D.S. cohort etc.

I am yet again in Washington DC. Why, you might ask? This is the third and last time that a group of 12 who were 1st year d.s.s last year have been gathered over the last 13 months through the Lewis Center for Church Leadership (at Wesley Seminary, Lovett Weems, director) and a Lilly grant to help the Center study what practices can help make the first year of a d.s. more effective. We begin tomorrow morning and go to noon Friday, and, unlike the other two times we've met, we have not been sent an agenda, subject matter, pre-meeting assignments, or anything else like that. Five of us got together for dinner tonight and talked and talked honestly, and laughed, and nearly cried, too. For some reason, I ended up giving my charge conference devotion (the 7 minute abridged version)--I still did the the painting thing (Christ at Heart's door); the three questions (tv, last Friday, and the churchy one); and the Wesley-not-wanting-to-preach-in-the-field-but-did-what-it-took-and-we-should-too big finish...those who have heard it and read this will understand. Liz Lopez, Kay Scarborough, Gail Ford Smith, and John, whose last name I know but can't come up with at the moment, listened and were affirming, as good friends are. All say I seem to be lots more energetic and full of life. And we all watched together on the restaurant TV the CNN report on the Bakker boy who is Punk and proud and Christian. He really sounds like he's got his head on straight if you ask me...The pic here is of a lapel pin similar to the one I wear when I am d.s.ing--except mine is round. Do you know that Cokesbury sells 140 different lapel pin types??? I am looking forward to whatever we are going to do together here, and I am SO blessed by being a part of these people...and thanks Kevin Shelton, for affirming my blog-writing. Maybe more tomorrow from the nation's capitol...