Good, Smart, Christian Folks

It has become quite clear to me, in the course of the last week, that I hang out with a bunch of very good and very smart people.

I assume that most people who go to graduate school would say the same thing, but I can't help but think that I have been particularly blessed by being surrounded by so many people who deeply love the church, who have been blessed with great intelligence, and try to join these two things in spite of the many forces that try to keep them apart.

Last Tuesday I had coffee with my friend Josh where we tried to figure out how to be good and faithful truth tellers in incredibly difficult and sensitive pastoral situations. Later that night I had dinner with Heather, a committed Christian activist, to discuss how seminary and faith interacted with relationships and vocation in a terrible job market.

This is only in one day, and doesn't count the dinner Erin and I had with Ben and Laura as we discussed our respective ventures in the academy and the church, as well as bookshelf construction. In the surprise of the night Laura actually declared that I sounded quite pastoral.

Erin and I have been discussing how to read the Bible while reading Eugene Peterson's Eat This Book during Lent. I get the chance to speak frequently to my friends out in the ministerial wilderness across the country, and it is not uncommon after these conversations to think how lucky I am. That was the case after praying over decisions of the Cabinet with Lance.

I am in the process of saying a long goodbye to my Atlanta community. I will leave in June to head back to Tennessee and know that I will make new friends and meet new colleagues in ministry, but they will have big shoes to fill. I hope to find a way to stay connected with these people who have blessed and shaped my life, because quite frankly, I know I'll need their voices and wisdom to hold me accountable and to help me be the most faithful disciple and pastor I can be.