One Small Step, with an Attempted Giant Leap Approaching

In a small bit of personal news, the vestry of St. Vincent's Cathedral Church in Bedford (my home parish) endorsed my application for ordination to the diaconate last night. I am most grateful to them and to the clergy and people of St. Vincent's and St. Laurence, Southlake, for the help and support I have received in my discernment process and preparation for possible ordained ministry. And I am deeply grateful to God for the opportunity to move ahead to the next step in that process.

That next step, however, is certainly a Doozy! I now must sit for our diocesan canonical ordination examinations on January 4th and 5th. In the diocese of Fort Worth we do not use the national General Ordination Exam (used by the rest of the Episcopal church). Instead, we have our own diocesan Board of Examining Chaplains and our own set of oral and written examinations (which also includes preparing for and saying a full "dry mass," complete with sermon) for which all candidates must sit before ordination to the "transitional diaconate." Your prayers would be most appreciated, both for myself and the two other men who will be taking the exams with me. Thanks much, my friends.