Never Too Late for a Dream
It's two days after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday here in the US, but came across a link on Jonny Baker's page to an audio file of Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech. Here's the link.

Christian Carnival
Nick Queen at Patriot Paradox has this week's first Christian Carnival posted.

Not the Energizer Bunny
I realized this evening that I have no energy left right now for the church and what I had thought I might be doing now that I am not the professional church person anymore. I had talked about "tentmaking" and "bivocational ministry" as what I hoped to be doing. I knew that the job transition would take a good chunk of energy and direction this month. I knew that if I was to truly wrap my mind around the new job that I would be out of my old loops for a while.

But I am surprised by how much that has happened. When I think of going to church to do something, I don't have any emotional energy to face it. I am loving the new job. I am excited by the possibilities and the ways I am being called to use my passion. I have discovered a new side to my vocational passion. While I am still in the transitioning phase I am getting positive responses and good direction.

Which is probably why I am spiritually and emotionally drained right now. I have even wondered (aloud to my wife) whether I should just turn this into a leave of absence and not bother with the tentmaking stuff. I don't know if I want to plant a "regular" church in my tentmaking time? I don't know if I want to go back and start something new in the church when at times it has felt like there is no energy there to do it.

But I don't want to feel like I am abandoning the church, turning my back on what God wants, etc. I want to be sure that this is what God wants of me as I move into a new phase of life. Time will tell, of course. I tend to be impatient and want to make up my mind right away. This one doesn't seem to be at that point yet. So keep me in your prayers as all this church-stuff sorts out.

Going Back
I'm preaching at our old congregation Sunday. It's part of their 150th Anniversary celebration. Perhaps that is part of what is playing into this as well. It was hard leaving and now to go back and be in the pulpit that was home for 15 years is not easy.