The Mission Front:

Anna turned five months old this month! It seems just like yesterday she was born … and yet, I cannot imagine emotionally a time that she has not existed. She has been such a blessing from the Lord and I am so proud to be her father! During this month Anna has learned to roll-over, sing songs in baby language, do the ground-pound (a way she slams her heels simultaneously on the floor). She has also learned to sit up in her high chair, eat rice cereal (and her foot), and most recently she has begun the teething process! Bridgette started nannying a 2-year-old, Caleah! It amazes me how wise and gracious Bridgette is as a mother. She is so steady, loving, and filled with grace towards Anna and daddy (me). She has taught me a LOT about parenting.

On the job front, we are getting more and more discernment from the Lord where we will end up. I feel an assurance that it will be in the Lord’s service – most likely, within the Anglican Mission or Anglican Church of North America. Bridgette and I are really finding our hearts turned back to a zip code somewhere in North Eastern Ohio and are hoping to one day plant a church there. So would you join us in prayer about this transition? Hopefully in the “March 2011 – In – Review” I will have more for you on this front.

February marks a new monthly post called, “In – Review.” At the end of each month I will write-up highlights from the month around two themes: 1- what’s going on in my family, ministry, and life. 2- What was posted last month. It is a way for me to reflect back on the past month in my life and action.

February also marked the beginning of the end for my tour of duty at Asbury Theological Seminary (well at least as an M.Div. Student). Ironically, this semester I do not any classes during the week and am in Exegesis of Exodus and two 1-hr Christian Discipleship classes at various weekends throughout the semester. I am also taking two Philosophy classes online (Apologetics and Suffering, Tragedy and the Christian Faith). I am active in Theta Phi (a theological honor society)  as Treasurer|Secretary and am planning for Marva Dawn to come and speak at Asbury in March. I am also very  thankful to be working with JD Walt and the rest of the Worship Design Team this semester at the chapel office. My season at Asbury has been one marked by deep inner-healing, spiritual formation, and theological education – I am more whole for ministry in Christ as a result of my tenure here in Wilmore.

The Blog Front:

February was my most productive month of Blog writing to date! Posting 22 different times in 28 days is remarkable and I hope to continue writing in this 20-25 posts a month range in the future. Part of the writing discipline I am trying to abide by going forward is keeping my posts 333 words or less. Something that you could read on the toilet, or in a taxi, or in less than 3 minutes. With some posts, I will inevitably break this rule  (most likely with Philosophy/Theology/Technical posts – but hardly anyone reads those anyways). So the following is a sampling from last month:

• Journey through Epiphany - I have been taking the Lord’s Day, Sunday as a time to reflect on the Church Season and abide in a different time-line.
• Bob Dylan and Exodus - Folks seemed to really like this post (and it was one of my favorites as well). The Book of Exodus put to the tune of Bob Dylan. Look for more  posts from Exodus in March.
• Eating Words - Another popular post, in “Eating Words” I discussed my practice of reading the Bible devotionally throughout the year.
• Poetry Fun – I only posted one poem in February, it was goofy, ironic, and just fun ( I cam up with it during a meeting).
• The V-Day Tax Money Bet – So read this post if you want to hear about a bet my wife and I made concerning a portion of our tax return … Update: I barely made it a week and Bridgette is still holding strong.
• Revolution, Revival and the Book of Joel – Some “thought strings” that I attempt to connect together concerning the ME revolutions/demonstration/whatever, Revivalism, and the Book of Joel.
• The Adjustment Bureau - Last week I got to see an early showing of the upcoming movie, The Adjustment Bureau. People were really interested in these posts for some reason. I also attempt a post on the MANY symbols/images/types/motifs used in the movie (the over-saturation of images/types can make the movie a bit unruly.