It's been two months since I've posted any original reflections or writings. Two months! Where on earth have I been, and what have I been doing? Great questions.

Though much of October, while still reading the daily lectionary readings as part of morning prayer, I was compiling and editing a new daily prayer book that uses the old Lutheran Common Service Book as its base. It follows the historic, one-year lectionary for Sundays and contains the collects and prayers that Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism all inherited from our common Western liturgical heritage that dates back over a millennium. I've been using it for my personal daily prayers for a little over a month to proofread it and iron out formatting quirks, etc. It isn't yet ready to share but will be soon. While no prayer book is perfect, I hope that those looking for a connection to our common worship heritage will find it useful.

November found us spending nearly three weeks in Ethiopia and Europe--first visiting the extended family of our adopted daughter, followed by a few days of R&R in Germany (with sojourns to France and Austria) before coming home and getting back into the swing of things. While I had access to messaging and news, I was completely disconnected from social media for the entire time--and didn't miss it one bit. Though I don't spend much time on Twitter as it is, I think this month proved that I really have no use for it at all and am considering abandoning it altogether.

With Advent beginning on Sunday, I look forward to a new church year and continuing my lection reflections using older weekly and daily lectionaries. I enjoy the shorter days and slower pace of winter (even Houston winter) and look forward to anticipating and finally celebrating Christmas with family again.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash