Sunday, September 7, 2008

Sabbatical

I have decided to take a Sabbatical from this work on Ecumenicity until the end of the current semester.  With the possible exception of one post I have in the works, I will add nothing new here until December.  May God bless you in your own efforts at seeking Christian unity, and may he bless us all inasmuch as we sincerely desire to be one as Christ is one with the Father.  Besides focusing on my final year of law school, and my 'real, live' clinical client, I plan on spending my free time discerning God's will through a Catholic inquirer's class, and contemplating my role as the spiritual head of my family.  I want to catechize my household.

Following this short break, I would like to consider a minor reformatting of this blog.  I would like to write in a more logical fashion from post to post.  That is, I would like my posts to follow a more deliberate course, even if I write less (as less can often be more!).  I am also considering accepting thoughtful written submissions from contributors, so if anyone would be interested in letting me post their work on ecumenicity here, start giving that some thought.  As always, please feel free to reach me by e-mail (my address is available through my "profile" page).

Peace in Christ,
Tom

8 comments:

Barrett Turner said...

Tom,
The Lord bless you and keep you.

Rene'e said...

Tom,

I am going to miss your posts. Thank you for your support and advice. Thank you for helping me to understand others in charity. But most important thank you for spirit of Ecumemicity. You truly do have that spirit in your heart and it shows through your words.

I will keep you in my prayers, and each time I comment to others, I will do my best to follow your example.

Do not stay away to long.. okay?

Peace be with you.

renee

Canadian said...

Tom,
Just curious, you are a Presbyterian exploring Catholicism and yet wish to catechize your family, what do you plan to use for catechesis?
I ask because since I have been exploring the ancient churches, I have felt somewhat less confident in family devotions switching from a Reformed Baptist position to...well...whatever the heck I am now :-)
It is only compounded by the fact that I have 3 teenagers who are rather passive and aloof toward the things of God right now.
Thanks for you blog. All the best on your semester.
Pax Christi,
Darrin

Anonymous said...

Ugh. Why can't crappy bloggers like the ones at Vox Nova take sabbaticals? Why is it always the good ones? :)

Hey God bless brother, looking forward to your return.

Skyrim Geek said...

Tim,

Because the devil doesn't sleep.

Tom,

Good luck and God bless.

Tom B. said...

Thank you all for the kind comments. I think that each and every one of you is in your late 20's or older, so old enough to know how quickly three or four months of life pass (yes, I know, a true Sabbatical is one year of rest, like the fields used to get). I doubt I'll be missed much, and know this is important. Besides, I'll still be around in other forums (fora).

Peace in Christ,
Tom

Tom B. said...

Darrin,

"just curious, you are a Presbyterian exploring Catholicism and yet wish to catechize your family, what do you plan to use for catechesis?"

Good question. I don't know. Part of the Sabbatical deal is that this is one of the most important questions I could answer, so I need to spend some time answering it. I must walk with great tact too, given my family's and extended family's sensitivities.

"I ask because since I have been exploring the ancient churches, I have felt somewhat less confident in family devotions switching from a Reformed Baptist position to..."

I've been through this too. Despite the occasional nastiness of Protestants and Catholics together, there is still great common ground. I just focused on those things. And I had my kids learn things like the Apostles Creed (but that back-fired in my own mind, even if they like it).

"It is only compounded by the fact that I have 3 teenagers who are rather passive and aloof toward the things of God right now."

This is a challenging and serious matter, and I will pray for you this evening while I'm still thinking of it (and beyond, if I can do so!). The majority of my aunts/uncles/cousins are or have been Reformed Baptist, and my observation is that the children have been somewhat rebellious to staying with them. And your kids seeing you go through your own doubts will only compound problems. My oldest is five, so I'm okay, but feel the clock ticking.

Peace in Christ,
Tom

Russ Rentler, M.D. said...

God bless Tom.
You do good work here on the blog, but everything has its season.
Let us know when you are up and running again.
I will pray God leads you in your discerning process regarding the "ancient church."
Take care
Russ AKA TiberJumper