The Archbishop of Canterbury Tells... Us What's Up

Rowan Williams is a theologian. Rowan Williams is an Anglican Christian. He is the Archbishop of Canterbury. And he is quite possibly one of the strongest and most creative voices that we have in the Church today.

Check out a sermon of his that he preached at medieval St. Mary's Church in Nottingham June 26, 2005, before the G8 Summit.

USING OUR MORAL IMAGINATIONS FOR MORAL ALTERNATIVES

One of the problems that I have with the whole liberal-conservative political arguments is that there is often times a failure to use our imaginations to solve problems. We resort to rhetoric and argument.

I admit that I am not special or unique to this. My moral and political imagination is flabby and needs to be exercised too. When I spoke up and said that I was against our going to war in Iraq a few years ago I was often asked what alternative I would propose. I never had a good response for creative alternatives. But I knew that the alternatives are out there. The problem that I see is that individual alternatives don't really matter- it'll take communities rooted in certain practices and traditions to offer the alternatives and then live them out.

So what might an alternative look like? Maybe its really really small. Maybe the alternatives are varied and many. I read an article today. It began like this:

"July 25 - An Islamic organization has launched a national campaign that proposes an expansion of Muslim youth in scouting as one way to combat terrorist ideology, violence and extremism within the American Muslim community."

I wonder if our leaders looked for more imaginative and creative alternatives to WAR on Terror what might happen. I wonder if we could plant these kinds of seeds all over the world? There have to be folks all over the world throughout all the world's relgions that could be inspired to plant seeds such as this.

read U.S. Islamic Group Launches Campaign to Combat Home-Grown Terrorism in its entirety here.

Practice planting seeds this week and pray for good fruit.

shalom,
jonathon

Weekly Reflections from Abby

So here's a great new addition to my regular posts- weekly reflections from my 9 month old daughter, Abby.

She may only be 9 months old, but she has some wonderful ideas about life. So here we go, this week's thought:

"vbbgh n..esa1 tvhujkn,kjk lh rgrh vgj fdvxc gfv7"

BRILLIANT if I do say so myself.

PETRA BECOMES PETRA-FIED

Hot off the press- after years together, shaping the way of CCM, Petra is calling it quits...


did I miss something?

I didn't know these guys were even still alive let alone still a band... ummm, until today.

I suppose this means we can expect to see them on a reality show at some point kickin' it up with the ole' songs and auditioning for a new singer or something like that... We'll just have to wait and see, won't we.

CHURCH GROWTH MOVEMENTS AND PRACTICAL ATHEISM

These words of UM Bishop Kenneth L. Carder (one of my heroes and aquaintances) may be pertinent in the discussion of the practices and place of the Church Growth Movement and the United Methodist Church.


"When the consumerist motivation becomes pervasive everything is reduced to a utilitarian market commodity. Worship is reduced to a marketing tool to attract the masses and is shaped by personal preferences and individual tastes. Evangelism is seen more as joining the church than a radical reorintation of life in response to prevenient, justifying, santifying, and perfecting grace. Ministry becomes a commodity to be dispensed by the professionals and received by the laity. Institutional participation is equated with discipleship and mission is treated as an optional object of occasional financial support. The church is viewed as another of the many institutions competing for the loyalty and support of people, who shop for the institution that best fulfils their self-identified needs.

The loss of the centrality of theology moves God to the periphery of the church's life or makes God a utilitarian commodity. Thus, some have charged The United Methodist Church in the United States with "atheism". Contemporary Methodists tend to trust planning processes, organizational strategies, institutional structures, and the insights gleaned from the social sciences more than the power of gospel proclaimed and lived. Without firm theological grounding and critique, as Wesley practiced in the eighteenth century, the methods employed by the church promote a practical atheism under the guise of the Christian faith. The church loses its memory and relies on the surrounding culture to give it identity and purpose."

written by Bishop Kenneth L. Carder (former bishop for TN Conference); excerpt from Rethinking Wesley's Theology For Contemporary Methodism; edited by Randy Maddox

A New/Old Kind of Church Discipline

The Protestant reformers named three "marks by which the true church is known": the preaching of the pure doctrine of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline to correct faults. Today, church discipline is feared as the mark of a false church, bringing to mind images of witch trials, scarlet letters, public humiliations, and damning excommunications. Does discipline itself need correction and redemption in order to be readmitted into the body of Christ?

