overheard...

a little over a month ago sean poirier, a well-known salem witch, died unexpectedly. in the days that followed, pastor phil wyman had the privilege of accompanying sean's friends and family through this difficult time. in beyond the pall pastor phil reflects on the importance of honoring and celebrating the life of those who may not share our theology or walk the same paths, yet are inescapably bound to us by their own beauty, truth and irreducible humanity. i suspect that sean and phil were brothers and know for certain that both their lives and the city of salem is the better for it.

overheard...


"When a child is born, a father is born. A mother is born too, of course, but at least for her it's a gradual process. Body and soul, she has nine months to get used to what's happening. But even for the best-prepared father, it happens all at once. On the other side of the plate-glass window, a nurse is holding up something roughly the size of a loaf of bread for him to see for the first time. Even if he should decide to abandon it forever ten minutes later, the memory will nag him to the grave. He has seen the creation of the world. It is his mark upon it. He has its mark upon him. Both marks are, for better or worse, indelible." - Frederick Buechner

and a little child shall lead them...


i probably shouldn't say anything about children of men because it's a film i have not even begun to absorb. but if you preach, teach or are simply intrigued by the story of moses, the life of christ and/or any number of assorted bodhisattvas you should invest two hours in this film. somehow this film simultaneously reveals the depths the human stain while reminding us to whom the beauty, truth and goodness of God ultimately belong. i could go on about the immaculate imagery of moses in the bulrushes or discuss the cuaron's implicit condemnation of the "fish." but instead, just this once, i'm going to revel in a film like i've always wanted to revel in the revelation of saint john. namely, by sitting back, letting the imagery slide over me and listening for the whispers that emanate from within.

i realize that the fact that we just welcomed a son into the world might be leading me straight into hyperbole, but i'd have to say that children of men was better than any film i saw in 2006. in my estimation, the producers of the film only made one trifling mistake: they should have released it on december 25th.

introducing: preston alan james gentry

our son was born on tuesday, april 10th at 4:45 pm. he weighed 8 lbs, measures 21 and 3/4 inches long and has inherited my monkey toes. i'm sure i'll find more to say about this event, but until then i thought you might enjoy a few of tabitha sherrell's beautiful pics.





okay i will say one more thing. our friends and family have been a wonderful support during this important time. special props to brooke wilcox for tending to kellie and myself throughout the birth, becky for tending to parents while we were at the hospital and kellie and i's family for venturing out in order to welcome little preston to the world. also, many thanks to everyone who gave so generously and so ensured that we were well supplied for preston's arrival.