The First 24 for Emma Jayne Lenore

EJLS - 24 Hours Old

I lost count at 203.  This is obviously a different age we are living in!  203 text messages, Facebook comments, emails, blog comments, IMs, tweets… even a few phone calls.  Emma Jayne, those were the 203 voices welcoming you into the world, just in your first 24 hours of life!  It’s so thrilling to see so many others sharing our Blue Ridge bundle of joy.  From Alaska to Australia, from Sweden to Iraq, the joy of new life has been celebrated by so many friends and family.  I trust that the angels in Heaven also lift up a cry of praise to our Creator every time a babe takes his first breath.

This evening, as Emma Jayne Lenore Schoonmaker is 25 hours old, we share with you some voices from this chorus of celebration:

“I can’t believe it was only 24 min of active labor!  Lord, please give me the Joyce Schoonmaker blessing as well!  “–Hershey, Pennsylvania (good family friends, also 40 weeks pregnant!)

“WOW!  9lbs… could you even imagine???  You go momma “–Virginia Beach, Virginia

Lil' Buddha Belly - 22 Inches Long

“Yay!  Welcome sweet Emma Jayne and well done my beautiful friend… so proud of you!”–Saskatchewan, Canada

“She looks a month old already.  What a cutie!”–Alexandria, Virginia

“Congratulations!!!!!  What a beautiful name!  Much love from Sweden.”–Goteborg, Sweden

“Yippee!  Praise God!”–Martinsville, Virginia

“Congrats to the Schoonmakers’, another baby in the world to love and spoil!!!! I love it!!!Receive a great big hug and kiss from our part! Love you and can’t wait to see pics of her! God bless!”–Orlando, Florida

“Congrats!  Look at the hair… my best wishes…!”–Culpeper, Virginia

“Congratulations! I love the description ‘pink, DOUGHY and precious’, lol!”–New Orleans, Louisiana

“CONGRATULATIONS!! God is so good all the time!!  Please know that you all will be in my prayers as you welcome and adjust to your new beautiful blessing!!”–Danville, Virginia

“Congratulations on Emma’s birthday.  I praise God that she arrived safely.  Please give Joyce our love and well wishes.  We are praying for her, too…”–Baltimore, Maryland

Mommy Holding Baby Emma

“CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!  What a precious gift.  I think Emma is going to be a piano player as I look at those long fingers.  She’s beautiful and I’m thankful Mom and baby are doing well.”–Suffolk, Virginia

“Little Emma is so beautiful!!!  We both checked your website last night so we could see the pics while they were still fresh. Lol. Give Joyce and the whole fam a hug from us.  Love you all…”–Branson, Missouri

“Congratulations!!!!!!  Emma looks great!  She looks healthy and ready to begin this new journey.  How is Mom and Dad doing?  Thanks for sharing such a wonderful time in your life with us.”–Appomattox, Virginia

“Hi Adrian!  We were just going out the door when I saw your email.  Congratulations to you all.  As Ps 127 says, ‘Children are a blessing!!’  So…you are truly blessed.  We will keep you all in our prayers…  Thank you-’Jesus’-that all went well!  She is adorable but so aren’t all of your blessings!  I love the name and that is quite the head of hair!”–Cape Cod, Massachusetts

“Congratulations, Schoonmakers!  She’s beautiful.  We are very happy for you all.  We caught up with you for a time, but we will let you take the lead with 4 awesome children.  You are very blessed!”–Williamsburg, Virginia

We better enjoy the sleeping beauty while we can... cuz pretty soon, it's gonna be just beauty.

