My Thoughts on the Anglican 1000

Well, I've had a couple days to digest my 3 days away this week.

In case all two of you missed a previous post, I travelled to Texas to spend time with fellow Anglicans, (mostly priests), to reconnect and move forward in my faith. Some notable's present were Tim Keller, ArchBishop Robert Duncan, and Bishop Todd Hunter. I got to spend time with some good friends and reconnect with the former Rector of our Church, who is planting a new church in Baltimore. I met amazing, vibrant people who are working hard to make the planet a better place. I made connections with some wonderful people. I went with a great friend of mine from church. He is similar to me in that we know we've always got to be moving forward in our faith.

I flew on a plane. Four times. It became easier, although I was never really comfortable in the air. Three months ago however, the sight of a plane in the sky used to send a shiver of fear down my spine. It really has begun turning into a phobia. I think it's a cross between claustro and aero phobias. But, nonetheless I went boldly into the deep waters at Christ's beckoning. I will always be bold for Christ. He tells us not to fear many times in the Bible. So I took that to heart, manned up and went for it. I hardly whimpered.

Part of my discernment this year is to focus on how the question: How far I want to take my faith walk? Do I want to go to seminary? Will I be as effective as a lay minister? Do I need a degree for that? Can I be an attorney the rest of my life? Do I want to plant a church? I feel like I moved closer to some answers.

I talked about the subject with some smart people. Men and women that have been down the same road, and are still traveling down the road. I think that there's something to be said for connecting to people without a collar on. I think the collar can actually make it harder to build trust at times. As a regular guy, I am easier to approach, and people will often be less suspicious of agenda. I still hunger for knowledge though. We'll see...I think another degree is certainly on my horizon, but with the time devoted to family and the law firm...it may have to wait a while.

I'm convinced that the more you make Christ a priority, the more better you can hear him speak to you through the Holy Spirit. The more you exercise your faith in his plan for your life, the more he'll show up. God rewards the faithful. I want to do His will. Prayer was a constant theme at this conference. Prayer time is key to renewing spiritual energy. If your not healthy spiritually, everything else falls apart. I'm still devoted to praying in the morning and night, and developing my skill at it. It certainly takes some practice. I still want to jump right in to my needs as soon as I get started. That's an awful habit that I'm finding hard to kick.

Anyway...much love. t's back to some real world grind. Caught between two worlds.

Until next time.