Blessings, Michelle

A Big Thank-you to my All Saints homies...

2008-03-24T00:23:00.003-04:00

This is an update for the April "Beacon," All Saints' Newsletter. The thing is, though, I realized as I was writing it that some of the people in this "story" don't attend All Saints anymore and it is as much to them as the people who will be reading it. So, my church friends -- old and new -- you know who you are, here goes...

I’m writing you with joy in my heart, both for the hope we find in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the things he is bringing to fruition in my life.

I am scheduled to graduate from Asbury Theological Seminary on May 24 with my Master of Divinity degree. But perhaps of more interest to you, my ordination date is Saturday, May 31 in Fresno!

As I look toward these culminating events, I again must thank God for you and thank you for the important role that you, my home congregation, have played in my life, faith walk and ministry journey. From the time I first entered the doors of All Saints nine years ago (Second Sunday of Easter, 1999), you welcomed me into your worshipping and discipling community. During that first year, my heart was transformed and Christ got a hold of my life in a new way. From there, you encouraged me and helped me grow as we read, studied, prayed, retreated, ate, and worshipped together. You listened and prayed as we discerned God’s call on my life together and then in 2004, you sent me to seminary with so much love that tears were streaming down my face.

But your support didn’t end there. Through prayers, parish outreach support, personal checks, and encouraging notes, you constantly reminded me of your love and support for me, which also served as a sign of God’s faithfulness and his extravagant love for me. When I accept my diploma in May and wear my deacon stole for the first time, I want to remember that this is all about Christ and his body. I was called by Christ to serve his body (the Church) and, in turn, the Body of Christ has supported me. In other words, YOU ARE PART OF THIS. God called you to be part of it, you responded, and I believe we both have been richly blessed by it.

I eagerly look forward to seeing you the end of May.

The Holy Family

2008-02-15T23:10:00.004-05:00

Joseph, righteous Joseph
Even when it seemed your betrothed had betrayed you
You did not seek revenge.
Your patience and forgiveness prepared you to digest your dreams.

Your pregnant wife risked your reputation
Yet you honored her, even postponing your marital rights.

You left all you knew for Egypt,
For the sake of Mary’s child.
Then you returned to Nazareth,
Caring more for his life and destiny than any other desires you once carried.

Although it was out of ignorance,
What a joy it must have been when they called him,
“Jesus, son of Joseph.”

Mary, blessed Mary
Your plans were set:
you would move from your father’s house to your husband’s
you knew what was coming –
until that strange and wondrous day when you learned that God had chosen you.

You did not understand – how could you?
But in humility, you obeyed and glorified God.
You risked your honor and your engagement for the sake of God’s son.
You suffered the indignity of birthing him in a stable,
You travelled with him to and fro, trusting your husband’s dreams.
You did not understand your son’s words
And yet you sensed his power and prompted it,
Like only a mother could.

You treasured all these things
Even as a sword pierced your heart.

Jesus, Christ Jesus
Your very existence transformed your family.
You gave Mary and Joseph, a simple and humble couple,
a royal purpose for their life together.

You remained part of the invisible Trinity
Even as you entered an earthly one:
Father, mother, child.

Though God, you underwent the humiliations of the flesh:
Born of woman, circumcised on the eighth day,
Subject to your parents’ discipline.

You honored your family by your willingness to become one of them,
Being the only baby who ever chose to be born and to bless.

When you tried to tell us your true origin
We used your family against you,
Claiming to know who your father was.

You shocked us with the way you overturned bloodline loyalties,
Accepting as mother and brothers anyone who obeyed God’s will.
Even as you gave your life away for your family and for the whole world,
You placed your mother in a new family
That transcended ancestral allegiances.

And you reconciled all of us to your heavenly father,
That we would be adopted into your family forever and ever.
Amen.

Thinking out loud about Liturgy and Sacraments

2007-11-08T21:03:00.001-05:00

Martyrdom of St. Stephen

So, I read this chapter from a book that my uber-cool seminary advisor wanted me to read as I prepare for my December canonical exams. It was the first chapter of Beyond East and West: Problems in Liturgical Understanding by Robert Taft. I met with my advisor this afternoon and I’m still processing what we talked about and what this article is about.

Basically, Taft argues that Liturgy and Sacraments are ways in which the eternal, permanent results of God’s gift of himself to Christ in the Spirit (quoting Patrick Regan, 1977) and Jesus’ death, resurrection and ongoing priesthood and sacrifice in Heaven on our behalf becomes present and real to us and dwells in us by faith.

