Monday Brief: Winter-is-here Edition

Highlight of the week:

Asking a Starbucks customer (a regular) for his man card when he told me he has been going to couple's yoga with his girlfriend. The laughter that erupted made my day. And subsequently, the highlight of the first Monday Brief in weeks.

Books of the Completed and Started Varieties:

Since the last MB, we have had some significant movement on this list, so I will attempt a comprehensive bullet-pointed list for your expectations of complete honesty and accuracy:

Those Books of the Completed Variety

• Deep Church - Jim Belcher 
  • A good look at a middle way between Emergent and Traditional Evangelicalism.
• Reconciliation - Martin Smith
  • A sacramental view of Confession and Reconciliation in the Anglican tradition. His theology is weak at times, but his understanding of this practice is fantastic.
• New Monasticism - Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
  • A thorough explanation of the varieties of new monasticism in contemporary society, he expounds on the need for both traditional church and prophetic monastic communities.
• The Great Emergence - Phyllis Tickle
  • An average expectation for an Emergent-driven future with a solid reflection on church history and structural shifts.

Music I’m digging:

It continues to be a "rediscover my iTunes library" season for me, as recent weeks have experienced audio visits from Green Day, MxPx, and Emery. Most recent additions to the collection include GaGa's Fame Monster and her free "Christmas Tree" single, but otherwise, it's old school Friday every day right now.

Somethings That Blew My Mind: 

• Blood borne Pathogens training. It was horrifying, especially the randomly and rudely inserted "oh look, jaundice face" photos in the presenter's PowerPoint presentation. I am now convinced I will die of one of many Blood Borne Pathogens, and no longer have the desire to encounter humans again. Which throws much of my life goals into jeopardy.
• An awards show for "the music voted best by college students" gave an award to TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski for the work the movement has done. This continues to assure me of the power of this movement and the purpose of speaking Love and Hope into the lives of those around us.

Ministry Update:

We are blessed to be working with His Church Anglican in Livonia to bless a family in our neighborhood this holiday season. Job loss, bankruptcy, etc. have hit many families, and basic needs are going unmet. We are compiling gifts for the family members as well as collecting money to purchase basic must-haves (groceries, winter clothing, etc.) and I would be ecstatic if you were able to donate a few bucks towards helping them out. More details about it are here, and if you have questions please do not hesitate to ask me.

Mike and I have pushed forward on discussions for a metro Detroit theological society to bring conferences, seminaries, priests, ministers, and lay people together. We've been surprised by how quickly the positive responses have rolled in.

Paperwork progress continues for me (slowly but surely) regarding postulancy, membership in the Company of Jesus, and seminary.

Looking Forward To: 

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES ARE COMING. That makes me very, very fat happy.