Here I Swap 2020

 

Mug quotation: "It’s got to go bang and it has to be fun, otherwise I won’t come!" - Karlsson, from The World’s Best Karlsson, by Astrid Lindgren

You guys. We have been swapping mugs for four years. 

FOUR. YEARS. 

 What started out as me being all millenial-ish AKA miffed that other people were having delightful little swaps and the Lutheran ladies weren't in on the fun has turned into all of us being one year away from a five-year-anniversary of mug swappery! 

 Earlier this year, a lot of you joined in the non-mug mug swap, where you sent e-gifts to our pastors, deaconesses and others on the front lines of spiritual care this year. It was great seeing firsthand how big the hearts of LCMS women can be. 

So here we are--finally--ready to swap real mugs again in 2020. Two things I ask in advance: (1) Please don't sign up in you aren't 100% committed to sending a mug. I like this swap. I don't like having to follow up with people because they didn't uphold their end of the deal. Don't be that girl. (2) Thank you in advance for your patience. I've got a four little children and a husband to care for, and this mug swap--as fun as it is--isn't my first priority. They are. So thank you for being understanding if I don't reply to a query or email super fast.

Now . . . are you ready to swap?

SIGN UPS ARE NOW CLOSED! 

 1. I'm going to pair you up with another Lutheran gal and send you both the information you'll need to know about one another (names and addresses, etc.). You're matched up with one person, and she's matched up with you.

2. Put together a little care package for her. Add as many goodies to the package as you'd like -- as long as it doesn't cost you more than $20.00 -- but you have to at least include a mug. (I mean, this is why it's called a mug swap.)

3. Stick that package in the mail! (But seriously, for real, because having to track people down who don't hold up their end of the bargain makes me grumpy.)

4. Give your mailman the friendliest wave ever while waiting for your package to arrive. He holds the keys to you getting that mug . . . and maybe the presidential election . . . so go easy on him. 

Make sense?

 If you're 21 or older, sign up by clicking this link and filling out the form. 

• Sign-ups close October 9, and you'll receive information on your swap friend by October 28. (Yes. It may take that long to send all the emails out. I'm a wife and a mom of a four-year-old, a three-year-old, a two-year-old, and a one-month old. Thank you for understanding.)

• Send the mug/package -- along with a little note with your name and how she can connect up with you -- by November 10.

• Post a picture of your swap package when it arrives. Use the hashtag #hereiswap2020 on Instagram, Facebook, or whatever socials you're currently digging.
  

• Finally, I'm hoping this swap remains a helpful, joyful way for Lutheran women to encourage each other, but unfortunately, I can't be held responsible for your partner's actions. If she doesn't send you a package, feel free to follow up with her via email or tag her on Facebook. Let the Law do its work.
• Now let's get swapping!
  

Here I Swap 2019

 Lutheran ladies, it's mug swap time! (I was going to post the "Let's get ready to ruuuuuuuumble!" video here but that didn't seem quite appropriate.)

Now read this next part closely.

Closer.

Closer still. 

A little more. 

There you go! 

1. Ready to swap mugs? You sign up here. 
2. I pair you up with another gal and send you both the information you'll need to know about one another (names and adddresses, etc.). You're matched up with one person, and she's matched up with you.
3. You put together a little care package for her. You're free to add as many goodies to the package as you'd like -- as long as it doesn't cost you more than $20.00 -- but you have to include a mug. (I mean, this is why it's called a mug swap.)
4. Stick that package in the mail! (But seriously, for real, because having to track people down who don't hold up their end of the bargain makes me grumpy.)
5. Instagram your pumpkin spice latte while waiting patiently by the mailbox for your buddy's package to arrive for you. Or don't. Whichever. 

Are you game?

 If you're 21 or older, sign up by clicking this link and filling out the form. 

• Sign-ups close September 15, and you'll receive information on your swap friend by October 1. (Yes. It may take that long to send all the emails out. I'm a wife and a mom of three 3 and under. You understand.)

• Again, after reading up on your new friend, head to Walmart or Home Goods or any place in between to put her fall swap package together, which must include at least one mug.

