What the ...?

Snow in Orange, Texas? You betcha. As you can see, it isn't much, but they have announced that all the schools will be starting two hours later to give people a chance to get a grip on this turn of events. You'd think unicorns and centaurs were walking around town. As far as people in Orange County are concerned, this isn't far removed from sorcery or magic.

Meeting a Hero

A picture of me meeting NT Wright in Toronto, Canada at the Anglicanism: A Gift in Christ conference last week.

Advent Underground: The Resistance Movement

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas? What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.

Bound for the Black Hills

My wife and I are flying out tomorrow morning to South Dakota to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family there. I am one of those rare people who deeply enjoy their in-laws. My in-laws, Jenny's whole family (parents, siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins, etc.), are precious people, brothers and sisters of the Faith, with great senses of humor and tremendous loyalty. Time with them is always such a refreshment to me. My own private favorite tradition is early morning coffee on a cool morning with my Mother and Father-in-law. The landscape of the Black Hills is enchanting and I am looking eagerly forward to some easy walks through the granite, junipers, aspens, and sage as well.

Two other items of excitement for the holiday: 1.) I'm going to Toronto quickly for an Anglican conference at which NT Wright+ will be the keynote speaker. As most of you know, to say that Bishop Wright has been an inspiration to me would be an understatement. I'll be there with a few people from our church and my dear brother Matt Larsen. 2.) Jenny's beloved friend from college, Britta, is going to be joining us in South Dakota for the holiday. Few people bring as much joy to my wife's heart as Britta, and for her company this holiday I am very grateful.

Also, you never know when we might drop in to Boulder when we are in that part of the world.

Reading list for the Holiday:

The Hauerwas Reader by Stanley Hauerwas and Jayber Crow by Wendel Berry.

Traveling Tunes:

Josh Garell's new album, Jacaranda.

A Monastery in Beaumont?

My wife and I spent this past Saturday at a spiritual retreat at the Holy Cross Monastery in Beaumont, Texas. I had never before been to a monastery, and having grown up in the Church of Christ and Southern Baptist Church, I suppose my disposition is to be suspicious of such enterprises. Yet, I found the day to be entirely pleasant and of great spiritual benefit.

We started the day celebrating the Holy Eucharist. It was a lovely celbration, appropriately punctuated by periods of meditative silence when the wind could be heard blowing through the trees outside and the scripture lessons we were reading could be ruminated upon and digested. We then ate a meal together prepared for us by the monks, and had an afternoon's discussion on humility and how it is attained. We ended the day by chanting Psalms 119 and praying together. Through the course of the day it dawned upon me anew how good silence, prayer, nature and meditation are for the soul. I confess to having far less than would be good for me, and hope to make those disciplines part of my regular practice as a disciple of Christ. My wife said the day was beautiful and relaxing... a bit of heaven come to earth. Apparently, they have similar retreats the third Saturday of every month. I suspect those monks have not seen the last of the Ballards.

The Early Church on War and Violence

I say as often as I can that I am, as a Christian, a pacifist and that I believe all Christians should be pacifists. Along those lines, I was very pleased when I discovered that the peer reviewed theological journal Themelios put out by The Gospel Coalition recently included an article entitled, Nonviolence in the Ancient Church and Christian Obedience. I thought some of the quotes from the early church were worth posting here:

"We who once murdered each other indeed no longer wage war against our enemies; moreover, so as not to bear false witness before our interrogators, we cheerfully die confessing Christ." -- Justin Martyr (110–165), the early church’s foremost apologist.

"But now inquiry is being made concerning these issues. First, can any believer enlist in the military? Second, can any soldier, even those of the rank and file or lesser grades who neither engage in pagan sacrifices nor capital punishment, be admitted into the church? No on both counts—for there is no agreement between the divine sacrament and the human sacrament, the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot serve two masters—God and Caesar. And yet some people toy with the subject by saying, "Moses carried a rod, Aaron wore a buckle, John the Baptist girded himself with leather just like soldiers do belts, and Joshua the son of Nun led troops into battle, such that the people waged war." But how will a Christian engage in war—indeed, how will a Christian even engage in military service during peacetime—without the sword, which the Lord has taken away? For although soldiers had approached John to receive instructions and a centurion believed, this does not change the fact that afterward, the Lord, by disarming Peter, disarmed every soldier." -- Tertullian (197–212)

