new places, new things

Rather than post one gynormous post about all the new things happening in life in Boston, I think I'll take it in segments over the next few days. I'm excited to introduce you to life up here! It's not as different from being down south as I expected.

One of the new things is a group of college women I'm excited about getting to know better. We're walking through the book Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline, written by Lauren F. Winner as a way of thinking about Christian disciplines in light of Judaic traditions. I want to share a few introductory quotes with you:

"Spiritual practices don't justify us. They don't save us. Rather, they refine our Christianity" (Winner, xii).

"Practicing the spiritual disciplines does not make us Christians. Instead, the practicing teaches us what it means to live as Christians" (Winner, xii-xiii).

Some of the disciplines I've most enjoyed being in my life are gleaned from Richard Foster's A Celebration of Discipline. I've found so much life and joy in prayer, meditation, fasting, and prayer. As I begin studying and working on these Judaic disciplines, I'm curious:

What spiritual disciplines do you most enjoy? Which would you most like to incorporate into your everyday life?

hasta luego, chattanooga

We are mid-trip, making our way through the chilly northeast. It's already cold! I was wearing my wool coat even tonight. We've been able to share quality time with our parents while in Chattanooga, my dad who's helping us make our way north, Larry's Aunt and Uncle in Virginia, and now with his siblings in PA. Tomorrow we're Boston bound!

It's been so uneventful that I have very few musings for you. However, the car with the We'll Miss U Michael Jackson! painted on the back window shouldn't be forgotten. The plumber's crack of the mover unfortunately cannot be forgotten. And we had a nice jaunt dodging semis as we walked along the road to have lunch alongside the river across from Harper's Ferry.



I would appreciate your prayers as we travel alongside the more, ahem, aggressive drivers of the northeast. We hope to be settling in tomorrow night!