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!
Thursday, May 14, 2015
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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