Happy New Year's Eve, friends! As you're out celebrating and I'm at home in my pajamas, let's reflect together on these words. This quote is from one of my favorite movies, Pirates of the Caribbean. Gibbs says to Captain Jack, "Take what you can." Captain Jack replies, "Give nothing back."
That's our attitude in much of life, isn't it? Most of us are not pirates sailing the seven seas, but we are pirates right where we are. We ignore the plights of others, choosing instead to focus on our own wants and desires. For example, we buy new pairs of mittens for ourselves, despite the fact that the mittens we already have are just fine, and we conveniently don't see the homeless man on the side of the snowy street whose hands are frozen.
Now, I'm not trying to get into a debate about how to best help the homeless. What I am trying to point out is that we are a selfish people. We are no better than Gibbs and Captain Jack.
Here's what I propose: that we see ourselves in others and do for them what we would have them do for us. This will be different for each of us. Some of us have been blessed financially and can give to various organizations. Some of us have been blessed with talents that can be beneficial to others. Some of us have been blessed with time to use serving others. Whatever it may be, let's change the quote - give what you can, and take nothing back. After all, that's what Jesus did for us. It's what he calls us to do as his people. Let's do it!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Thursday, December 24, 2015
A Christmas Doggie Devotional
Hello, friends! Merry, merry, merry Christmas! I'm writing to you from my garage, where my dog and I have been engaged in a celebratory game of fetch for over an hour.
(Before anyone says, "Why are you not with your family?!", let me reassure you, I will be seeing my family soon. My nephew, along with a few other people probably, will be in Urbandale over New Year's, so that's when I'm going home.)
Now, back to that celebratory game of fetch. Pastor Jay once told me that you can make a spiritual analogy out of anything, so here's my attempt. :p
My dog lives in my garage, because I'm not allowed to have her in the house. Every morning, the first thing I do is get up and let her out of her crate. She is beyond excited to see me. We usually go for a walk or play some fetch before I feed her. Then I have to go to work, so I lock her in her crate again.
When I come home for lunch, the first thing I do is let her out of her crate. She's beyond excited to see me. We go for a short walk and I let her hang out outside on her tether (which is no longer attached to any windows) while I eat on the kitchen. Then I have to make the long trek across the parking lot back to work, so I lock her back in the crate.
When I get off of work, I return home and let my dog out of her crate. She's beyond excited to see me. This is usually when we go for a nice long walk, often an hour or more. We play fetch in the backyard or "find-the-treat" in the garage. I feed her around 4:30. However, I do have to leave her by herself outside or in the garage while I am productive (or unproductive, as the case may be) inside. She's always rather sad when I leave her alone. She checks the kitchen door every few minutes to see if I happen to want to play fetch. Then, when I go to bed, I lock her in her crate and leave her for the night.
Now, I tell you all of these mundane details about the life of Kensi for a reason, I promise. Kensi is what every good Christian should be: she is enthusiastic, persistent, dedicated, and loving. Just like Kensi, I should be enthusiastic about my God. I should be persistent, constantly checking to see if my God has anything new to do or say. I should be dedicated, always willing and eager to do whatever it is that my God sets before me. And finally, I should be loving. I should emulate my loving God in everything I say and do.
Notice I said "should." I'll be honest with you - I don't do those things; at least, I don't do them all the time.
But there is this wonderful holiday. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called Christmas. On Christmas, Jesus Christ was born. Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfill all of our "shoulds." Jesus was enthusiastic, persistent, dedicated and loving from the day he was conceived to the day he died - and to the day he rose again, and still even to today. There has never been better news in all of eternity.
Because of Jesus, my "shoulds" turn into "cans" - as in, my "I should be enthusiastic" turns into "I can be enthusiastic - in Christ." My "I should be persistent" turns into "I can be persistent - in Christ." My "I should be dedicated" turns into "I can be dedicated - in Christ." And my "I should be loving" turns into "I can be loving - in Christ." Just like the angel told Mary, "Nothing will be impossible with God."
Now, before I finish this blog, there's another spiritual analogy I want to make. My dog's whole life revolves around me coming into the garage. When I'm not present, she sleeps. End of story. This is yet another way in which I can copy my wonderful animal. My whole life should revolve around my God. It doesn't - but because Jesus's did, mine can, too. And the great thing is that I don't have to wait for my God to come into my garage, so to speak. He's with me always, and that is never more evident then on Christmas.
From me and mine, to you and yours, with love, merry Christmas. I pray that you keep the hope of Christ's birth in your heart today and always.
(Before anyone says, "Why are you not with your family?!", let me reassure you, I will be seeing my family soon. My nephew, along with a few other people probably, will be in Urbandale over New Year's, so that's when I'm going home.)
Now, back to that celebratory game of fetch. Pastor Jay once told me that you can make a spiritual analogy out of anything, so here's my attempt. :p
My dog lives in my garage, because I'm not allowed to have her in the house. Every morning, the first thing I do is get up and let her out of her crate. She is beyond excited to see me. We usually go for a walk or play some fetch before I feed her. Then I have to go to work, so I lock her in her crate again.
When I come home for lunch, the first thing I do is let her out of her crate. She's beyond excited to see me. We go for a short walk and I let her hang out outside on her tether (which is no longer attached to any windows) while I eat on the kitchen. Then I have to make the long trek across the parking lot back to work, so I lock her back in the crate.
When I get off of work, I return home and let my dog out of her crate. She's beyond excited to see me. This is usually when we go for a nice long walk, often an hour or more. We play fetch in the backyard or "find-the-treat" in the garage. I feed her around 4:30. However, I do have to leave her by herself outside or in the garage while I am productive (or unproductive, as the case may be) inside. She's always rather sad when I leave her alone. She checks the kitchen door every few minutes to see if I happen to want to play fetch. Then, when I go to bed, I lock her in her crate and leave her for the night.
Now, I tell you all of these mundane details about the life of Kensi for a reason, I promise. Kensi is what every good Christian should be: she is enthusiastic, persistent, dedicated, and loving. Just like Kensi, I should be enthusiastic about my God. I should be persistent, constantly checking to see if my God has anything new to do or say. I should be dedicated, always willing and eager to do whatever it is that my God sets before me. And finally, I should be loving. I should emulate my loving God in everything I say and do.
Notice I said "should." I'll be honest with you - I don't do those things; at least, I don't do them all the time.
But there is this wonderful holiday. Maybe you've heard of it. It's called Christmas. On Christmas, Jesus Christ was born. Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfill all of our "shoulds." Jesus was enthusiastic, persistent, dedicated and loving from the day he was conceived to the day he died - and to the day he rose again, and still even to today. There has never been better news in all of eternity.
Because of Jesus, my "shoulds" turn into "cans" - as in, my "I should be enthusiastic" turns into "I can be enthusiastic - in Christ." My "I should be persistent" turns into "I can be persistent - in Christ." My "I should be dedicated" turns into "I can be dedicated - in Christ." And my "I should be loving" turns into "I can be loving - in Christ." Just like the angel told Mary, "Nothing will be impossible with God."
Now, before I finish this blog, there's another spiritual analogy I want to make. My dog's whole life revolves around me coming into the garage. When I'm not present, she sleeps. End of story. This is yet another way in which I can copy my wonderful animal. My whole life should revolve around my God. It doesn't - but because Jesus's did, mine can, too. And the great thing is that I don't have to wait for my God to come into my garage, so to speak. He's with me always, and that is never more evident then on Christmas.
From me and mine, to you and yours, with love, merry Christmas. I pray that you keep the hope of Christ's birth in your heart today and always.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Don't Cry Over Broken Windows
Hello, friends. Here's what I have learned today:
Storm windows are great at protecting your house against storms.
Storm windows are not so great as an anchor for your dog tether.
And, finally, the trustees at my church are wonderful.
...I'm sure some of you are wanting the whole story, so here you go. I have a fairly narrow backyard, and no matter where I put the stake for my dog's tether, my dog can still get under the fence. Today I noticed that there was a handle on the outside of the storm window in my kitchen. It seemed pretty sturdy, and it would prevent her from getting under the fence, so I attached her tether to that and went back inside. This was a poor decision. In fact, it was a terrible decision. About half an hour later, I heard an enormous crash from outside. I raced out my back door to find the storm window on the ground, completely smashed.
Thank God, Kensi wasn't underneath the window when it fell! She is completely unharmed, and the non-storm window is still intact, so my house isn't exposed or anything. I brought my dog inside and promptly called one of our church trustees, because I had absolutely no idea what to do about the situation. He came over within a few minutes, took a look at the problem, and not only helped me get rid of the smashed window, he also brought me something so that I can attach Kensi's tether to the house without breaking anything else. He said he'll probably get a new storm window and put it up on Monday. Thank God for trustees! I don't know what I would have done without him!
He also said something that made me feel a lot better: "It's all part of loving a dog." These things happen when you bring anyone else into your life, really, not just a pet. You open yourself up to more problems than you would have if you were alone -- but you also open yourself up to more joy. My dog may have brought my window crashing down, but she's also brought me a reason to look forward to coming home. Without her, I'd probably still have a window, but I wouldn't be having nearly as much fun.
Storm windows are great at protecting your house against storms.
Storm windows are not so great as an anchor for your dog tether.
And, finally, the trustees at my church are wonderful.
...I'm sure some of you are wanting the whole story, so here you go. I have a fairly narrow backyard, and no matter where I put the stake for my dog's tether, my dog can still get under the fence. Today I noticed that there was a handle on the outside of the storm window in my kitchen. It seemed pretty sturdy, and it would prevent her from getting under the fence, so I attached her tether to that and went back inside. This was a poor decision. In fact, it was a terrible decision. About half an hour later, I heard an enormous crash from outside. I raced out my back door to find the storm window on the ground, completely smashed.
Thank God, Kensi wasn't underneath the window when it fell! She is completely unharmed, and the non-storm window is still intact, so my house isn't exposed or anything. I brought my dog inside and promptly called one of our church trustees, because I had absolutely no idea what to do about the situation. He came over within a few minutes, took a look at the problem, and not only helped me get rid of the smashed window, he also brought me something so that I can attach Kensi's tether to the house without breaking anything else. He said he'll probably get a new storm window and put it up on Monday. Thank God for trustees! I don't know what I would have done without him!
He also said something that made me feel a lot better: "It's all part of loving a dog." These things happen when you bring anyone else into your life, really, not just a pet. You open yourself up to more problems than you would have if you were alone -- but you also open yourself up to more joy. My dog may have brought my window crashing down, but she's also brought me a reason to look forward to coming home. Without her, I'd probably still have a window, but I wouldn't be having nearly as much fun.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Season of Love
Hello, friends. Have you ever noticed that you go through seasons in your life? For example, I went through a season in which running was the most important thing to me. During high school, cross country and track pretty much were my life. Then, in college, I went through a season in which the ability to be observant and perceptive became extremely important. In Tallahassee, meeting people was most important. I went out of my way to get to know people who were different from me.
I am currently in a season, here in Enid, in which loving others is most important. That's not to say that loving others wasn't always important to me -- it's simply to say that it is particularly important to me right now. I wrote about love in my last blog post. I've been talking about love in almost all of my children's messages to date. I emphasized love at our Friendsgiving youth event. Yesterday, I was at OK'D in Christ, the Oklahoma district high school youth gathering. I led a breakout session entitled, "How can you be a force for change at school?" Who wants to guess what I talked about?
When you're going to the Bible to research love, 1 Corinthians 13 might come to mind. However, I went to several passages from the book of John and the book of 1 John. Love is a topic that the apostle John is particularly fond of. He refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" in his Gospel, and he mentions variations of the word "love" 60 times in that book. Love is mentioned 35 times in 1 John, which has a whopping total of 5 chapters. Obviously, John has a lot to say about love.
I pointed out to the high schoolers in my session that Jesus loved us in very tangible ways. He sacrificed everything for us, not only through dying on the cross, but by becoming human and coming to earth in the first place. He ignored his own well-being in order to concentrate on ours. He also trusted his Father to take care of us. Instead of worrying about himself, he put everything in his Father's hands, focusing on us.
We are called to love in the same way that Jesus loves us. That's what 1 John 3:16 says. "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." Now, we probably won't love in exactly the same way that Jesus did. Very few of us will probably die on a cross. But we are called to sacrifice like Jesus did. We are called to put aside our own well-being to focus on the well-being of others. We are called to trust our Father to take care of us and focus on other people.
After we discussed this in our session, I asked the teenagers to think of scenarios that they encounter in school. Topics ranged from gossip to premarital sex to schoolwork to sports to abortion. I asked them this question: "How can you be a force for change, a force for love, in these situations?" We talked through some potential responses. Each time, I emphasized love in the situation. Sometimes I pressed them to see how a response might be loving to one person, but not to another. I tried to get them to a point where they could see how their responses could be a witness to their faith, not only to their character.
The basis for my talk was John 13:34-35. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
I would say that we as Christians have been pretty bad at showing love for one another. That's definitely not what Christians are known for today. I'd say it's the opposite: we are known for our hate. We expect all people to fall in line with our principles, whether or not they agree with them, and we can be vicious when they don't. That's something I do not understand. Why do we expect non-Christians to behave in Christian ways when we aren't even behaving in Christian ways? Why do we expect non-Christians to act in love when we don't even act in love?
Keep in mind, I'm being general here. I know many, many Christians who are loving people. But I know that I myself struggle to always act in love. I tend to judge on sight and not on what's inside, just as Samuel did (1 Samuel 16). I tend to put myself above other people while ignoring what I'm doing wrong, which Jesus warned against (Matthew 7). I sin in all sorts of ways. I sit in my DCE study and write about love, despite the fact that I am the least loving person of all. Move aside, Paul. I am the chief of sinners.