• Send the package -- along with a little note with your name and how she can connect up with you -- by October 15.

• Post a picture of your swap package when it arrives. Use the hashtag #hereiswap2019 on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Wait. Do people still even tweet? 

• Finally, I'm hoping this swap remains a helpful way for Lutheran women to encourage each other, but unfortunately, I can't be held responsible for your partner's actions. If she doesn't send you a package, feel free to follow up with her via email! A healthy dose of the Law never hurts, amiright? 

Are you excited yet? Sweet.

Let's get swapping!

Here I Swap 2018: Registration Open

Guys.

Guess what.

It's mug swapping time!

Year 1: 115 Lutheran mug swappers.
Year 2: 511 . . . in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. 
Year 3: TBD. (I'm scared. Yipe!)

This year, because some ladies were a little over all things fall -- turns out not every gal loves her some pumpkin spice lattes -- we're swapping Advent and Christmas mugs . . . and maybe even a recipe or two.

Also, not sure why Amy Grant doesn't sing that Advent is the mooooost woNDErful tiiiiiiime of the year but WHATEVER.

Now read this next part closely because things have changed a bit.

Here's how this swap is going down:

1. You sign up here. 
2. I pair you up with another gal and send you both the pertinent information you'll need to know about one another (names and adddresses, etc.). This is different from previous years. You're matched up with one person, and she's matched up with you. The end.
3. You peruse that information, which will give you a glimpse into her style, winter drink preferences and personality. You can friend her on Facebook if you want or shoot her an email introducing yourself. If you'd prefer to stay behind the scenes until she receives your package so that it can be a surprise, that's fine too! Either way.
4. You put together a little care package for her, based on that information. YOU MUST, AT THE VERY LEAST, SEND HER A MUG. Beyond that, you're free to add as many goodies to the package as you'd like -- as long as it doesn't cost you over $25.00. Again, this part is up to you.
5. Stick that package in the mail!
6. Channel some Advent penitence, and wait patiently by the mailbox for your buddy's package to arrive for you. 
7. Eat, drink and be merry . . . but not too merry. It's not Christmas yet!

Are you game?

 If you're 21 or older, sign up by clicking this link and filling out the form. 

• Sign-ups close September 30, and you'll receive information on your swap friend by October 30. (Yes. It may take that long to send all the emails out. I'm a wife and a mom of three under 3, so sometimes things take me a looooong time. Please be patient!)

• Again, after reading up on your new friend, head to Walmart or Home Goods or any place in between to put her fall swap package together, which must include at least one mug.

• Send the package -- along with a little note with your name and how she can connect up with you -- by November 15 so that she receives it in time for Advent and Christmas.

• Post a picture of your swap package when it arrives. Use the hashtag #hereiswap2018 on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. You can meet even MORE Reformation-lovin' ladies that way!

• Finally, I'm hoping this swap will be a fun way for Lutheran women to encourage each other . . . and enjoy a few Advent- and Christmas-themed goodies along the way, but unfortunately, I can't be held responsible for your partner's actions. If she doesn't send you a package, feel free to follow up with her! A good dose of the Law never hurts. :) 
• Enjoy!

 

2017 Here I Swap -- Fall Mug Swap update and FAQ

Hi, ladies. If you signed up before midnight on Friday, August 25, good news! You're in.

Also . . . 507 of you! We did it! We hit 500. Whew.

When will I get an email about who my mug buddy is? Between now and September 11, you'll receive an email outlining your mug buddy's style, fall loves and other information.

Any suggestions on how to put this package together? As a reminder, after reading up on your new friend (feel free secretly to check out her social media pages too!) and getting a feel for her style, head to Walmart or Home Goods or any place in between to put her fall swap package together. Please spend at least $10.00 but no more than $25.00.

When do I need to mail the package? Send the package -- along with a little note with your name and how she can connect up with you -- by September 25 so that she receives it in time for October and the Reformation.

