Back from the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas clergy retreat, where I was privileged to be a speaker alongside the amazing Fleming Rutledge, I have a renewed appreciation and admiration for what these people do. Parish priests have a tough job! But I also met people engaged in refugee resettlement, hospital chaplaincies, hospice care, education from K through 12 — it’s hard work, and vital work, and churches around the country are doing it with virtually zero public recognition or appreciation. Moreover, despite the Episcopal Church’s general reputation for theological vacuity, I met  person after person with a genuine zeal for the Christian Gospel. It was an honor and a pleasure to be among them.

Now, after all that human interaction, this introvert needs to hole up in a room alone for three or four days. But I had a great time!