Here's what I propose, just as I proposed it to my high schoolers this weekend. First, let's remember how Jesus loved us. We always have to begin there, or nothing we do matters. Let's remember how Jesus loved us so much, so unconditionally, so sacrificially, that he gave up everything he had to save us. And with that love in our hearts and minds and spirits, let's go out into the world and make ourselves known by love, not hate. Let's show our faith by our works (James 2). Let's show the love of Christ through the love of Christians. Let's love others, friends. That's what it's all about. That's what matters. That's what we are called to do.
I am currently in a season, here in Enid, in which loving others is most important. That's not to say that loving others wasn't always important to me -- it's simply to say that it is particularly important to me right now. I wrote about love in my last blog post. I've been talking about love in almost all of my children's messages to date. I emphasized love at our Friendsgiving youth event. Yesterday, I was at OK'D in Christ, the Oklahoma district high school youth gathering. I led a breakout session entitled, "How can you be a force for change at school?" Who wants to guess what I talked about?
When you're going to the Bible to research love, 1 Corinthians 13 might come to mind. However, I went to several passages from the book of John and the book of 1 John. Love is a topic that the apostle John is particularly fond of. He refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" in his Gospel, and he mentions variations of the word "love" 60 times in that book. Love is mentioned 35 times in 1 John, which has a whopping total of 5 chapters. Obviously, John has a lot to say about love.
I pointed out to the high schoolers in my session that Jesus loved us in very tangible ways. He sacrificed everything for us, not only through dying on the cross, but by becoming human and coming to earth in the first place. He ignored his own well-being in order to concentrate on ours. He also trusted his Father to take care of us. Instead of worrying about himself, he put everything in his Father's hands, focusing on us.
We are called to love in the same way that Jesus loves us. That's what 1 John 3:16 says. "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." Now, we probably won't love in exactly the same way that Jesus did. Very few of us will probably die on a cross. But we are called to sacrifice like Jesus did. We are called to put aside our own well-being to focus on the well-being of others. We are called to trust our Father to take care of us and focus on other people.
After we discussed this in our session, I asked the teenagers to think of scenarios that they encounter in school. Topics ranged from gossip to premarital sex to schoolwork to sports to abortion. I asked them this question: "How can you be a force for change, a force for love, in these situations?" We talked through some potential responses. Each time, I emphasized love in the situation. Sometimes I pressed them to see how a response might be loving to one person, but not to another. I tried to get them to a point where they could see how their responses could be a witness to their faith, not only to their character.
The basis for my talk was John 13:34-35. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
I would say that we as Christians have been pretty bad at showing love for one another. That's definitely not what Christians are known for today. I'd say it's the opposite: we are known for our hate. We expect all people to fall in line with our principles, whether or not they agree with them, and we can be vicious when they don't. That's something I do not understand. Why do we expect non-Christians to behave in Christian ways when we aren't even behaving in Christian ways? Why do we expect non-Christians to act in love when we don't even act in love?
Keep in mind, I'm being general here. I know many, many Christians who are loving people. But I know that I myself struggle to always act in love. I tend to judge on sight and not on what's inside, just as Samuel did (1 Samuel 16). I tend to put myself above other people while ignoring what I'm doing wrong, which Jesus warned against (Matthew 7). I sin in all sorts of ways. I sit in my DCE study and write about love, despite the fact that I am the least loving person of all. Move aside, Paul. I am the chief of sinners.
Here's what I propose, just as I proposed it to my high schoolers this weekend. First, let's remember how Jesus loved us. We always have to begin there, or nothing we do matters. Let's remember how Jesus loved us so much, so unconditionally, so sacrificially, that he gave up everything he had to save us. And with that love in our hearts and minds and spirits, let's go out into the world and make ourselves known by love, not hate. Let's show our faith by our works (James 2). Let's show the love of Christ through the love of Christians. Let's love others, friends. That's what it's all about. That's what matters. That's what we are called to do.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Love in the Planned Parenthood Tragedy
Hello, friends. While I've spent most of today decorating for Christmas, a delightful activity, I'm not going to write about that. Instead I'd like to discuss the shooting that happened on Friday at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. I'm devastated by this tragedy, and my prayers are with the victims' families and all those who have been affected.
First I'd like to clarify that the police have not released any information about the shooter's motive. However, there has been much speculation. It's widely believed that the shooter was motivated by his anti-abortion political views.
Notice I said anti-abortion, not pro-life. I did that very intentionally. I don't know what made the shooter enter that clinic on Friday, but I know what didn't: pro-life views. No one who is truly pro-life would ever condone such an act, let alone commit it. Murder is the ultimate anti-life act.
I'm not going to lie. I celebrate when I hear that abortion clinics close. That's because I believe that abortion is murder, and I am against murder! But I would never murder someone to make that happen. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Our Students for Life shirts my senior year said just that. Love. That's my goal in everything I do: to show the love of Christ to the world. That's the way things can change. Love. Not hate. Not murder. Hate and murder never go along with the cause of a true pro-lifer. Love is my goal. I hope it's yours too. If it is, let's combine forces, pray for these victims, and change the world - one act of love at a time.
First I'd like to clarify that the police have not released any information about the shooter's motive. However, there has been much speculation. It's widely believed that the shooter was motivated by his anti-abortion political views.
Notice I said anti-abortion, not pro-life. I did that very intentionally. I don't know what made the shooter enter that clinic on Friday, but I know what didn't: pro-life views. No one who is truly pro-life would ever condone such an act, let alone commit it. Murder is the ultimate anti-life act.
I'm not going to lie. I celebrate when I hear that abortion clinics close. That's because I believe that abortion is murder, and I am against murder! But I would never murder someone to make that happen. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Our Students for Life shirts my senior year said just that. Love. That's my goal in everything I do: to show the love of Christ to the world. That's the way things can change. Love. Not hate. Not murder. Hate and murder never go along with the cause of a true pro-lifer. Love is my goal. I hope it's yours too. If it is, let's combine forces, pray for these victims, and change the world - one act of love at a time.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Thanksgiving Thoughts
Hello, friends! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. My drive home yesterday was eventful, to say the least, but Kensi and I did get here in one piece. All is well! We haven't celebrated yet- tomorrow, we're going to Marion to celebrate Thanksgiving with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. In case you missed that, I get to see my nephew tomorrow. Did I mention that I get to see my nephew tomorrow?
Anyway, I'm going to do the stereotypical Thanksgiving thing and make a list of what I'm thankful for. It's now the 27th, so obviously I need to list 27 things. Here we go!
1. My nephew! (Let's face it, you saw that coming)
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My dog
5. Messiah, my home church
6. University Lutheran in Tallahassee
7. Redeemer, my new church!
8. My call to Redeemer
9. Damayan, the garden I volunteered at in Tallahassee
10. All of the various pastors I've worked with I'm various places
11. My new house
12. Drake women's basketball (which has won its first four games!)
13. The Oklahoma City Thunder, which I'm becoming a fan of
14. My phone, because it makes things so much easier
15. The forgiveness of Christ (what could be more significant?)
16. Books, in general
17. Television, in general (especially the new show Blindspot which is becoming my favorite)
18. Into the Woods, which kept me entertained on my trip yesterday
19. The kind people who helped me on my trip yesterday
20. Katie's Pantry, my favorite restaurant in Enid
21. My baby cousin Emma
22. My DCE study
23. My missionary and church worker friends
24. Holidays!
25. My short work commute
26. My commissioning/installation day
27. The Concordia (Wisconsin, duh)
There you have it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Anyway, I'm going to do the stereotypical Thanksgiving thing and make a list of what I'm thankful for. It's now the 27th, so obviously I need to list 27 things. Here we go!
1. My nephew! (Let's face it, you saw that coming)
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My dog
5. Messiah, my home church
6. University Lutheran in Tallahassee
7. Redeemer, my new church!
8. My call to Redeemer
9. Damayan, the garden I volunteered at in Tallahassee
10. All of the various pastors I've worked with I'm various places
11. My new house
12. Drake women's basketball (which has won its first four games!)
13. The Oklahoma City Thunder, which I'm becoming a fan of
14. My phone, because it makes things so much easier
15. The forgiveness of Christ (what could be more significant?)
16. Books, in general
17. Television, in general (especially the new show Blindspot which is becoming my favorite)
18. Into the Woods, which kept me entertained on my trip yesterday
19. The kind people who helped me on my trip yesterday
20. Katie's Pantry, my favorite restaurant in Enid
21. My baby cousin Emma
22. My DCE study
23. My missionary and church worker friends
24. Holidays!
25. My short work commute
26. My commissioning/installation day
27. The Concordia (Wisconsin, duh)
There you have it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 15, 2015
A Day in the Life of a Lay Minister (with a dog)
Hello, friends! I hope your week has started off well. It occurred to me as I started to type that I spent all day on Thursday brainstorming for our Midweek program. Thursdays are typically the day that I plan for the following week, but I was so busy brainstorming, I did no planning. Therefore I'm going to present to you A Day in the Life of a Lay Minister - as I plan what I'll be doing tomorrow.
6:30 Wake up, dress in sweats, walk dog.
7:00 Feed dog, eat own breakfast, take shower, dress for work.
8:15 Walk dog. (You'll sense a theme here.)
8:30 Commute across parking lot, begin work day with a devotion.
9:00 Plan confirmation lessons for Monday afternoon one-on-one session with student and Wednesday regular class period.
10:00 Submit registration materials for OK'D in Christ, the Oklahoma district high school youth gathering. Plan travel and housing for OK'D.
11:00 Send out reminder about Friendsgiving event coming up next Sunday. Plan games.
12:00 Commute across parking lot for lunch. Walk dog.
1:00 Write and practice Opening skit for Midweek.
2:00 Type up sign-up sheet for the Advent meal the youth are hosting. Send out to parents. Plan further fundraisers for Youth Gathering.
3:30 One-on-one confirmation session with student.
4:30 End work day. Commute across parking lot. Play with dog, walk dog, feed dog, eat own dinner, probably go to Hobby Lobby, watch Once Upon a Time on Hulu, wash dishes, walk dog again, go to bed.
There, now you know what it's like to be a lay minister with an energetic dog, and I know what my life is going to be like tomorrow. Ish. I feel better. Now, it's time for me to go walk my dog (again) and go to bed. Goodnight, world.
6:30 Wake up, dress in sweats, walk dog.
7:00 Feed dog, eat own breakfast, take shower, dress for work.
8:15 Walk dog. (You'll sense a theme here.)
8:30 Commute across parking lot, begin work day with a devotion.
9:00 Plan confirmation lessons for Monday afternoon one-on-one session with student and Wednesday regular class period.
10:00 Submit registration materials for OK'D in Christ, the Oklahoma district high school youth gathering. Plan travel and housing for OK'D.
11:00 Send out reminder about Friendsgiving event coming up next Sunday. Plan games.
12:00 Commute across parking lot for lunch. Walk dog.
1:00 Write and practice Opening skit for Midweek.
2:00 Type up sign-up sheet for the Advent meal the youth are hosting. Send out to parents. Plan further fundraisers for Youth Gathering.
3:30 One-on-one confirmation session with student.
4:30 End work day. Commute across parking lot. Play with dog, walk dog, feed dog, eat own dinner, probably go to Hobby Lobby, watch Once Upon a Time on Hulu, wash dishes, walk dog again, go to bed.
There, now you know what it's like to be a lay minister with an energetic dog, and I know what my life is going to be like tomorrow. Ish. I feel better. Now, it's time for me to go walk my dog (again) and go to bed. Goodnight, world.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Christmas Reflections
Hello, friends! Today I want to tell you about something that has consumed my work life for the past week: our Christmas program. Being the enterprising young DCE that I am, I wrote it myself. Let me tell you, I'm having far too much fun. But as Pastor House said, if I'm not having fun, no one else will be either!
The program will be at 5:30 pm on a Sunday night. When people arrive, they'll be sorted into groups, where they will have devotional time and learn their portion of the skit. Then, at 6:30, all the groups will come together and perform their skits, which will all fit together to tell the Christmas story. After the program, we'll have a big party with music and dinner and crafts and a photo booth and all kinds of fun stuff.
The skits tell the story of an overdramatic talk show host who is very enthusiastic about his two main guests: Mary and Joseph. Throughout the skits, he gets more and more irritated, because Mary and Joseph keep bringing other people onto the stage (angels, shepherds, "wise people"). By the end of the interview, the host realizes that Mary and Joseph are not the only important people in the Christmas story, and Jesus is the most important person of all.
I'll be honest, I was inspired to write this post because of all the ridiculousness about the Starbucks cups. I wanted to write about the true meaning of Christmas, which has absolutely nothing to do with what's printed on a coffee mug. I would say "Keep calm and remember Jesus" - but that's not really a reason to be calm, is it? The news of Jesus's birth is reason to be extremely excited! So jump up and down, run around in circles, hug everyone you see, shout in the streets, and remember Jesus! Or, better yet - preach the good news. Feed someone who is hungry. Clothe someone who is cold. Hold the hand of someone who is hurting. And remember Jesus, who was born in a cold stable, raised as a simple carpenter, and certainly never had a hot cup of coffee.
The program will be at 5:30 pm on a Sunday night. When people arrive, they'll be sorted into groups, where they will have devotional time and learn their portion of the skit. Then, at 6:30, all the groups will come together and perform their skits, which will all fit together to tell the Christmas story. After the program, we'll have a big party with music and dinner and crafts and a photo booth and all kinds of fun stuff.
The skits tell the story of an overdramatic talk show host who is very enthusiastic about his two main guests: Mary and Joseph. Throughout the skits, he gets more and more irritated, because Mary and Joseph keep bringing other people onto the stage (angels, shepherds, "wise people"). By the end of the interview, the host realizes that Mary and Joseph are not the only important people in the Christmas story, and Jesus is the most important person of all.
