"Greet one another with a holy kiss."

That may seem like an odd way to begin a letter, but it is the way Paul ends three of his: in each of the letters to the Corinthians and in 1^st Thessalonians. Now before you go calling the Bishop to report this odd new pastor of yours, I'm not about to suggest that we go around kissing each other. It isn't our custom. And it'd be just plain weird.

I may be a little quirky at times, but I'm not totally off my rocker.

Still... it's interesting, isn't it? The custom of greeting friends with a holy kiss?

We don't know a lot about this practice - what exactly a "holy" kiss is - but it must have been a fairly widespread one among Christians; a way to recognize one another as family.

Here in the U.S. we have our cultural customs, too; handshakes, the "side arm" hug -- that's for men or for opposite genders who don't feel comfortable with the "full frontal" hug. We have fist bumps and high fives and all kinds of secret handshakes. Athletes jump in the air and slam into each other when they have experienced success on the field. For those who are a little more reserved, sometimes it's just a simple nod and smile. "Yes," your eyes say. "I see you and acknowledge your presence."

I myself often go for the giant grin and a big ol' "Howdy!" approach. You'll see.

But whatever our customs, there is one thing I have learned, and that's that Christian people recognize one another when we meet. There's just something about a Christian that makes them look different from other people. Maybe it's some sort of spiritual vision; an ability to look on the heart instead of on the outside of another human being. Maybe it's the fire of the Holy Spirit that glows from within. Maybe it's the spark in our eyes, the confidence with which we trust that all things work for good, or could be it's the sweet-smelling aroma of Christ clinging to us from time spent in his presence. I don't know how it happens. I just know it happens.

We really are all a part of one big family. We recognize each other even when we don't know each other.

I am looking forward to recognizing and getting to know each of you, who are members of my family in Christ. My husband, Larry, our cat Noella, our dog Delilah, and I are delighted to be here. We left behind us in Sanger our beautiful quarter horse, Kid's Impressive One (a.k.a. Kid), and our Border Collies Sara and Lucy. We decided our farm dogs wouldn't fare too well in the city, and there is some sort of crazy ordinance about large animals in the backyard. Go figure. We'll be visiting them from time to time.

Our 22 (almost 23) year-old daughter, Katy, will be joining us from College Station soon; a recent and proud graduate of Texas A&M. (Whoop!) Our son, Zachary, who is 21, is moving from Houston to San Marcos this month to transfer to Texas State University. He is majoring in music education. Our other daughters, Natalie and Delilah, and Delilah's husband Chris, live in Krum, near Denton. (And, in case you are observant and now wondering, no, we did not name our dog after one of our children. Delilah the dog came to us already christened!) We hope you will meet all of them soon.

I am so excited to be here to be in ministry partnership with you; to listen to your hopes and dreams, not only for Buckingham, but for the kingdom of God. I want to hear your heartbeat, to learn your passions, and catch your vision for the future. Together we can do great things.

I greet you in the name of Christ (and maybe with a howdy or a "holy" high five),

Pastor Abril