OK, let’s see if I can say that more simply in a way that I can understand it! The purpose of liturgy and sacrament is for us to recall God’s saving acts, which are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. But not just to recall them, but to be united with Christ and enter into them, ourselves. To be Christians is to be “little Christs,” and as such, our lives are to repeat the story line of Jesus’ life. Not necessarily in the sense of being part of an oppressed people-group, being unfairly taxed, born in a manger, etc. But rather that of accepting suffering, dying with Christ, and being raised with Him. Now I don’t know about you, but those words and concepts have been pretty muddled to me. When I read and hear people say, “I have been crucified with Christ,” I sort of intellectually understand hear what they’re saying and I sorta don’t.

In reading this article and talking about it with my advisor, my eyes began to open a little wider; I began to process this more. Here’s a passage that I’ve been chewing on:

Paul uses several compound verbs that begin with the preposition syn (with): I suffer with Christ, am crucified with Christ, die with Christ, am buried with Christ, am raised and live with Christ, am carried off to heaven and sit at the right hand of the Father with Christ (Rom 6:3-11, Gal 2:20, 2 Cor 1:5; 4:7ff, Col 2:20, Eph 2:5-6).

This is one of Paul’s ways of underscoring the necessity of my personal participation in redemption. I must “put on Christ” (Gal 13:27), assimilate him, somehow experience with God’s grace and repeat in the pattern of my own life the principal events by which Christ has saved me, for by undergoing them he has transformed the basic human experiences into a new creation.

How do I experience these events? In him, by so entering into the mystery of his life that I can affirm with Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20) (p. 5).

OK. Here’s the part that really jumped out at me: “repeat in the pattern of my own life the principal events by which Christ has saved me.” Whoa. That’s just astounding to me. Incredibly astounding. I, in a sense, live the life of Christ because Christ lives in me. On one hand, part of me wants to simply say, “Of course!” while another part of me cries, “What? How can I even dare to aspire to live the life of Christ?” The answer is, I think, if I have died to myself in Christ, I have no other option.

Taft writes, “Henceforth, true worship pleasing to the Father is none other than the saving life, death and resurrection of Christ” (p. 4). How do we please God with our worship? We enter into the life of Christ: we die to self and rise to new life in Him.

Now here’s where it gets hairy for me. Paul talks in Colossians 1 about completing in his body what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of Christ’s body, which is the Church. OK. What is LACKING? How can ANYTHING be LACKING in Christ’s afflictions? Hey, I know it is divinely inspired, but my first reading of it just goes against my conceptions of the gospel. Jesus did it all, right? Died for the sins of the whole world! “It is finished.”

But… Jesus did raise up disciples and told them to preach the good news to the whole world. And the Holy Spirit did come at Pentecost and anoint them and Saul/Paul was knocked to the ground and blinded by the already ascended Christ.

So, maybe the entirety of salvation history wasn’t over yet.

Nothing more needed to be done to take away the sins of the world, but there was still kingdom work to be done. Who would it be done by?

By those who came into the Kingdom of God, responding to the grace and call of God.

By those who would live out the life of Jesus: to die to self with him and to rise to new life in him. In doing so, we can participate in the work of redemption. In fact, God invites into that miraculous work, which can become our greatest desire and joy.

I’m not talking about clergy here; I’m talking about the call of Christians.

So, what does that have to do with the sacraments or liturgy? Well, Taft writes that liturgy for Paul is “a life of self-giving, lived after the pattern of Christ” (p.5) That is the liturgy of life.

As for the liturgy of formal worship, it is to contribute to the liturgy of life. He says a liturgy is successful when it “builds up the Body of Christ into a spiritual temple and priesthood by forwarding the aim of Christian life: the love and service of God and neighbor; death to self in order to live for others as did Christ” (p. 11).

In other words, our liturgy and sacraments should be designed to draw us into the being of Christ, to lead us toward self-denial (wow, talk about an UN-popular concept!) and into living the life of Christ, our risen Lord.

If you’re still with me, I’d love to hear your comments.

God bless!

I'm Spider(wo)man, Who are you?

2007-06-09T21:47:00.000-04:00

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man		80%
Green Lantern		75%
Superman		65%
Wonder Woman		57%
Hulk		55%
The Flash		50%
Iron Man		50%
Robin		47%
Catwoman		45%
Batman		40%
Supergirl		37%

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

My cat

2007-03-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

Don't worry...
This is not going to be a posting where I talk about how precious and wonderful my cat is (although she is).

