I've been away for a while because of a number of things: two weeks of tooth pain; four days of assessment; and because I forget each year how very busy this time is for d.s.s. Churches and pastors who are on the bubble as far as move/stay need attention and meetings in the evenings; we must begin the important work of prayer and discernment of appointment making; and it's so darn cold everything seems harder. Tomorrow we interview Saint Paul students who are newly asking to be appointed in student appointments next year. It'll be a good but long day.
Emergent wise:
---I've been asked by a d.s. in North Georgia to come down and do three workshops with her pastors around younger adult and emergent conversation topis in mid-May.
---I think I'm leading a book review session for the KC Emergent Cohort on Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change on March 6 and I foget where...I left my calendar at the office...
---I am (and I hope YOU are) registered for the Deep Shift conference on April 25-26 led by Brian McLaren in KC. Go to http://www.deepshift.org/ for registration and other info. Tim Keel is leading a two day workshop on his Intuitive Leadership April 23-24. Mike King is also offering a youth leadership event during that same time. Go to http://www.timkeel.com/timkeel/conference.html to find out more.
---And, ok, speaking of Tim, I heard a very good sermon on fasting Sunday night at Jacobs Well. Here's the podcast link: http://jacobswell-mp3s.s3.amazonaws.com/ Don't know quite if that works but you can go to the http://www.jacobswellchurch.org/ site and click on sermon audio to get there, too.
---I am reading a book I picked up a couple of weeks ago that is a really neat story about what so many of us yearn for---real community. It's a couple of years old and is entitled Little Chapel on the River: A Pub, A Town and The Search for What Matters Most by Gwendolyn Bounds.
And in other news:
--I bought a KC cityscape print by water colorist extraordinaire Barbara Neth that she framed and Hubert brought by for me yesterday. Just seeing Hubert and reading a poem he let me read were tonic for my soul.
--Steve Campbell led the HN district book study today on Barbara Brown Taylor's The Preaching Life. I only wish I had had time this morning to be present for the entire session---I think we had 12 pastors present. I was reminded that preaching does not need to be complex in structure to be profound--most some of the simplist expressions of the gospel in story are the ones the preacher thoughtfully speaks from his or her own soul....so we all best be about soul care, our own and others.
This sounds like the "letter home" mode I fall into when I haven't written for a while...so, take care of yourselves, drive safely, and remember your mittens when you go out....Love to all, SKCJ
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1 comment:
Hi Susan,
I was unaware you were interested in the emergent movement. I've been very interested since the first emergent conference put on by youth specialties. Brian McClaren, Rob Bell, Tim Keel Doug Padgitt and many more were there. I felt as if I had come home, but feared it would not be something the UMC would embrace too readily.
Anyway, thanks for your blog. I'll keep checking in.
robwinger
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