I'll be honest, I was inspired to write this post because of all the ridiculousness about the Starbucks cups. I wanted to write about the true meaning of Christmas, which has absolutely nothing to do with what's printed on a coffee mug. I would say "Keep calm and remember Jesus" - but that's not really a reason to be calm, is it? The news of Jesus's birth is reason to be extremely excited! So jump up and down, run around in circles, hug everyone you see, shout in the streets, and remember Jesus! Or, better yet - preach the good news. Feed someone who is hungry. Clothe someone who is cold. Hold the hand of someone who is hurting. And remember Jesus, who was born in a cold stable, raised as a simple carpenter, and certainly never had a hot cup of coffee.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Emotions
Hello, friends! Greetings from my very messy kitchen. Someday, dishes will not be the bane of my existence... but today is not that day.
Anyway, tonight I want to share with you some positive emotions I've felt since arriving in Enid.
1) Satisfaction.
I came up with the idea for a coffee mug fundraiser. The youth decorate the mugs and sell them to raise money for the National Youth Gathering. Not only are the youth having all kinds of fun decorating the mugs, but the congregation is eating them up. It's so nice to see an idea come to fruition that nicely. Hence, satisfaction.
2) Gladness.
During confirmation class on Wednesday, one of the youth asked, "Are you only here for a year, like our intern last year?" I said no, I'll probably be here for a long time. They replied, "Good. You'd better be here for a long time!" On a related note, one of my students saw me outside of church on Saturday and came up to give me a hug. Another kid gave me a drawing last week that said, "For Mary, the church loves you!" (Actually she spelled it "cherch" but it works.) Hence, gladness.
3) Nostalgia.
I'm enjoying seeing bits of myself in my students. One of them asked why we do memory work in confirmation, and I went back to my own confirmation class when I asked my teacher the same question. I'm making some home visits to students, and the way they interact with their parents and siblings draws me back to my childhood. It reminds me why I wanted to do this so badly -- to share with others what helped me when I was growing up! Hence, nostalgia.
4) Excitement.
Because holy cow, I have a call! Even after a month of getting down to business, the concept that I am a called and commissioned minister of religion is incredible to me. Hence, a LOT of excitement!!
That's all from me tonight. I hope you are all well, wherever you are!
Anyway, tonight I want to share with you some positive emotions I've felt since arriving in Enid.
1) Satisfaction.
I came up with the idea for a coffee mug fundraiser. The youth decorate the mugs and sell them to raise money for the National Youth Gathering. Not only are the youth having all kinds of fun decorating the mugs, but the congregation is eating them up. It's so nice to see an idea come to fruition that nicely. Hence, satisfaction.
2) Gladness.
During confirmation class on Wednesday, one of the youth asked, "Are you only here for a year, like our intern last year?" I said no, I'll probably be here for a long time. They replied, "Good. You'd better be here for a long time!" On a related note, one of my students saw me outside of church on Saturday and came up to give me a hug. Another kid gave me a drawing last week that said, "For Mary, the church loves you!" (Actually she spelled it "cherch" but it works.) Hence, gladness.
3) Nostalgia.
I'm enjoying seeing bits of myself in my students. One of them asked why we do memory work in confirmation, and I went back to my own confirmation class when I asked my teacher the same question. I'm making some home visits to students, and the way they interact with their parents and siblings draws me back to my childhood. It reminds me why I wanted to do this so badly -- to share with others what helped me when I was growing up! Hence, nostalgia.
4) Excitement.
Because holy cow, I have a call! Even after a month of getting down to business, the concept that I am a called and commissioned minister of religion is incredible to me. Hence, a LOT of excitement!!
That's all from me tonight. I hope you are all well, wherever you are!
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Dogs vs. Humans: A Study
Hello, friends! Today, Kensi and I spent several hours practicing a new concept. It's called "walking on a loose leash so no one chokes or has their arm yanked out of its socket." We were somewhat successful, but we still have a long way to go!
I had a lot of time to think while I was walking... and stopping... and walking... and stopping. Hence, what you see before you now. I present to you "Dogs vs. Humans: A Study."
Observation #1: Every moment is a teachable moment.
Subtitled: Consistency is key.
I did some reading on dog training earlier today. One of the suggestions that stuck with me is this: "Until your dog has mastered this concept, consider every walk a training time." It's so true! If I am strict with Kensi and only let her walk on a loose leash for one walk, and then I turn around and let her pull like no other on the next walk, that won't teach her anything. It will only confuse her. I have to train her consistently, or nothing will happen.
The same can be said of humans. For example, right now I'm trying to teach my confirmation students about respect for each other. One way I'm doing this is to only respond to them when they're being respectful (i.e. not talking out of turn, not talking over each other, being kind, etc.). If I kept this up for one class and then let them do whatever they wanted the next class, they would never learn about respect. I have to be consistent if I want them to learn.
Observation #2: Don't underestimate or overestimate.
Subtitled: Listen!
Kensi is a smart dog. She's a shepherd/retriever mix, and both of those breeds are very intelligent. However, just because she's smart doesn't mean she's going to automatically understand what I want her to do. I shouldn't overestimate her, and I shouldn't underestimate her. Instead, I should do my best to listen to her. If I'm observant, I can tell how she's reacting, what that means, and how I should proceed.
This is also true for humans. My main confirmation class is on Wednesday evenings, but one of my sixth graders can't make it that night. (She is in 14 school activities. I'm not exaggerating.) So I'm teaching her one-on-one every other Monday. I walked into our first session on Monday not sure what to expect. Given the amount of activities she's in, I assumed that she was probably very smart. However, I had no idea what her faith life was like. The best course of action for me was to not overestimate or underestimate her. Instead, it was my task to listen and find out where she is that way. Through my observations, I was able to get a sense of how we should conduct class in the future.
Observation #3: Everything takes time.
Subtitled: Duh. But really!
I've had Kensi for a week and a day now. We've come a long way in that period of time. I know what her favorite thing is (tennis balls). She knows that I'm probably coming back if I leave. I know that she's full of energy. She knows that I give her tasty treats. However, there are many, many more things for us to learn about each other - and there's no way to find them out except to continue learning. It will take time, and that's okay!
Again, this is the case for humans as well. Last Sunday, I gave my first children's message. It was delightful! The kids responded just like I hoped they would. (Except for the part where they got me to admit that I'm not dating anyone in front of the entire congregation.) However, I know that I won't get that kind of response every children's message. I have to take the time to get to know them - all of them - in order to be an effective Director of Christian Education for them. That's the way it is and the way it should be.
There you have it, folks: teaching humans is just like training dogs, except with less drooling. Usually. ;) I'll leave you with a picture of Kensi training me to throw the tennis ball. See that intense stare?
I had a lot of time to think while I was walking... and stopping... and walking... and stopping. Hence, what you see before you now. I present to you "Dogs vs. Humans: A Study."
Observation #1: Every moment is a teachable moment.
Subtitled: Consistency is key.
I did some reading on dog training earlier today. One of the suggestions that stuck with me is this: "Until your dog has mastered this concept, consider every walk a training time." It's so true! If I am strict with Kensi and only let her walk on a loose leash for one walk, and then I turn around and let her pull like no other on the next walk, that won't teach her anything. It will only confuse her. I have to train her consistently, or nothing will happen.
The same can be said of humans. For example, right now I'm trying to teach my confirmation students about respect for each other. One way I'm doing this is to only respond to them when they're being respectful (i.e. not talking out of turn, not talking over each other, being kind, etc.). If I kept this up for one class and then let them do whatever they wanted the next class, they would never learn about respect. I have to be consistent if I want them to learn.
Observation #2: Don't underestimate or overestimate.
Subtitled: Listen!
Kensi is a smart dog. She's a shepherd/retriever mix, and both of those breeds are very intelligent. However, just because she's smart doesn't mean she's going to automatically understand what I want her to do. I shouldn't overestimate her, and I shouldn't underestimate her. Instead, I should do my best to listen to her. If I'm observant, I can tell how she's reacting, what that means, and how I should proceed.
This is also true for humans. My main confirmation class is on Wednesday evenings, but one of my sixth graders can't make it that night. (She is in 14 school activities. I'm not exaggerating.) So I'm teaching her one-on-one every other Monday. I walked into our first session on Monday not sure what to expect. Given the amount of activities she's in, I assumed that she was probably very smart. However, I had no idea what her faith life was like. The best course of action for me was to not overestimate or underestimate her. Instead, it was my task to listen and find out where she is that way. Through my observations, I was able to get a sense of how we should conduct class in the future.
Observation #3: Everything takes time.
Subtitled: Duh. But really!
I've had Kensi for a week and a day now. We've come a long way in that period of time. I know what her favorite thing is (tennis balls). She knows that I'm probably coming back if I leave. I know that she's full of energy. She knows that I give her tasty treats. However, there are many, many more things for us to learn about each other - and there's no way to find them out except to continue learning. It will take time, and that's okay!
Again, this is the case for humans as well. Last Sunday, I gave my first children's message. It was delightful! The kids responded just like I hoped they would. (Except for the part where they got me to admit that I'm not dating anyone in front of the entire congregation.) However, I know that I won't get that kind of response every children's message. I have to take the time to get to know them - all of them - in order to be an effective Director of Christian Education for them. That's the way it is and the way it should be.
There you have it, folks: teaching humans is just like training dogs, except with less drooling. Usually. ;) I'll leave you with a picture of Kensi training me to throw the tennis ball. See that intense stare?
Friday, October 16, 2015
Epic Things About Oklahoma
Hello, friends! I promise this blog will be slightly longer than the last one. Not because I'm less tired, because I'm probably more tired, but because so much has happened and I want to share it with you! For your reading pleasure, I present to you: Epic Things About Oklahoma.
1. The people!! I am enjoying getting to know the people at Redeemer so very much. I've met people between the ages of 3 months and 92 years and have enjoyed all of them. A specific story for you: a wonderful couple from church invited me to dinner and gave me quite the extensive tour of Enid. They're both photographers, and I loved seeing their studio!
2. The church! Let me tell you, the sanctuary alone would make me love Redeemer. It's recently redone with beautiful stained glass and incredible architecture. But apart from the sanctuary, I'm a fan of pretty much everything! A specific story for you: we have such an abundance of classrooms that I have a room for my confirmation class that is only ever used for my confirmation class. Hooray for not having to clean up every Wednesday!
3. The town! Oklahoma and Iowa feel like they're cut from the same mold. I'm loving it here. The weather has been great, and today I found a cool walking trail. A specific story for you: Wednesday night, Audrey House and I went on a trip to Camp Lutherhaven. Not only was the camp incredibly amazing, we passed by some mesas not far from Enid that look like perfect hiking material.
4. The district! I got to meet a bunch of Oklahoma district folks at the bi-annual convention at the beginning of this week. They are pretty cool, let me tell you. A specific story for you: I spent a few hours with a group of DCEs planning a high school youth gathering. Insert high-pitched squeal at the realization of a church work nerd's dream.
5. This girl!
Today I adopted a beautiful shepherd/lab mix named Kensi. We spent the day learning about each other. I learned that she knows how to sit on command, catch tennis balls in midair, and play tug-of-war. Meanwhile, she learned that me being out of sight for more than ten seconds is not cause for alarm. (We're still working on that last part. But there has been progress!)
6. The people! I know, I said that already. But some exciting people are showing up tomorrow to celebrate my installation and commissioning on Sunday. I'm very much looking forward to it!!
Was that enough exclamation points for you? I hope so, because I need to go take a certain dog for a walk. Good night!
1. The people!! I am enjoying getting to know the people at Redeemer so very much. I've met people between the ages of 3 months and 92 years and have enjoyed all of them. A specific story for you: a wonderful couple from church invited me to dinner and gave me quite the extensive tour of Enid. They're both photographers, and I loved seeing their studio!
2. The church! Let me tell you, the sanctuary alone would make me love Redeemer. It's recently redone with beautiful stained glass and incredible architecture. But apart from the sanctuary, I'm a fan of pretty much everything! A specific story for you: we have such an abundance of classrooms that I have a room for my confirmation class that is only ever used for my confirmation class. Hooray for not having to clean up every Wednesday!
3. The town! Oklahoma and Iowa feel like they're cut from the same mold. I'm loving it here. The weather has been great, and today I found a cool walking trail. A specific story for you: Wednesday night, Audrey House and I went on a trip to Camp Lutherhaven. Not only was the camp incredibly amazing, we passed by some mesas not far from Enid that look like perfect hiking material.
4. The district! I got to meet a bunch of Oklahoma district folks at the bi-annual convention at the beginning of this week. They are pretty cool, let me tell you. A specific story for you: I spent a few hours with a group of DCEs planning a high school youth gathering. Insert high-pitched squeal at the realization of a church work nerd's dream.
5. This girl!
6. The people! I know, I said that already. But some exciting people are showing up tomorrow to celebrate my installation and commissioning on Sunday. I'm very much looking forward to it!!
Was that enough exclamation points for you? I hope so, because I need to go take a certain dog for a walk. Good night!
Thursday, October 8, 2015
The One Week Report
Today was my fourth day of work at Redeemer. Here's what you need to know about my first week:
The people are nice.
The children are fun.
The commute is great.
I am very sleepy.
That is all. Good night!
The people are nice.
The children are fun.
The commute is great.
I am very sleepy.
That is all. Good night!
Friday, October 2, 2015
Iowa Girl Meets... Oklahoma!!
Hello, friends! Greetings from the Sooner State!!
My parents and I arrived in Enid on Sunday night, where we met up with Pastor Thomas House and Larry, one of the elders of Redeemer Lutheran. They gave us a tour of the church (beautiful!!) and my new house (more on that later!). Larry then treated the four of us, plus Pastor's wife Audrey, to dinner. My parents and I then spent the rest of the evening cleaning my new place, courtesy of the bucket of cleaning supplies Jessie gave me as a going-away present.
Monday was move-in day. Pastor House and Ron, one of the trustees, helped us unload the Budget truck. Between the five of us, unloading took no time at all. (Speaking of unloading, we also had some excellent people help us LOAD the truck on Saturday. Thanks, Mike and Julie!!) After we got all of the boxes (and furniture) (and vacuums donated by cool people) into the house, we put together my futon. And by we, I mean Ron and Pastor House while the rest of us watched and tried not to break anything.
