Early and waiting on the runway. Now to find a Benjie.

For EMM

Emmeline, we’re about to land, and this is what Chicago looks like from the air. This is what birds see all the time, and what people see when they’re in the airplanes we see flying.

For EMM, Travel

Derek and Ashley sent several books to our home a few weeks ago, and since I haven’t had much time to read lately, I thought I’d bring one with me.

So I’ll be reading The Disciple-Making Minister for the next few weeks as I travel. I’m only a few chapters/a few hundred miles in, but so far the book deals with the nature, purpose and structure of a “church” or even “the church.”

One thing the author talks about that resonates with me is that the church got along fine with owning a single building for the first 300 years–any time Paul or any other writer mentioned a “church,” it was always a house church that he was talking about. That’s decades longer than our country has been in existence. (And Happy Birthday To You, USA–sorry I’ll miss most of your birthday this year. Next year we’ll do something special, just the two of us.)

The church building isn’t necessary, maybe is even a distraction in most cases. And if the believers met in their homes those first long centuries, the number of people gathered at any given time would have to be numbered in tens of people, not hundreds or thousands of people like in modern churches.

For EMM

There are lots of people on the plane, all going different places, but all going through Chicago. There are seats a lot like the front seats of our car, with little windows like the one you see here.

This is another plane that’s also on the runway. A runway is a little like a driveway for airplanes.

For EMM

Emmeline, this is my airplane. I’ll fly in this to Chicago, where I’ll have breakfast with my dear friend Benjie.

For EMM