They say you should never send a woman to do a man’s work. But the fact is, Debbie and i have been partnering in this funny thing called ministry (which is co-ed, btw) for about 20 years so I guess I can trust her to represent the Jones concerns. Actually, she often does better than me at networking and is more sociable than her geek-bookworm other half. And so we are sending her off. One hour ago we said goodbye to her at the ferry terminal outside our house.
Debbie will be in Aberdeen for a day with Whitney and Brian (8lb baby boy Oct 22, no name yet) and then fly to
– Austin, TX to work on an artists prophetic gathering event for 2007
– Portland, Oregon to help her parents move up from California.
– Houston, Texas to participate in a strategic meeting regarding pilgrimage/new-monastic/training-trail/ leadership development/rule-the-world type issues with the Baptists (UBA) and other friends including Karen Campbell, Doug Pagitt, Shannon Hopkins, Julie Blick, the Seminext people, Ken Shuman (the poker-playing pastor), Mark Thames, Trish Taylor, Larry Jay, Mark Berry (UK), Bjoern Wagner (Germany) E.B. Brooks (a HUGE mentor of mine) and others. Actually – its a follow on from our London meeting where we started this discussion and pretty much the same people will be there – EXCEPT MY BETTER HALF WILL BE STANDING IN FOR ME. I will be sending a presentation for Debbie to work with for the Houston meetings. And hopefully she will be meeting with some churches in Texas, Oregon and Washington who might be able to help support our projects overseas.
We will miss her. Thats for sure. I already do most of the cooking at home but the washing and cleaning . . . well . .. I guess i will find out the full extent of the demands of the Jones household. The biggest worry is our diabetic daughter Abigail. Appreciate your prayers.
So, if you see my wife, tell her we miss her already!!!!!
Ok, TSK. Please explain what “pilgrimage/new-monastic/training-trail/” is. this sounds very exciting.
For myself I have started to recapture an understanding of what pilgrimage is. I’m still a newbbe at it though and would like to know more
With you on this one Andrew. My wife is a translation consultant and regularly goes of to Madagascar for three weeks at a time to work on the Jesus film. It’s really exciting to see her grow and develop in her ministry (and the photos she brings back are fantastic) but I miss her like crazy.
hi andrew. i’m with you on this one as well. my wife has begun graduate school at emory university in atlanta, and i’m finishing a degree of my own in florida. we’ve been apart since august, and will continue to be apart until the end of december. crazy stuff.
mike – the old training methods are not producing leaders who are equipped for the new thing we see God is doing and so we are working on leadership development for the emerging church movements.
Prayers with all of you, Andrew…but it’s kind of comforting that you’re doing this, as I’m off to the Church of S India for a month on 1st November, and feeling a tad guilty at abandoning my kids. As in your household, I’m not the prime cook, and I know all the practical stuff will run smoothly…but it still somehow makes me feel better that up in Orkney another family is dealing with a similar situation.
andrew, sent you an email re: debbie being in pdx.
awww andrew. she is safe sound and bubbly! we all had pizza (she had one token beef bbq rib) and GREAT chianti around the big round table and ended it with good english tea and milk chocolate with lavendar. i WILL tell her you miss her much.
and i must say, i nearly fell out when i heard you were sending her in your stead. it blessed me immensely as a woman, that you chose that. i’m still profoundly impacted by it. thank you for loving your wife, partnering with her and letting her be a gift to us this weekend.
but we DO miss you, too!
give the children my love and much grace to you as mr. mom!
Hey Andrew…. Cat here…. both Phil and me are keeping the event in Austin prayer soaked. Covert silent prayers are like land mines in hell… the enemy never knows where there gonna hit. Soooooooo…… just heads up… and yes i’ll be praying for your daughter too!!
Just a thought … i’m reading “the new mystics” by Crowder. It’s got some heat on it!!! Might want to check it out.
shalom dear one…. much Love and mucho Grace!!
cathryn
That’s funny. I just wrote a blog on the pains of my wife leaving for Germany for 19 days while I returned back to singlehood. And I would have to agree, I also do the cooking, but don’t clean or other domestic chores. And I am also the geek while my wife is a brilliant networker who should be ruling her own kingdom if it wasn’t for her bookish husband!!
Thanks for the post
Hey Andrew. We have finally found you. Remember us – probablty Graeme more…. from Maylands Baptist days in Perth, WA. Have just read most of your bloggs since 2004, and sort of have an idea of what you’ve been up to. Check out http://www.turnertales.com and touch base with us
Gonzo . . . is that really you??????
Great to hook up again.
Hi Andrew. This is Fiona Turner here, yes Graeme Turners wife (Gonzo). Look I am not really great at this blogging, much better with email.- which is why you responded just 8 hours after i posted a comment back in Nov 2006, and it is now April 2007 and we respond!!!! can you touch base with us via email. turnertales@gmail.com – that would be great, I know that Graeme would love to chat – do you do MSN or skype?