Thursday (O Radix Jesse)

Out the door early, at 7:45. Rendezvoused with Fr Sean Ferrell in Mt Vernon, discussing with him some recent developments at the Chapel of St John the Divine as we headed south on I-57 toward Marion and Carbondale. We arrived at St Andrew's around 11:30, and poked around the place with newly-arrived rector Mother Kathryn Jeffrey. Then the three of us headed out to lunch at Chili's, taking some time first to drive around the campus of Southern Illinois University. Our conversation centered on a strategic evaluation of the health and vitality of St Andrew's in Carbondale and St James in Marion, the general missionary environment of the "Hwy 13 metro area," and the work of campus ministry at SIU. It was a fruitful time of communal thinking-out-loud. At a rest area near Lebanon on the way home, I pulled out my phone and was horrified to see no fewer than 60 unread email messages. That's what happens when I'm not in the office to whack them down as soon as they pop up. Got that job done at home, though, and I'm now back to inbox-zero. It was a good dayl

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