Folks, I am behind in posting this week. “My soul doth ache.” Cause I’m in the middle of some stuff going on in church/world/seminary that I was hoping to blog on this week. It is my therapy afterall. Blogging helps me process eh? And in the process I hope to help provoke others. To understand what I mean  check out this SCARY interview by my friend Martin Robinson on why I blog, how I got started.
The reason why I am behind in the rhythms of my week is because I am at a Faculty Retreat for Northern Seminary. Ah, the dreaded faculty retreat. But as measured by my tweets, this was a retreat well worth the time. Highlights included:

a.) discussing how seminary education is important yet cannot be separated from practice (tweet Sept 15- At the beginning of Northern Seminary’s faculty retreat – discussing how Seminary educ cannot be separate fr on-ground-ministry – YES)

b.) learning about my teaching style ( tweet Sept 15 – Prof Cosgrove says my teaching style is a “prickly Socrates” No! “mad scientist who blows things up+ carefully puts them together again”),

c.) spending time jabbering with other professors on the back porch on the Stone manor of the Kern family  (tweet Sept 15 – Talkin church-mission on Chicago’s south, southwest side w/ profs Hamstra, Freeman, Price, 2 Afri-Americans, 1 (Dutch) Reformed and me. Rich!!!), and

d.) and the president of Northern promising some group affections (tweet Sept 16 – President of Northern just promised me a “hug-a-professor @ Northern” day. I need this … 🙂)

So the Faculty Retreat was good and rich. We look forward to a great learning community developing this year at Northern. One of the things we’re doing is starting a D.Min program in Missional Church Ministry/Leadership this year. Craig Van Gelder and Alan Roxburgh have “signed” to come alongside me and teach this 3 1/2 program. My goal was to bring some of the best of minds on missional  theology, ecclesiology,  cultural engagement and leadership together to intersect, teach but also be challenged and develop further what these ideas might mean on the ground for practicing pastors and ministry leaders. This D.Min is one of the few that provides for such a concentration. You can get info about it here . SPECIAL THANKS!! to Len Hjalmarson who posted about the program at his blog NextReformation, Todd Littleton who did the same  at his wonderful blog, and Jamie Arpin Ricci here at his blog Living Alternative . Also Brad Brisco, Rick Meigs and Brad Sargent (who wrote a lloooooong one in protypical futuristguy style). Thanks for getting the word out!! And may God bless these efforts for the furtherance of His Mission in the world.