“Age, Congrats my friend!  How many is this now “–Houston, Texas

“Wow!  Congratulations my friend.  Cigars for everyone!!”–Lynchburg, Virginia

“Many congrats… and blessings!”–Sacramento, California

“She’s BEAUTIFUL!!!  Joyce is BEAUTIFUL!!!  YOU are… happy!”–Charlottesville, Virginia

“She’s totally beautiful! … She is so pudgy and cute!”–Kansas City, Missouri

“Age and Joyce: Congratulations!  What a beautiful baby GIRL!! 9lber hah!, and Joyce looked like she did not just got through labor.  The pictures are beautiful, and I like her name.  God is really awesome, miracles like these amplifies His greatness. You are all so blessed.   We hope to see  the baby and you all again soon.  You will be in our prayers.  We miss and love you.”–Virginia Beach, Virginia

“Congratulations guys!!”–Long Island, New York

“Congratulations!  That is big time news.  Let the drums roll.  Hope Mom and Emma Jayne are both doing well.  God’s blessings.”–Portsmouth, Virginia

EJ Lenore... It is your full-time job to get good n chub... Plump is your profession.

“Congratulations to you, Joyce, and the whole fam!!  Little Emma Jayne is beautiful!  Our prayers and blessings are with you all…”–Phoenix, Arizona

“Congratulations Adrian and Jocelyn on the safe arrival of Emma Jayne!”–Petersburg, Virginia

“BEAUTIFUL, AGE!!!!  CONGRATS ON YOUR GORGEOUS FAMILY.”–Cherry Hill, New Jersey

“May God bless you, your wife, your children.  CONGRATULATIONS!!  What a beautiful and big baby!!  By the way, thanks for all that you do for the United Methodist Church and the Kingdom of God.”–Arlington, Virginia

“Great news, Adrian.  I feel joy and celebrate with you and your wife.”–Baghdad, Iraq

“Congratulations!!!  We always say that you two have the most beautiful children we’ve ever seen!!  What’s your home address?”–Charlottesville, Virginia

My sweet girl.

“Age! Congratulations to you, Joyce and the rest of your family! Your newest little girl is beautiful! I can’t wait to see you all and to hold her…”–Stamford, Connecticut

“Adrian, Congratulations!!!  I am so glad that Emma Jayne is here.”–Ashland, Virginia

“What a magical time.  I am so happy for the Schoonmakers!  You are in my prayers.  Please keep the photos coming.”–Fayetteville, North Carolina

“Dear Adrian–Congratulations on Emma’s birth!  What a beautiful and healthy baby girl!  And what a blessing from God!  May God bless and keep all of you always!”–Farmville, Virginia

“Dear Jocelyn and Adrian–Congratulations and WELCOME, Baby Emma Jayne!  May God continue to bless the Schoonmaker family.”–Wisconsin

“Congratulations!  She sure did take her time entering this world but glad she did so safely and healthily!  Blessings to you and Jocelyn!”–Eastern Shore, Virginia

…And 24 Minutes Later…

Emma Jayne Lenore Schoonmaker

Wow!  As soon as Daddy finished writing that last blog, Mama woke up, and it was time for baby!  24 minutes later, Emma Jayne Lenore Schoonmaker was born–at 7:39pm!

With one of the most peaceful deliveries in our little family history, lil’ Emma is pink, chubby and beautiful.  Mama is feeding her right now, and this baby is FULL of non-stop little grunts.  We’ve yet to get her length, but Baby Girl is a whopping 9 pounds & 4 ounces!  I’m pretty sure that’s a Filipino Torres family record.

Emma!! 9lb 4oz!!

Joyce did outstanding–no surprise.  The nurses kept saying how she was obviously experienced at this.  Full of doughy rolls, with feet that barely fit on the footprint pad, Mama keeps saying how lil’ Emma looks like Daddy.  Wait a second… what does that say about me?

“Emma” is the name of my paternal great-grandmother, and this baby’s great-great-grandmother–Emma Williams, from the cold plains of North Dakota.

"Emma looks like Daddy!" says Joyce.

“Jayne” is an alternate spelling of my mother’s name, and this baby’s grandmother–Mary Jane (Lee) Schoonmaker, from the quiet little lake town in central Minnesota (somewhere near Lake Wobegon, for sure).

“Lenore” is the name of Joyce’s paternal grandmother, and this baby’s great-grandmother–Lenore Torres, from the Philippine Islands.

