of my favorite worship songs. “Goodness of God / O Praise the Name” has gotten a lot of airtime in our house.

Spring is coming…
…and with it, the return of Guardians baseball. Did you know that we’re entering the fourth season since the Guardians changed their name? I saw that stat the other day and was floored. Mostly because I can’t seem to remember to call them the Guardians to save my life. I try; I really do—but then again, I still call it Jacobs Field, so maybe I just have a mental block in place when it comes to Cleveland baseball.

Live from New York
I know it’s been a minute, but I finally got around to watching the Saturday Night Live special celebrating the show’s 50th anniversary. (See aforementioned time spent on Peacock.) My first SNL memory is staying up late to watch Hanson perform as the musical guest. Oh, don’t judge—I was a teenager in the mid-90s, and “MMMBop” was literally everywhere. If you aren’t familiar with that song, take my word for it and don’t listen unless you want it stuck in your head the rest of the day.

Here are a couple of my favorite moments from the 50th anniversary special:

• Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Q&A session was hilarious. We all know those two are a powerhouse comedy couple (their stints hosting the Golden Globes produced some of the best jokes I’ve ever heard), but their individual shows that catapulted them to stardom after their time on SNL (30 Rock for Fey and Parks and Recreation for Poehler) are two of my all-time favorites. If you want to see a masterclass in creating the perfect series finale, watch the last episode of Parks and Rec. But maybe, you know, watch all the other episodes before it, too.

• Nate Bargatze’s cameo made me smile. I’m pretty sure Paul has referenced him in a previous Tuesday Afternoon, but seriously, if you haven’t watched his specials on Netflix or Prime, do yourself a favor and check them out. As a mom of two young boys (13 and 11), it’s nice to find a comedian that’s clean, safe, and actually funny. My kids quote his “Washington’s Dream” sketch from a 2023 SNL episode almost daily.

A new era in Narnia
Last week, HarperCollins announced that they would be releasing a new set of hardcover books in The Chronicles of Narnia series from C.S. Lewis. The books are slated to release on April 15 (Only a month before my birthday! I’m just saying.) and the covers are beautiful. True Narnia fans will recognize so many special, hidden details worked into the new cover artwork. Other, more bull-headed Narnia fans will notice that HarperCollins is keeping the Americanized reading order and will feel very strongly about it but will not use public platforms to berate this choice and will instead encourage all readers to start with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and NOT with The Magician’s Nephew because that order makes no sense since Lewis assumed at the writing of The Magician’s Nephew that the reader was already familiar with Narnia because The Lion, etc. was written first and was therefore intended to be read first and to change the publication order to that of Narnia chronology is just—

*deep breath* Okay, so maybe that’s a trigger for me. Anyways, the covers are beautiful, and HC is going one step further by also introducing two new Narnia board books and a deluxe edition of Lewis’ classic Mere Christianity, set to release this spring and summer.

As we enter Lent…
If you’re local to the northeast Ohio area, Trinity will be hosting our annual Ash Wednesday service tomorrow evening at 6:30pm. All are welcome.

If you’re not local, check out this Lenten resources page that Pastor Paul put together for our community. What will you put on or take off this season?

A final word from me and Jack
The next forty days or so is a chance for us to rid ourselves of that which keeps us from Christ and take on those practices that mold us further into his character and likeness. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says this about the process of becoming a living temple where God will indwell (1 Corinthians 3:16):

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

Thank you, Lord, for building something beautiful for you in me.

(And thank you, readers, for making it this far! Praying blessings upon your week and lives—I appreciate your graciousness and good humor. 😊 Pastor Paul will be back for next Tuesday afternoon!)

Thanks,
Kathy