I usually blog structured reflective short essays, but I’ve got too much going on at the moment. So, a change in form (Steve likes lists):

I’m excited and a bit overwhelmed that:

• Another article of mine was published in The Christian Century, (sorry no link, dead tree edition only). It’s entitled “Songfest: Challenges for a hymnal committee.”
• I will be the preacher for two weeks of Montreat Youth Conferences in early June 2011
• I will begin an eight-week stint blogging as The Christian Century featured blogger next week (site relaunch to come on their end soon, I’m told)
• I’m taking Comm 507: Communication, Technology, and Media at the University of North Dakota this semester
• I’ll be preaching on Oct 24th, with Dr. Martha Moore-Keish, at the 25th Anniversary celebration of my parents’ time at First Presbyterian in Tallahassee.

I’m grateful that:

• I have been at First Press Hallock for a year and much of the first-time craziness has worn off
• I just got back from a time of vacation and rest
• the food from Red Goose Gardens, our CSA, is so delicious
• I read Everything: A Novel by Kevin Canty – dazzling writing, gripping story
• Autumn temperatures have arrived
• Megan and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary last weekend

I’m considering especially:

• if Minnesota Public Radio really means to announce their BBC Proms programming with the adjective “infamous” as in their frequently-heard advertisement this week: “the infamous last night of the Proms”–or am I just missing something?
• my first go at teaching confirmation and looking forward to using re:form
• how on vacation, I rarely looked at Facebook, and that was ok, even nice
• why pine nuts are so darn expensive
• race and how we speak of racism in American and reading White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privilidged Son by Tim Wise and Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum.

image by Fred Fokkelman