Head above water

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This week I have been trying to stay better connected to the will of God as it unfolds in my life. This happens best in community. I am never alone, I go to class, prayer, Holy Eucharist, dinner, etc. with fellow Christians. We are all very different, but the commitment to our creedal faith is strong and so far I've not detected any relativism towards who our Savior is or why we're here. Sewanee has it's faults, but not being faithful to God as revealed in scripture and our episcopal tradition does not seem to be one of them. I am deeply thankful for this.

My wife and kids are doing well. That is important because my commitment to them came before I answered this particular call to vocation. I've heard of people getting divorced so that they could go to seminary; that seems pretty outrageous to me, and makes me wonder what call they were hearing. We live in a society that accepts marital breakdowns, but I have to doubt that God ever told anyone to give up their marriage so they could be a priest. Not sure why I needed to say that, but it is what I believe.

Anyway, things are really good here. I feel like I belong, which is vital. And I feel that with God's continuing love and help I can make it, which is also vital. When I first started mountain biking (my hobby) I could barely go a mile or two without feeling like I needed to be hospitalized. After a while, I got good enough to hold my own with most other riders my age. That's where I feel I'm getting to at seminary. I'm not setting the place on fire, but I'm not an embarrassment either.

My continued thanks and well wishes to all my friends and family in Jacksonville, Sewanee and other places. And my continued love and allegiance to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

blessings to you all!

Jon