This excerpt from Christianity Today caught my attention this morning. Among my evangelical friends I know that the idea of church discipline and accountability is an important issue. The last line of the excerpt asks the question- "Does discipline itself need correction and redemption in order to be readmitted into the body of Christ?

It seems to me that church discipline tends to be reduced to "beliefs" about how church is church- which adheres to a more modern or rationalistic way of looking at discipline.

If mainline protestants who want to remain faithful to the reformational spirit and don't want to lose one of our hallmarks- church discipline- then how do we view it in a postmodern, or transition from modernity, context?

I think we have to go back to the orthodox church- before the great schism and see how they viewd church discipline. Orthodox Chrisitanity held practice/mysticism and belief/rationalism in balance with one another. In fact both were connected, a part of one another. This ideas of both right belief and practice is missing in the church today. Part of the fault of modernity has not been it's technological breakthroughs, it's dedication to science and enlightenment thought. The fault is it's failure to prepare us for Postmodernity.

Going back to Orthodoxy means that we embrace rationalism along with the ancient practices of the church. So we ask ourselves what are life enriching practices that have sustained the church and might continue to sustain the church in the coming days?

Dorothy Bass in her book, Practicing Our Faith gives us historic practices put in a modern context that might help shape Christian communities:
1. Honoring the Body
2. Hospitality
3. Household Economics
4. Saying Yes and Saying No
5. Keeping Sabbath
6. Testimony
7. Discernment
8. Shaping Communities
9. Forgiveness
10. Healing
11. Dying Well
12. Singing Our Lives

I think a shift in the way we view church discipline- a shift that goes back to the premodern church in order to inform the postmodern church- might just help us get past the doctrinal conflict that we can't seem to move passed. I don't know that these specific practices are all THE practices for a new way of viewing church discipline but it's a start. I wonder what our Annual Conferences would look like if there was an emphasis on practicing prayer together and committing to our churches practicing our faith in such a new way?

SoulFeast and the Day After

I haven't posted this week because I was part of the leadership staff for SOULfeast, a spiritual formation conference for families hosted by Upper Room, held at Lake Junaluska. I had a terrific time. I was part of the youth ministry team. My role was to lead a pilgrimage into Ashville, NC with the youth and then lead a couple of the youth sessions.

So on Tue. we went on a pilgrimage into Ashville and split the youth into 3 groups. Each group was given a disposable camera and given the task of finding God in the ordinary places of life and take a picture of that.

On Wed. we talked about Jacob travelling on pilgrimage and how at a very ordinary place he experienced the presence of God and gave that place a new name- Bethel.

On Thur. we ended the youth time with a contemplative worship experience with various prayer stations. All in all it was a wonderful week.

A few personal blessings came out of the week for me:
1. Jen, Jonas and Abby got to come along and be a part of the week. It was great for once to lead an event and my family be there too.

2. The highlight spiritually for me was walking the labyrinth, an ancient form of praying using a circular path, at Lake Junaluska and introducing it to my 3 year old son. Together we walked it and when we got the middle we sat together and he said the Lord's Prayer. It was a beautiful moment for me. In fact after we walked it he wanted to do it again. So the second time we walked it Jen and Abby came too.

3. I found time some much needed quiet time.

Upon returning I decided that today I'd walk the labyrinth here in town at Scarritt Bennitt. Once again it became a wonderful and quiet moment for me to bring some concerns that I'm having before God. I think I'll do it more often- hopefully once a week.

And I'm gonna try and take Jonas with me at least once a month. My friend Kara Oliver was also one of the youth leaders at SOULfeast. Check out her blog to read her reflections on SOULfeast.

Will the real Slim Jonathon Please Stand Up?