"Shall it be regarded lawful to make an occupation of the sword, when the Lord proclaims that he who takes the sword shall die by the sword? Shall the child of peace join in the battle when he is not even permitted to sue at law? . . . Shall he carry a flag, despite its hostility to Christ? Shall he request a command from the Emperor who has already received one from God? . . . The very transporting of the Christian name from the camp of light over to the camp of darkness constitutes a violation of God’s law." -- Tertullian

"It needs to be emphasized that when someone becomes a believer and his faith is sealed, there must be an immediate abandonment of military service." -- Tertullian

"A soldier, being inferior in rank to God, must not kill anyone. If ordered to, he must not carry out the order, nor may he take an oath (sacramentum) to do so. If he does not accept this, let him be dismissed from the church. Anyone bearing the power of the sword, or any city magistrate, who wears purple, let him cease from wearing it at once or be dismissed from the church. Any catechumen or believer who wishes to become a soldier must be dismissed from the church because they have despised God." -- Hippolytus (199–217)

"Rulers entrusted with the authority to take life and soldiers must not kill anyone, even if they are commanded to do so. . . . Anyone holding a prominent position of leadership or a ruler’s authority who does not keep himself disarmed, as the gospel necessitates, must be dismissed from the flock. Let no Christian become a soldier. Any official obligated to carry a sword must not bring bloodguilt upon himself; if he does, he must not participate in the mysteries until he is purified through correction, tears, and groans." -- Hippolytus (199–217)

"We must delightfully come to the counsels of Jesus by cutting down our hostile and impudent swords into plowshares and transforming into pruning-hooks the spears formerly employed in war. So we no longer take up the sword against nations, nor do we learn war anymore, since we have become children of peace, for the sake of Jesus, who is our leader, instead of those whom our ancestors followed." -- Origen (240–48)

Anglican History

Since my wife and I have become Episcopalian/Anglican, the questions that I have been asked the most regarding that decison have, surprisingly, been questions regarding the history of the Anglican church. So, I thought perhaps a well researched answer was in order. Enjoy:

Christianity arrived in Britain in the first or second century (probably via the tin trade route through Ireland and Iberia), and existed independently of the Church of Rome, as did virtually all other Christian communities of that era. Most scholars believe that Christianity arrived in Brittania about A.D. 44 around Glastonbury (roughly 11 years after Christ's Crucifixion!) The first English martyr is Alban in A.D. 209. Alban reportedly sheltered a Christian missionary from Gaul and was executed because Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire at that time. The earliest historical written evidence of an organized Christian church in England is found in the writings of such early Christian fathers as Tertullian and Origen in the first years of the 3rd century. Three English bishops, including Restitutus, are known to have been present at the Council of Arles 314, and bishops from Britannia were present at the council of Nicea in 325. Others attended the Council of Sardica in 347 and that of Ariminum in 360, and a number of references to the church in Britain are found in the writings of 4th-century Christian fathers.

Pagan Anglo-Saxons from Germany and Scandinavia began to occupy Britain without resistance from the passive (Christian) Britons in around 370. (Wales remained unconquered and Christian.) The Roman empire fell in Britain and no evidence of Roman occupation is found after about 407. The conquest of Britain is greatly accelerated in 410 when Britons under Vortigern invite Saxon mercenaries to their land to help keep order. The Briton Christians are on their own at this point. On the mainland, the Roman empire and therefore the church (Christianity being the official religion of the empire) were in significant turmoil and disarray. Meanwhile, back in Britain, it is the era of Celtic Christianity. The Celts effectively preserve Christianity on the British Isles while the Roman empire (and seemingly, the whole world) falls apart. For nearly 200 years, the scholarship and culture of Celtic/Anglo-Saxon Christianity developed utterly unconnected with Rome, though some correspondence and unity with mainland Christianity continues. For instance, we know that Deacon Palladius was sent by the bishop of Rome (not Pope!) as a "bishop to the Scotti [Irish] who believe in Christ."

