Tonight’s introductory ‘meet and greet’ was a great start to what I hope will be an exciting two months. I gave a short pitch at the pulpit for last minute sign-ups (along with the other teachers) and later I had every chair in my classroom full, with even more students to come next week.

This is what is so great about living and worshipping in Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania… In my class I have a National Park Service volunteer (Chatham guide), a professional relic hunter who lives adjacent to the Spotsylvania Battlefield, an Ellwood Manor volunteer whose backyard butts up against The Wilderness trenches, a retired Army Intelligence officer who has his advanced degree in Military History, a student of the Great Southern Revival, a VMI graduate, several lifelong residents whose ancestors fought for the Confederacy and a couple of 'Yankee' transplants who moved here for the history. It’s a great mix of age, experience, and knowledge and I petitioned everyone to contribute to the course with their own insights as well.

I was VERY happy to see some ladies register too, as we will be discussing Thomas Jackson’s relationships with his mother and two wives. It will be a blessing to get a woman’s perspective. Everyone seemed to get along well and they were attentive and enthusiastic when I went over the syllabus and workbooks. Next week we kick things off officially with a viewing of “Still Standing” before diving into the book and study guides. Stay tuned for postings on the class discussions and debates that evolve from the readings.

BTW: My wife is the one who deserves a medal as her class down the hall is made up of 3-4 year olds. I couldn’t imagine teaching in that madness. God bless her. (PS. I’ll also have some BIG publishing news to share soon.)