My BFF, Gavin, interviewed me. We have way too much time on our hands.

Check out the interview here.







But is this the real Jonathon?

John, over at Locust and Honey also interviewd me for his Blogger Profile. Check his out here and I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

BLOG WITHOUT WORDS

Our being is silent, but our existence is noisy.
--Thomas Merton

We bloggers enjoy our words. I wonder though if we take enough time out when we're not writing to practice the spiritual discipline of "silence and holy listening". I know that my words can quickly become hurtful and condemning when I'm not rooted in God's compassion. Taking time out to simply "be" in God's presence through the practice of silence brings me back to God's love and helps me connect with that.

In her article about a personal experience of practicing silence, Anne A. Simpkinson says:
"At a 10-day Centering Prayer retreat at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, we practiced Grand Silence where you do not speak except for participating in the Catholic Mass, and you also refrain from eye contact. Though it sounds extreme, it’s actually a relief to forego social niceties—the chit chat, the smiles--in favor of focusing on your interior self. It’s equally astonishing to realize after three or four days that you’re no longer paying attention to cues from the external world, but that you have truly turned inward."

"What became very clear to me that day as I “sat” in meditation was that not only did the retreat house have a plumbing problem, but I had a problem, a pocket of anger that exploded when I felt I was not being taken care of. You can retreat from the world, I realized, but not from yourself."

I'm thinking I need to be quiet more. Maybe a retreat to Cullman AL. is calling me.

Simpkinson ends her article with:
"And if, like my young colleague, you think you can’t be quiet for more than five minutes, think of the retreat as an extended conversation with God. Silence being, as St. John of the Cross once said, God’s first language."

shalom,
St.Phransus

WORSHIP IDEA- Prayer Station 1-WEEDS

From time to time on a fairly regular basis I'll be posting various worship ideas- usually a prayer station that one could use with youth or young adults. Why keep these thoughts to myself, so I'll share them. They may suck, but then again- maybe from time to time we'll have a gem. So here's my first one. And, if you want- you have my permission to use this. Please just email me and let me know that you used it: StPhransus@hotmail.com.

WORSHIP IDEA
THEME: FORGIVENESS, SPIRITUAL GROWTH
SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 13: 24-29

IDEA: The prayer station helps students understand that their faith and development is a process that they should be growing into. Simply set up a worship space with the materials listed and the sheet below for the student to read, reflect upon, and meditate upon. You might want to provide ambient music while the students are in prayer.

MATERIALS: small flower pots, soil in the pots, paint pens, various kinds of seeds, and the prayer station reflection sheet

REFLECTION SHEET

WEEDS
"God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
"The farmhands came to the farmer and said, "Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'
"He answered, "Some enemy did this.'
"The farmhands asked, "Should we weed out the thistles?'
"He said, "No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time
.- Jesus of Nazareth (as told by Matthew)

REFLECTION

If we think of our lives as a large field then we can only imagine what all might be growing in that field. Over a lifetime our field has many variety of plants, flowers and trees. But also in our fields are weeds growing alongside all the life and beauty.

Imagine that the plants, trees and exotic flowers that grow in our fields are the good things about us- our relationship with God, our being a servant to those in need, and our faithfulness to Jesus and his way. These plants started as seeds that were planted by various people and events of our lives- those who have been positive influences, shared and passed along the faith to you, and have been an inspiration.

But alongside imagining about the plants we have to include the weeds. Every field has them. No field is exempt. The weeds came into the field the same way as the seeds- just as people and events have shaped your life in a positive way, certain people, events, media, etc… have been a destructive influence.

We all live with weeds in our fields. Sometimes the weeds get so high and seem to overtake the field in such a way that we feel like our field is not a garden but just a large field of weeds. But Jesus reminds us that these weeds ARE NOT who we are. We ARE Children Of God. God’s love for us is the kind of love that recognizes us for who we are all the while wanting and urging us to continue to focus on the plants, flowers and trees that continue to help us grow in our faith and relationship with Christ.


