One Clip to Rule Them All....*



* please note: this clip is patently offensive. if you cannot handle crude humor do not watch it. if you cannot handle crude humor and you watch it anyway i will not respond to your complaints. enjoy!

it's time to break the silence

two weeks ago i was hired by a mid-size social service agency that empowers people with intellectual and physical disabilities. my role within this community based organization is two fold insofar as i am the assistant coordinator of a school to work program that seeks to help high school students find competitive employment and i am also the employment specialist who accompanies the students through the job search process once they graduate. my days are packed full of vocational assessments, client meetings, job training and employment advocacy and i must say that i love it.

looking back, i realize that i have been passionate about accompanying handicapped individuals ever since i met gabe in ms. simmons' fifth grade classroom. this passion was further developed through a court ordered volunteer position at a handicapped workshop,* a magical summer at l'arche daybreak in toronto and ongoing interactions with a diversity of individuals in the greater beverly community.

i suppose this is a long way of saying that i am content with the ways my workday is spent for the first time in almost seven years. moreover, i'm finding that instead of being a drag on my marriage, ministry with s & s and essential relationships my work is now cultivating a creativity and passion that positively influences my other endeavors.

i have so much more to say, but i get to go to work. salut.

* which was the unintended result of a fraternity prank that devolved into a near felony. but that is another story (albeit on par with the saga of "airport girl") altogether.

hey there...



thought you might like to know that, in lieu of work, a number of us are discussing the current state of sinners and saints* and openly wondering/dreaming/scheming about God's future for our little incarnational community. so if you're a member, friend or simply an interested observer of "s & s" feel free to pop over to the church blog.

that's all for now. Peace of Christ to you.

* the little house church community that a number of us are a part of.

pastor phil puts out for next-wave



Thanks to the assistance of a trusted friend, the most recent edition of next-wave ezine features an article from my good friend Phil Wyman. If you are interested in the interaction between followers of Christ and those of other religions, intrigued by innovative means of Christian mission or often find yourself wondering whether your denominational officials can distinguish between theology and missiology, you might want to check this article out.

"My name is Phil Wyman. I live in the city infamous for the Witch Trials of 1692-1693. It is as equally famous for housing thousands of Witches, and Neo-Pagans today. It is also the destination for half a million people each October, and home to the event called Haunted Happenings - a month long Halloween celebration. I live in Salem, Massachusetts. I love it here, and that has probably landed me in the trouble I've had over the last year.

My trouble started with an innocent photo. It ended with a certified letter which coldly stated, "This letter serves as a notice that both your ministry credentials, and your ministry's non-profit status with (insert denomination here) have concluded." The point of contention was this: I had made friends with Witches - real live spell casting,
polytheistic (sometimes agnostic), Tarot reading, communicating with the dead Witches.

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