Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Busy but Good

This blog has been pretty quite lately. I felt pretty busy lately. School has started up and I'm taking a full load: homiletics, modern church history and theology, Anglican ethics, and Field Ed. I have to a lot of writing so that drains my writing energy for this blog. However, my health is holding up and my energy is improving.

I’m going to try to do short posts more frequently instead of trying for longer ones. I know you all like hearing from me. Writing short notes would make it easier for me to keep you all informed. Peace!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to see that you are back on line. It was good to chat wioth you the other day. Keep up the studies, and may God continue to bless and guide you.

Anonymous said...

Howdy, Sis!

It's gr-r-r-reat to read you back on-line, with your blog! I was concerned, since you hadn't entered any new postings in quite awhile. Of course, I knew that you made a couple of trips north to the "homeland", a.k.a. "God's Country", a.k.a. Idaho!

I would still like for you to give a brief analysis of my blogsite at http://glenalans.blogspot.com and let me know how I might improve it. Specifically, I'd like to include a photo or two (be aware that I use public terminals, and so may not ever be able to add photos), and to furnish links. The desire to install links is one reason some of my words are bold-print.

Con amor, de San Antonio,
tu hermano

Glen Alan Graham said...

Hey, Sis!

What's happened to your "try to do short posts more frequently"? Haven't read ANYTHING new here, short OR long!

As for me, life has also been "busy but good" -- and so much of it happening within or in direct connection with PRISON! Five years ago if one had told me I'd soon be going to prison frequently AND looking forward to it, I'd have replied, "yeah, and I've got some ocean-front property in Arizona... if you'll buy that I'll throw the Golden Gate in for free!" (credit to George Strait)

Nevertheless, on my first ever attendance for the Closing for a Kairos Prison Ministry Weekend retreat (a three-day encounter with Christ, patterned after Cursillo or Emmaus) back in '02, I was "hooked"! AND NOW, after serving on two Weekend teams at that same Torres Prison Unit, I've served as Table Clergy for Briscoe #1 -- the first such Kairos retreat in the Dolph Briscoe Unit outside Dilley (between San Antonio & Laredo).

Sis, it was AWESOME to watch the Spirit of God at work close-at-hand! First He molded and shaped a diverse collection of men and women -- who had no other commonalities than a love for Jesus and a love for the incarcerated, and in many cases prior service in Kairos -- into a useful vessel of His amazing grace to be poured out on Briscoe and Dilley. And then thru us the Lord impacted not only the 41 Candidates and 12 Stewards wearing the white garb of inmates on Briscoe #1 BUT ALSO the folks in grey set over them by the law AND ALSO some of the citizens of the nearby village!

Well, I could go on and on about Kairos Briscoe #1, but you can "read all about it" at my blogsite http://glenalans.blogspot.com so check it out! "Extra! Extra!"

Keep me in your prayers too, please, because the prison chaplain for Briscoe resigned in October, those men seem so like sheep without a shepherd, and I feel strongly the call to be in Briscoe not just for Kairos events but be there daily as their shepherd (under-shepherd of the Good Shepherd).

One final thing. I firmly believe that Jesus wasn't born on or anywhere near 25 December, because those Bethlehem shepherds would have had their flocks in the barns, not in the fields. BUT let me also affirm that as we approach 25 December in this Year of Our Lord 2006, Christ IS being BORN in a certain place of loneliness & lowliness at the edge of a country village -- just like two milennia ago! He's being born anew in the new Kairos community in Briscoe, which came into being thru that first Weekend retreat. Thanks be to god! and to God be the glory!

Glen Alan Graham said...

Hey, Sis!

What's happened to your resolve to "try to do short posts more frequently"? Since early November I haven't read anything new here, short OR long! So, what's going on??? Finals??? Advent activities???

As for me, life also has been "busy but good"! Much of it's been so within or in direct connection with prison. Now, if one had told me even five years ago that I'd soon be going to prison frequently AND looking forward to it, I'd have replied, "Yeah? Well I've got some ocean-front property in Arizona. . . if you'll buy that I'll throw the Golden Gate in for free!" (Credit to George Strait & his great country song "Ocean front Property")

Kairos Prison Ministry just conducted its first Weekend retreat ever in the Dolph Briscoe Prison Unit outside Dilley (between San Antonio and Laredo). Sis, it was AWESOME to observe & be part of the work of God! First, the Lord took a disparate bunch of men and women who had few commonalities other than love for Jesus and for the incarcerated (& in many cases prior service on Kairos Weekends) and He molded and shaped us into a vessel for His grace to be poured out on Briscoe and the adjacent village. AND THEN He did it! God's grace was so-o-o-o evident in all of Briscoe #1, as He blessed not only the 41 Candidates and 12 Stewards dressed in the white of TDCJ inmates, but also those TDCJ officers in grey who were present, us on the team, and at least some of the nearby villagers!

I could go on & on, but for further details I direct you to my blogsite http://glenalans./blogspot.com so check it out! And please pray for the 41 and 12 mentioned above -- the inmates who participated in Kairos Briscoe #1 -- and for the prison chaplain position in th Briscoe Unit and the nearby Cotulla Transfer Unit. The chaplain resigned in October, the inmates see themselves as sheep without a shepherd, and I see myself as called to step into that gap!

Finally, I firmly believe that Jesus wasn't born on or near 25 December because those Bethlehem shepherds would have had their flocks in the barns and not in the fields. Nevertheless, I also affirm that as we approach 25 December in this Year of Our Lord 2006, Christ IS being BORN in another certain place of loneliness & lowliness at the edge of a country village -- just like two milennia ago! That is, He's being born as a new Kairos community in the Briscoe Unit, which just had their first Weekend! Thanks be to God! And to God be the glory!