MEDITATION
Before you is a pot of soil and seeds. Take two seeds- one the represents the plants, flowers and trees of your life right now and those who planted them, and the other one representing the weeds that you have in your field right now and those events and people that have contributed to them.

Plant each seed into the pot of soil and as you do recognize that both are a part of you. After you have finished take a paint pen and write a prayer on the pot asking God for guidance in focusing on the plants in your life and not the weeds. Take your pot with you and put it somewhere prominent as a reminder that God’s love is always with you.

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THEOLOGY- Today's Thinkers Weigh In

This post is both a response to Shane Rayner's post at Wesley Blog, and Gavin Richardson's post at Hit the Back Button.

SO, what are different Christian thinkers thinking when it comes to The Church and homosexuality? Here're a few different perspectives to aid in the conversation:

1. John Milbank:The Anglican Communion's Argument Over Homosexuality

2. N. T. Wright:Interview with Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright of Durham, England

3. Several Religious leaders including United Methodist Bishop Will Willimon: Protestants and Gays

4. Professor Richard Hays: Richard Hays' story of Gary

5. Richard B. Hays: Homosexuality: Rebellion Against God

6. Stan Grenz: Welcoming but Not Affirming

sorry that I didn't have any women theologians- I searched for resources by Rosemary Reuther, Nancy Murphy, and Sallie McFague (3 theologians I have much respect for) but I didn't find anything that looked helpful.

So what are your thoughts? Which articles do you find helpful, harmful, or challenging?

Pro-Gay Rally at UMC Conference Center- an attempt at one response to Wesley Blog

Once upon a time the Methodist Church began to be divided into various groups with various ideas, colors, beliefs and theology. Some groups thought that some should be excluded from the church while others thought that other groups should not be a part of the denomination. Some talked about splitting while others talked about withholding apportionments.

One day in heaven, John Wesley asked Jesus, "what do you think about everything that's going on in the UMC?" Jesus said it reminds me of a parable I told a long time ago and it goes like this, "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field...."

Over at the Wesley Blog, Shane has posted an article about the Reconciling Ministries Network's (an organization that exists to enable full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life of the United Methodist Church both in policy and practice) convocation being held this year at Lake Junaluska- the Southeast Jurisdictional retreat center. Shane is making a strong case that the ecclesial/theological liberals still hold power in our tradition and that this example is "case and point".

According to Wesley Blog, "So what do we do? We're dealing with a special interest group working against UMC teaching, yet it has still been allowed to rent a major UMC facility and is given de facto approval by seven UMC bishops. This just can't be allowed to happen. First of all, I believe there could be spiritual fallout if we allow facilities like this to be used to promote unbiblical causes."

So now I'm stuggling with the question- who get's access to our facilities- to have a voice and space to "practice their faith"? And what does it mean when we begin to exclude "United Methodist" groups from using United Methodist facilities because we disagree with their stances (and how those stance are lived out practically in the life of the church)?

So let's look at some different scenarios and stories:
1. Genesis 19: 1-29: The story of Sodom and Gomorrah. This story has been "interpreted" by most as a story of a city who's destroyed because of it's wickedness and sexual immorality. It is a favorite scripture to use to demonize homosexuality. However another "interpretation" of this passage is that God's judgement falls on the cities because of their unwillingness to show hospitality to strangers. Throughout the Bible God defends and stands for "the other" and it might not be such a stretch here. So what's the implication for the UM to deny hospitality to a group who seeks sanctuary?

2. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13
This is part of the Holiness Code which explains rules designed to maintain purity, or cleanliness. "A male lying with a male as with a woman" is considered an abomination. Why? One "interpretation" is that this was thought to "pollute" the male and wastes the "seed" which was believed to hold all of the potential life. Such behavior would leave the participants ritually impure. It had nothing to do with sexual attraction or intimacy or mutual relationships. But in this section of the code we find many other rules alongside the sexual practices such as eating pork (punishable by death), touching leather, and having sex with a menstruating woman. Other prohibited actions include sowing a field with two kinds of seed and wearing clothing made of more than one material. The concern here is more about ritual purity than our idea of morality (but in premodern hebrew thought- morality was tied to ritual purity).