Previous to the fall of the Roman Empire, the church was governed by the Patriarchs (bishops) of the ancient and influential sees of Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch, as well as by Councils of bishops held periodically to make important decisions. As the Roman empire fell apart, and the world and the church was in disarray, people generally, and Christians included, looked to the ancient capital of the empire for leadership. Hence the development of the office of Pope. Leo the Great was the bishop of Rome at this time, and he was the first bishop to assert the universal jurisdiction of the Roman bishop and the doctrine of "Petrine supremacy." He was declared Pope in 451 by the Council of Chalcedon which declared, "Peter has spoken by Leo." He solidified his role as the primary patriarch and leader of the Church when he met Attila the Hun outside the gates of Rome in 452 and persuaded him not to raze the city to the ground and to withdraw. With the rest of the empire in such a mess, no one was really in a position to disagree with him. In fact, they were glad to have such an able, intelligent, charismatic, brave, and strong leader. Anglicans still celebrate a feast day in his honor on November 10 as the Bishop of Rome.

When things began to settle down, and the world began to reorganize post-empire, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine from Rome to evangelise the Angles in 597. When he got there, he discovered that they were already a number of Christians and established churches. He declared them Roman Catholic, and with the help of Christians already residing in Kent he established his church in Canterbury, the former capital of Kent, and became the first in the series of Archbishops of Canterbury. Augustine developed a liturgy and other practices especially for the English-speaking people, which was a combination of the Celtic and Roman rites. Later archbishop, the Greek Theodore of Tarsus, also contributed to the organisation of English Christianity in that period. Simultaneously, the "Celtic Church" continued to evangelize Scotland. The Celtic Church of North Britain finally submitted in some sense to the "authority" of Rome at the Synod of Whitby in 664. Over the next few centuries, the Roman system introduced by Augustine gradually absorbed the pre-existing Celtic, Britannia, Saxon, and Angle churches. Anglicans still celebrate a feast in Gregory's honor as "the Apostle of the English" and the Bishop of Rome on March 12.

The Anglican church then was under the purview of Rome for roughly 870 years. When the Great Schism occurred in 1054 and split the church into Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, the Anglican church being in the West, sided with Rome. There is a public perception, especially in the United States, that Henry VIII created the formal Anglican split from Rome in 1534 because of the Pope's refusal to grant his divorce, but the historical record indicates that Henry spent most of his reign challenging the authority of Rome, and that the divorce issue was just one of a series of acts that collectively split the English church from the Roman church in much the same way that the Orthodox church had split off five hundred years before. A theological separation had been foreshadowed by various movements within the English Church for years, and there was significant pressure put on Henry by his Reformation-minded clergy to, in fact, separate from Rome. Under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, a thorough reformation proceeded. A new pattern of worship was set out in the Book of Common Prayer which was based on the older and more ancient liturgies, without the developments of the middle ages such as Maryology, the Papacy, and the Cult of Saints. It is this Book of Common prayer and form of worship that is still the framework for Anglicanism worldwide. Anglicanism represents the third largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox communions. The number of Anglicans in the world is slightly over 77 million.

Aspirations

Since moving to Texas, Jenny and I have joined St. Mark's Episcopal Church and will be confirmed in the broader Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion in just a few weeks. It is a really exciting time for us. After a spending at least some part of our young lives in the Church of Christ, the Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Church, the Evangelical Free Church, the Presbyterian Church, and a non-denominational church plant, we have found a place in Christendom where we feel at home and where we feel the Holy Spirit has led and called us.

As many of you also know, I have long sensed a calling to vocational ministry in the church and I am now, in fact, pursuing ordination (or holy orders) as a priest in the Episcopal Church. The process looks something like this:

Step 1: Aspirant - Aspirancy begins with conversations between the aspirant and their priest about the aspirant's sense of calling. When these conversations reach the point that the aspirant and his or her priest feel the aspirant is ready for a next step, the priest presents the aspirant to the Bishop.

Step 2: Postulant - The canonical authority for inviting an aspirant to a postulancy lies with the Bishop. The postulancy involves background checks, physical and psychological evaluations, training, spiritual formation, and seminary.

Step 3: Candidate - The term candidate reflects the church's expectation that by this stage of the ordination process the postulant is able to integrate their academic studies, spiritual development, and field experience and are prepared to offer themselves as candidates for ordination.