The rest of the day was packed with unpacking, various visitors from Redeemer stopping by, and trips to Wal-Mart, Lowes, and Marquis Furniture. We finished it off with a trip to Braum's for the best ice cream in Oklahoma before heading to the hotel and watching an episode of Castle.
On Tuesday morning, my parents left to return to Iowa and I was on officially on my own! Predictably, I spent the day... unpacking. I also had my weekly mentoring phone call with Pastor Jay and met some people over at Redeemer. Wednesday I was at church most of the day, organizing my new office, meeting people, and observing the Midweek school. Thursday was similar; I spent a good part of my day planning for my first week of work. (I officially start on Monday.)
Fridays will be my day off, so I'm treating today as such, even though I haven't started my job yet. I slept in, did some more unpacking, did a load of laundry and hung it out to dry on the clothesline in my backyard, and organized my kitchen and bathroom. The rest of my house is not quite organized yet, so you'll get more pictures of it in the next couple of weeks. For now, here are some pictures of my kitchen and the sign over at Redeemer!
My parents and I arrived in Enid on Sunday night, where we met up with Pastor Thomas House and Larry, one of the elders of Redeemer Lutheran. They gave us a tour of the church (beautiful!!) and my new house (more on that later!). Larry then treated the four of us, plus Pastor's wife Audrey, to dinner. My parents and I then spent the rest of the evening cleaning my new place, courtesy of the bucket of cleaning supplies Jessie gave me as a going-away present.
Monday was move-in day. Pastor House and Ron, one of the trustees, helped us unload the Budget truck. Between the five of us, unloading took no time at all. (Speaking of unloading, we also had some excellent people help us LOAD the truck on Saturday. Thanks, Mike and Julie!!) After we got all of the boxes (and furniture) (and vacuums donated by cool people) into the house, we put together my futon. And by we, I mean Ron and Pastor House while the rest of us watched and tried not to break anything.
The rest of the day was packed with unpacking, various visitors from Redeemer stopping by, and trips to Wal-Mart, Lowes, and Marquis Furniture. We finished it off with a trip to Braum's for the best ice cream in Oklahoma before heading to the hotel and watching an episode of Castle.
On Tuesday morning, my parents left to return to Iowa and I was on officially on my own! Predictably, I spent the day... unpacking. I also had my weekly mentoring phone call with Pastor Jay and met some people over at Redeemer. Wednesday I was at church most of the day, organizing my new office, meeting people, and observing the Midweek school. Thursday was similar; I spent a good part of my day planning for my first week of work. (I officially start on Monday.)
Fridays will be my day off, so I'm treating today as such, even though I haven't started my job yet. I slept in, did some more unpacking, did a load of laundry and hung it out to dry on the clothesline in my backyard, and organized my kitchen and bathroom. The rest of my house is not quite organized yet, so you'll get more pictures of it in the next couple of weeks. For now, here are some pictures of my kitchen and the sign over at Redeemer!
I was welcomed on a sign! (Yes, I did notice that they spelled my name wrong...)
Also this is not a complete sentence. But it's still cool!
Here we have my kitchen table, complete with homemade napkin holder and table runner, embroidered cat from my grandma, and a book (because I need it, that's why).
And here are my favorite mugs. They're decorative AND useful!
And finally, I bought some plants for my kitchen!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
The Puzzle Was BIG NEWS
Hello, friends! Who's still wondering about the puzzle from Friday? Wonder no more, because I have the answer for you! But first, a shout-out to the people who figured it out: Melissa Leon, Lindsey Monfre, Michael Wolfram, and my dad. Good work!
The key to the puzzle was this: "Most of what I'm typing has nothing to do with anything." You see, all that mattered was the first letter in each paragraph, which, when put together, spelled out the words "Enid, Oklahoma." And why did I give you a puzzle about Enid, Oklahoma, you ask? Well...
There's this cool place in Enid, Oklahoma called Redeemer Lutheran Church. They happen to be in need of a Director of Christian Education. They issued me a call to serve as their DCE, and yesterday afternoon, I officially accepted that call.
That's right -- after over two years of waiting, I have a call!!
I'll primarily be doing parish education for all ages, with a particular focus on the youth. I'll also be helping out at Camp Lutherhaven for two weeks every summer. I'll be heading down to Enid on September 27th and my commissioning and installation will be in October (possibly the 18th).
I'm extremely excited. I can't wait to get down to Oklahoma and start the work God has for me there!! Before I go off to pack intensely for the rest of the day, I just want to say THANK YOU to all the people who have been praying for me. During this period of waiting, it's meant so much to know that I'm in your thoughts and prayers. I've always known that I am not alone.
This was my face when I received my call papers on Friday!
The key to the puzzle was this: "Most of what I'm typing has nothing to do with anything." You see, all that mattered was the first letter in each paragraph, which, when put together, spelled out the words "Enid, Oklahoma." And why did I give you a puzzle about Enid, Oklahoma, you ask? Well...
There's this cool place in Enid, Oklahoma called Redeemer Lutheran Church. They happen to be in need of a Director of Christian Education. They issued me a call to serve as their DCE, and yesterday afternoon, I officially accepted that call.
That's right -- after over two years of waiting, I have a call!!
I'll primarily be doing parish education for all ages, with a particular focus on the youth. I'll also be helping out at Camp Lutherhaven for two weeks every summer. I'll be heading down to Enid on September 27th and my commissioning and installation will be in October (possibly the 18th).
I'm extremely excited. I can't wait to get down to Oklahoma and start the work God has for me there!! Before I go off to pack intensely for the rest of the day, I just want to say THANK YOU to all the people who have been praying for me. During this period of waiting, it's meant so much to know that I'm in your thoughts and prayers. I've always known that I am not alone.
This was my face when I received my call papers on Friday!
Friday, September 11, 2015
Solve the Puzzle! :)
Everyone reading this might notice that I didn't start off with my typical "Hello, friends!" There's a reason for that, and you can figure it out if you're very, very clever.
Never assume you've figured it out, though. You'll have to read through the entire post, and even then, you might still be confused.
I may have planned it that way. You probably know me well enough to already know that.
Don't despair! I believe in you. You can decipher my hidden message.
Own up to it. I know you're dying of curiosity now. Or you're just getting annoyed with me; both are equally possible!
Key to your understanding will be your attention to small details. Most of what I'm typing has nothing to do with anything. But if you pick up on the pattern, it'll be easy!
Let yourself have fun figuring it out. There's no need to drive yourself crazy.
And keep in mind that I'll reveal the mystery sometime next week. So if you can't solve the puzzle today, you'll hear the solution soon anyway.
Have fun, though, seriously. I'm all about having fun, as you know.
Oh, right. Some of you might have a feeling what this is about, even if you haven't figured out the puzzle. Don't ruin it for everyone else!
Make a guess if you've got one. If you don't have a guess, feel free to ask for clues that I may or may not give. (Have I mentioned that I'm having too much fun with this?)
As always, I hope you're all having a stellar week. You can expect another post next week! :)
Never assume you've figured it out, though. You'll have to read through the entire post, and even then, you might still be confused.
I may have planned it that way. You probably know me well enough to already know that.
Don't despair! I believe in you. You can decipher my hidden message.
Own up to it. I know you're dying of curiosity now. Or you're just getting annoyed with me; both are equally possible!
Key to your understanding will be your attention to small details. Most of what I'm typing has nothing to do with anything. But if you pick up on the pattern, it'll be easy!
Let yourself have fun figuring it out. There's no need to drive yourself crazy.
And keep in mind that I'll reveal the mystery sometime next week. So if you can't solve the puzzle today, you'll hear the solution soon anyway.
Have fun, though, seriously. I'm all about having fun, as you know.
Oh, right. Some of you might have a feeling what this is about, even if you haven't figured out the puzzle. Don't ruin it for everyone else!
Make a guess if you've got one. If you don't have a guess, feel free to ask for clues that I may or may not give. (Have I mentioned that I'm having too much fun with this?)
As always, I hope you're all having a stellar week. You can expect another post next week! :)
Thursday, August 27, 2015
People!
Hello, friends! I hope your week has been as delightful as mine. On Saturday I came up to the great state of Wisconsin and I haven't stopped enjoying myself since! I've been able to attend Melissa's installation at her new school, spend time with Melody, Karis, and Sarah, and visit professors and campus ministers at Concordia. Overall, a stellar week so far, and it will only get better tomorrow when I reunite with my friend/twin Lindsey.
I firmly believe that you can learn something from every situation you find yourself in. So even though I'm on vacation, I'm still learning! This week has taught me of the depth of the Body of Christ. I've seen a variety of people over the past five days, people from different backgrounds, careers, and generations. All of them have something incredible to contribute to Christ's work. Everything from Melissa's teaching to Melody's cello playing is vital to the ministry of Jesus, and that's amazing. I love seeing the gifts that people have and how they use them. I'm fascinated by people. That's what I've learned this week- Jesus people rock!
I firmly believe that you can learn something from every situation you find yourself in. So even though I'm on vacation, I'm still learning! This week has taught me of the depth of the Body of Christ. I've seen a variety of people over the past five days, people from different backgrounds, careers, and generations. All of them have something incredible to contribute to Christ's work. Everything from Melissa's teaching to Melody's cello playing is vital to the ministry of Jesus, and that's amazing. I love seeing the gifts that people have and how they use them. I'm fascinated by people. That's what I've learned this week- Jesus people rock!
Friday, August 21, 2015
Know any college students? Read this!
Hello, friends! Yesterday was kind of an exciting day: my aunt Laura and cousin Haley stayed the night at our house. They were just passing through on their way to Purdue University, where Haley is starting on Monday! I'm so excited for her, and I know she'll do fantastically at Purdue.
Haley's visit reminded me that most colleges and universities are starting soon. I know Pastor Jay in Tallahassee is probably finishing up the last meal he has to cook for Go Week right about now, and tonight is the FSU Luau. Concordia Wisconsin's Campus Ministry Leadership Team will leave for their annual planning retreat tomorrow. I may not be involved with any colleges or college students this year, but I urge you to be! For my blog today I'd like to give you the text of a presentation I made while in Florida.
What's going on in the lives of college students can be summed up in one word: change. Students are in a new place, away from home and all of the amenities that home provides, such as comfort. familiarity, parents, friends, and school. When all of these things change, a student's identity is in question. They suddenly have the freedom to make choices they couldn't make before. Their parents aren't there to check their grades, or make sure they're doing their homework, or call them if they're out past curfew. They're tempted to skip class, eat all junk food, and make friends in all the wrong ways. Students are asking themselves, "Who am I when my entire world is suddenly stripped away?"
Campus ministry provides a constant in the change of college life. It provides a place that feels like home, where students can find comfort, safety, Christian relationships, and answers to the tough questions they're asking themselves. Campus ministry also reminds students of their identity. They are a child of God. This is found in their baptism, and it never changes. This identity is something they can always rely upon. The problem is, it's easy for students to forget about their faith when they go to college.
That's where YOU come in! If you're a parent or aunt or uncle or grandparent or sibling or some other obscure relative or even just a friend, you can be there for your student. Before they leave, find the campus ministry at their school. You can do this easily at LCMS-U. Tell them about the campus ministry at their school, and tell the campus ministry at their school about them. (I include the second part because college students are not known for their memory.) And while your student is away, be that constant in their lives. Keep in touch; remind them of their home and their identity. Let them know you're still thinking about them and you still care. When they're home on break, get together with them and be that reminder in person.
The LCMS-U slogan is this: "College is tough. You need Jesus. We'll help." But in order for the campus ministries to do that, they need YOUR help, too!
Haley's visit reminded me that most colleges and universities are starting soon. I know Pastor Jay in Tallahassee is probably finishing up the last meal he has to cook for Go Week right about now, and tonight is the FSU Luau. Concordia Wisconsin's Campus Ministry Leadership Team will leave for their annual planning retreat tomorrow. I may not be involved with any colleges or college students this year, but I urge you to be! For my blog today I'd like to give you the text of a presentation I made while in Florida.
What's going on in the lives of college students can be summed up in one word: change. Students are in a new place, away from home and all of the amenities that home provides, such as comfort. familiarity, parents, friends, and school. When all of these things change, a student's identity is in question. They suddenly have the freedom to make choices they couldn't make before. Their parents aren't there to check their grades, or make sure they're doing their homework, or call them if they're out past curfew. They're tempted to skip class, eat all junk food, and make friends in all the wrong ways. Students are asking themselves, "Who am I when my entire world is suddenly stripped away?"
Campus ministry provides a constant in the change of college life. It provides a place that feels like home, where students can find comfort, safety, Christian relationships, and answers to the tough questions they're asking themselves. Campus ministry also reminds students of their identity. They are a child of God. This is found in their baptism, and it never changes. This identity is something they can always rely upon. The problem is, it's easy for students to forget about their faith when they go to college.
That's where YOU come in! If you're a parent or aunt or uncle or grandparent or sibling or some other obscure relative or even just a friend, you can be there for your student. Before they leave, find the campus ministry at their school. You can do this easily at LCMS-U. Tell them about the campus ministry at their school, and tell the campus ministry at their school about them. (I include the second part because college students are not known for their memory.) And while your student is away, be that constant in their lives. Keep in touch; remind them of their home and their identity. Let them know you're still thinking about them and you still care. When they're home on break, get together with them and be that reminder in person.
The LCMS-U slogan is this: "College is tough. You need Jesus. We'll help." But in order for the campus ministries to do that, they need YOUR help, too!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Beginnings and Endings
Hello, friends! I have a fairly short blog post for you today. Just a few reflections on my week.