3. Romans 1:26-27. One cannot deny that Paul believes that anything other than a woman in relationship with a man and a man in a relationship with a woman is how he believes things ought to be. I like the message version of this passage- Eugene Peterson says, "women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men--all lust, no love.

I think a key issue in here is that we live in a creation that is fallen and confused and no one is outside of that confused and fallen nature. Again, one "interpretation" to this passage has been that Paul sees homosexual behavior as behavior that cannot be expressed within a committed loving monogomous relationship but as an "abandonment to relationships in exchange for lust". I'm not ready to speak for Paul from reading one passage but it's worth the thought (and I tend to think it holds a lot of water).

Paul goes on later to say that we all fall short and that nothing seperates us from the love of Christ. This passage reinforces my question- then who ought to actually be excluded from being a part of the Body of Christ? And how do we make that judgement?

4. Since I couldn't find a place in the gospels where Jesus teaches against/for/about homosexuality, I turned to a story he told-

"God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.

"The farmhands came to the farmer and said, "Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'

"He answered, "Some enemy did this.'

"The farmhands asked, "SHOULD WE WEED OUT THE THISTLES?'

"He said, "No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'"

... and so in the end Jesus looked at John Wesley and said I wish they'd quit arguing with one another and simply see themselves for who they are- my brothers and sisters and know that I'll take care of the judging when the time is right. John shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

I suppose I have to disagree with Shane on the issue of whether we ought to allow RMN to use Lake Junaluska. I'm not sure I want to be in the game of separating wheat from weeds- I'm not sure where I might end up if that were to happen.... and I imagine many others might be in that boat as well, afterall- according to Paul- we're all confused.

4 DAYS, 8 HOURS

My favorite movie in the entire world is the 1970's "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". However- Jonas and I are highly anticipating Friday's release of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I admit it- I am a huge Johnny Depp fan and definitely an even bigger Tim Burton fan. So this adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book should be way cool. The trailer's look crazy good. (check out trailer's here)

In fact last night Jonas, Jen and I decided to have a Willie Wonka Party. This consisted of- watching the original movie (which Jonas had never seen), and eating lots of different wonka candy (the big winner was the wonka chocolate donuts).

Today we've been listening to both soundtracks to the old classic movie and the new soundtrack (written and composed by Danny Elfman, who has composed music for most of Burton's films).

There's some great symbolic and metaphorical imagery that can be used in relating wonka and the Christian life. In fact, when one looks at Tim Burton's films there's some spiritual gems awaiting to be unpackaged. I'm planning on using several Burton films on Wed. night for discussion on the Christian life: here's some initial thoughts:

1. Edward Scissorhands- spiritual practice of hospitality. How do we welcome the stranger as Christ in our midst

2. Big Fish: grace, and the means of grace (practices)

3. Mars Attacks- war and violence and our faith

that's all for now.

shalom,
jonathon

SEED SOWING

Matthew 13- (The Message)
A Harvest Story
1At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. 2In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. 3Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.

"What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. 4As HE SCATTERED THE SEED, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. 5Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, 6so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. 7Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. 8Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

9"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

I was reading this passage this morning and the phrase "he scattered the seed" was what stood out to me. As I reflected on this passage I thought about my expectations that I have being a youth pastor.

I really take the spiritual growth, the social/emotional growth and community building within my youth group seriously. You might even say that in some ways I unhealthily carry the concerns of my group on my shoulders. Maybe I tend to assume that my group are all fertile ground that I'm spreading seeds on- when in fact within our group there's rocky ground, thorny ground, sandy ground along with soil that is fertile for growth.

I listened to my heart this morning and it said- throw the seeds out and know that it's hitting different soils- but that soil can change with time and the seeds will remain- waiting for fertile soil.

So this morning I was at peace- thinking about my kids, missing my kids, loving my kids... and praying that the soil of their lives not be too rocky (mine sure is at times), not to thorny (mine sure has been at times), and even not so fertile that they lose sight of their friends whose lives are less than fertile and need good friends.

