Conference Thoughts

We enjoyed our time in Philadelphia last week, despite some sickness and Wesley's first time being afraid of new surroundings. We think that up until now he hasn't been aware of the spaces around him and, now that he is, he was a little freaked out to be in a totally unknown location. In addition his teeth were bothering him, so it was difficult for him to sleep well.

I wasn't sure what the conference (2009 Christian Counseling and Education Foundation) would be like, but ended up getting a lot out of it. For a conference on Sex the plenary sessions talked about sex less than I expected, but were thought provoking. The main thing that I got out of the conference is that whatever is happening with you sexually is often a picture of what is happening in your relational world and your relaionship with God. As a general theme, this is harder to get but when you talk about the particulars it really comes out. Say, you are having all these lustful thoughts and it is this constant flow of images in the back of your mind. As you go about your day, it will be easier to objectify people - responding to them solely on whether they please or displease you. Lust is about using someone as an object for your please and that sort of thinking is hard to segment into one area of life. Similarly if we see all the people around us as means to our own ends, it is easy to relate to God in the same way. Another example from the opposite of the spectrum is someone grossed out by sex and completely disinterested. This person is ignoring a part of who he or she is and will tend to do the same in others. It will be easy for this person to distance himself or herself from his or her own body and to do the same with others. Ultimately this person will also disregard what God has to say about the body. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this larger concept but it was helpful and challenges me to think about my life.

retreats, sickness, and travel

This past weekend we had the guys and girls overnight retreats. They both went well, except for two difficulties. First, Hillary forgot her suitcase and had to come back from the hotel to our home and pick it up. The hotel was only about 20 minutes away, but it was rather exciting figuring it all out and keeping track of Wesley. The excitement for the guys retreat was the cold night. It got down to ~19 degrees and we were a little chilly sleeping outside. Around 5:30 in the morning one of the adult volunteers got up, started his car, turned on the heat and warmed up in there. Once a few other guys realized what he was up to they joined him in the car.
The guys and girls had a great time on their respecitve retreats. The ladies talked about beauty and the theme for the teaching was, "You are uglier than you feared, but more beautiful in Christ than you dreamed." The guys talked about masculinity.
Coming off an action packed weekend, both Hillary and I have been feeling under the weather and it is likely that we have strep throat, or something similar. She went to the doctor's today and I'm headed in tommorow. Fortunately, Wesley hasn't seemed to catch it so that is great.
Finally, we're headed to the Philadelphia area tommorow night so I can attend a counseling conference. We'll stay with my parents, who are close to the conference location and are both looking forward to time with family and a few days away. Another bonus is that a close friend is also attending the conference. I just found out yesterday and am psyched to spend time together and interact about the neat stuff we'll learn.

leaves and longings

Wesley continues to be super cute and if you want to see more pictures, check out Hillary's facebook page.
The Fall is always a special time for me and it takes on greater significance here in CT, than anywhere else I've lived. Here the trees are practically exploding with color. On the way to work there is a tree that looks as if it will burst into flames any moment. You look at these brilliant red leaves and wonder if they will hold that shade and hue any more than the moment. The red is so intense that you think, "If I look away, this shade and hue will be gone. It can't last more than a moment." Winter is also looming, as we had our first frost last night and I had to scrape the ice off the car this morning.
Fall always fills me with a sense of longing. Some of that longing is to be outside and enjoy the beautiful world (ie. go climbing and camping), but I think there is more to it. I want to hold onto this one moment when we stand on the precipice, plunging from summer to winter. I don't know if it is even about the shift from summer to winter because I feel the same in spring. I think this verse from Ecclesiastes describes what I'm experiencing: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

Autum Fun

Last week we went apple picking and it was a blast. We picked about 20 pounds and Hillary has already made two pies. The apple orchard was part of a big farm wich had all sorts of produce and a mini-grocery store and bakery where we bought fresh apple cider donoughts - wow! Last week was also our 4th wedding anniversary, so we celebrated by going out for coffee one night and dinner another. It was great to have two nights out together in one week. Wesley is doing well, though his teeth are hurting him as they are just about to break through. We have been enjoying the last few warmer days before winter comes to get us. Wesley, is not sitting up well enough that we can bathe him in the kitchen sink. It is easier and makes less of a mess in our bathroom!

arts and anniversary

This Saturday we took some teens to the New Britian Museum of American Art, which is about 15 minutes from our house. A guy at our church is an art teacher and he helped us think about art and aesthetics from a Christian world view. He had a lot of neat things to say, and began our discussion by talking about the distiction of "I like it" vs. "It is good." We all subjectively like different pieces of art, but to say whether art is good, we need some sort of standard. He had us look at a few pieces and say which one was best when compared to a certain standard and it was really interesting. I started to like "fine" Art - painting and that kinda stuff - when I lived in St. Louis and the Art Museum there was free. I remember just, going there and wandering around the museum by myself and really enjoying it. I can still picture the flow of certain rooms and remember paintings that I would sit in front of and stare at.
This coming Thursday is our 4th Wedding Anniversary. Yeah!

heat, light, and people (soon)

It has been just over two weeks that we've been in our new church offices and it is pretty exciting. It is great to have a dedicated space where I can spread out and work without being in the way or being distracted by various things happening around the house. Yesterday we finally had the heat turned on, and new light bulbs installed and now we're sorta ready for people. There's still a bunch of organizing to be done, some rooms need painting, and we'll have to go on a shopping for furniture, but we are off to a start. The offices are about a block from where we worship and a 5-10 minute walk from the town center. I've already met people at the office and walked to get coffee, which was really cool. Outside of getting adjusted to the office, I took two teens climbing outside yesterday (Columbus day) andI'm working on various teaching stuff for this week. The preparation is going well, but it is always a challenge when I spend more of the day by myself writing because I miss interacting with people.

chubby baby

Wesley has started eating solid food and we're seeing the effects. You'll notice in this first picture, how his sweater isn't exactly covering his belly. As the day went on it continued to in higher and higher as his belly kept expanding. He's got chubby cheeks, a few chins, and fat little legs. It is a lot of fun to see him grow. He's basically sitting up on his own, though he's not completely stable as of yet. This picture is from his baptism last week. This was a wonderful time of celebration with many family members attending. Other than a growing baby, life is going well, with ministry continuing in October and the pace of life adjusting to a more normal rhythm.