8:53 PM It's late for me, but I wanted to get this up tonight. Early morning church tomorrow, and I'm serving. I may be sorry when the alarm goes off that I didn't get right to bed.

A New Song This was an interesting night. First, we used some Taize chants in our worship service before the Lenten soup supper and presentation. Then we heard from a Buddist about her religion and how and why she practices it. The presenter was a person from my past, and I remember when she first went to Nepal to search out Buddism and how she came back convinced it was for her. She gave a very good presentation. She has always struck me as a calm, serene person, and she gives all the credit to her Buddist practices. She handled questions with equanimity. The audience was very respectful, thanks to her own presence and to Eric's introduction to this Lenten series. The name of it is "How Do We Sing the Lord's Song in a Foreign Land?" Next week the speaker is a local man who will talk about his Hindu religion. We have a Muslim and a Jewish person lined up for the two weeks after that. Our last week of study we will talk about how we make sense out of all of this and how we live in harmony, remaining true to ourselves as Christians. It's a thought-provoking study. Last year, we had members of our congregation tell their faith stories. And it was after one of the small group discussions following the presentation that Eric said to me, "I think of you as our Deacon." When we talked about it later, he agreed that it seemed that my call is to the priesthood, not the deaconate. And that put me on the path I am traveling now. Next Wednesday, Eric and I go to the Big City to meet with the Diocesan Commission on Ministry. It's been a year of "hurry-up and wait", and a year of great spiritual growth for me. I am immersed deeper and deeper into a relationship with our Lord, and I find my discernment clearer and clearer. Now it is up to this group of 15 men and women, clergy and lay, to either support me or send me in a new direction. I know God wants me to serve; I THINK I know how. But I could be wrong, and that is the job of the C of M to decide. God has a wonderful sense of humor, and is full of surprises. There may be a big one in store for me! Life is good; thanks be to God. Amen

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