This little girl is just perfect.  I can’t wait to bring her home for her brothers and sisters to cuddle with her.

Welcome home, my wee one!

Emma Jayne & Mama - 10 minutes old

Emma Jayne & Daddy

Land of the Thunder Dragon

Still smiling, even while in the hospital bed... Looks like the hard part is yet to come.

My wife is amazing.  I am sitting here with her in Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, as she peacefully sleeps through the mid-stages of labor.  Our little girl, Emma Jayne, will finally be in our arms tonight… And I am reflecting on the last 24 hours…

Just 24 hours ago, I was filling our SUV full of marvelous Lhotshampas–a minority people, victims of ethnic cleansing, who were driven from the Kingdom of Bhutan into refugee camps in the country of Nepal.  They are Nepali by ethnicity and Bhutanese by citizenship.  Now they are our new friends.  Joyce spent the summer, in the throes of pregnancy, teaching English to these kind folk, and befriending them.  It was not uncommon for me to arrive into town from a 3-hour commute, racing to make it to the community center, where Joyce was sitting in 90-degree heat in the non-air-conditioned Jeep with our three little ones, waiting to “make the switch” with me so that she could go inside and teach English.

The Lhotshampas are Nepali-Bhutanese victims of ethnic cleansing--now living right here with us in Charlottesville.

This week one of her students, a 9th-grade boy, hugged his 40-year-old father for the last time as the father passed away after a long fight with brain cancer.

So Joyce decided to invite the remaining family of 10 Lhotshampas over to the farmhouse for dinner… while 40+ weeks pregnant.  My wife is amazing.

Last night, in the blackness of night and the crisp, chilly October air, I made tracks up and down the hills of the farm on the four-wheeler with the Nepali-Bhutanese at my side, and my two boys bouncing around on the back.  We spotted deer in the fields and had a heyday chasing them through several fields at full speed with the bright headlights.  For a moment, I pray that this high school boy forgot the loss of his daddy, not much older than me… maybe just for a moment.

Age & Joyce - in the hospital on Monday night, waiting for Emma Jayne!

The Bhutanese call their country Druk Yul, “Land of the Thunder Dragon.”   I feel quite certain that my Blue Ridge Mountains are like molehills to their eyes.  It was quite an honor to feed this precious family last night.  I hope they will come back to our home again.

This is how you can tell that my beautiful wife, Jocelyn Torres Schoonmaker, is enjoying the miracle of modern anesthesia: She continues to sleep through labor, and her husband busies himself on the laptop.  Emma, tonight I will hold you, my sweet girl.  Can’t wait to touch your tiny fingers, to kiss your sweet chubby neck.

Autumn Fires

Lukas, Rhys & Leilani Schoonmaker - October Joy!! (Dover-Foxcroft Farm, Charlottesville, Va.)

I never feel so at home as I do in the Fall.  I love the outdoors, but never quite so much until I must wince just a bit at the cold bite of the wind.  Sweaters, hoodies, boots, and long sleeves–these are my best friends.  Some love the air to wrap them like a blanket.  I love to wrap a blanket against the air.  There is something about Autumn that is vibrant, fiery, and robust… yet something, too, that is mysterious, haunting, and still.  The best of both worlds.  Autumn awakes something in me that no other season does.  Autumn calls me back to home, back to hearth, back to pen, back to thought, back to all that matters.

Daddy & Lani Exploring the Farm (Oct 2009)

There is no greater joy than to crack open a sealed bedside window in Autumn, feel the brisk wind blow in off the red leaves, almost hear the crackle of the stars as they peek out from the midnight sky, spread over the mountain peaks.  Now I can sleep.  Now I can wake!

Robert Louis Stevenson, that Scottish author of Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and other great works, was born into a family of lighthouse designers, with a father who was a lighthouse engineer.  Stevenson reflected on Fall in his poem, Autumn Fires:

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The gray smoke towers.

