I went to a fare-well party tonight for a member of St. Luke's who suddenly had an unbelievable job offer out west and had to jump on it. It was a good party, and fun to gather with a lot of the congregation/choir members (the guy leaving is a chorister) outside the context of a Sunday morning. But, it reminded me that in a few short weeks, I will be doing the same and that is something I do not want to think about. I am excited, yes. I am anxious and ready to get ordained and begin my first job, yes. But, I am also nervous about it, and sad to leave behind all the fantastic people I have become friends with here in Chicago. Case-in-point: a friend of mine's little four year old girl, of whom I am quite fond, said to me tonight, "Are you really leaving? When are you coming home?" That kind of pressure is almost enough to make one cancel the whole trip. Her sweet, four year old mind doesn't understand that I am going home...to my home state that is, but it doesn't make leaving her, and all my friends, any easier. I asked her if she would visit me in Florida and she said politley, "Yes, if my parents let me!" She quickly added, "I've never been to Florida, is it as far as Malaysia?" (Her mother is from Malaysia and she recently went there.) I'm having a big party next weekend so I can make sure to see most of my friends one more time before I take off, and I'm really looking forward to that in a way, and in a way I am not. It's one of those ritual moments for me. The fare-well BBQ. It means there is an end. But it also means there is a beginning. It's just that the end is so much easier to see right now.

I am also very surprised at the reaction I am getting from my previous post about the Bible reading plan. Little did I know a favor I did for a friend would be so popular. But, I guess that's the way God works sometimes, as a recent commentor said. I am happy to email copies of the plan to folks if you just let me know. If folks beyond for whom it was intended are finding this useful for themselves spiritually, God be praised! If it is getting people to not be so afraid to approach the Bible, God be praised!

Tomorrow I am leading the forum discussion after church on "Praying the Daily Office". I've put together what I think is a good program and I look forward to the discussion. The first half I will cover the history of the Daily Office, from the Breviary to 1979, and in the second half I will speak about how to go about praying the Office, prvately or corporately.

Can you tell programming is gonna be one of my favorite things about my new job?

-R