Here’s 10 things that happened to me this year that I’ll remember for a long time (from the top image).
I finished my PhD program at Fuller Seminary’s School of Intercultural Studies this year. My dissertation is on renewing faith traditions within Western culture. By drawing on examples from participatory and remix culture, I argue that today’s faith communities can find a way forward in our world without abolishing their traditions. Plus, the picture here with my son, who shares my initials, is pretty dang cute.
I went to Philadelphia with a few other “young friends” to help a Quaker foundation do some brainstorming on how they might use their money. While I was there I had the opportunity to connect with my good friends Martin, Robin, Chris, Betsy and others. Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, is on top of the building behind Martin and I.
My kids. Every moment with them is something that is beautiful and powerful.
A good friend of mine taught me how to weld my car back together.
I was given the opportunity to travel to Bainbridge Island just outside of Seattle for a leadership training with Parker Palmer. This is an image from a ferry heading back into the city.
My wife and I went on a date on my scooter. This was her first time riding with me on it and it was a load of fun (for me!).
In January, my good friends Peggy, Kathy and I put on a conference called “The Nursery of Truth.” It was a leadership retreat for young Quakers. It was an incredible experience, with many great people who came to Camas to participate.
In October, I was invited to go to Earlham School of Religion as their Friend in Residence. This gave me the opportunity to meet with professors and students and share some of my work with others. While I was there I got to hang out with some amazing scholars like Malinda Berry, Jamie Pitts and Carole Spencer (pictured here).
This is a picture from Union Theological Seminary in New York. This spring I went with my good friend Shelly Fayette to study with the Poverty Initiative at UTS. Being at Union, learning with the students and professors there, and being in NYC was a life-changing experience for me. As a side note, Shelly came and preached at Camas Friends in December and that was another highlight of the year for me.
Earlier in the year I began learning and practicing how to use sketchnotes from Mike Rohde’s book for my sermon-writing and note-taking. This image is from a sketchnote I did based on my sermon series on the book of revelation, which was itself a very transformative experience for me. Here’s my album of sketchnotes.
- There’s too many things to include from my year of pastoring Camas Friends, but one real treat for me was the camping trip I went on with the men from our community this past September. It was well led, thanks to Jason Minnix, spiritually deep, fun and very relaxing. I came back feeling renewed.
There’s no doubt this was a full year. We’ve met made loads of new friends, we’ve faced some real challenges and loss, and we continue to practice listening to God in the midst of it all. I have been pastoring Camas Friends Church for 4.5 years and am now, as much as ever, grateful to be a part of this vibrant community.
There are so many other things I could have added, including many great things with my family. For that, I made an album of favorites you can view on flickr. 2013 was a year of hard work, great friends who have supported me and pushed me a long the way, and many amazing opportunities that continue to surprise me.