Lewis & Clark Brave the Pine Tunnels (October @ Dover-Foxcroft Farm)

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

I could spend my whole life in October, November, and December.  Baby Emma, it will be marvelous to welcome you into the grandest season of them all!

Advancing the Gospel in a Turbulent Economy

"Dare to dream beyond maintenance, beyond survival--especially in this economy."

Over this past year, I have been part of a visionary church planting strategy, involving more than 1,200 congregations all over the state of Virginia.  I spent seven months interacting with nearly 875 pastors and leaders, in personal interviews and in small groups, listening to their thoughts on what it would mean to fund the establishing of 250 new places of worship in the coming years.  During that time, many pastors began to ask for guidance and direction on how to stabilize and increase their existing church’s annual income in the midst of the current economic uncertainties.

Workshop participants - Wright's Chapel, Ladysmith, Va.

In response to that, my firm offered to conduct a series of workshops or seminars in the Fall of 2009.  I have the privilege of traveling to 20 cities this month and next, speaking in many of these seminars, and sharing with church leaders the personal, relational methodology and principles we are still finding to be fruitful in these times.  I spent this past Sunday afternoon in the Fredericksburg area (just south of Washington, DC, and just north of Richmond), and I will be speaking tomorrow morning at a four-hour, pastors-only event in Wilsons, Virginia.  I miss the opportunities for public speaking, so this all is a lot of fun for me!

"A wise man once said, 'You have not, because you ask not.'"

Some of these photos were provided by the editor of a denominational magazine, who is writing an article on how churches are benefiting from this workshop series.  Many thanks!

After tomorrow, we are halfway through the series–10 down, 10 to go!  One of this weekend’s workshops already has well over 100 people pre-registered.  Very much looking forward to it…

Intelligence Plus Character

This week I came across another thought-provoking article, speaking again to the topic of Classical Education.  I thought I would share it here with my readers.  This one was written a few years ago by Chuck Colson, former White House Counsel.  It is entitled, “Intelligence Plus Character: The Importance of Classical Christian Education.”  Here is Colson’s column:

“Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. . . . We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”

"I believe that every serious Christian needs to be classically grounded, not only to understand the history of our own civilization, but also to contend for truth in the marketplace."

You may remember that I quoted these lines, which come from Martin Luther King, Jr., when I was talking about a student’s convocation speech at Dartmouth College. But they are worth pondering, because they raise a very profound question: How, in today’s society, do we provide the kind of “true education” that King was talking about, that develops both character and intelligence?

Never have we needed more urgently to find an answer to this question. The modern secular university can not cultivate character in a value-free environment, because if there is no truth, there is no standard of ethics by which we can measure character. So the university has simply given up on it.

And not only are our schools and colleges not teaching character, but they’re increasingly abandoning academics as well. The typical student at a great secular university will not learn much about the history of Western civilization. My alma mater, Brown University, an Ivy League school with a great reputation, no longer has a core curriculum. You can go through the school without ever knowing who Plato, Aristotle, Darwin, or Freud were. In fact, you could major in African drum-beating. So from my perspective, the modern secular university has abandoned both the pursuit of classical learning and the development of character. That’s why they’re particularly dangerous places today, and it’s why Christian students must be well grounded before they go there.

Colson: "How, in today's society, do we provide the kind of 'true education' that King was talking about, that develops both character and intelligence?"

And this is also why I so strongly support the Christian classical education movement that is beginning to spread across the country. It combines, you see, the two historic goals of a liberal education: the cultivation of knowledge and the cultivation of character. It shows us the continuum in the intellectual history of the West that goes back to the Greco-Roman era and, therefore, enables us to better understand our own postmodern era. If we cut ourselves off from the past, we can’t understand the present. And it’s particularly critical, in my mind, for Christians to understand the philosophical and cultural currents that have shaped our society.

Colson: "If we cut ourselves off from the past, we can't understand the present."

