Great news

[Fr_Tom]

It has been a great couple of weeks for me. I have been called as Rector at the church where I have been serving with a two-year letter of agreement. The vestry approved it last night. This is all very exciting.

I am in a DMin program at Virginia Theological Seminary and FINALLY have a project thesis approved. The work here takes on a new nature, but I am thinking about a retreat at The Seminary this summer to jump start the writing and coordinate with my advisor.

In some pipe-related news, a retired priest contacted me and told me he had something for me. He had been given a collection of pipes by a widow in the 70's. He smoked a pipe briefly, but the pipes sat, and he gave them to me so they would be used. There were seven Dunhills - one of them a birthyear. There are Charatans and Astley's. I have a pre-transition Barling's EXEL pot now. There were about 30 pipes in all. The guy had nice taste in pipes.

Just some great news here on a few fronts....

 

[Brewdude]

Fantastic news Padre. You are truly blessed on all fronts!


:cheers:


Cheers,

RR

 

[RDPipes]

You have certainly been blessed sir.

 

[Ocelot55]

Pics, or it didn't happen. :twisted:

I guess I'll take this one on faith! Congrats, Padre! :cheers: :cheers:

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Congrats Tom!

 

[Stick]

Splendid news Tom on two fronts. Sounds like you've got some lovely old briars there. Dunhills too! What's your thesis title?

 

[Dutch]

 

[Fr_Tom]

These are pretty lame pics I know. The first one is of a few of them on day 1 as I was getting a look at just what was there. I am not really the photographer. I need to lay them all out on a table and get the group shot. It came with a 91 pipe rack.

I am assuming you were not looking for pictures of the church or the seminary.

 

[Fr_Tom]

Splendid news Tom on two fronts.  Sounds like you've got some lovely old briars there. Dunhills too! What's your thesis title?

Stick - I am interested in the topic of discernment. We have a process in the church for those who think they are called to ordained ministry. You discern with the help of a committee, and it is a formal process you are admitted to with the permission of the bishop, etc. After going through this and discerning a call to the priesthood, it struck me that this committee was a huge blessing. One of the things we do as Christians is discern God's will for us and then work/avoid/whatever. Why are we not more intentional about the issue of discernement for everyone?

My project will be to conduct a discernment group for lay people. My model will be one in which each member of the group is effectively on the "discernemnt committee" for each other member. My thesis is that they will find themselves more engaged in the practice of the faith and will learn tools to prayerfully continue in ongoing discernment without the formal structure of the group.

 

[DrT999]

Congrats on all the good news and gifts! That is one awsome rack!

 

[Fr_Tom]

Here is another picture that has 2 of the Astley's, the Barling's, the Dunhills not in the first picture, a Charatan, and a Custom-Bilt. Not pictured are two Petersons - a bulldog and a Canadian, a Savinelli Punto Oro billiard, two meer billiards with broken amber bits and some assorted things less interesting. This qualifies as a "cup runneth over" thing for sure.

 

[Buckshot]

Congratulations to you on all the good news and gifts.

 

[Richard Burley]

This has to be one of the greatest pipesmokerly windfalls of all time. I would hasten them to a qualified refurbisher at once, regardless of cost. Congratulations, on both fronts.

 

[Fr_Tom]

This was a huge windfall. From where I sit it looks pretty epic. There is a figural meer as well he could not lay hands on when we met for coffee. I still have not completely come to grips with it. Curiously the guy's widow gave the priest the pipes in the 70's, but one of the Duntills is an '81 and another is an '83. Those two at least would have come from another source.

 

[TMacphersonNH]

Congratulations! What a few weeks for you. So glad to hear this. Best - Tom

 

[monbla256]

As they say, the Lord works in mysteriuos ways !! Obviously you were deserving of his blessing and this is howhe did it !! That's PHENOMINAL !! I don't think it could have happened to a more deserving person !! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

 

[gravel]

I'm truly happy for you Father Tom. Excellent!

 

[huffelpuff]

Congratulations Padre! Sometimes the sun does shine on those that deserve it! Enjoy in rude good health!

Jim

 

[Briar Spirit]

Fantastic news in being called to Rector Tom, very pleased for you indeed and those pipes are such a wonderful blessing too, couldn't be more pleased for you. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

 

[stapf]

Excellent!! Enjoy your blessings!!