Step 4: Deacon - After seminary and candidacy, I will (Lord willing) be ordained as a transitional deacon.

Step 5: Priest - After a period of time serving the church as a deacon, I will (Lord willing) be ordained as a priest.

As you can see, this is quite a lengthy process and Jenny and I would appreciate your prayers as we move through my discernment process.

Also, if any of you are in the Beaumont area on November 9 we would love to have you at our confimation. It is a big step for us, and a big day.

In the mean time, Jenny and I are still planning to be very connected to Nepal and PRC's ministry there. More on that later.

Extreme Blog Makeover

After a few years of blogging, and a few months of radio silence I decide it was time for a blog makeover. The change in visual theme also comes with a change in the stated purpose of the blog. When I started the blog, it was to give myself an outlet for creative thinking and writing. While I still use the blog for that purpose, it has grown also to include updates about my life and information about things that I find interesting, though the thoughts may not be my own. The blog is no longer just a writing outlet, it is a way for friends and family to keep up with Jenny and I, and for us to share things that we feel are important, funny, or pertinent.

Prayer for Ike Aftermath

Our Creator and Father,

Through the storm, through the night, lead us on to the light.Take our hand, precious Lord, lead us on. Be present, O God, with those who are discovering that loved ones have died, that homes and jobs are gone. Embrace them in your everlasting arms. Be present, O God, with those who suffer today in shelters, hot and weary from too little sleep and too much fear. Let them know they are not alone. Be present, O God, with those who wonder what they will find when they return to homes battered by the storm. Teach them to hope. Be present, O God, with those who have not been able to reach loved ones, who are frantic with worry. Offer them consolation. Be present, O God, with those who have hardly recovered from previous storms, who are unsure how much they can bear, who yearn only for quiet. Grant them peace. Be present, O God, with all who respond - mayors, police, firefighters, FEMA employees, Red Cross workers, pastors, church disaster response coordinators, and all others. Their work is just beginning, and may not end for many months. Strengthen them for service. Be present, O God, with the people of any destroyed houses of worship, and with the people of your Christian Church in storm damaged areas, and especially with the staff and members of the Episcopal Dioceses of Texas and Louisiana where we fear so much has been damaged. Inspire us by their determination to care for others amid their own trials. Be present, O God, to each of us as we pray, that distance may not deter us from generous giving and enduring companionship. Help us remember tomorrow, and next week, and next month. Be present, O God, with all affected by this storm, and with those still suffering from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav.

May Immanuel, God with us, our precious Jesus, take every hand and lead us on.

Amen.

Sad Day on the Home Front

Ike in Bridge City

According to CNN.com, "The coastal town of Bridge City was flooded by the Neches River and 9 feet of water was reported downtown."

According to FoxNews.com "Farther up the coast, much of Bridge City and downtown Orange were under up to 8 feet of water and rescue teams in dump trucks were plowing through in an effort to reach families trapped on roofs and inside attics."

Please pray for my community and family. It is likely that we have all lost a lot.

Mark Twain was Right

...truth is stranger than fiction. I am absolutely not making this up:

Spectators cheered as entire Cambodian Midget Fighting League squared off against an African Lion. Tickets had been sold-out three weeks before the much anticipated fight, which took place in the city of Kâmpóng Chhnãng. The fight was slated when an angry fan contested Yang Sihamoni, President of the CMFL, claiming that one lion could defeat his entire league of 42 midgets.

Sihamoni takes great pride in the league he helped create, as was conveyed in his recent advertising campaign for the CMFL that stated his midgets will "... take on anything; man, beast, or machine." This campaign is believed to be what sparked the undisclosed fan to challenge the entire league to fight a lion; a challenge that Sihamoni readily accepted. An African Lion (Panthera Leo) was shipped to centrally located Kâmpóng Chhnãng especially for the event, which took place last Saturday, April 30, 2005 in the city’s coliseum.

The Cambodian Government allowed the fight to take place, under the condition that they receive a 50% commission on each ticket sold, and that no cameras would be allowed in the arena. The fight was called in only 12 minutes, after which 28 fighters were declared dead, while the other 14 suffered severe injuries including broken bones and lost limbs, rendering them unable to fight back.