Let me give you just one good example. Galileo, as everyone knows, was thrown in jail for challenging Aristotle’s philosophical assumptions about an eternal universe. But, as I mentioned in an earlier broadcast, Francis Bacon, sometimes called “the father of modern science,” was influenced by the Protestant Reformation, and he embraced Luther’s idea about abandoning the constraints of tradition and going back to the root: the Bible. He applied this principle to freeing science from philosophical assumptions and instead looking at what God has made — go back to the root of things, as Luther did. This allowed modern science to pursue truth uninhibited by philosophy.

Why is this relevant today? Because we’re dealing with the same issue. Naturalism is the philosophical assumption that binds modern science. And this is at the heart of the intelligent design debate, but you only see this when you know your own history.

I believe that every serious Christian needs to be classically grounded, not only to understand the history of our own civilization, but also to contend for truth in the marketplace. So I hope that you will check for a classical Christian school in your area — as a place for your kids and as a cause to support.

Rites of Passage on the AT

Lukas Connor Schoonmaker - Big Flat Mountain - Sept. 18, 2009

My firstborn son turned 5 years old a couple of days ago.  Lukas Connor Schoonmaker (Made in Ireland, Born in USA) is now officially out of toddler-hood, and into full-fledged boyhood.  He makes his fourth public speaking presentation tomorrow in school, and this speech will be centered around the Swiss Army pocketknife that he now owns, courtesy of Daddy, who gave him this real live weapon to celebrate his five years.

Lukie and I drove west on Friday, up over Afton Mountain, and then north on the amazing Skyline Drive, cresting the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  We went all the way north until the Loft Mountain area, so that we could set up camp on one of the peaks that we see out our windows, beyond the foothills in our backyard.  Lukas did not let go of that pocketknife for even one second.  Signs warned us of the prevalant black bears, and we were sure to keep our food safely tucked away.  We set up camp on Big Flat Mountain, pitched our tent for the night, and then spent some time setting up the fire, and cutting down some good skewers for hot dogs and marshmallows.

I've never seen a kid so happy to roast marshmallows. (Lukas Connor Schoonmaker, Sept. 18, 2009 - 5th Birthday)

Eventually the sun set, we went off to bed, and played with the flashlights in the tent over long tales of Narnia-meets-Middle-Earth adventures where Lukas rescued his brother, Rhys, from the clutches of some evil villain in a castle.  Just when I was drifting off to sleep, and we were watching the stars out the tent top with the wind kicking up into high gear, my five-year-old sidekick decided it was time for a late-night bathroom run, all varieties included.  This bathroom trip ended up more interesting than it already was when we encountered a tall, stately, white-tailed buck, who stood within reaching distance of us for more than five minutes, interacting with Lukas.  Very cool.

The night was long and cold, with howling wind and flapping canvas.  We slept in numerous layers, hoodies, and sleeping bags.  At 5am, Lukie and I both awoke in the dark, and decided to head out into the mist to hike some miles around Big Flat Mountain on the Appalachian Trail.  This was my favorite time with my son on this trip.  He made the whole thing by himself, carrying his breakfast, knife, and pack all the way.  The views were breathtaking, with no description doing them justice.  The sunrise was amazing, and Luke earned several war wounds to take home with him.

Son, you passed the test.  You made Mommy and me proud–as you always do.  Welcome to the next chapter of boyhood.

‘Balance’–A Virtue?

For several years now, I have been disturbed by a way of thinking that is prominent across much of Christendom today.  Some of the greatest leaders, teachers, and preachers in our faith extol the virtue of “Balance,” holding “Balance” up as a value to be admired, strived after, practiced.  Balance of priorities, balance of schedule, balance of body, soul, and spirit.  Long has Eastern mysticism preached the glory of Balance, but I wonder if Christianity’s current near-equating of this value as a Fruit of the Spirit is a postmodern dialogue.  I don’t know; I’ve not done my history homework there.

At any rate, in my journey to follow in the footsteps of my Lord Jesus, I have often noticed how imbalanced is the path He has left before me.  I was reminded of this internal conversation of mine this morning.  As the darkness of night was still receding, and I could hear the cattle lowing on the hillside outside the farmhouse, I spent some time reading from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” before beginning my travels across the state today.  I wish to share with you an excerpt from his thoughts.  He is yet another hero of mine:

"Perhaps the South, the nation, and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."

But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like am ever-flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.” And John Bunyan: “I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.” And Abraham Lincoln: “This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.” And Thomas Jefferson: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . . .” So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvery’s hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime — the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth, and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation, and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

Churches, Pirates, Pentecostals & Rattlesnakes

Lelilani Avril turned two years old this month! Lolo & Lola brought a shiny red Radio Flyer tricycle.

Life has been busy and fun these last several weeks… although I must confess that I have really missed writing here in my blog.  My schedule has kept me away, as I have traveled nearly 5,000 miles since my last post–working hard to put together my leadership teams in all four corners of the state for this great church planting effort I am directing over the next year.  I am more than halfway finished with mobilizing nearly 300 very accomplished and experienced leaders, who have already been a great joy to work with.  Joyce and the kids have been able to join me a bit in my travels–which is always especially fun, and never boring…

We call Rhys our "little engineer"... You can often find him in his room around midnight, out of bed, building cities.

Most recently the whole crew came with me from the mountains to the peninsula to the capital and back again–for my three meetings and an overnight, all within less than 24 hours.  Of course, Joyce always gets resourceful on these trips, and finds numerous Craig’s List sellers with essential family items.  We came home 48 hours ago with a car full of baby gates, pirate ships, and some other odds and ends–all paid for in cash, garnered from neighborhoods up and down Interstate 64 through this great cyber-yard-sale called Craig’s List.  I think our home is mostly furnished by Craig–whoever he is.

"Daddy's home!!!" - one of my favorite moments of the day.

Meanwhile, along with the three munchkin Norpinos in the back of the SUV, the fourth one is quickly filling up the space in the front seat with Mama.  Today marks 31 weeks in the womb (according to the docs–but what do they know? i’m pretty sure we’re around 33+ weeks), and Joyce is definitely feeling it.  By this time–four births in five years–she is quite an expert at this pregnancy thing, and she is doing wonderfully.  For comfort, we’re thrilled to have a chiropractor covered by insurance, and the prenatal chiropractor specialist just down the street has quickly become a best friend.  According to the 31-week-writeup I get in my email, lil’ Emma Jayne is now nearly 3.5 pounds–equivalent to four navel oranges (these authors have not seen the awesome oranges that grace a Schoonmaker kitchen!).  Emma is moving a WHOLE LOT, putting on a show every time Joyce and I sit down to catch up on Jed Bartlett’s life during our evening West Wing marathons (love that series!).

Dr. George Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, stopped to chat with me at my exhibit in Orlando, earlier this summer.

Education matters also punctuate the landscape of our lives these days.  Summer session in the doctoral program ended yesterday for Daddy, and with it my class, “Prophetic Leadership and Redemptive Focus.”  In 48 hours, the Fall semester begins, and I am enrolled full time in “Vision, Mobilization and Management.”  I was so honored to hear a couple of weeks ago that I was again awarded a very generous scholarship for this year–a real answer to prayer for us.  I was also excited to hear that I was invited to come and teach in the Potomac School of Ministry for the 2009-2010 school year.  I am so pleased to contribute there–as the mission is something I really believe in; I will be teaching these aspiring Assemblies of God ministers in the area of Pentecostal Doctrine.  I’m also going to be teaching for three months, come Autumn, for the United Methodist Church in 20 workshops across the state, training thousands of pastors and leaders in the area of church finance.  During the holidays and in the spring, I have been asked to conduct a series of classes–one series in Charlottesville, and one seminar weekend in Virginia Beach–that focuses on families and parenting, specifically for parents of adolescents.  These seminars and classes aim to help equip the parent or leader that asks, “How can I keep my kids on track with the Lord, even after they leave home?”