Packaging tips? Be sure to wrap your mug well. Bubble wrap is your friend! One layer of tissue paper ensures that your buddy will receive a broken mug with only a handle to drink out of, which is virtually impossible.

What happens when I receive a package myself? Post a picture of your fall swap package when it arrives. Use the hashtag #hereiswap2017 on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. You can meet even MORE Reformation-lovin' ladies that way!

What if I don't get an email from you? If you gave me a fake email address or one you don't check often, chances are, it's gone forever. But if you gave me a real email address and haven't heard from me by the end of the day on September 11, feel free to shoot me an email so that we can see if my email ended up in your Spam box or waltzed off elsewhere in outer space.

Here I Swap: Reformation Mug Swap 2016

I have a small . . . issue . . . with coffee mugs. It's not that I collect them. It's just that I can't part with them. 

But it's not an addiction. No, really. I can stop whenever I want. 

There may be something like 30 vintage Pyrex coffee mugs in a box in the basement. And we may have a small collection of dairy mugs that have udders for feet. And I'm not saying that we each have coffee cups from our grandparents' homes that remind us of them, but ok, we totally do. 

So naturally I think it'd be a great idea to add yet one more mug to the collection . . . by hosting a mug swap for women who love Jesus, the Reformation, its theology and maybe even a good beer and pretzel now and then. 

It works pretty simply. 

• You sign up. I pair you up with another gal and send you info on your partner. 
• You read up on her style and favorite color and what Scripture passages offer her the most comfort and then go find her a mug that will fit her to a T. 
• If you're feeling up to it, make it a little care package. Does she love chocolate? Toss some in the box! Does she have a favorite hymn in the LSB? Get her a little gift card to CPH! Does she thrive on welcoming people into her home? Add a little tablecloth. This part is up to you. You only need to send a mug, but adding a few personal touches won't hurt her feelings any. 
• Send the package by a specific date so that it arrives in time for October and any Reformation celebrations she's planning on doing. 
• Channel your inner Katie Luther and wait by the mailbox for your mug to arrive from the gal who got YOUR name and info. 
• Meet two other women who love Jesus, "A Mighty Fortress" and coffee as much as you! 

How's that for easy? And fun!

We may never stand before princes and councils and utter the words, "Here I stand," (well, actually, we might at the rate things are going), but in the meantime, we can definitely give thanks to God for the people He has placed in our life and say:

"Here I swap!" 

As Christian -- and specifically Lutheran women -- it can be hard to meet other women who make the same confession, and it's my hope this is a way to connect some of us as we look forward to celebrating 500 years of Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone. 

Details 

1. If you're 21 or older, sign up by clicking on this link and filling out the (short!) form. 
2. Sign-ups close August 25, and you will receive information on your mug swap partner by September 9.
3. Take a few days to check out your new friend's social media pages to get to know her and her style. 
4. Head to Walmart or Crate and Barrel or any place in between to find a coffee mug she can fill with java or tea and sip while reading her Treasury of Daily Prayer each morning. Spend at least $5.00 on a mug but no more than $20.00. This is a new friend, after all. She'll love a nice mug!
6. Send the mug -- and a little note with your name and how she can find you on social media so that you can connect up -- before September 23 so that she receives it in time for October and Reformation celebrations. 
5. Post a picture of your mug when it arrives. Use the hashtag #hereiswap2016 on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Heck, you might even meet a few other Reformation-lovin' ladies that way!

They make take "goods, fame, child and wife" -- pretty sure that goods includes cute coffee mugs -- but in the meantime, we can remind one another of our baptisms, add marshmallows to our cocoa and rejoice in new friendships made over a common faith . . . and maybe even a love of coffee. 

Update: The swap is now closed! Thanks to all who signed up! 

* It's my hope that this swap will be a nifty way for Christian women to encourage one another -- and enjoy a pretty mug during their morning coffee -- but unfortunately, I can't be held responsible for your partner's actions. I'm hopeful people are signing up who actually intend to send mugs, rather than just receive them, but please let me know (adrianeheins@gmail.com) if your partner never sends a mug so that I can reach out to her. 

in defiance of tyranny

This week, you will be tempted.

