I keep feeling I should post something. I've gotten into a few controversies on other folks sites, but nothing new or noteworthy. Just stirring up some pretty old arguments.

Thurday morning I leave for Lviv for the prupose of teaching English classes and participating in Bible discussion groups with professional and academic Ukrainians. In preparation for this, our team had a meeting a couple of weeks ago with Dean Storelli who teaches people to teach ESL at Duke University. We got to learn about Stephen Krashen and some of the newish ideas regarding aquiring a second language. It was all enormously helpful and I look forward to telling my (andvanced level) students about what I learned.

The theme that the staff in Lviv picked for the week is "friends for a lifetime." I'm not sure what they are planning to do with that, but I found I had two books on my shelves on the subject of friendship, so I read them this past week.

The Friendship Factor is one I read about ten years ago but it was good to dust off and read again. I ws amazed at how much had stuck with me along the lines of "oh, THATS why I started doing that." It's a very practical and pragmatic book about how to cultivate, deepen and maintain friendships.

The other was Becoming Friends by Paul J Wadell. This is a more philosophical book by a Notre Dame educated Catholic. What really stood out was the chapter on Aelred of Rivaulx, a 12th century monk from Northumbia. Aelred studied the relaionships between the Cistercians at his monastery and decided there were three types of friendships. Carnal friends are those who are drawn together to participate in evil together, such as gossip or drunkenness. Worldly friends are those who hope to gain some advantage from their fiends. And Spiritual friends are thsoe who are joined due to their commonality in Christ. There's lots to explicate there, but you get the general idea.

I think its about time to head out to our last team meeting before we leave. Pray for us, if you would.