September 11

It was an eventful day, as far as Sundays go.

The first "event" was my ordination and installation as an elder at our church. I never once saw myself accepting this kind of position (nor did I ever imagine anyone would actually ask me in the first place), but I decided to get out of the boat, as we Christians say sometimes. It's a three-year term and we'll be working with a brand new pastor, which brings me to the next event: the introduction of said-new pastor to the rest of the congregation.

I've been serving as part of the search team charged with discerning the identity of said-new pastor for the better part of the last 10 months. (The team is comprised mostly of other elders, which is how I wound up being asked to step up. But I digress.) After many meetings and interviews and much prayer, we were unanimously convinced that we'd identified the right candidate, and she accepted our offer. It's all pending a congregational vote next month, but if (when) she's approved, she'll be the first female head pastor our church has had. And she's pretty amazing.

Then this afternoon, we headed off to the Sports Park for Brady's first fall ball game. It was humid out but much cooler than recent days, and it was fun to sit and watch him play with an all-new team. He pitched the third inning and looked really good out on the mound, but even better, he looked happy to be throwing. And then we all trooped over for dinner at Black Bear with Adam's parents, who came down to watch the game.

So yes, it was a busy Sunday, as far as Sundays go. But it was also a day filled with indicators that good things are in store: a new pastor with amazing vision, a new season of ball, a new tenure for me on Session. And for those blessings --even that last one, the one that makes me feel like I'm not sure what I'm in for-- I am grateful.