Day 74- What a Day!

Total Mileage: I actually forgot to look as I was getting out of my car this evening, and since the Currie children are sleeping quietly, I don't want to make noise by going out and checking.  They've had a busy day too.  It's somewhere around 9,040 though.  I'll check tomorrow morning when I go to mail my postcards and replenish my caffeine supply.

Song of the Day:
"Like a Stone" (Audioslave)


Wow, what an eventful and fascinating day!  I feel like my initial writeups of Austin Stone and Hill Country Bible yesterday both barely scratched the surface of all that these churches are doing in the Austin area and internationally.

In particular, my conversations with Austin Stone interns and volunteers today revealed a lot about the church's missional mindset that a website just can't tell you, and the community development neurons were going crazy in my brain the whole time.  This church has some incredibly inspiring biblically-grounded philosophies behind the work that they're doing, and there are definitely some very valuable lessons to be taken from their positive example.  A lot of the "working with" philosophy that I talked about in the San Francisco posts was very much embodied here, and I walked out feeling ready to get back to Durham and get to work.  Still, I've got a few more weeks of travel and writing ahead of me and a few other exciting events even after that.

Full Austin Stone and Hill Country Bible writeups coming soon-- hoping for a hyper-productive 24 hours.

Peace and Blessings,
Tom

PS--
Can I just say how excited I am to see Erin 21 days from now?  Then I get to see my friends Harryson and Madison just three days after that; I've been wanting to show them around Memphis forever-- have to give those North Carolina kids some good old Memphis BBQ.  My brother and sister-in-law and aunt and uncle are all even coming to town, so party at the Lewis house!

Of course, that whole time, I'll also be getting to spend time with close friends, mentors, and spiritual guides in preparation for the ordination and the continued ministry to follow.  I feel like this whole summer has been one massive ordination council of sorts, so I'm excited to have that process culminate in such a meaningful way with my friends and family there at Second Baptist.  As exciting as it has been to witness and participate in some of these ministries this summer, the upcoming ordination and that time of rejoicing with friends and family has been a constant driving force for me, and with that destination so close on the horizon, it's time to buckle down and make sure I finish strong.