Sihamoni was quoted before the fight stating that he felt since his fighting midgets out-numbered the lion 42 to 1, that they “… could out-wit and out-muscle [it].” Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Source

Hurricane ReLoaded

Here we go again. Just about the time I thought I could go home and be with my wife, Ike comes calling. Please be in prayer for my wife, family, and all those in the path of this storm. They evacuated again this morning.

O God, Master of this world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former calm; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this Hurricane Ike, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid. O Christ Jesus, Our Brother, Captain, and King, we ask that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, so that we will walk in the leading of the Divine Spirit to reach the New Heavens and New Earth where a storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen.

In the mean time, here are a few videos I took from my hotel during Gustav:

Out My Window This Morning

I woke this morning to discover that Ol' Gus had snuck up on me a bit. Here is the scene from my room at about 9:00 a.m (don't ask me who in their right mind is out driving).

According to the weather man, the worst is yet to come. Don't worry though, I think I'm pretty safe here at the QI. I've never been this close to a sinificant hurricane, and I must admit that it is an awesome and terrifying thing to behold.

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear

though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Baton Down the Hatches in Baton Rouge

I'm sitting in the Quality Inn in Baton Rouge, and ol' Gus is bringing the dirty. I took a run a few hours ago on the Mississippi River levee (may God give it strength) near the hotel and it was hot and sunny. Now, the rain and wind are picking up outside, and a tornado warning has been issued for this area. According to the news, it is still about 20 hours from making landfall. Be that as it may, it is still getting pretty rough outside already. I don't know how much longer cell phones and electricity will last, but I'll keep posting updates as long as possible. Jenny, if you are reading this... I love you and happy anniversary. I'll never hold the hand of another.


O Lord Jesus Christ,
As you saved your apostles from perishing in a storm by calming wind and waves on your command, so now keep us safe and sound in this storm, Hurricane Gustav. Protect us from the unpredictable elements of nature. Protect us from storm, flood, illness, injury, disaster, and death. Preserve us from all evil and harm for we, though sinful, are nonetheless the work of Your hands. And You together with your Father who has no beginning and Your life giving Spirit are our God in whom we live, move, and have being. Now and ever and unto ages and ages. Amen.

Texas' Most Beautiful Refugee

Gustav Blows

Well, I watched my wife and my family drive off today as they evacuated before the rapidly approaching Hurricane Gustav. The only humor in the situation was the sign in the back of Jenny's car that said, "Honk if you are an Environmental Refugee." I have to stay behind for my job (I do scout work during storms). It feels strange to be here alone. I already miss my wife. I'm heading to Baton Rouge soon. Please pray for my wife and I. Tuesday is our first anniversary, and it appears we will be apart. My heart is heavy.

Update

Well, I started my new job as a consulting forester for ACRT this week. So far, so good. I get a truck, a four wheeler, a gas card, and I get to hang out in the woods a lot. And get this....they pay me. Pretty sweet deal. Also, I got accepted to Reformed Theological Seminary's virtual Master of Arts in Theology program. Hopefully, I'll start this fall. I've been following the Lambeth Conference as closely as I can in my spare time, as well as hanging out with my family. I've started running again, and it has been fun. And yes, the rumor is true, I have a new tat. It is a fire-breathing dove. I'll post a pic soon.

Culture Making

From Tim Keller's Summer 2008 Reading List: "Culture Making is one of the few books taking the discussion about Christianity and culture to a new level. It is a rare mix of the theoretical and the practical, its definitions are nuanced but not abstract, and it strikes all kinds of fine balances. I highly recommend it."

Get it here.

NT Wright on the Colbert Report

A few weeks ago, Anglican Bishop of Durham and theologian NT Wright appeared on The Colbert Report, a satirical news program, to talk about his book Surprised by Hope (which is a great book, by the way). Watch as American humor meets British wit.

GAFCON

For those of you who keep up with Episcopal / Anglican polity, here is NT Wright's response and JI Packer's response to GAFCON (Global Anglican Futures Conference). They are remarkably different opinions from two very wise men, and worth a close read.