"The cloud stood humbly in a corner of the sky.
The morning crowned it with splendour."
- Tagore, an Indian Poet

GOOD VERSUS EVIL or THE STORY OF THE GOO'VIL EMPIRE

There's an interesting discussion going on at Thunder Jones' blog. In his post, "How Understanding Dictates Action, Thunder questions our understanding of Bush's response to terrorism. After reading the comments, I just had to throw my 2cents in.

After I finished posting I decided to post my response here- it's a discussion that is worthy of talking about. In this day and age our roles as both Christians and citizens of the most powerful country in the world must be defined and held in tension. So here was my post and I invite critiques and discussion. I admit that I am not well informed on US policy as much as I am shaped by my theological positions.

From my comments at Thunder's Blog:

Is it[the war on terrorism] a matter of good guys versus bad guys? Of course it is- the only problem is- for us- we're obviously the good guys and the fundamentalist muslims are the bad guys- and for the fundie extremists in the mid east it's us who are the bad guys.

For me the question becomes how do we as a country respond to this "evil"?

Is it wrong for a country to defend itself through the use of force? Well, no, because that's what countries do- when attacked, a country protects itself.

Should a Christian use violence or condone the use of violence? I don't believe that Christian practice- including pacifism- is something that can be universalized- it is a unique practice for a unique group of people (Christians) within their communities of faith.

I do believe that becuase of our unique practices-
1. Christians have a duty to their faith above politics and national identity not to do harm to anyone, therefore to not participate in any form of violence. (Where does Jesus' teachings condone the use of violence and force?)

2. Christians ought to be living examples of the Kingdom of God NOW. In the midst of a broken and fallen world- God's hope for the future is lived out through God's people- US (us being Christians, not US being the United States). How do others know the difference between good and evil unless we strive to live "GOOD" and right, even when faced with evil and harm?

So, does Bush respond as a Christian who is president or President who is Christian?

I have my opinion on the matter which I believe holds a tension between being faithful to God and God's community (The Church) and being a "good" and faithful citizen of a country.

THE BISHOP AND THE PROPHET

I just discovered (via Shane Rayner's blog) that one of my heroes is now blogging. Bishop Will Willimon, currently serving the North Alabama Conference is a prolific author and a real prophetic voice for Christianity today. Check him out- cause he's writing some good stuff!!! He has had the largest impact on my theology (besides Stan Hauerwas) over the last couple of years. This excites me to no end!!!!

Will Willimon's Blog- A Peculiar Prophet.

What Are These People Saying?

GW: So Bono, my wife thinks your hair is hot. I'm thinkin' bout getting me one of those rock n roll hairdews. What's your opinion?

Bono: The hair will work if you get the sunglasses too....

Bob G: It's exactly what you need Mr. President to get your ratings up with the young people.

Laura: I agree, and plus you'd be really hot!

GW: Then it's settled! Laura, have Dick call my barber and tell him that I want one of 'dem there Bono hair cuts.

Bono: But Mr. President, what are we going to do about all the poverty in Africa and the third world?

GW: This reminds me of an ole' sayin that my grandpa used to say on the farm.... "if the beans don't bite then it's time to burn the bacon."

Bono: Huh?

GW: Don't mess with Texas!! Ye yeah!

What do you think they are saying in the picture? Post your ideas here on the "Beliefnet" website, or just leave a comment at my blog.

Youth Pastor and the Summertime = BUSY!!!

Well so far it's been a wild Summer. I've been horrible about neglecting the blog- but if you know the life of a youth pastor then you probably know that this is THE BUSIEST season of the year!!! I've had every intention to sit and write lately, but catching my breath seems to be more important at this point.

Mt. TOP was great- and I did journal about it my experience every day which will be my next several posts.

This week Jen and I are on holiday at St. George Island, FL. It is absolutely georgious. I'm really sorry that I haven't been blogging lately, but between reading for my summer grad class and youth stuff- there's not much time. I'll write when I can. I HAVE BEEN READING all the blogs that I subscribe to (you know who you are- well most of you do).

Later all,
Jonathon