Transition points for the Future...

Construction is moving forward!

Wednesday evening, my "Men's Room" small group gathering was the last official meeting of any nature held in the old education wing of our church. The building is already empty, stripped of every appliance, fixture, chalkboard, doorknob etc. We had to carry in chairs. But the A/C still ran and there was a live outlet I could use for my powerpoint.

It was kind of like camping. Plus the projector worked great because the wall for the new building already completely covers the old windows!

I think it's cool that a circle of prayer, twelve faithful men committed to a closer walk with God, closed things out.

So I used the occasion to share what's on my heart about the spiritual lives of men. I did this for two reasons:

• First, I already had an outline ready to go for last week's cancelled "Presbyterian Men's National Conference" in Virginia Beach - it seemed a shame not to use it. 
• Then - and this is very exciting - I'm writing a formal proposal this month for Upper Room Books (URB). My editor is very positive about my idea for a new book for men. I wanted to throw out some of the foundational concepts to see how they resonate with my peers.

Chris, Gary & Eric from "the Men's Room"

I'm not going to let any more details out of the bag at this point. But I will say this: URB are motivated enough to fast-track this project. The proposal is due May 2. Then, if the publication committee gets on board, the manuscript will need to be in Nashville by September 1. The idea is to have this book in the warehouse by the end of June 2012. That's a short 14 months down the road! 

I'm excited! I'm ready to write... But, first, I'm going to spend the rest of today working on my taxes - I thought I'd get an early start this year.

Peace - DEREK