Welcome!

Over the past few weeks I have been getting an increasing number of cards, emails, and phone calls from people at Trinity UMC. Just last week, I attended a cookout at the Senior Pastor's home, welcoming Laura and me to the congregation. Laura and I both have commented on how it was one of the best "church functions" we've ever been to. The conversation and the food was wonderful and there was just a feeling of ease and comfort that made us feel very welcome.

Now, after all the welcoming that the people of Trinity have done, I feel that I should so some welcoming of my own.

It came to my attention during the cookout that many people from Trinity have been coming to this blog and reading some of my posts. In addition, apparently the address to the blog has been published in the Trinity News as well. This somewhat took me aback, especially considering I had recently (with tongue firmly planted in cheek) made a comparison between the devil and district superintendents. Of course, this was only in jest, and was to make a Lent-related joke. Church humor is fun.

Anyway, I do welcome any and all new readers to this blog. I am currently in a process of deciding what to do with this space now, knowing that many people from the congregation I will now be serving are reading what I write.

From my first post, I wanted to use this space as a place to reflect on things and process things that many times there is no space for. I imagined family, friends, and anonymous people browsing the Methodist Blog Roll to view my occasional postings, but it was not intended to be a "Sunday morning sermon supplement."

Until now, I have enjoyed a semblance of anonymity. Though I have made it public on this blog who I am and where I pastor, to my knowledge, my current congregation does not know that I have a blog. For that matter, not many of them would probably know what a blog is anyway. I have not kept this information secret from them so that I could gossip or even talk about issues going on in the church, but has simply been a place where I could look at a few things from a different perspective.

I am glad to know that I am not the only one who is examining this time of transition. A colleague and peer of mine is also going through the same process of moving to not only a new church, but also into a new realm of "observation." (I hope Dave doesn't mind that I just increased his readership that much more.) This certainly is a new time for me and I am curious to see how things may change or stay the same.

It is my hope that whatever comes of this, that my original goal of personal and spiritual development continues. As the name of this blog suggests, my goal is to strive to put in conversation who I am in relationship with Christ and the world and resisting the temptation to be "everything to everyone."

Again, thank you for your welcome, and a very warm welcome to you, reader. Please feel free to comment and comment often.

Peace,
-M