What is it about mountains that invoke a spiritual or religious response from us as human beings? Maybe the thinness of the air, the lack of oxygen, or the exhaustion when we finally reach the top?

“A holy experiment.” That’s how the English Puritans understood what they were attempting to do, by crossing the Atlantic in the first part of the 17^th century and planting a colony far from the reach of bishops or kings. Seeing themselves as the wandering Israelites, seeking the Promised Land after escaping Egypt, the pious faithful huddled on the top deck of the Arbella as their leader, John Winthrop, delivered his now famous sermon.

If there is one aspect of the Christian faith that has embedded itself into my being, one truth that I return to again and again, it is this: Nothing we have is our own. Everything is a gift from God.

To the outside world, I was a 14-year-old dressed in a Bible costume welcoming kindergartners into a highly-decorated preschool classroom. My co-leader and I greeted them asking if they had heard the news about Paul arriving in Rome. They giggled. They knew we were pretending, and we were indeed in the preschool classroom, not Bethany outside Jerusalem. We washed their feet and welcomed them to share a meal at our table. They helped us make bread and soup, grinding grain and kneading dough.

Another program year has ended! And all God’s people (or at least the BMPC pastors) said, Amen!

If you know anything about David Smith, you will know that he loves books: old books, new books, audio books. He has a constant list of things he is reading or planning to read. He loves nothing more than diving into new ideas and dissecting a good argument. In fact, it is not unusual to end a conversation with David either handing over a book or with him receiving one. It has been a joy to watch as that list of books read, and books to read, has grown over the past four years. They have testified to his strong sense of ministry and call.