On Sunday, I had the incredible joy of becoming a godmother to my nephew at his baptism. Let me tell you, I loved little Kylen very much already, but there is a different element to it now. I am partially responsible for my god-nephew's faith. What a privilege and what a challenge! I was blessed with wonderful godparents (and four god-sisters), and I'm so excited to be a god-aunt to Kylen. I'm so excited to be there for him as he grows and to share my faith with him.
This afternoon, I had a more somber event to attend: the funeral of my friend's father. As I consider my god-nephew, I have to consider this: someday he will also have a funeral. It's my responsibility, privilege, and challenge to encourage and support him in faith so that when that day comes, he will enter into eternal joy just as my friend's father has. This relationship that I now have with Kylen is so very important when I think about it in those terms.
That's all for today. If you were wondering, yes, my god-nephew did scream his little heart out during the baptism. (He does that a lot.) We had a great time with family and friends. On a side note, my cousin Shannon's baby was born on Monday! Welcome to the world, Emma! :)
On Sunday, I had the incredible joy of becoming a godmother to my nephew at his baptism. Let me tell you, I loved little Kylen very much already, but there is a different element to it now. I am partially responsible for my god-nephew's faith. What a privilege and what a challenge! I was blessed with wonderful godparents (and four god-sisters), and I'm so excited to be a god-aunt to Kylen. I'm so excited to be there for him as he grows and to share my faith with him.
This afternoon, I had a more somber event to attend: the funeral of my friend's father. As I consider my god-nephew, I have to consider this: someday he will also have a funeral. It's my responsibility, privilege, and challenge to encourage and support him in faith so that when that day comes, he will enter into eternal joy just as my friend's father has. This relationship that I now have with Kylen is so very important when I think about it in those terms.
That's all for today. If you were wondering, yes, my god-nephew did scream his little heart out during the baptism. (He does that a lot.) We had a great time with family and friends. On a side note, my cousin Shannon's baby was born on Monday! Welcome to the world, Emma! :)
Friday, August 7, 2015
Inspiration
Hello, friends! My last few blog posts have been more on the serious side, so today I decided to have some fun and talk about some of my favorite things: TV shows, movies, and books. More specifically, I want to talk about the characters that I find most inspiring in those three mediums.
After you read through my picks, I want to hear yours! Comment here or on Facebook and let me know the television, movie, and book characters you find most inspiring.
Television:
The character I find most inspiring on television comes from the short-lived show called "Forever." Detective Jo Martinez inspires me because she is so real. She has no mysterious past to uncover, a la Kate Beckett, Ziva David, and Emma Swan (from "Castle," "NCIS," and "Once Upon a Time," respectively). Instead, she is a normal person, affected by a normal, everyday tragedy. She is driven by the desire to make the world a better place, even as she discovers what "better" means for herself. She honestly cares for people and often puts them above herself, but she can't always do that, and she knows that it's okay to put herself first sometimes. It's hard to put into words, exactly, but Detective Jo Martinez struck a chord in me that doesn't get played very often.
Movie:
My most inspirational movie character can be found in the "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise. Nowhere else will you find a character named Hiccup! Hiccup inspires me because he changes. He starts out the first movie as a rebellious, snarky, friendless kid who can't do anything right. By the end of the second movie, he's a thoughtful, kind, fearless, and strong leader. (The snarkiness hasn't gone anywhere, but that's okay.) In addition, Hiccup changes not only himself, but others. His growth inspires others to grow. That's the kind of leader I want to be, which is why Hiccup inspires me.
Book:
Finally, books. As you can guess if you know me at all, this was the most difficult choice. Therefore I've chosen two characters. (I know, I'm disobeying my own rules... but I just had to. Also, they're my rules, I can break them if I want to.)
The first character I picked is Keladry of Mindelan, from the "Protector of the Small" series by Tamora Pierce. The series title really says it all: Keladry is the protector of the small. She sees value and worth in everyone, from sparrows to refugees, and she goes out of her way to look out for them.
The second character is Neville Longbottom from the "Harry Potter" series by J. K. Rowling. The odds were stacked against Neville from the start. He had to fight for every inch of growth and success. But he never gave up, and eventually, he became a hero.
There you have it, the characters that inspire me most. What about you?
After you read through my picks, I want to hear yours! Comment here or on Facebook and let me know the television, movie, and book characters you find most inspiring.
Television:
The character I find most inspiring on television comes from the short-lived show called "Forever." Detective Jo Martinez inspires me because she is so real. She has no mysterious past to uncover, a la Kate Beckett, Ziva David, and Emma Swan (from "Castle," "NCIS," and "Once Upon a Time," respectively). Instead, she is a normal person, affected by a normal, everyday tragedy. She is driven by the desire to make the world a better place, even as she discovers what "better" means for herself. She honestly cares for people and often puts them above herself, but she can't always do that, and she knows that it's okay to put herself first sometimes. It's hard to put into words, exactly, but Detective Jo Martinez struck a chord in me that doesn't get played very often.
Movie:
My most inspirational movie character can be found in the "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise. Nowhere else will you find a character named Hiccup! Hiccup inspires me because he changes. He starts out the first movie as a rebellious, snarky, friendless kid who can't do anything right. By the end of the second movie, he's a thoughtful, kind, fearless, and strong leader. (The snarkiness hasn't gone anywhere, but that's okay.) In addition, Hiccup changes not only himself, but others. His growth inspires others to grow. That's the kind of leader I want to be, which is why Hiccup inspires me.
Book:
Finally, books. As you can guess if you know me at all, this was the most difficult choice. Therefore I've chosen two characters. (I know, I'm disobeying my own rules... but I just had to. Also, they're my rules, I can break them if I want to.)
The first character I picked is Keladry of Mindelan, from the "Protector of the Small" series by Tamora Pierce. The series title really says it all: Keladry is the protector of the small. She sees value and worth in everyone, from sparrows to refugees, and she goes out of her way to look out for them.
The second character is Neville Longbottom from the "Harry Potter" series by J. K. Rowling. The odds were stacked against Neville from the start. He had to fight for every inch of growth and success. But he never gave up, and eventually, he became a hero.
There you have it, the characters that inspire me most. What about you?
Friday, July 31, 2015
A Reminder
Hello, friends! I haven't been blogging once a week recently, because I don't think you would find a list of the books I've read while sitting around the house particularly interesting. (If you would find that interesting, I can certainly oblige you. :P) I've decided to only write a blog post when I have something interesting to write about.
Today I want to write about the abortion debate.
This will not be a blog post detailing the pro-life position, because there are plenty of those. This will also not be a blog post blasting the pro-choice position, because there are plenty of those, too. And although this blog post was inspired by the recent anti-Planned Parenthood videos, it isn't really about the videos. Instead, it's my hope that this blog post will be a reminder to both sides that we are all human, and deserving of respect.
In college, I was an active member and leader of Students for Life. I held signs outside abortion clinics. I participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. three times. I attended numerous conferences. I was, and still am, adamantly pro-life. However, I do not see the usefulness in attacking pro-choicers in any way. Yes, honest and open debate is useful. No, rude and abusive insults are not. I bring this up because I've seen it too many times.
In the same way, it's not useful for pro-choicers to attack pro-lifers in any way. Again, yes, honest and open debate is useful. And again, no, rude and abusive insults are not. I bring this up for the same reason that I called out pro-lifers in the previous paragraph. I've seen this happen too many times.
If we all treat each other with respect, if we are willing to listen to each other with no agendas or ulterior motives, the world could change. But as long as we insist upon treating each other like we are less than human because we disagree, the world will stay the same. No one, regardless of their views on this debate, wants nothing to change.
Today I want to write about the abortion debate.
This will not be a blog post detailing the pro-life position, because there are plenty of those. This will also not be a blog post blasting the pro-choice position, because there are plenty of those, too. And although this blog post was inspired by the recent anti-Planned Parenthood videos, it isn't really about the videos. Instead, it's my hope that this blog post will be a reminder to both sides that we are all human, and deserving of respect.
In college, I was an active member and leader of Students for Life. I held signs outside abortion clinics. I participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. three times. I attended numerous conferences. I was, and still am, adamantly pro-life. However, I do not see the usefulness in attacking pro-choicers in any way. Yes, honest and open debate is useful. No, rude and abusive insults are not. I bring this up because I've seen it too many times.
In the same way, it's not useful for pro-choicers to attack pro-lifers in any way. Again, yes, honest and open debate is useful. And again, no, rude and abusive insults are not. I bring this up for the same reason that I called out pro-lifers in the previous paragraph. I've seen this happen too many times.
If we all treat each other with respect, if we are willing to listen to each other with no agendas or ulterior motives, the world could change. But as long as we insist upon treating each other like we are less than human because we disagree, the world will stay the same. No one, regardless of their views on this debate, wants nothing to change.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Reflection on Rejection
Hello, friends! I know it's not a Thursday, but I've mostly lost track of the days of the week since coming home to Urbandale. I can only tell it's a Sunday because I went to church this morning and Vacation Bible School starts tonight.
Some of you know that I spent last weekend in Colorado for an interview. Normally, I don't talk about my interviews on the Internet. I keep any conversation about them off the web unless I get the job. I think this is partly because I have no control over the outcome of interviews, but the bigger reason is that I've been rejected often. I don't like to advertise that fact. I prefer to share good news. It's much easier for me to post a Facebook status that says "I got the job!" than one that says "Rejected again."
But this interview was different, and although my status would say "Rejected again," I want to talk about it. I want you to know what happened and how a weekend in Colorado changed me.
Let me set the scene. The church had interviewed several candidates over the phone. Once they had narrowed their list down to three, they invited us all out to visit their church and the surrounding community for a weekend. This is standard protocol, except for one thing: they invited all of us out at once. Never before had I met the other candidates for a position I was interviewing for.
At first, all of us were confused. We didn't know quite what to make of the situation. But as the weekend progressed, it became clear to us that we weren't competing with each other. The church recognized the different gifts in each of us. We didn't have the same gifts, and therefore, comparing us was like comparing apples and oranges. The church wasn't picking what kind of apple they wanted. They were deciding if they wanted an apple or an orange or a pear. They understood that we were different and they wanted to see which of us would be the best fit based on our personal gifts.
This changed the weekend from an uncomfortable one to a fun one. I enjoyed getting to know the people in the congregation, and after an initial phase of awkwardness, I enjoyed getting to know the other candidates, too. I learned from them, and they learned from me. We observed that we were different and that it was okay for us to be different. Not all church workers should be, or try to be, the same. Each of us has different strengths. Each of us has been gifted by God in different ways. We should act on those strengths and gifts rather than trying to be the cookie-cutter church worker we sometimes strive to be.
Knowing the other candidates also had another effect. On Tuesday night, I received a phone call from the pastor. He informed me that I was not going to receive the call to Colorado. Instead of bursting into tears, as I normally do after a rejection, I was calm. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to come to Colorado.
When I hung up the phone, I thought to myself, "I'm happy for whichever of the other two candidates gets the call. They will do well." Ordinarily I would have been upset with myself and angry at the other candidates, convinced that I should have gotten the call and that I did something wrong. But this time, I was content in knowing that God was not calling me there and happy for the candidate whom God was calling there. And that's really what the call process is about, isn't it? Recognizing that it's not what we do or don't do, or about a decision made by people. It's about what God has in store for each one of us.
So although I have been rejected again, I am not embarrassed or frustrated. Certainly there's still a feeling of impatience, for I do have a call to ministry -- that much I know -- and I will be anxious until I am fulfilling it. But recognizing the gifts of the other two candidates changed me. Recognizing the gifts of the other two candidates brought God's master plan into perspective.
Some of you know that I spent last weekend in Colorado for an interview. Normally, I don't talk about my interviews on the Internet. I keep any conversation about them off the web unless I get the job. I think this is partly because I have no control over the outcome of interviews, but the bigger reason is that I've been rejected often. I don't like to advertise that fact. I prefer to share good news. It's much easier for me to post a Facebook status that says "I got the job!" than one that says "Rejected again."
But this interview was different, and although my status would say "Rejected again," I want to talk about it. I want you to know what happened and how a weekend in Colorado changed me.
Let me set the scene. The church had interviewed several candidates over the phone. Once they had narrowed their list down to three, they invited us all out to visit their church and the surrounding community for a weekend. This is standard protocol, except for one thing: they invited all of us out at once. Never before had I met the other candidates for a position I was interviewing for.
At first, all of us were confused. We didn't know quite what to make of the situation. But as the weekend progressed, it became clear to us that we weren't competing with each other. The church recognized the different gifts in each of us. We didn't have the same gifts, and therefore, comparing us was like comparing apples and oranges. The church wasn't picking what kind of apple they wanted. They were deciding if they wanted an apple or an orange or a pear. They understood that we were different and they wanted to see which of us would be the best fit based on our personal gifts.
This changed the weekend from an uncomfortable one to a fun one. I enjoyed getting to know the people in the congregation, and after an initial phase of awkwardness, I enjoyed getting to know the other candidates, too. I learned from them, and they learned from me. We observed that we were different and that it was okay for us to be different. Not all church workers should be, or try to be, the same. Each of us has different strengths. Each of us has been gifted by God in different ways. We should act on those strengths and gifts rather than trying to be the cookie-cutter church worker we sometimes strive to be.
Knowing the other candidates also had another effect. On Tuesday night, I received a phone call from the pastor. He informed me that I was not going to receive the call to Colorado. Instead of bursting into tears, as I normally do after a rejection, I was calm. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to come to Colorado.
When I hung up the phone, I thought to myself, "I'm happy for whichever of the other two candidates gets the call. They will do well." Ordinarily I would have been upset with myself and angry at the other candidates, convinced that I should have gotten the call and that I did something wrong. But this time, I was content in knowing that God was not calling me there and happy for the candidate whom God was calling there. And that's really what the call process is about, isn't it? Recognizing that it's not what we do or don't do, or about a decision made by people. It's about what God has in store for each one of us.
