Faith Dance

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone. Pray for peace on earth.

Cross-sex Friendship Quote of the Week

"Our avoidance of sexuality has cost us more than can ever be calculated." Vinita Hampton Wright

Picture Highlights from 2009

Here are some of my cherished memories from 2009 from a Faith Dance perspective:

1. Sheila's surprise birthday party:

This included Jennifer's prayer for Sheila.  If you have seen it, check it out:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hqP03p467o&feature=PlayList&p=B8005DD3F4CEA905&index=3

Certificate of Christian Studies

Last night, I received the Certificate of Christian Studies.

This is from Sheila's Facebook status:

"All the pictures are on Dan's Facebook page, so I don't need to mess with them here. Just want to say that I am sooooooooo proud of my beloved husband! He graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School/Trinity Graduate School last night with his Certificate of Christian Studies! In all my years as student and professor, I have known NO ONE who deserves to wear that gown and mortar board more than my Daniel!"

 

Barry Manilow

Don't tell anyone but Jennifer O. and I had a blast seeing Barry Manilow tonight.  That was my Christmas gift to Jen!  Wow!  Barry put on a great show.

Cross-sex Friendship Quote of the Week

"Some of the most precious and most spiritually powerful relationships in my life have been friendships with male companions on the way, which held together a clear respect for each person's life context in the world beyond our meeting and an energy that shimmered around the edges of the friendship.... The congregation as a laboratory for loving relationships will celebrate fully the goodness of human sexuality, countering both the culture's obsessive hypersexualizing and the church's habit of putting sex in the corner, shaking a finger at it, and then ignoring it. Extending its sexual repoertoire beyond control, the church can dare to expose the rich connections between eros and spirit, to speak about the erotic dimension of our love affair with God, and to acknowledge and manage more skillfully the tensions and energies men and women discover as they collaborate in ministry."  Celia Allison Hahn, Sexual Paradox

I do cherish this...from a dear friend (a new friend this year!) who posted this on my FB page: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!! (a bit belated) I celebrate all the goodness of God in bringing your friendship into my life. What a gift!"

My friendship with her has been a very sweet gift this year!

Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions Update

I haven't had much time to blog the past couple of weeks--well for that matter, the past month or so because I have been devoting much time to working on the editing changes and revising the manuscript. 

Whew! 

I feel very good about how this is shaping up though. The book does have a more substantial feel to it as I continue to revise it although future readers (advocates and critics) will ultimately be the judge of it. I am hoping to be done with the rewriting by the end of this month.