GAFCON was a seven day conference of conservative Anglican bishops and leaders which was held in Jerusalem last week. The conference was planned to occur one month prior to the Lambeth Conference, the ten-yearly gathering of Anglican bishops from around the world. It is primarily aimed at Anglican leaders who consider themselves to be in impaired communion with the global church because of the consecration in 2003 of openly homosexual (and I might add heretical) bishop Gene Robinson by the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Why I am Evangelical

The following is a definition of Evangelical by JI Packer (who is also Anglican). It summarizes better than anything else that I have found why I am Evangelical:

1. Enthroning Holy Scripture, the written word of God, as the supreme authority and decisive guide on all matters of faith and practice;

2. Focusing on the glory, majesty, kingdom, and love of Jesus Christ, the God-man who died as a sacrifice for our sins and who rose, reigns, and will return to judge mankind, perfect the church, and renew the cosmos;

3. Acknowledging the lordship of the Holy Spirit in the entire life of grace, which is the life of salvation expressed in worship, work, and witness;

4. Insisting on the necessity of conversion (not of a particular conversion experience, but of a discernibly converted condition, regenerate, repentant, and rejoicing);

5. Prioritizing evangelism and church extension as a life-project at all times and under all circumstances; and

6. Cultivating Christian fellowship, on the basis that the church of God is essentially a living community of believers who must help each other to grow in Christ.

Why I'm Episcopalian

Very recently, my wife and I became a part of the Episcopal/Anglican church and communion. Having grown up Church of Christ and Baptist, I've had many people ask how this happened. So, here's why I'm Episcopalian / Anglican*, in no particular order:

• Strong commitment to Christian unity and ecumenicism.
• Strong Reformed tradition within the communion
• Many of the people who were important to my Christian formation are Anglican (JI Packer, John Stott, NT Wright, etc.)
• Orthodox
• Great tradition of working for social justice (think William Wilberforce and Desmond Tutu)
• Doorway to Church membership: very wide. Doorway to Church leadership: very narrow
• High view of the sacraments
• High view of the visible church
• Apostolic succession (all ordained ministers in the Episcopal church can trace their line of ordination back to the apostles)
• Great tradition of support for the arts
• Paedobaptism and Paedocommunion
• Large presence in many countries and in many cultures
• High Church, Low Church, Broad Church, and Anglimergent

Obviously, the Episcopal church is not without its problems, but those things, together with a lot of thought and prayer is what led us to become a part of the EC. In addtion, I am now in the process (a very long process) of seeking to be ordained by the EC. I know that is short, but I hope it answers most people's questions.

*For those who don't know the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church are the same thing. The Episcopal Church is just the Anglican Church in America. Episcopal means "of bishops" from the Greek επίσκοπος.

CoffeeCover

Some friends of mine in Boulder have just started a brilliant business. Check it:

The CoffeeCover, a reusable coffee sleeve!

It has long been a dream of theirs to start a business that would also help the environment, and they have hit upon something brilliant (and affordable).

Give your coffee cup a makeover (and some flare) and help out the environment by using (and reusing) the CoffeeCover. The CoffeeCover is made with a soft cotton outer layer and has an insulating foam center. The average coffee shop uses over 4000 disposable sleaves every week, and the CoffeeCover is out to change this. Check out their website, and throw some dough their way: http://www.coffeecover.net/

New Texas Bishop

Texas has a new Episcopal Bishop: The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle

The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle, Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Texas was elected bishop coadjutor at a special session of the diocese’s 159th Council. In its visioning process in 2007, the Diocese of Texas identified “a youthful church” as one of its core values, and on May 24, it voted to personify that in its next bishop. “While we are electing a leader today, we are not electing a savior," said the Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge, Bishop of West Texas, in his sermon before the election. "We’ve already got one.”

I am personally excited about his election because he is orthodox, creative, and a part of the Anglimergent converstion. I pray that God would be with him in the coming years. For more info, check here.

Last Day in Boulder

Well, it has been a good run here in the People's Republic of Boulder. We've been here for nearly two years, but sadly, it is time for us to move on. It will always be hard to live anywhere besides Boulder because of all that this community offers, but life will have to continue none the less. We are busily packing all day today, and we will pull out for Texas tomorrow afternoon. We will spend several months in Texas working and continuing to prepare for Nepal, and then...the big move. We leave here with heavy hearts, but glad for the friends we've made and the experiences we've had. Boulder crew, we wish you the best. May you fare well and God speed.

Texas, here we come.