So although I have been rejected again, I am not embarrassed or frustrated. Certainly there's still a feeling of impatience, for I do have a call to ministry -- that much I know -- and I will be anxious until I am fulfilling it. But recognizing the gifts of the other two candidates changed me. Recognizing the gifts of the other two candidates brought God's master plan into perspective.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Iowa Girl Meets... Iowa
Hello, friends! I'm officially back in my home state. I've been playing with my dogs and bothering my cat nonstop ever since I arrived back in Urbandale, but the highlight of my time in Iowa so far was definitely meeting my two-week-old nephew on Friday. I did not die of excitement, but it was pretty close! In case you were wondering, Kylen is the cutest, ever. Hands down.
Last Thursday night was also a highlight: I got to see my friend Megan in St. Louis. We had some delicious deep-dish pizza and went out for drinks afterwards. Only the two of us would have a deep conversation about Lutheran worship over beers during karaoke.
I've pretty much been relaxing ever since I got here. The long drive wore me out. I went to Messiah on Sunday and greeted all of my friends, had lunch with my friend Melody on Tuesday and dinner with my friend Jessie on Wednesday, read a few books, and played a few video games. Interspersed in there has been unpacking and interview prep.
As you can see, now that my year in the great state of Florida is complete, I don't have too much to say in my blog. What do you guys think I should do with my blog? I originally started it to keep you informed of the goings-on in Tallahassee, but I don't have that reason anymore. If I continue writing, what would you suggest I write about? Please let me know what you think!
Last Thursday night was also a highlight: I got to see my friend Megan in St. Louis. We had some delicious deep-dish pizza and went out for drinks afterwards. Only the two of us would have a deep conversation about Lutheran worship over beers during karaoke.
I've pretty much been relaxing ever since I got here. The long drive wore me out. I went to Messiah on Sunday and greeted all of my friends, had lunch with my friend Melody on Tuesday and dinner with my friend Jessie on Wednesday, read a few books, and played a few video games. Interspersed in there has been unpacking and interview prep.
As you can see, now that my year in the great state of Florida is complete, I don't have too much to say in my blog. What do you guys think I should do with my blog? I originally started it to keep you informed of the goings-on in Tallahassee, but I don't have that reason anymore. If I continue writing, what would you suggest I write about? Please let me know what you think!
Thursday, July 2, 2015
On the Road
Hello, friends! I'm writing to you from "out there on the highway, out there on the open road," to quote Holly Williams, one of the artists my mother and I heard last night at the Grand Ole Opry. How did I end up in Nashville, you might ask? I'll tell you if you'll "roll with me, roll with me."
I'll return to song lyrics later, no doubt, but before I get there, let me tell you about my last few days in Tallahassee. I spent most of my Saturday packing, except for the few minutes I spent helping Anna jump start her car. I also took my pastels upstairs and drew some University Lutheran art. My favorite was this one, which is a symbol on the stained glass windows.
I'll return to song lyrics later, no doubt, but before I get there, let me tell you about my last few days in Tallahassee. I spent most of my Saturday packing, except for the few minutes I spent helping Anna jump start her car. I also took my pastels upstairs and drew some University Lutheran art. My favorite was this one, which is a symbol on the stained glass windows.
Sunday was my last official day as a Lutheran Campus Initiative missionary. I led the Bible study and ushered during the worship service. I was glad to be able to witness the baptisms off Wyatt and Alexa Paul, and doubly glad that the baptismal font and Christ candle survived the day. Wyatt and Alexa's two older sisters were a little too excited. :P After eating lunch at Jim & Milt's, I spent my afternoon hanging out with PJ, Liz, and Cricket. Cricket and I played with blocks for awhile before they all went home.
On Monday, I said goodbye to a few people and a few places. I volunteered for the last time at the Children's Home Society and said goodbye to Veronica and Annalise. I also visited the top of the capitol building and got some frozen yogurt from Yogurt Mountain. I did quite a bit of writing on Monday; some very nice person roasted me last week and gave me a journal, and I figured I'd start it off by recording my last few Tallahassee thoughts.
I'm going to miss that capitol view.
On Tuesday, well... I packed and packed and cleaned and packed some more. I took frequent breaks to go upstairs and say to PJ or Matt, "Hey, I don't want to pack this. Do you want this?" Around 6 o'clock we had planned to start packing up my car, but some hurricane-force wind and rain came at just that time, so we waited it out in PJ's office. I didn't mind, as this gave me the opportunity to play with my best friend Bear-dog. When the weather cleared up, PJ, Sarah, Evan, Corey and I managed to fit my giant pile of stuff into my little car. (We're now considering starting a moving company called "Five Lutherans and a Focus.") We had dinner at Cantina's, and then we had to say goodbye.
Can you believe that all fit?
On Wednesday, I said a very sad goodbye to University Lutheran and set my sights toward the Midwest. I drove my very full car to Montgomery, switching into God's time (commonly known as Central time). I picked up my mom from the Montgomery airport and we continued on to Nashville, where we caught a show at the Grand Ole Opry. Our favorite artists were Holly Williams, the Willis Clan, and Thompson Square.
This morning, we visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium. Now we're out there on the highway, out there on the open road. Tonight we'll stop in St. Louis and visit my friend Megan, and tomorrow, I get to meet my nephew in person. If you don't hear from me after that, it probably means I've died from excitement.
Friday, June 26, 2015
What a Week!
Hello, friends! Wow, I missed my Thursday deadline twice in a row. I feel like I'm tripping at the finish line here. But in my defense, it's been a very strange week. Let me tell you all about it.
Last Friday... my nephew was born! Since this will go on the Internet, I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to post pictures. Suffice it to say, my nephew Kylen was born two weeks early and I was incredibly surprised when I got the phone call. I've proceeded to talk about nothing other than my adorable nephew since then. Just ask Sarah; she was with me all day on Saturday.
Speaking of Saturday, Sarah and I went to DISNEY! And I'm definitely allowed to post pictures of that, so here you go. Pictures say a thousand words!
Last Friday... my nephew was born! Since this will go on the Internet, I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to post pictures. Suffice it to say, my nephew Kylen was born two weeks early and I was incredibly surprised when I got the phone call. I've proceeded to talk about nothing other than my adorable nephew since then. Just ask Sarah; she was with me all day on Saturday.
Speaking of Saturday, Sarah and I went to DISNEY! And I'm definitely allowed to post pictures of that, so here you go. Pictures say a thousand words!
Last Sunday -- wow, it really was a crazy weekend -- University Lutheran had a sending-off for me during the worship service. They said a prayer over me, and then after church there was a delicious cake and a card signed by a lot of UL people. I felt so special and loved. (Also, if you like cake... we have a lot left. Please eat my cake.)
This week, we did some tabling (joy) and handed out all of the magnets we possessed (non-sarcastic joy). We had quite the crowd yesterday, with Julie, Anna, Liz and Cricket all joining PJ and I. Wednesday I had my last-ever staff meeting with PJ and Matt, which made me sad. I've really enjoyed our meetings. At least we came out of it with one more inside joke. (Maybe you are the one person who really wants a squirrel sweater.)
On Wednesday evening, the inevitable happened... I got roasted. In the picture, you can see all of the random items I acquired. (There might no longer be room for my mom in my car.) My personal favorite moment was Pastor Jay describing my attempt at lizard herding and giving me an inflatable lizard to remember it by. Among all the funny memories was also a serious moment: Pastor Jay gave me a memory book with notes from several of my favorite Florida people (including Cricket and Bear). He also is having a plaque made with my personal meaning statement: "Helping others find their place in God's story."
Yesterday, I had to say a sad good-bye to some more of my favorite Florida people: the Damayan gardening crew. There were many sweaty hugs exchanged and I promised that I would have a garden of my own someday, which I do fully intend to do. I've learned so much from Mark and Burgen especially about gardening, and from Maddie about pretty much everything else! Thank you so much for an incredible year, guys.
Today I had lunch with Rina and she told me all about engagement rings and wedding dresses, which are the two things on her mind right now. So exciting! Other than that, this morning I finished up church calls and now I'm blogging to avoid packing, packing, and more packing. Tonight I'll be having a laundry party at Anna's, tomorrow I'll probably pack (and pack and pack) and Sunday will be my last worship service at University Lutheran. I'm excited to see the Paul twins get baptized, but I'm not excited to leave UL. It's such a wonderful place and I will miss it so much!
When I write in this blog next, I'll no longer be in the Sunshine State. Ahhhh!
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Catching Up and Looking Ahead
Hello, friends! I apologize for not writing a blog last week. I'm not sure, but I think I forgot. So now I have two weeks to catch up on! However, they were very similar weeks in a lot of ways.
For example, I had the delightful opportunity to hand out football schedules to incoming freshmen during orientation. PJ wasn't around last week, so I bribed Matt to help me out on Tuesday and Julie joined us again on Thursday. This week, PJ has returned and we've gotten back into our regular, very exciting routine.
Last week, per the usual except for the lack of PJ, Matt and I had a staff meeting. We picked through this Sunday's readings to find the gift of God, how we can give ourselves as gifts, and how we can celebrate the gifts we've been given. What we came up with had the general theme of "growth." Then we saw the newsletter article Pastor Jay had written up, and we were very excited because our theme was right on target.
Perhaps one reason I didn't think about writing a blog last week was because Pastor Jay had given Matt and I some reflection questions to write about. My personal favorite was: "What is next for University Lutheran?" This question was tricky for me, because I, personally, will not be around for what's next for University Lutheran. (In fact, one thing that's next for University Lutheran is me leaving!) But Matt and I both enjoyed playing around with the possibilities, and it was interesting to learn that we came up with pretty similar ideas.
(One thing I wrote about was inspired by worship on June 7th, when Cricket, Eva, Becca, Ava, Wyatt, and Alexa all came up at communion one after another. I said, "I imagine that UL will have to become more child-friendly when all of these kids (so many girls!) become Sunday school age.")
Last Friday night, I went contra dancing for my friend Elm's birthday, which was great fun! We also went to a barbershop quartet performance over at Tallahassee Community College on Saturday. And I have more fun plans coming up this weekend -- Sarah and I are going to Disney!
That's all the news for today. It's strange to think that in two weeks, I'll be moved out and gone. Soon this Iowa Girl will be returning to Iowa. In case you're wondering about what comes next for me, the answer is that I don't know yet, but I have a few possibilities. However, if you ask me the question "What is next for Mary?" I'll answer it like this: "My niece or nephew is due in 15 days!!" :D
For example, I had the delightful opportunity to hand out football schedules to incoming freshmen during orientation. PJ wasn't around last week, so I bribed Matt to help me out on Tuesday and Julie joined us again on Thursday. This week, PJ has returned and we've gotten back into our regular, very exciting routine.
Last week, per the usual except for the lack of PJ, Matt and I had a staff meeting. We picked through this Sunday's readings to find the gift of God, how we can give ourselves as gifts, and how we can celebrate the gifts we've been given. What we came up with had the general theme of "growth." Then we saw the newsletter article Pastor Jay had written up, and we were very excited because our theme was right on target.
Perhaps one reason I didn't think about writing a blog last week was because Pastor Jay had given Matt and I some reflection questions to write about. My personal favorite was: "What is next for University Lutheran?" This question was tricky for me, because I, personally, will not be around for what's next for University Lutheran. (In fact, one thing that's next for University Lutheran is me leaving!) But Matt and I both enjoyed playing around with the possibilities, and it was interesting to learn that we came up with pretty similar ideas.
(One thing I wrote about was inspired by worship on June 7th, when Cricket, Eva, Becca, Ava, Wyatt, and Alexa all came up at communion one after another. I said, "I imagine that UL will have to become more child-friendly when all of these kids (so many girls!) become Sunday school age.")
Last Friday night, I went contra dancing for my friend Elm's birthday, which was great fun! We also went to a barbershop quartet performance over at Tallahassee Community College on Saturday. And I have more fun plans coming up this weekend -- Sarah and I are going to Disney!
That's all the news for today. It's strange to think that in two weeks, I'll be moved out and gone. Soon this Iowa Girl will be returning to Iowa. In case you're wondering about what comes next for me, the answer is that I don't know yet, but I have a few possibilities. However, if you ask me the question "What is next for Mary?" I'll answer it like this: "My niece or nephew is due in 15 days!!" :D
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Happy June!
Last Friday PJ gave me the daunting task of creating the curriculum for Vespers next year. In his words, this is a way I can "leave my legacy" on University Lutheran. I've been enjoying this far more than is probably healthy. First, I reviewed what we did this year. Then I set the major goal for next year's curriculum. Then I divided it into goals for first and second semester. Then I divided the semesters into units, and the units into weeks... And now I'm almost finished writing an outline for each week. It's fun! I like having the opportunity to do something as overarching as this.
Last night, we played host to a bunch of 7th graders from Stuart, Florida. They were on their class trip to the Capitol and came to us to learn what college is like. We fed them spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, and Publix cookies, and then talked about their impressions of college and how Jesus can fit into their life during college. I enjoyed the conversations we were able to have (and I was reassured that a year of college students hasn't made me forget how to deal with middle schoolers). The highlight of the night for PJ was learning that someone who came to this night 5 years ago is coming to FSU because of it. Again, in his words, his "heart just swelled." You don't often get to see the results when you plant seeds, so this was incredibly special for him.
Per the usual for summer, we handed out magnets on Tuesday and Thursday. Tabling was... well, tabling. PJ is leaving me all alone next week, so I'm glad that some of the church members have decided to help us! Anesu came out on Tuesday, and Julie was there today.
This afternoon I went out to the Frenchtown garden. We weeded around the watermelon plants, picked tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans, and played limbo with the water hose. Elm came today, which was great! We had some really good conversations in the van on our way to and from the garden. One of the facilitators, Maddie, is a religion major. She's excellent at coming up with in-depth questions to get us talking.
