Tim Sensing on preaching, at Highland last night:

"Why does [preaching] matter? It matters because we're the church, and preaching takes place here, among us."

Sounds like a simplistic statement, perhaps, but I think there's something here about identity. Preaching matters to us because of who we are. It matters how the words of God are spoken and interpreted among the people of God. If we base our identity as a people on the word of God, we should be paying careful attention to how that word is disseminated among us. We should pay attention to how we speak it, and how we train people to speak it. The words repeated and whispered and shouted out in our midst will have a powerful shaping effect on who we are.

In other news, this is my last week at the DBMM. Strange to think that by next week this office will belong wholly to my replacement, Mollie. It's been a wonderful year here, working with some of the best people I've ever met. I am leaving to go on to new adventures, and I will miss them, but I am leaving well...with a farewell lunch today, a farewell reception, a good track record work-wise, and wonderful relationships. Can't ask for a better send-off than that.