First Day: New Things on the Horizon

I’ve postponed our monthly “first-day” gathering until today, so I could have more time to develop the things I want to share with you.  Some exciting new things are on the horizon….

(1) On the main home page, you will find a new icon entitled “Oboedire Fellowship Groups.”  I believe it is time to more directly emphasize the added value of sharing your individual reading of the posts with others.  The new icon provides you with some suggestions for doing that.  Check it out.

(2) Beginning February 1st, you can join a new blog family called NewPastors (www.newpastors.wordpress.com).  As the tag line says, it’s a site for “those beginning in ministry and those beginning again.”  It’s the result of conversations with men and women graduating from seminary who want to stay in touch about matters related to the early years of ministry—-and—-the result of experiences I’ve had with more-seasoned clergy who have “grown weary in well-doing” and are ready for a fresh start.  NewPastors will provide postings that can provide encouragement and guidance in the journey of ordained/professional ministry.  If you are a clergyperson, I urge you to check it out.  If you are a layperson, I ask you to tell your pastor (and any other clergy you know) about NewPastors.  And….if you are a layperson, I’d invite you to become part of this new blog.  I think it will help you learn how to care for your pastor and join with him or her on the journey.

(3) In this regard, “Shepherd’s Care” will move from Oboedire to NewPastors, continuing to be posted on Wednesdays.  If y0u have been particularly engaged with the weekly “Shepherd’s Care” post, you can continue to find it each Wednesday at the NewPastors site.  It begins on February 6th.

(4) The Wednesday post on Oboedire will now be entitled, “Wesley’s Way.”  It too begins on February 6th.  A number of folks have asked me to write about the spiritual life from the vantage point of my Wesleyan tradition.  I’m happy to do this, and we’ll give it a whirl.  But I want to be clear that I am not moving away from the ecumenical nature of Oboedire.  It is still a site devoted to Christian spiritual formation.  But after almost 45 years of dealing with the spiritual life in relation to the Wesleyan tradition, I hope that some good light can be shed on the journey through this new Wednesday post.

Well….that’s it for now.  A lot is happening.  Please undergird it with prayer.  It’s all “wet clay” and an experiment.  Perhaps it will stick; perhaps not.  We’ll see.  Thanks for being on the journey.

Blessings!   Steve