Bears, Buckets, and BBQs

Hello, friends! It's been a busy week here in Tallahassee, partly because of my Lutheran Campus Initiative work and partly because of some other fun things I've been up to.

However, before I go any further, I feel that I have to mention the theology of Bear-a-cuda. Yes, you read that correctly, Bear-a-cuda. Bear is Pastor Jay's absolutely adorable dog, and she gets really excited about thanking the Lord! You see, Pastor Jay and Liz always end their meals at home with a prayer from Psalm 136:1 -- "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." Bear has figured out that this means the meal is over and she can get some table scraps, so whenever she hears this, she barks along with them and wags her tail like crazy. Our devotion this morning was based off of Psalm 136, so Pastor Jay told this story and pointed out that we should have this reaction too. It is really exciting that God's steadfast love endures forever, and we should joyfully give thanks! (But if you start barking and wagging your tail, you might want to get that checked out.)

Anyway, back to LCI. The BBQ on Sunday night was a grand old time. Three grad students made an appearance, along with Katie, Pastor Jay, Liz, and me. We had barbeque chicken pizza, watermelon sangria, and good conversation! It was great to socialize with some students and get to know them better. After the students left, the four of us realized that Katie had brought up her cornhole game, but we hadn't gotten around to playing it, so of course we ended the night with a fierce competition. And when I say fierce competition, I mean none of us were very good. Sadly, despite a valiant effort at the end, Katie and I lost to Pastor Jay and Liz.

Also this week, we have been discussing the second part of Permanent Revolution, which focuses on the importance of apostolic ministry. Apostles are those who break new ground and plant churches. They create the environment in which the other ministries can emerge. There are two different types of apostles seen in the Bible: the Pauline and Petrine. Pauline apostles are cross-cultural, while Petrine apostles are intracultural. Pastor Jay, being our high A, leans towards the Petrine side. It was interesting to discuss how the five ministry types play into each other. It really is necessary for them all to be present in order for effective ministry to happen.

Another item on our agenda for the week has been discussing Vespers, our Wednesday night dinner/Bible study. It's still in the works, but we have some great ideas and we can't wait to implement them! Stay tuned for updates in the weeks to come. :)

Finally, I've been working on a district-wide initiative for each congregation to fill ten Flood Relief Buckets. These buckets are to be filled with cleaning supplies and sent to a central location; they will be deployed in the case of a flood-related disaster, so clean-up can be quicker and smoother. I went out and got the buckets on Friday so I could have them in the sanctuary on Sunday. I wanted to raise interest in the buckets, so I made a pyramid out of them! It really got people curious and talking, so they were interested to hear my announcement after the service. On Tuesday, I went around to some local businesses to see if they might be able to donate some items... and got shut down. However, I have faith in the University Lutheran community! We will fill the buckets by the end of August and they will be sent off to the district. Some people have already signed up to bring items, and I feel confident more will this coming week as well.

That's it in terms of LCI business... but I wanted to mention some fun things I've done in the past week!

• Food Truck Thursday -- basically, a bunch of food trucks gather at Lake Ella, along with a band. Sarah and I met up and had a great time!
• First Friday Gallery Hop -- there are several art galleries and shops at Railroad Square, and they all open their doors on the first Friday of the month. Also, more food trucks. Once again, Sarah and I went together and really enjoyed our random finds! My favorite was a Doctor Seuss dictionary.
• Children's Home Society -- there are actually two events in one here. I'm going to start volunteering at CHS once a week. They do a lot with foster homes, adoptions, and counseling. Monday was my first volunteer day, and I really enjoyed all the people I met! And tonight, I brought some school supplies to Madison Social for their school supply drive. I enjoyed a free glass of wine while talking with Sarah and others from CHS.
• Museum of Florida History -- I've been there before while my mom was here, but on Monday I was able to get a personalized tour. Thanks, Gary!

All in all, a pretty successful week. I haven't heard back for sure yet about my part-time job, but they assured me they're just waiting to hear back from the owner about hiring me. In the meantime, here are some pictures, as promised last week! The first is my pyramid of orange buckets; the second is during our cornhole game Sunday night; and the third is the brilliantly designed school supply drive box. Have a good week, everyone! Don't forget to give thanks to the Lord! :)