Then, this evening, Sarah and I went out to Food Truck Thursday. I've never seen so many ducklings and goslings in my life. We would be in the middle of a serious conversation, and then a duck would waddle by and do something funny and we would just give up. To round out my blog for the day, here's a picture of some ducks.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Order in the Chaos
Hello, friends! I'm writing to you from my living room couch, and I'm surrounded by a variety of interesting objects: a hammer, my Bible, my work notebook, some white ribbon, a pincushion, my favorite baseball cap, a synopsis of the Gospels, an iron, a hot glue gun, a list of all the LCMS churches in Florida, and the back of a picture frame. Let me tell you how all of these things came to be in my living room!
The hammer, ribbon, pincushion, iron, hot glue gun, and back of a picture frame are all ingredients for my long weekend activity: crafting. I made a few items for all of the babies in my life, although from that list of things I bet you'll never guess what I made (and I can't tell you, or it would spoil the surprise for the babies). I also made a craft apron for myself, because when I start making crafts, cleanliness is not my priority. I bet you couldn't tell that from my description of my living room!
My Bible and my work notebook are normally seen together. As usual, this week I wrote four devotions. My favorite one was probably the devotion for Tuesday. It involved the Ezekiel story about prophesying to dry bones. When I searched for a picture of dry bones, it came up with this:
The hammer, ribbon, pincushion, iron, hot glue gun, and back of a picture frame are all ingredients for my long weekend activity: crafting. I made a few items for all of the babies in my life, although from that list of things I bet you'll never guess what I made (and I can't tell you, or it would spoil the surprise for the babies). I also made a craft apron for myself, because when I start making crafts, cleanliness is not my priority. I bet you couldn't tell that from my description of my living room!
My Bible and my work notebook are normally seen together. As usual, this week I wrote four devotions. My favorite one was probably the devotion for Tuesday. It involved the Ezekiel story about prophesying to dry bones. When I searched for a picture of dry bones, it came up with this:
Naturally, I thought this was hilarious and used it as the illustration.
My favorite baseball cap, which is a Harry Potter cap from Universal, is in my living room for two reasons. One, I wear it during our delightful hours spent in the Union handing out football magnets. Two, I wear it when I go to the Frenchtown community garden. Today the five of us (Maddie, Burgen, Megan, Mark and I) weeded one of the beds. With all of us working, we were able to clean it out pretty much completely. We also hunted down caterpillars in the tomato plants and ate some cucumbers and green beans. I brought back a small pile of green beans for myself.
The highlight, however, was watching the kids play a game of basketball and several of the girls perform a steps routine during their halftime.
The synopsis of the Gospels is the topic for this summer's Bible study, which I get to help teach. I led our discussion for the first time this Sunday, and I think it went pretty well! Luke 1 and 2 were on the agenda. We tend to overlook those passages because we hear them so much, but it was nice to take the time and examine them more closely.
And lastly, the list of all the LCMS churches in Florida. Tomorrow, I get to (read: have to) continue to work my way down the list, calling churches to ask if they have students heading to college in the fall. Last Friday, I knocked out 48 churches. Hopefully I get through at least that many again tomorrow.
There you are, a sum-up of my week based on my messy living room. Until next week, farewell!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Football schedule? Football schedule?
Hello, friends! It's so nice to sit down in a nice, quiet, shaded, air-conditioned room and write after a few hours spent saying nothing but "Football schedule?" in a sunny, hot, crowded student union.
(I really shouldn't complain -- we were in the shade today. However, it's Florida, and I reserve the right to say "It's too hot" basically every day!)
Anyway, Tuesday started our twice-a-week orientation schedule. We stand outside in the heat and hand out football magnets to people walking by. Sometimes that's new students, sometimes that's the new students' parents. Sometimes it's random staff people and other campus ministers! It gets a little tedious, but we've found ways to amuse ourselves. We chat with the people tabling next to us, who have included a pre-med group, an acapella group, and a Jewish group. Today Liz and Cricket came to visit us, and of course, Cricket was immediately the star of the show.
In other news, I volunteered to help with the Sunday morning Bible study for the summer. This Sunday will be the first one I get to lead. We're going through a synopsis of the four Gospels, discovering which writer included what and why. So far, it's pretty interesting!
And since it's summer, I get to do my favorite job: church calls. Tomorrow I'll start on the nice long list of all the churches in Florida, letting them know about LCMS-U and University Lutheran. I just can't wait. I'm very, very excited.
This Sunday I'll be doing a church swap with my friend Emily. She'll come to our worship service, and I'll go to hers over at the Mormon church. It should be very educational for both of us! I'm looking forward to it.
That's all for today -- I need to go dunk my head in cold water or something. Have I mentioned it's hot in Florida? ;)
(I really shouldn't complain -- we were in the shade today. However, it's Florida, and I reserve the right to say "It's too hot" basically every day!)
Anyway, Tuesday started our twice-a-week orientation schedule. We stand outside in the heat and hand out football magnets to people walking by. Sometimes that's new students, sometimes that's the new students' parents. Sometimes it's random staff people and other campus ministers! It gets a little tedious, but we've found ways to amuse ourselves. We chat with the people tabling next to us, who have included a pre-med group, an acapella group, and a Jewish group. Today Liz and Cricket came to visit us, and of course, Cricket was immediately the star of the show.
In other news, I volunteered to help with the Sunday morning Bible study for the summer. This Sunday will be the first one I get to lead. We're going through a synopsis of the four Gospels, discovering which writer included what and why. So far, it's pretty interesting!
And since it's summer, I get to do my favorite job: church calls. Tomorrow I'll start on the nice long list of all the churches in Florida, letting them know about LCMS-U and University Lutheran. I just can't wait. I'm very, very excited.
This Sunday I'll be doing a church swap with my friend Emily. She'll come to our worship service, and I'll go to hers over at the Mormon church. It should be very educational for both of us! I'm looking forward to it.
That's all for today -- I need to go dunk my head in cold water or something. Have I mentioned it's hot in Florida? ;)
Thursday, May 14, 2015
My Shiny New Phone
Hello, friends! Today I've decided to write my blog from my shiny new phone. This gives me the opportunity to mourn my old phone, which died tragically in an accident yesterday. It fell out of my pocket as I got out of Pastor Jay's car and subsequently got slammed in the car door. This blog also gives me the opportunity to beg for your phone numbers, as I lost quite a few of my contacts because of this sad incident. (If you text me in order to give me your number, please identify yourself, otherwise I will have your number but not know who it belongs to!)
Moving on from my phone woes... On Friday I went to Yogurt Mountain with Evan to celebrate his new summer internship. It's a good thing for him my phone broke, because the embarrassing picture of him devouring delicious yogurt is now inaccessible. Friday night I spent at a going-away party for Gary and Jessica. Gary recently got a job in Washington, D.C., and they started their move today. On Saturday, Anna, her roommate Hillary, and I went to the Tallahassee Museum to do the zip line course, which was super fun!
I haven't done too much this week- volunteered at the Children's Home Society on Monday, had lunch with Justin on Tuesday, went to a circuit meeting with Pastor Jay yesterday, and had lunch with Laura today. I've also written my normal number of devotions and worked on some young adult ministry network stuff. Hopefully there will be some joint young adult stuff happening before I leave!
During our drive to and from Tifton yesterday, Pastor Jay and I decided to forego regular Vespers this summer. Instead, we're going to do trivia night at Brooklyn Water on Thursday nights, starting tonight. If you're in the area, feel free to join us! (I'll need all the help I can get...)
That's all the news from Tallahassee, except for this great story: http://m.wtxl.com/mobile/news/man-wearing-only-underwear-claims-to-be-god-tased-at/article_f623444a-fa49-11e4-8094-fb59da6c07a1.html
Until next week, friends!
Moving on from my phone woes... On Friday I went to Yogurt Mountain with Evan to celebrate his new summer internship. It's a good thing for him my phone broke, because the embarrassing picture of him devouring delicious yogurt is now inaccessible. Friday night I spent at a going-away party for Gary and Jessica. Gary recently got a job in Washington, D.C., and they started their move today. On Saturday, Anna, her roommate Hillary, and I went to the Tallahassee Museum to do the zip line course, which was super fun!
I haven't done too much this week- volunteered at the Children's Home Society on Monday, had lunch with Justin on Tuesday, went to a circuit meeting with Pastor Jay yesterday, and had lunch with Laura today. I've also written my normal number of devotions and worked on some young adult ministry network stuff. Hopefully there will be some joint young adult stuff happening before I leave!
During our drive to and from Tifton yesterday, Pastor Jay and I decided to forego regular Vespers this summer. Instead, we're going to do trivia night at Brooklyn Water on Thursday nights, starting tonight. If you're in the area, feel free to join us! (I'll need all the help I can get...)
That's all the news from Tallahassee, except for this great story: http://m.wtxl.com/mobile/news/man-wearing-only-underwear-claims-to-be-god-tased-at/article_f623444a-fa49-11e4-8094-fb59da6c07a1.html
Until next week, friends!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
New Friends
Hello, friends! As it so happens, I had the opportunity to make some new friends this week. Monday afternoon through yesterday afternoon I attended the Youth and Family Ministry Association retreat at Luther Springs camp in Hawthorne, FL. Let me tell you what I learned: youth ministers are crazy.
I did learn more than that, but that was the most amusing revelation of the retreat! By default, youth ministers are certifiably insane (myself included). No one else would willingly go into the profession. We had great fun together as we ate junk food and swapped ministry horror stories. I would tell you some of them, but you might require counseling afterwards and I don't have that kind of money.
In all seriousness, the retreat was a blessing. Our theme was "Detox." We talked about identifying the toxic things in our lives (words, thoughts, relationships, and culture), guarding our hearts against those things, and replacing them with life-giving, life-affirming, and life-changing things. Our small group discussions were wonderful and insightful. We were able to listen to, support and encourage one another in our various struggles. I appreciated the opportunity to learn from youth ministers who have been in the field a bit longer than my 10 months.
The retreat also gave me a new appreciation for prayer. I have, of course, always known that prayer is a powerful thing -- but it's one thing to know that, and another thing to see it in action. Simply the act of one youth minister saying to another, "I'll continue praying for you, and I want to know when your prayer needs change," is life-affirming. It gives validity to a youth minister's needs, which often go overlooked in favor of the needs of the congregation.
On the way back from the retreat, I gave myself a brief driving tour of the University of Florida, just to say I'd been there. If you're worried about me becoming a Gator fan, remember that my boss is a Gator fan, and therefore I must placate him until July (when I can return to not caring).
I've included two pictures for you this week. One is the YFMA crowd during one of our sessions; the other is the best picture I could get at UF without getting out of my car.
I did learn more than that, but that was the most amusing revelation of the retreat! By default, youth ministers are certifiably insane (myself included). No one else would willingly go into the profession. We had great fun together as we ate junk food and swapped ministry horror stories. I would tell you some of them, but you might require counseling afterwards and I don't have that kind of money.
In all seriousness, the retreat was a blessing. Our theme was "Detox." We talked about identifying the toxic things in our lives (words, thoughts, relationships, and culture), guarding our hearts against those things, and replacing them with life-giving, life-affirming, and life-changing things. Our small group discussions were wonderful and insightful. We were able to listen to, support and encourage one another in our various struggles. I appreciated the opportunity to learn from youth ministers who have been in the field a bit longer than my 10 months.
The retreat also gave me a new appreciation for prayer. I have, of course, always known that prayer is a powerful thing -- but it's one thing to know that, and another thing to see it in action. Simply the act of one youth minister saying to another, "I'll continue praying for you, and I want to know when your prayer needs change," is life-affirming. It gives validity to a youth minister's needs, which often go overlooked in favor of the needs of the congregation.
On the way back from the retreat, I gave myself a brief driving tour of the University of Florida, just to say I'd been there. If you're worried about me becoming a Gator fan, remember that my boss is a Gator fan, and therefore I must placate him until July (when I can return to not caring).
I've included two pictures for you this week. One is the YFMA crowd during one of our sessions; the other is the best picture I could get at UF without getting out of my car.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Good-Byes Are Hard to Do
Hello, friends! It's finals week here at Florida State, and that means that I have a lot of good-byes to say. All week I've been getting together with the students who won't be around during the summer. It's a rather odd feeling, because I'm not going anywhere yet, and most of them will be back next year, but by the time they get back, I'll be gone.
I like to make this joke when I'm with a student: "I don't have favorites, but you're my favorite." In reality, of course I have favorites (everyone has favorites) but I love all of my students. I've interacted with such an incredible mixture of students this year, from freshmen to grad students, from physics majors to art majors, from Quidditch players to museum enthusiasts. I love the variety. I love knowing that each student meet-up will be completely different from the next.
I didn't anticipate getting so emotional this week, but the good-byes I've already had to say have been hard. I wish I could stick around and see all of my students graduate and be with them in the next chapters of their lives. I'm looking forward to moving on in my own life, but it's definitely bittersweet. It'd be great if all of my students could come with me so I wouldn't have to say good-bye.
As PJ reminded me earlier this week, it's probably exaggerating to say I'll never see my students again. In all likelihood, in our small Lutheran world, I'll encounter them again before too long. They'll be at a Gathering or convention or camp, and we'll have a wonderful reunion. I have to keep reminding myself of that this week. This is not the end. It's only good-bye for now, not forever -- for even if I don't encounter them again in this life, we'll be reunited in the next.
I can't think of how to end this well, because I've said enough good-byes this week. I don't need to say it in my blog, too! So until next week, friends.
I like to make this joke when I'm with a student: "I don't have favorites, but you're my favorite." In reality, of course I have favorites (everyone has favorites) but I love all of my students. I've interacted with such an incredible mixture of students this year, from freshmen to grad students, from physics majors to art majors, from Quidditch players to museum enthusiasts. I love the variety. I love knowing that each student meet-up will be completely different from the next.
