A few quick notes

The past month has been full on many fronts - decidedly wonderful to be with my family in several ways.

I have picked up some additional responsibilities at my home church - currently between pastors - and that has occupied much of my time, but I enjoy being involved in pastoral ministry and still tell my wife that I really do think I would enjoy the patterns of life associated with a small church somewhere in the northwest - preferably on the Oregon coast.  I keep telling the representatives for the Church of the Nazarene in Oregon to keep me on their lists.  Someday the timing might be right.  I think about Oregon - and the coast - perhaps every single day - at least 5 days a week, that is for sure.  Having opportunity to preach in a series of weeks - has been delightful - so that sermons and content and the reading of Biblical books can be connected.  I post some of my public preaching / teaching at this link - http://mysermons.posterous.com/

Had opportunity to get to the TallGrass Prairie Reserve in the center of Kansas.  Amazing to study (as I did more in the past) how much American Westward Expansion has diminished this huge natural ecosystem down to nearly nothing.  I am not against what we have done - necessarily - as much of what we have done includes making the vast prairie of old into the "breadbasket" that keeps America and persons in the world - alive through agricultural harvest.  At the same time, I wish we were more frequently more thoughtful about how we use land - and how we allow for natural ecosystems to survive as we humans live in sync with the complexities and diversities of Creation.  The same days I was able to be among in the wild, I got in on some of the meetings of the International Symposium of Agroterrorism.  Not my bailiwick, but interesting for sure.

I had opportunity to read through Bill Bryson's most recent book, Home .  Not my favorite of Bryson's - mainly because the book did not seem to do what it claimed it would do.  Instead of being about the Home, it was much more like his other book, A Short History of Nearly Everything - where he follows a series of connected ideas on a wide berth of subjects.  I enjoyed *much* of what I gleaned and learned in HOME - but it was not what I had expected it to be - and not Bryson's characteristic charm.

I caught up on a couple of National Geographic magazines.

And, I've been grading a lot - it's the end of the semester, after all.

I leave soon for Thailand - will spend some time with family before departing. 

Blessed life I live.  Blessed.

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