Monday in Missoula

Looking south towards Lolo

So here I am, this drizzly Monday afternoon in Missoula, sitting in front of the fireplace sipping from my cup of Lapsang Souchong (for those of you who don't know what Lapsang Souchong is, it's a very strong black tea, which smells kind of like smoky, dirty old socks - we always used to tease my dad about this growing up - "Uggh! How can you drink that stuff? It smells terrible!!!" - but then I grew up and actually drank a cup and discovered what my dad learned long ago - Lapsang Souchong is really great tea. And since I like tea when I'm feeling under the weather, that's what I'm drinking right now).

Speaking of the weather: I've already mentioned that it's dreary outside, a steady mist keeping everything wet, with dark gray clouds kissing the tops of the mountains that surround Missoula. This isn't a bad thing though - here in Montana, we can always use some moisture, and as long as things are warm and cozy inside, well it's kind of a nice change of pace.

This past week has been a whirlwind (the past 4 months, actually) - and that's probably why I'm feeling a little bit under the weather myself - the long days, late nights, with very little sleep are all finally catching up with me. I spent most of last week trying to finish up framing the basement - then on Friday evening, my dad, my brother Jake (who happens to be an electrician), and my brother-in-law Matt (who happens to be a plumber) all drove up from Billings / Bozeman to spend Saturday helping me get the basement whipped into shape. We made a lot of progress, too - probably 95% of what we had hoped to get done.

Of course, that meant we had very little time for shooting the breeze or lounging around either - we hopped in the car(s) at about 7:30 PM Saturday evening, drove BACK down to Billings, where I was officially ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church of America. (I was ordained at the PCA in Billings, not Missoula, since there is no PCA church here in Missoula yet... after all, that's the work we've been commissioned to establish).

May the LORD be your keeper; may the LORD be the shade on your right hand.
May the sun not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
May the LORD keep you from all evil; may he guard your life.
May the LORD keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and forevermore.

- pronouncing the blessing, from Ps 121:5-8

At any rate, it all made for a rather long day on Saturday (we got into Billings at 12:30 AM Sunday morning), and then I had to speak briefly during the Sunday school time on Sunday, followed by the installation ceremony, and then a dinner at the church afterwards. Very, very enjoyable. This marks the end of one very long phase in our lives - from that fateful day some 6 years ago when I told Marilyn, "I think we really need to be praying about going to seminary" (and then lost my hi-tech job in Santa Cruz a mere two weeks later, due to the bursting of the internet bubble) - and the beginning of another, that of fulltime church-planting ministry. I am now officially a "Reverend," which is a little strange since I don't feel that much different.

But it was a great culmination to the whole process, and it was especially rewarding to be ordained in our home church back in Billings, in front of family and friends of have stood beside us and encouraged us over these past few years. I want to extend a special thanks to those of you from outside our church who joined us for this service as well - it means a lot to us that you would come be a part of this special day with us.

And speaking of "special" - I think the most meaningful part of the day, for me, at any rate, was getting to lead God's people in the Lord's Supper as my first official "act" as an ordained minister. Very special indeed, and not something that I will soon forget. Thanks to all of you who were there to be a part of it.

Near Big Timber, looking north towards the Crazies

After the service (and the luncheon that followed), we spent a couple of hours up at my folk's place, planning for an upcoming antelope hunt this coming weekend. And then we hopped in the car to head BACK to Missoula. Doing a 5 hour drive twice in two days gets old quickly, but we were able to stop in Manhatten on the way back for a couple of hours, to have dinner w/ my Jake and Jen. To celebrate, we left our kids to watch their kids, while we adults went to Sir Scott's Oasis in Manhatten. If you ever go their, order the 22 oz prime rib, medium rare - absolutely the best steak I have ever had, and it was HUGE! You simply cannot find a better slab of beef, and it's a great price to boot (a mere $25 bucks a plate). Throw in a Bozone Amber and you can almost hear the angels singing. Wow.

The only downside to this whole thing was that we finished dinner about 9:30 PM, and still had to drive another 3 hours back to Missoula. Ouch. Hopped in the car, and away we went. But it made for yet one more really late night, and I think it all finally caught up with me this morning - I didn't wake up until 10 AM, and now I have a sore throat and a congested chest and all I feel like doing is sit on the couch sleeping. Which fortunately, I can do today. And it gives me a chance to get caught up on email, etc.

So that's the scoop. Kids are doing well, back in school. Work progresses on the basement. I'm officially a Reverend now, and the Missoula Project moves forward one more step. Lot's to be thankful for, and even more to look forward to over the coming weeks and months. Hopefully, my blogging will be a little more regular now...

Summer's last gasp
[Note: I hear it's snowing in Billings today, so you can imagine
that bee and all those little flowers covered with white stuff...]