Isaiah and Calli English: Life Blog

      The world of Jane Austen is not so different from the media worlds of romance and intrigue today, with the  protagonists cast as the single young men and women, and the community around them as supplementary, though important, to their journey to marriage and rest from the bustling, often dangerous world of possibilities--for everyone knows that, once married,  possibilities are limited and life gets safer. It's a trope due its truthfulness; the settled of society are the safest of society. But the difference between the fictional worlds of Ms. Austen and the fictional worlds today found in TV Series and film, is not found in the protagonists (you will find the same fresh-faced innocents, capable middle-aged romantics, and seductresses should you turn on the tube today), but rather the difference is in the lack of their married counterparts (minor and yet vital players in the bloody field of romantic conquest and adventure).      In Austen's...

The hard thing about blogging is that communicating in this way requires margin, which is hard to come by in this adult life. Alas, today I acquired a random day off from work due to a power outage; hence, this blog-time! The end of Summer at the Boardwalk Chapel was so bless-ed, which much love and conversions (at least 17-20...but the Lord truly knows his true sheep, not I) and excitement. I did get all the way well (my last blog logged remnants of sickness), and I loved being at the BWC in the weeks following even more due to good health. Got to act in more skits and sing more and have more conversations too! There are many I have missed and will miss from N.J., but that's one aspect of being a Christian that I love---the party in Glory where we will see all of our long-lost people makes goodbyes less bitter. Death and Goodbyes BOTH lose their sting in the light of Christ's Glorious plan. Isaiah stayed at the BWC for 2 more weeks whilst I went home to get started with anothe...

 Greetings friends both near and far!  I'm here at the Cape May Starbucks drinking English tea and eating a breakfast sandwich. The cold I (and some others) got nearly a month ago has hung on like an unwelcome guest we didn't ask for. Some of us at the Dunn House have had it for weeks whilst others have only recently acquired it in the last week or two. I can say that those of us who got it earlier are in recovery but the intense coughs, necessity of taking vitamins and cough drops, and need for sleep remain. The Domestics lead has kindly supplied us with a sick shelf filled with remedies (as well as lovingly force-feeding us the needed Vitamin C), and the brothers and sisters here are good at taking care of their sick (Hannah made me a smoothie just this morning). I personally, despite a clearer head that can think well and a desire to go at normal speed again, have found the continued need for NyQuil at least before bed since if I don't take it, I can't sleep due to d...

 Greetings, friends, both far & near!  Quick update: Our youth group friends from Shiloh in North Carolina headed home this past week (as well as the wonderful Elizabeth and Alaina), but the good news is that as believers we always have Glory to look forward to as well as any clandestine meetings this side of heaven...speaking of which we should get Elizabeth back this August for more ministry together! We have a new youth group in that many met on Saturday; Isaiah will meet them tonight at the Sunday night service. He loves meeting the youth groups, and getting to know them individually also helps him put together teams for night evangelism as it gives him insight. We've also gained many wonderful Junior staffers here at the Boardwalk Chapel and Dunn House. I'm only just getting to know many of them, but it's been wonderful so far. I'm so excited for what the Lord will do with such a community of Saints working for his glory. This past Friday night, a new Israeli f...

Greetings all! We have now entered Week 2 of training at the Boardwalk Chapel. Last week was the Evangelism Conference (We hosted many people who wanted to learn and practice with the staff as we were trained by Chris Byrd). This week, there are 2 training options: an Apologetics course with Jim Z. (the head of the Chapel) and a Counseling course with Tom P. (one of the Evangelism leaders). Isaiah and I are taking the Counseling training course which uses a video series and a book called How People Change by Timothy Lane & Paul Tripp. Isaiah and I are really enjoying this viewing, discussing, and reading. We are also popping into the Apologetics training when we can since it's so awesome (in my case, when some kitchen responsibilities are finished since I am enjoying helping clean and prep dinners for the large groups here under the leadership of the great Avery!). In addition, Isaiah and I are taking part in the Evangelism team training (he is an official intern on this team;...

Things are going great here at the BWC! Isaiah and I are feeling so happy and excited to be here. Staff came in last night and will continue to come in today for our first official BWC Staff Picnic which starts at 1pm. The leaders and I (the wife!) have been here for this extra week, and we are so excited to meet up with pastors, friends, and staff to get the fellowship flowing today. We load up at 12:30pm. Please pray for us to get to know one another and live out the love that we will be sharing this Summer.  I am so enjoying helping with Domestics. Made Torta di Riso this morning with some of the leftover rice from dinner, and it was a hit! Thank you Sasha Martin's mom who cooked this recipe which ended up in Sasha's memoir Life From Scratch! ... And thank you Megan Prahl (me ole' C.O. friend who recommended this book years ago which has been where most of my meaningful recipes have come from; I love things more--including cooking--when they're related to story). Tor...

We've been here for 3 full days and 1 extra night. Had a good cry this morning about missing home. There is some loss that comes with being here for the Summer along with immense gain. I miss my neighbors and their kindness and the kool-aid they make me when I stop by;  even the knowing those neighbors and the knowing I can stop by is something to miss. I miss being closer to my family and knowing I can go by if I want, or invite them over. I miss being closer to those close friends; phone calls just won't be the same. I'm going to miss our church come Sunday, though I know the one here is wonderful too, but one does does get attached to one's specific Body. On a practical level, I miss knowing where everything is; especially those health items which get me going in the morning like headache pills, lavender bags warmed up for my neck, and drawers that make sense in general (since our room here is still coming together). I miss our cat who often wakes me with snuggles in...