The New Normal

Various antics of the weekend included Jesse and I both taking Friday off (we went out to eat, and found a cute little diner right around the corner from our house for breakfast!), finishing season 1 of Burn Notice, purchasing more household supplies, wandering Newcastle and wading in the ocean, good Bible Study discussion at youth group, and playing the Wii.

Sunday morning, the service was structured as a hymn-sing, with announcements, sharing and prayer, and devotional times included. During the sharing time, one of the men in the church shared a devotional he'd read recently. The really intriguing thing was that Jesse's topic for his mini-sermon was on the same topic as that shared by this man, unbeknownst to him. It was confirmation that these were words needed in the congregation, and they seemed to be well received by everyone present.

After church, they always serve 'morning tea', with little snacks and hot drinks available for fellowship. I met a few more people and reconnected with some I'd met before. The people love having the chance to get together, and it's great to see in this small way the fostering of faith community. After tea, we sat with a few other church leaders (we'd brought lunches) and discussed various church activities, including the reception they're hosting for us in a couple of weeks, certain conferences available for youth leaders, and other pressing matters. It was a good time to get to know these people better, for me, and to see how these things are put together in the church.

Since there was no evening service, we were able to relax. After a trip to the grocery store on Jesse's part to get me the egg I needed, I made cinnamon rolls from scratch. We munched on them while watching Boston Legal.

It's funny, this complete change in normalcy. I waffle between the need to indulge my inner introvert and really figure out where I'm going, and just taking things as they come. Don't get me wrong; I'm enjoying this life. I've just reached the end of the detailed plans, and as I consider things like headhunters, visas, and job applications, I'm realizing I need to go back to God and seek further instruction on what my role is here.

Jesse's gone to work out; I'm going to crack open one of the books I purchased for the trip and never got to: Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris. I know a lot of my friends read it in college, and I thought I'd check it out.