Yeah, I'm still alive.

Cranked out another 20 pages of thesis these past few days. Aiming for another 20 this coming week, which is spring break at Big Old Seminary. Add another 10 or 15 and I'll be done. The advisor likes what I've done thus far, but the clock is ticking. It has to be sent to the outside reader on April 15th.

I've got conversations with two different churches this Wednesday in the vicinity of lovely C-Ville, home of Mr. Jefferson's academical village. Although this is not the direction we wanted to move to, they are both interesting opportunities (very different) and the Albemarle County area is wonderful. So I'll get in the car at 6:30 on Wednesday morning and head southwest.

It's a rather remarkable story, how I found out about these opportunities. I had gotten rather unhappy about the invisibility of assistant rector jobs, and how it all seemed like an old-boy network, and how they only seemed to want to talk to young guys and not experienced women. So when I met with the Commission on Ministry, and they asked how things were going, I said, "Frankly, I'm getting a bit frustrated in my job search...you all have been so supportive and such an important part of my formation - now I need you to help me in this next step. I need you to be MY search committee, helping me to find out what is available out there." And remarkably, two women from the committee approached me as I was leaving to tell me about the first of these two opportunities.

Even more remarkably, the rector of this church was the former assistant at my sponsoring parish, and he had assisted at my wedding to PH.

More remarkable still, when I contacted him, he had already offered the job to someone else, but a week later, when the candidate had turned down his offer, he called me and wanted to talk.

And the other opportunity is with the mission parish of the woman who gave me the lead on the first job - they will be posting the job the day after Easter.

Something is happening here. I hope it is the Holy Spirit working, as usual, in ways I never expected. In any case, we shall see what happens next.

Meanwhile, I'm chilling out this weekend while PH is away at a conference in Charm City. Tomorrow is Saint Middle School (which is still in play as an opportunity as well) followed by my Lay Committee. Eight more weeks there as their seminarian. Wow.