Billy Bookcase As Fast as I can

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Life on the Move

Well my wife’s plane will be leaving Chicago in a few minutes for is over night Journey back to Manchester. I will join my son in slumber land in a few moments. It it has been a whirlwind weekend, for here as well as me and Joseph. I have not gotten as much done as I would have like to but that is ok, we are not what we do but who we are. (Someone said that I don’t know who) I have been feeling sort of home sick this weekend. The autumn always does this to me. THe Shorter days crisper mornings and evenings the start of another term at school. I feels cozy for some reason. I think of pumpkin patches, hay rides,      football (american) (which I do not particularly like but what ever).

Today Joseph and I were invited over to someones house for Sunday lunch and they were cooking a chicken. The smell of cooking poultry (as smells do) reminded me of Thanksgiving, it was lovely. I am glad I have so many good memories of my life from holidays. Here in the UK there is no breaks from the late summer bank holiday (Labor Day) and Christmas. So I am in for a long haul I will have to take a break I think I don’t know if I can make it. Even thought I normally do not mind living here lately I have been feeling drawn to home.

There is a sense in which Since I have move so many times (three time in the UK) I have a bit a ideal idea of these holiday time a Norman Rockwell America, I love it anyway. It is my even if it is in my head and the smells of roasting chicken or the thought of Indiana in the fall during college. Or Grandma Moyer’s rolls a Thanksgiving, or Christmas in Colorado finally Mom. Or Whatever I Love who I am and who I am becoming because of what I have experienced. My home may always be a moving target but my life and family are not. I Love them!

No Strings Please

I have always been fearful and sort of against evangelizing. I took classes at College about it, how to, and why to, the whole bit. It never really stuck with me. I didn’t and still don’t really find much use for it in the traditional sense of the word. I have recently begun to take part in a church plant in South Manchester. We are at the beginning of our journey as a community, but I am challenged once again to reach out and bring people in to this group or perhaps the other hubs we are forming to minister the needs of our community.

So I have had to wrestle with these things a fresh. We had a meal around U.S. Thanksgiving, we called it a harvest meal. I was a chance for those involved to invite friends and neighbors to a free meal. The great thing was there was no strings attached. We had no sermon no talk to time of reflection. No Catch! I Loved it it was just us wanting to get to know them and them to get to know us over a meal. We Have done it twice more since then, and I think the repose has been great.

This it the sort of spirit sharing I can get my heart in to. I know if I was being invited to a thing like this a lack of strings would be a welcome sight. I will try to keep this story going.

Community is …

I think the sort answer is what you make it. It has been my experience you have to make your own community. You can try as you like to fine one and join it, but you will fail everytime. Sure there are lots of great communities out there, however it takes great work and most important of all TIME to really join and recieve the rewards associated with being part of a healty community. The time I have felt most in tune and communal was during my third year of university. There was a small group of friends (seven to be exact) who spent loads of time together, even lived in the same building. This group was very tight. We ate meals together, played Mario Kart (Nintendo 64), met with one another, prayed togethere, in sort live life together. I don’t know if I will ever have that again. I do however ache for it alot of the time now.

This is what I think the kingdom of God is like. Living life open and togehter. There are real risks involed in this sort of open life but it is worth it let me tell you. I am currently working on another one of these communities. It of corrse is not the same. We play differnt games and cook for one another. We have wives and husbands and children, we don’t live in the same building but, I have hope. I am homesick for the ‘good old days’ but confident in the future. Love will find a way.

The Fall

I love and hate the Fall. I Love the smell and sound of crunching leaves. It brings lovely memories to mind of school in the fall, warm sweaters, hockey, football (can you believe it). I miss the cider mill in Louisville, MO and things I can’t really put m finger on. I don’t however miss the commercials on TV for political candidates.  Well I thought I could avoid it by leaving the country however I am getting stuff in the paper and the podcast This American Life and the subject of elections is on the the table as well.  Last night I watched the Great Pumpkin on DVD which was great. Now that Halloween is almost over I will have to pine for Thanksgiving and the Parades and Dog shows. Well I can’t have everything.

Well remember me those who Live in the US and celebrate your Autumn Traditions for me, Thanks

Lovely Day in the City

I nver thought I would like lving in the city very much but I never had befor either. So like the vegtibles I now seem to like I guess you have to try it to see if you will like it. Now after ten months of living in a city I can honestly say I like it. Lennord Sweet one talked in his Napkin Scribles podcast about being green and how there is dark green and bright green. Dark green being living green the best you can and bright green being living urban, with the consequence of being green with out really trying. I am sure he was quoting some one Else but I think the concept works. Living in a city, we no longer have a car we live in a building with many people in a small space. We go to parks which are much nicer then any yard we have had. We walk there (in fact we walk almost everywhere). Today I when to a farmers market. Got great fruit/veg and meat cheese selection all in one open air place. All of this and more would not have been possible without the city. So even thought I love the country and need to get to the woods and away from time to time I am slowly becoming a city mouse.