weekend and such.

hello there. I had a nice weekend and such. busy. exhausting, really. lots to think about. lots of friends. lots to see. but good. friday I met my mom and new cadet brother for lunch, and then we had a roomie dinner night and went to the mill. it was weird because there were satellite-ready news vans parked in the parking lot, there was something going on at the world prayer center, the parking lot was full, and the whole air of the place was in a sort of mourning. fitting, considering the circumstances. it was good to be there with the new life jumpers, as I like to affectionately call them. the songs seemed so appropriately tied to the week's events, but somehow they were also just normal worship songs. funny how that works and elaborate lyrics on trust and strength and comfort take on new meanings with different circumstances. emily says the church wasn't built on ted, it just happened to start in his basement. I respect the ways some/most people are viewing it all in such a healthy way, but I can also understand how it would be such a fresh wound for those who trusted him as such a spiritual leader in their lives. I described it to a friend as something that really affects the whole christian community in this city because we are one body, and it's like new life is the hand and a finger got ripped out of a socket. and your whole arm hurts and the rest of your limbs convulse in pain. perhaps that's not fitting. but it works for now I guess. I don't think there's a church in town that isn't praying for the family and the church. it all drives home the point that we're not perfect and we all need grace equally, but of course also the dichotomy that leaders are held to a higher standard. perhaps my favorite part is that God's been preparing the church and leaders to handle this, He knew it was coming all along, he knew it was going on and chose how to handle it, and perhaps even used ted's teaching to prepare individuals, even though the church wasn't expecting it. it shows we're really not in control. emily also mentioned that last week's sermon was on lies and deception and that he prayed at the end of the service for lies and deception to be exposed this week. whoa. it's almost too much to think about.

anyway, we had a small group leaders retreat with pierced and I absolutely love the house that we meet at. it's someone's vacation home in a gated community—with amazing views! seriously, the town's best mountain views. it's always such a blessing to be able to gather there, to host the event, for several of us to be cooking before guests arrive, to play basketball in the gym, to sit around the living room talking about our small groups. it's a good time. from there, I visited friends in denver. crystal's townhouse is adorable! and sara offered good portfolio advice, as only a fellow creative can. crystal and I took a long, sunny, walk on sunday that proved to be a great conversation. then it was off to jill's to welcome her to denver and chat about life and jobs and grad school and how wonderful the air is in this state.