Lukas's Naptime Creation: Taking my Incan chess/checkers set, he created this scene of the lost getting saved, as Jesus took off their "burdens" (black checkers to left). No kidding!

Much more interesting than my educational stuff, however, is the first year of my oldest son’s ventures into the academy!  Lukas Connor, our four-year-old, begins his first year of classical education–just two days from now (read a great article on classical education by Dr. Bauer of The College of William & Mary, and another write-up by Dr. Peter Kreeft at Boston College).  We’re really pleased to be joining dozens of other friends here in Charlottesville for the new school year in this marvelous, ancient classroom approach.  Lukas reports to class at 9am on Monday morning, a convenient 10 miles from our house, where he will meet his classmates, spend his first hours with his tutor, and begin his journey!  He is responsible to deliver his first public speaking performance on Monday morning, a three-minute speech that he has been working on with Joyce.  Throughout the Fall, he will be focused on nine subject areas: Language Arts, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science, Latin, Religion, Art, and Music.

That's Benjamin Rhys, who has a love/hate relationship with the "TickleBug."

It’s hard to believe that my little boy is almost five already.  Along with this rite of passage of entering school, he also turns five in less than a month.  He and I have been talking for nearly a year about our Daddy-Son camping trip that we will be taking into the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Luke and I will be overnight together in a tent somewhere in the Shenandoah (probably up on Powell or Lewis Mountain) on his fifth birthday, and he is so excited–pretty convinced that we’ll need guns to fend off the black bears and rattlers (of course, he is right–both do exist up there!).  He also keeps mentioning the bow and arrow, and knives, that we need to bring with us for some sort of conquest.

Lolo & Lola with Leilani Avril on her 2nd birthday (Dover-Foxcroft Farmhouse, Charlottesville, Va.).

Well, there’s lots more to say… I’ll save it for another time.  Would love to hear from any of my readers, to hear the update in your world.  We miss all of you in Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Alaska, Kansas City, Cape Cod, Missouri, and all over.  So glad we’ve had so many cousins and friends move into the general mid-Atlantic area as of late… Welcome, Shane & Bree, Paul & Ashley, Heather & Spencer, Myson & Megan, Ben & Sarah!  Hope to see you all soon!

Our little girl is officially a toddler--where did time go? (Dover-Foxcroft Farmhouse, Charlottesville, Va.)

And Now for Some Lighter Fare…

The crew of Norpinos + Cousin Jakie, all headed over to UVA and downtown C'ville.

It’s been a great week that’s now wrapping up… A lot of fruitful groundwork laid for my current consulting project, with leadership selection, strategizing, recruiting, and schedule mapping.  This next year is going to be great.

We started the week with Joyce’s family overnight with us from Virginia Beach, followed by the Mosemann family overnight from upstate New York.  Luke, Rhys, and Lani had a great time with all the kids romping around the house.  Lukas, like me, is still trying to handle the emotions of having to detach from friends when they leave.  (I still don’t do this very well.)  He had an especially great time with Cousin Jakie and Isaiah.

Travels for me this week included Richmond and DC–all pretty close to home.  I probably spent just as much time on business calls to California!  I’m very excited not only to meet the fundraising challenge ahead of us, but also for the opportunity to train thousands of pastors and ministry leaders this Fall in the inspirational philosophy and principles that guide our approach in empowering the advance of the Gospel.  I’m also really looking forward to meeting a lot of folks in Orlando, where 30,000+ will gather for this year’s Assemblies of God General Council.

Next few weeks will be full of excitement… Joyce flying to Kansas City for classical education training… Adrian preaching the Sunday services twice in a “movie theater church” in Virginia Beach… Three families of pastors visiting us here at the farm (UVA, Lynchburg, and Cape Cod pastors–Mom & Dad Schoonie!)… and Adrian putting between 3,000-4,000 miles on the car, meeting with pastors and leaders around the state.

Summer 2009 is going by fast!  It has already been a great one.