Welcome. The Forum will be cleared each week. Feel free to continue threads from last week or start a new one. Please put a clear Subject line on your post. And, we might briefly introduce ourselves as we do not all know each other yet.
Thanks
Eugene
I am Bob Larsen, brother-in-law to Marion, age 67, retired French teacher, gay, in a 25 year relationship with my partner, Paul, who is my junior by 10 years and still has 4 or 5 more years to teach before retirement. He heads up the computer and communications stuff for the Greenwich Ct public schools. He teaches computer skills to teachers and administrators and general staff and is responsible with his crew for keeping all the sytems up and running at Central Office and throughout 17 schools in the district. I had a long colloquy with Marion and with David recently about David's on universe paragigm, which has never been convincing or uplifting for me. I have recently found a very diverse, loving and welcoming Anglo-catholic parish to join, and love it! I sing in its truly superb choir.
I am a friend of Eugene and his family who invited me to some classes David and Eugene have taught. I am a 63 year old widow of an Episcopal priest and pschotherapist. I went to the University of Chicago Divinity School for 3 years in the field of Theology and Literature before meeting and marrying my husband. I have 3 grown children of whom I am very proud. I lost my husband last year due to cancer. I am an addictions counselor, currently volunteering at the Sarasota Salvation Army in their addiction program . I am a member of The Church of the Redeemer (an Anglo Catholic parish) in Sarasota. Like Bob, I am a believer in the two universe paradigm but strongly support Borg's emerging model of faith.
Welcome Bob. I’ve enjoyed your erudite comments and it’s good to know more about you. I love Marion and have heard about you from her, “Good Things” of course. I’m really passionate about peace and justice issues and am trying to use this web site as a spring board for helping actions. My faith tradition is Mennonite / Anabaptist and I’m happy to have found a great Mennonite Church where I feel accepted and helpful. I lost my partner Alex in June, we'd been together for 30 years. Marion and David Ryan have been grounding forces in my life as my theology fell to pieces. David has written the Be God’s Helper Guide on which this site is based. You can read his page under the Guide tab.
I'm Miriam Showalter, a sometime Covenant Mennonite attender and a teacher of students with autism in one of Sarasota County's schools. I'm 45, and have been married to Kenton for 25.5 years. We have three sons, aged 24, 21, and 18, who are just phenomenal human beings, imho.
Lessee...what more would you want to know?
Last year, we bumped into cancer by accident, which only drew us closer and more appreciative of life in general. Kenton's doing very well, and can expect to be cancer-free, having had his thyroid removed and knowing that this form of cancer has the highest cure rate. He'll do a second dose of radiation next week.
Autism is one of my passions. I've only been teaching for four years, but it was important to me for many years, due to symptoms that our oldest had as a baby. In think of my students as "least of these" in the sense that their neurological deficits affect some of the most important skills we have as humans, those that allow us to *connect* with others. Yet, in relating to my kids, I find that my own self understanding is greatly increased. They teach me so much.
As for theology...I find the one-universe idea to be the key that allows me to connect with a church while maintaining my integrity. We certainly all have different needs in the spirituality department!
Time to sort through paperwork and get some lesson plans going...
