9 years and counting

I knew a couple of days had passed since my last blog entry; didn't realize it had been 21 days. After two of my faithful readers expressed their personal concern for me and my absence from my beloved blog, I decided it was time to pick up the pen, or type on the keyboard, to let you know that I am alive and well.
It's been a busy month as we move towards launching UrbanLife. Our goal is to build community and deepen spirituality among young urban professionals and we have several different ways to meet this goal. One way is through our fall classes that will begin in October. We are kicking-off our classes with a community-wide Blessing of the Animals event on Sun., Oct. 7, in Reverchon Park.
With the big event less than three weeks away, it feels a little like when you've planned a party and now are waiting to see if people come. And with things like ministry, it's not just about your strategy or how well it is executed; it's also about God. It's about trusting God, and, being able to ask at every moment of the process--what is God teaching me, my leadership team, and this church about what it means to make disciples of Jesus Christ?
This month I have experienced a deeper relationship with God as I have realized my need to draw close and rely on God's strength versus my own finite self. It has been humbling, and yet in that humbleness, I have felt God's guiding presence. I'm really thankful. And I'm so excited to see what's going to happen in October with UrbanLife as we open the doors and welcome people to the ministry.
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On a separate note, I want to give a quick shot-out to my girls in our "A Little Deeper Book Club." We started our 9th year today, reviewing Jodi Picoult's book, "Nineteen Minutes." It was so good to see everyone after our annual summer break. The idea for this book club came during my second year in seminary, Fall 1997, when Stanley Hauerwas told us as part of Christian Ethics, "It's not what you read in seminary that matters, it's THAT you read when you get out of seminary." There's no better way to keep reading than to join a book club and discuss good books with other people.