I didn't anticipate getting so emotional this week, but the good-byes I've already had to say have been hard. I wish I could stick around and see all of my students graduate and be with them in the next chapters of their lives. I'm looking forward to moving on in my own life, but it's definitely bittersweet. It'd be great if all of my students could come with me so I wouldn't have to say good-bye.
As PJ reminded me earlier this week, it's probably exaggerating to say I'll never see my students again. In all likelihood, in our small Lutheran world, I'll encounter them again before too long. They'll be at a Gathering or convention or camp, and we'll have a wonderful reunion. I have to keep reminding myself of that this week. This is not the end. It's only good-bye for now, not forever -- for even if I don't encounter them again in this life, we'll be reunited in the next.
I can't think of how to end this well, because I've said enough good-byes this week. I don't need to say it in my blog, too! So until next week, friends.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Roasted
Hello, friends! I hope you are all enjoying your week. Mine has been pretty fun. I met with a couple of people, planted tomatoes at Lichgate garden, went out to Madison Social and played Disney trivia with Rina, and attended our last session of Vespers for the semester -- but the most significant event (based on fun) was Sunday afternoon, when we had our senior roast.
As PJ likes to explain it, the senior roast is when we gather all of our graduating seniors who are leaving us soon and make fun of them enough that they never want to come back. Pastor Jay and I both purchased a number of Dollar Tree items for this event and presented them to the seniors in the most humorous way possible. And Justin was kind enough to have Zoe capture this on video, so I was able to review it before writing this post! Here are a few of my favorite moments.
-Evan got rickrolled, as he has insisted on doing to us for basically forever.
-Edson and Austin received many items they can use in their future careers, such as plastic medical equipment, ninja knives, inflatable hammers, and open/closed signs.
-Justin, our token Presbyterian, received a "YOLO" ring, which in this case means "You're Only Lutheran Once."
-Anna received a cat toy that can double as a conducting baton.
-Caroline is first in many things, including being first to the food line, so she received some first place ribbons to signify this.
-Justin and Anna both received a baby bottle and some blocks because they have baby fever (as evidenced by their extreme interest in Cricket).
-Evan is now an official Pro Usher, with the certificate to prove it.
-I reminisced about Caroline saying "Just go crazy!" to Larry as he was pouring her wine at the Seder meal, and got her six plastic wine glasses to make sure she had enough to go crazy again.
My favorite moment, however, was one that lasted the whole week leading up to the roast. I was telling Anna for several days in a row that she needed to be very worried about what I was going to say about her, to the point that when Sunday arrived, she was terrified... and I purposely left her until the very last minute, just to draw it out as long as possible. I enjoy being cruel far too much.
I wish I could experience many more senior roasts to come -- I may have to incorporate this idea into my future vocation somehow! Before I finish, here's the picture I stole from Justin's video of the roast. There are our graduates, looking very scholarly in their party hats.
As PJ likes to explain it, the senior roast is when we gather all of our graduating seniors who are leaving us soon and make fun of them enough that they never want to come back. Pastor Jay and I both purchased a number of Dollar Tree items for this event and presented them to the seniors in the most humorous way possible. And Justin was kind enough to have Zoe capture this on video, so I was able to review it before writing this post! Here are a few of my favorite moments.
-Evan got rickrolled, as he has insisted on doing to us for basically forever.
-Edson and Austin received many items they can use in their future careers, such as plastic medical equipment, ninja knives, inflatable hammers, and open/closed signs.
-Justin, our token Presbyterian, received a "YOLO" ring, which in this case means "You're Only Lutheran Once."
-Anna received a cat toy that can double as a conducting baton.
-Caroline is first in many things, including being first to the food line, so she received some first place ribbons to signify this.
-Justin and Anna both received a baby bottle and some blocks because they have baby fever (as evidenced by their extreme interest in Cricket).
-Evan is now an official Pro Usher, with the certificate to prove it.
-I reminisced about Caroline saying "Just go crazy!" to Larry as he was pouring her wine at the Seder meal, and got her six plastic wine glasses to make sure she had enough to go crazy again.
My favorite moment, however, was one that lasted the whole week leading up to the roast. I was telling Anna for several days in a row that she needed to be very worried about what I was going to say about her, to the point that when Sunday arrived, she was terrified... and I purposely left her until the very last minute, just to draw it out as long as possible. I enjoy being cruel far too much.
I wish I could experience many more senior roasts to come -- I may have to incorporate this idea into my future vocation somehow! Before I finish, here's the picture I stole from Justin's video of the roast. There are our graduates, looking very scholarly in their party hats.
Friday, April 17, 2015
A Baskin Robbins Blog
Hello, friends! I'm writing this from Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins while enjoying a delicious chocolate milkshake. I hope you are equally well set up! I apologize for my blog being a day late. I would give you an excuse, but I have none...
Anyway, here I am! Let me tell you about my week. It's been a fairly slow one compared to last week. I met up with a few students, had a lesson with my Mormon missionary friends, went to Elm's chamber choir concert, and led Vespers on Wednesday night. I didn't get out to either garden this week; I missed Tuesday because of Elm's concert and yesterday because it was raining. I did, however, get out to the food bank last Friday afternoon to volunteer with Rina! Coming up soon is the senior roast on Sunday (where I get to make fun of my students, woohoo!) and the end of the semester, when 40,000 people will leave town just as suddenly as they arrived in August.
"The future" in general has been on my mind a lot lately. Although I have a few job possibilities, I'm still looking for more places to apply, so feel free to fill me in if you see a likely position! I feel like I'm in limbo again, much like when I graduated from college. People keep asking me, "So what are you going to do after you're done here?", and I reply with, "That is an excellent question!" I'm looking forward to a time when I don't have to shrug my shoulders and say, "I have no idea."
I'll end on a more cheerful note - over Easter, my old roommate Lindsey came to visit me! We went to the FSU circus and Wakulla Springs in between watching excessive hours of tv shows and playing Castle: The Detective Card Game. She was surprised to see (as some of you might be, if you didn't see this picture before) that I cut off 10 inches of my hair to donate to Locks of Love! :)
Anyway, here I am! Let me tell you about my week. It's been a fairly slow one compared to last week. I met up with a few students, had a lesson with my Mormon missionary friends, went to Elm's chamber choir concert, and led Vespers on Wednesday night. I didn't get out to either garden this week; I missed Tuesday because of Elm's concert and yesterday because it was raining. I did, however, get out to the food bank last Friday afternoon to volunteer with Rina! Coming up soon is the senior roast on Sunday (where I get to make fun of my students, woohoo!) and the end of the semester, when 40,000 people will leave town just as suddenly as they arrived in August.
"The future" in general has been on my mind a lot lately. Although I have a few job possibilities, I'm still looking for more places to apply, so feel free to fill me in if you see a likely position! I feel like I'm in limbo again, much like when I graduated from college. People keep asking me, "So what are you going to do after you're done here?", and I reply with, "That is an excellent question!" I'm looking forward to a time when I don't have to shrug my shoulders and say, "I have no idea."
I'll end on a more cheerful note - over Easter, my old roommate Lindsey came to visit me! We went to the FSU circus and Wakulla Springs in between watching excessive hours of tv shows and playing Castle: The Detective Card Game. She was surprised to see (as some of you might be, if you didn't see this picture before) that I cut off 10 inches of my hair to donate to Locks of Love! :)
Thursday, April 9, 2015
The Urgent Easter Message
Hello, friends! I hope you all had exciting Easter celebrations last weekend and that you will continue celebrating Easter all year round. After all, every Sunday is a little Easter!
This evening has been an interesting one for me. It started out at the Frenchtown community garden, where we planted seeds with the kids and had a great time. I returned and left again with Pastor Jay for the Go Week Kick-Off at Moore Auditorium, where we sang and prayed and generally prepared ourselves for Go Week. When it was over, I did as my Mormon missionary friends had requested: I listened to one of their "General Conference" sessions from last weekend. Now, here I am, writing a blog. What should I say about today?
Here's what today (and most days here in Tallahassee) has taught me: our message is urgent. The kids and volunteers at the garden need to hear the Easter message. The freshmen that Go Week seeks to reach need to hear the Easter message. My Mormon missionary friends need to hear the Easter message. Every person in every place needs to hear the Easter message. This isn't something I can put off until tomorrow. Jesus might come back tomorrow. I need to share the Easter message today.
I can't reach everyone, but if we all reach one person, we can reach everyone. This blog is a challenge to all of my Christian friends and family who read this. Share the Easter message. It's urgent, and it is a matter of life and death. Identify your one person and tell them about the saving hope and new life that we find in Jesus Christ. The means will look different for all of you, but the message will remain the same.
And when you share the Easter message, remember that it may be your task, but it is also your treasure. The Easter message is yours. Savor it. Remember it. Thank God for it. Remind yourself of it. And share it.
This evening has been an interesting one for me. It started out at the Frenchtown community garden, where we planted seeds with the kids and had a great time. I returned and left again with Pastor Jay for the Go Week Kick-Off at Moore Auditorium, where we sang and prayed and generally prepared ourselves for Go Week. When it was over, I did as my Mormon missionary friends had requested: I listened to one of their "General Conference" sessions from last weekend. Now, here I am, writing a blog. What should I say about today?
Here's what today (and most days here in Tallahassee) has taught me: our message is urgent. The kids and volunteers at the garden need to hear the Easter message. The freshmen that Go Week seeks to reach need to hear the Easter message. My Mormon missionary friends need to hear the Easter message. Every person in every place needs to hear the Easter message. This isn't something I can put off until tomorrow. Jesus might come back tomorrow. I need to share the Easter message today.
I can't reach everyone, but if we all reach one person, we can reach everyone. This blog is a challenge to all of my Christian friends and family who read this. Share the Easter message. It's urgent, and it is a matter of life and death. Identify your one person and tell them about the saving hope and new life that we find in Jesus Christ. The means will look different for all of you, but the message will remain the same.
And when you share the Easter message, remember that it may be your task, but it is also your treasure. The Easter message is yours. Savor it. Remember it. Thank God for it. Remind yourself of it. And share it.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Party Like It's Maundy Thursday
Hello, friends! It's Maundy Thursday, and I'm sitting down to write this after my first ever Seder Meal. It was quite the experience! If you've never been to a Seder Meal, allow me to explain by way of tonight's booklet.
"The word Seder is Hebrew for 'set order' or 'service.' The festival of Passover is celebrated according to a set order, a sort of liturgy. The Seder in this booklet is designed specifically for Christians to recall the Passover event recorded in the Old Testament."
As Team Passover -- Matt, Keriann and I -- was helping set up for the meal tonight, we would often look at each other and shrug, because we didn't have any idea what the items we were putting out represented. Luckily, the booklet (and Pastor Jay) explained that as well.
Our place settings included parsley, which represents the coinciding of Passover with the arrival of spring and the renewal of God's bounty in nature; horseradish, a bitter herb that represents the bitterness of slavery that Israel endured in Egypt; charoseth, a mixture of apple and nuts, that represents the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks in Egypt; salt water, which represents the tears shed in slavery and in the pains of life; lamb, which reminds us of the Paschal Lamb; and finally, roasted egg, which represents the offerings brought during the Passover celebration and the new life that follows.
(There was also, of course, wine. Lots of wine.)
The Seder Meal was great fun, with lots of laughter and a good amount of serious moments. Some highlights included Emma Kate's disgusted face when she ate the parsley dipped in salt water, Caroline telling Larry to go crazy with the wine, and Sarah and Keriann diving for the hidden piece of matzah.
This Holy Week, we're focusing on Psalm 118. There's a particular verse that stuck out to me tonight during the Seder Meal: "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." That meant something very specific to the Israelites. That was their song of joy after they escaped through the Red Sea. This was fresh in their minds, and not long after this, the Passover was instituted as a remembrance of how God saved them from Egypt. Now, we look back and remember how Jesus saved us from our sins. Truly, Jesus is our strength and our song! He has become our salvation!
That's all for me tonight. Now, I need to go clean my apartment thoroughly, because my roommate Lindsey is coming tomorrow to spend Easter with me! I can't wait to see her and celebrate our risen Lord together. I hope you all have a good rest of your Holy Week!
"The word Seder is Hebrew for 'set order' or 'service.' The festival of Passover is celebrated according to a set order, a sort of liturgy. The Seder in this booklet is designed specifically for Christians to recall the Passover event recorded in the Old Testament."
As Team Passover -- Matt, Keriann and I -- was helping set up for the meal tonight, we would often look at each other and shrug, because we didn't have any idea what the items we were putting out represented. Luckily, the booklet (and Pastor Jay) explained that as well.
Our place settings included parsley, which represents the coinciding of Passover with the arrival of spring and the renewal of God's bounty in nature; horseradish, a bitter herb that represents the bitterness of slavery that Israel endured in Egypt; charoseth, a mixture of apple and nuts, that represents the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks in Egypt; salt water, which represents the tears shed in slavery and in the pains of life; lamb, which reminds us of the Paschal Lamb; and finally, roasted egg, which represents the offerings brought during the Passover celebration and the new life that follows.
(There was also, of course, wine. Lots of wine.)
The Seder Meal was great fun, with lots of laughter and a good amount of serious moments. Some highlights included Emma Kate's disgusted face when she ate the parsley dipped in salt water, Caroline telling Larry to go crazy with the wine, and Sarah and Keriann diving for the hidden piece of matzah.
This Holy Week, we're focusing on Psalm 118. There's a particular verse that stuck out to me tonight during the Seder Meal: "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." That meant something very specific to the Israelites. That was their song of joy after they escaped through the Red Sea. This was fresh in their minds, and not long after this, the Passover was instituted as a remembrance of how God saved them from Egypt. Now, we look back and remember how Jesus saved us from our sins. Truly, Jesus is our strength and our song! He has become our salvation!
That's all for me tonight. Now, I need to go clean my apartment thoroughly, because my roommate Lindsey is coming tomorrow to spend Easter with me! I can't wait to see her and celebrate our risen Lord together. I hope you all have a good rest of your Holy Week!
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