fathertide Top 10 of 2008 (part 2)

5. Running (and finishing) St. Jude Half-Marathon - I'm not an obsessive runner, but running is a great way for me to stay healthy, both physically and emotionally. I love the feeling of just letting my brain wander where it will while I run. Doing the half-marathon was more about setting a goal to keep me running, than running it to win. In case you didn't catch my previous post about the race, I finished with a time of 2:00:09, which was 1685th place overall.

4. Wesley - There's so much I could say about our ministry at the Wesley Foundation here at Ole Miss. It's the hardest and most frustrating part of my life, but there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. I often tell people that we're growing foundationally right now as a ministry. We may not be a large group or the coolest kids on campus, but I believe we're laying the groundwork for long-term health. In a culture driven by success and numbers, it's hard to stay faithful in times like these, but I believe what we're doing now will yield great fruit in the end.

3. Being Monastic in May - The last two years I've been able to take some time away at the end of each school year to rest, refresh, and recharge my batteries. This 

past May, I met my friend Bush at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. Many monasteries have guest houses where you can go stay for a weekend or week for a personal retreat. You are welcome to join the monks in their daily prayers or you can just do your own thing. I really enjoy the solitude time, the reading, and the praying as well as the time to catch up with Bush. I hope this will be an annua

l practice.

2. Walking and Talking - Isaiah hit major milestones this year. Three weeks after this 1st birthday, he finally let go and starting walking/running...and he hasn't stopped since. Most people don't understand why we're so tired all the time, but once they visit us they know. He is in constant motion all the time - the only time he is still is when he's asleep.

The other milestone is talking. He is very verbal (we think) for a boy, and presently he loves to answer our questions in complete sentences and sing 'Happy Birthday' to himself. If you'd like to talk to him (or just listen to him talk), just call us.

1. Baby Brober - Corrie and I love being parents. In fact, we love it so much we decided we should be parents to more than one child. Baby Brober's (Isaiah's pronunciation) due date is 4 weeks from today. We are excited that Isaiah will have someone to play with and probably fight with. We're also little nervous about the work involved with two kids, but we believe the joys will more than outweigh hard parts.