Random Lists

Since I can't sleep tonight anyway (between a head cold and a sore baby belly) I thought I'd post again tonight. So here are some "lists" that come to mind from the past several months:

Recurring themes:

• My personal study of James 1 re: persevering through trials (started January)
• Jonathan's sermon series on Ephesians 6 re: the armor of God (May)
• My personal study of 1 Peter and recurring readings of Hebrews 11 (started June)
• Pastor Tim Jordan's sermon series on Hebrews 11-12 re: the life of faith and running the race at Northland Family Camp (June)
• Pastor Adam Love's sermon series on Ephesians 6 re: the armor of God (July)
• Pastor James MacDonald's book "When Life Is Hard" with a focus on James 1, Hebrews 12, and 1 Peter 4 (started August)
• Dana Marks' adult SS class on the topic of "Thriving in Stressful Times" with a focus on James 1 (started September)

Main events of my 2010 so far:

• Finding out I was expecting baby #2 (first week of February)
• Sending Jonathan off to Heart Conference at Northland, where he met and roomed with Pastor Adam Love (first week of February)
• Interviewing for and being offered a part-time job (first week of February)
• Seeing things start to get "icky" at the church where my husband was pastor (first week of February)
• Learning some people in church leadership wanted my husband to leave (first Sunday in March)
• Starting my first week on my own at my new job (first Monday of March)
• Having my husband resign from his position as pastor (Mother's Day)
• Going to my husband's first church for his last Sunday as pastor (Father's Day)
• Moving in with my parents (second to last week of June)
• Entering my third trimester with baby #2 (last week of June)
• Attending Family Campt at Northland, which was providentially changed due to a friend's wedding in August (last week of June)
• Seeing God provide a job for Jonathan here in Madison after only two days of looking (second week in July)
• Finding a likeminded, nurturing church home here in Madison where the pastor is Adam Love (early July)
• Standing up in a good friend's wedding and seeing many familiar faces (first week of August)

The church search so far:

• Jonathan registered with BJU Ministry Placement in mid-April and has had some personal connections but has otherwise been in contact with several churches through BJU, NIU, and MBBC--from Redwood City, CA, to Hampden, ME.
• To date, we have sent his initial info. packet--including his Cover Letter, Resume, Doctrinal Statement, and Philosophy of Ministry documents as well as video links to three sermons, two picture slideshows, and a personal introduction--to 43 churches.
• He has had about 60 "plays" total on sermon videos, about 70 on each of the picture slideshows, and 30 on the introduction.
• We have filled out about 10 individual church surveys, including one that took 14 pages to answer.
• He has had one Skype video call so far (following a completed lengthy survey), and that church fell through as a possibility the day after we moved in with my parents.
• He has another Skype video call scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday, September 12).