You will want to give in, give up, give out.

You will endure one of the most intense situations you will ever encounter in this life.

The very fiber of your being will be tried in a Jack Bauer-esque struggle of epic proportions.

This week, you will be tempted to give in to . . . Christmas.

The day after Thanksgiving, your fingers will twitch, your ears will roar, your legs will become unsteady as you move slowly towards the attic, drawn inexplicably to the Christmas decorations stored there, sultry sirens calling your name, begging you to skip right over Advent and dive headlong into Christmas.

This week, though, you get to fight. You get to do battle with the world’s mad dash to Christmas. You get to engage in hand-to-hand combat with consumerism, mommy bloggers’ Christmas projects, and Pinterest boards of Christmasy goodness.

Instead, you get to confess Christ boldly. You get to wait. You even get to work yourself into an Advent frenzy with William Wallace-like bravado. FREEDOMMMMMMMMM!

Fight and you may die. Run and you will live at least awhile. And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our (Advent) freedom!

Ok. Well. Still.

This week, you get to reclaim what is yours: the season of Advent, the Advent wreath, the waiting, the anticipation, the measured pace through the next few weeks, the looking forward.

We Lutherans ought to be good at Advent. {Heck, we’re the ones who created the Advent wreath, after all.} We don’t move quickly. We’re often quietistic. We don’t like to make up our minds too quickly.

And so, this year, let’s play to our theological strengths. Let’s wait. Let’s not be rushed. Let’s take our time. Let’s be slow and deliberate. 

Like salmon swimming against the culture’s current, let’s measure our pace, take a deep breath, and focus on waiting for our Lord.

The anticipation of Christmas is a picture of the Church’s faithful waiting for our Lord’s coming again. “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,” angels tell the disciples on the Mount of Ascension, “will come in the same way you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11), namely, openly, for all to see. Ever since, God’s people have been “on the lookout.” We “look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come,” all of which will take place when “He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead” (Nicene Creed). {Read the full article by the Rev. Dr. Herbert Mueller here.}

Let’s not tick off the days in exasperation, anxious to get to presents. Let’s go in our own way: Sundays in Advent, candles in purple and rose, days, weeks, time.

Let’s look to Christ, who is never rushed, never impatient. Let’s wait with the whole Church on earth, methodically and with grace. Let’s pray the O Antiphons. Let’s sing Advent hymns. Let’s look forward joyfully.

Advent is not pre-Christmas. It is not a series of mini-celebrations of Christ’s birth. But Advent is a season of hope, a season rooted in waiting for the arrival of Christ’s mercy. . . . Advent is always there to build you up by showing you the love of the Savior for whom you wait. {Read the full article by the Rev. Hans Fiene here.}

This week, eat turkey. Gorge yourself on mashed potatoes. Give thanks for our Lord’s love and mercy shown at your table on Thanksgiving and at His each Sunday. And then sit back in your recliner. Breathe. 

And like Mary, ponder it all in your heart: Christ’s second coming, His forgiveness for you, and Christ Himself, whose timing–slow and measured–is always, always perfect.

pumpkin pie and conversation

When most families are busy planning what day they'll show up for Thanksgiving or whose house they'll stay at for Christmas, mine is busy sharing recipes. 

Our holidays, it turns out, center around food. 

Mostly. 

Requests for favorite recipes fly back and forth. Husbands clip recipes from magazines for wives to try. Moms and daughters check to see if others have random ingredients needed for one dish. 

Some people order their lives by days or hours or events. 

We order ours by . . . uhhh . . . food. 

People say that farmers just eat meat and potatoes, and while we do serve up plenty of beef and bacon, we also believe homemade food, a big table and chatty families are some of the best ingredients for a good meal. 

My parents made sure that we ate supper together every night. We had to try everything our mom served, even if it was just a bite or two. We cleaned our plates. We asked to be excused. 

And we were always mentally prepared not to give a wholly honest answer when our dad asked, "Have I ever made you taste something you didn't like?" 

(Hello, split pea soup!)

This Thanksgiving is no different. While we won't all get to be together, we're still swapping recipes, still pulling out our grandma's handwritten recipe cards, still getting out our fat pants so that we can feast on all the deliciousness the cooks have prepared. 

And we're still planning our time together around the fellowship that happens at the table: the jokes, the political debates, the theological discussions. 

And the food. 

But mostly the food. 

Sugar Cookie Recipe

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

salt

Heat oven to 400. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add powder and salt, one cup at a time, until the dough is stiff. Divide into 2 and roll out one half of the dough at a time on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Do not refrigerate the second half. Cut out cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes. Cool slightly and remove. 

Icing

3 egg whites

4 c. powdered sugar

5-6 tablespoons water

Beat for 7-10 minutes until stiff peaks form. 

happy Reformation day!

My mom excelled at a lot of things. Coming up with Halloween costumes for her third child was not one of them. Maybe that’s why, the year I was officially too old to be trick-or-treating and with a cold that left my head plugged from my nostrils to the back of my skull, she clapped an orange wig on my head, dropped me off on one side of town, and told me to meet her at a friend’s house on the opposite side of the city.

Seriously.

An orange wig for a costume.

Mom.

C’mon.

Never mind that it was sleeting. Never mind that I ate half my candy before I got to her friend’s house. Never mind that the chilly weather actually cleared out all the gunk that was making me stuffy. Never mind that my own grandmother’s porch light was turned off.

My own grandmother.

Not that I’m still thinking about this 20 years later or anything.

It’s just that I’m awfully thankful to be old enough not to have to wear a pig snout for a costume while walking through feet of snow with my sisters begging for candy anymore. Instead, I’m grateful that today I get to stay home and eat all the fun-size Snickers I want . . . before my husband finds the wrapper stash.

I also get to be thankful for Reformation Day, which, despite its appalling lack of Sixlets, is a pretty sweet gig too.

And so I present to you, 5.75 reasons it’s good to be a Lutheran on Reformation Day.

Well, first I’m going to show you these cookies my sister made. Probably you should leave some comment love for her on how fabulous these are.

5) Sturdy hymns.

With all due respect to the musical abilities of Twila Paris, I really feel the Reformation produced some pretty meaty hymns, the kind that actually stick to your bones when you’re frustrated or worried or fed up or scared. It’s time we dug those back out, learned them by heart, sang them at home with our kids. Instead of having “I’m So Fancy” on repeat in your noggin, try out “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word.”

4) A hardcore Reformer.

You can have Mel Gibson. You can have “Freeeedommmmmm!” speeches. Heck, you can even have the kilts and the war paint. We got Luther, who was brave enough to live and prepared to die by and for the Word of the Lord, who cared more about doing what was right than his name or his reputation and didn’t even have to use #haterzgonnahate to prove it.

3) Trick-or-treating.

We have freedom in the Gospel, which means we can go to our church’s Reformation service AND dress up as a Twister board to get toothbrushes and apples from our neighbors all in one night!

On second thought, maybe just buy your own candy on your way home from church.

2) Endurance.

What was true then is still true now. We’re not hip. We’re not trendy. We’re faithful to God’s Word; we’re consistent. So when Luther wrote, “And take they our life, Goods, fame, child and wife, Let these all be gone, They yet have nothing won; The Kingdom our remaineth,” it was not only the cause for goosebumps then as now, but it was also just as apropos when he wrote it as it is today. It was true for Luther. It is true for the Christians fleeing ISIS. It is true for you.

1) Jesus.

Luther might as well have been a big, flashing, neon Vegas sign that pointed straight to his Savior. Because when we think of the Reformation, we think of Jesus, of the one died and lives to give us every good gift (even though it will usually not come in the form of the orange wig of shame and a sugar high). So with the Psalmist, you get to say, “God is for me!” (Ps. 56:9).

As for that last quarter of a point, well, see # 1.

And oh yeah . . . hapopy Reflosrmatiron Dsayt!

{Sorry. Sticky Snickers chocolate fingers. It’s never too early to start.}