Rather, I'd like her to describe her day today:

This morning I meowed outside Michelle's door until she FINALLY got up and fed me. When I got done eating, I meowed some more because I wanted to hang out with someone and both her and Lisa's bedroom doors were closed.

Finally, Michelle came out of her room, came into the kitchen and made herself breakfast. I watched her eat. She also toasted some bread, got out some peanut butter and jelly and spread it on her toast and stuck the whole thing in a Ziploc sandwich bag. Then she grabbed a bag of Doritos and put it and the sandwich in a plastic grocery bag. She put it on the kitchen table and left for a couple minutes.

I had to jump up on the table and check it out! I got in the grocery bag and was able to pull out the sandwich bag with my teeth. I jumped down with the bag in my teeth and got under the futon and started gnawing through the plastic. I've done this several times before, so I've gotten pretty good at it! I smashed up one half the sandwich pretty well and was able to suck some of the peanut butter through the holes I made in the bag. It was pretty awesome!

And THEN! Michelle started yelling at me, grabbed my tail, but I was not going to let go of that sandwich. She swatted at me from behind so I ran out on the other side of the futon quite upset. Couldn't she see I was TRYING TO EAT???

Well, before I knew it, she grabbed the sandwich from under the futon and I howled, I was so upset. Then she picked me up and threw me in her bedroom and shut the door. I just don't understand how bizarre she acts toward me sometimes. She let me out a minute or two later and I went back under the futon to sniff around for crumbs.

Well, for some reason, she came home for lunch today. I was thrilled. I could smell the ham and cheese and told Michelle I wanted some. But, as usual, she refused. She took the grocery bag with the Doritos in it and stuck it on top of the refrigerator. I hardly ever go up there, but she left the kitchen and I thought it was worth getting up there. It was! Not only was there Doritos -- I chewed through the grocery bag and the Doritos bag, but still didn't manage to get to the chips -- there was a little cup of applesauce! I removed part of the top and had some of it. It was good! And it was fun eating up there on top of the refrigerator! But then Michelle came in, started yelling at me again and grabbed me from the refrigerator. She was carrying on after that. I don't know what her deal is today... I mean, really!

This afternoon, I watched Michelle get her clothes together and put them in her car. A couple hours she came back in with clothes on hangers and I noticed that with the wind blowing, the outside door was opening on its own. I thought it was cool how it did that and I decided to go outside. Michelle NEVER lets me go outside! But she didn't come running after me, though. I smelled the leaves on the ground and started to chew on the grass. Michelle spoke real nicely to me, but next thing I knew, she had me in her arms. Once we got in the house, I tried to get away from her, but she put me in the bathroom and shut the door. I started meowing. She let me out, though.

I really don't know what got into Michelle today, but I survived it. I hope she's in a better mood tomorrow!

See ya!

Ellie

The Future of Christianity

2007-03-14T23:32:00.000-04:00

Last night Philip Jenkins, author of The Next Christendom, spoke at Asbury about the future of global Christianity. Really fascinating stuff.

The gist of his talk (and I imagine his book... haven't read it yet) is that Christianity in the West (particularly Europe) is at death's door while Christianity in the Global South (South America, southeast Asia, Africa) is spreading like wildfire.

Some of Jenkins' explanations for Biblical Christianity's appeal in Africa is that their culture is so similar to the culture of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament. Famine, drought, poverty, life in the fields, working with animals, tribal fighting, etc.

In comparison, in the West, when we say the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread," we aren't usually seriously worrying that we will have enough food for today. When we read about "springs of living water," we miss the impact of those words to someone who had to walk for miles to get to a well.

Many in the Global South perfectly relate to the impoverished people of Jesus' parables. Let's face it: we don't; not in a literal sense.

He said, "When you read the Bible with hungry eyes, you realize how much of it is about food."

Imagine how The Feeding of the 5,000 would sound to someone who can't feed their children for days or weeks at a time. Wow.

It just makes me realize how much my cultural context shapes the way I read and interpret the Bible. Think how much people whose cultures and lives are nearer to that of the people in the Bible have to teach us.

He quoted an African writer (I didn't catch the name) who wrote:

Those cultures that are far removed from Biblical cultures run the risk of reading the Bible as fiction.

Hmm...

Some other interesting highlights from his talk:

- Thirty percent of the world's Christians live in: Mexico, Brazil and the Philippines.

- Given current projections, by 2050 the largest Christian countries in the world will be: the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, the Congo, Ethiopia, China and the Philippines (not a comprehensive list and not in order). But note: no European countries on the list.

- In London, 40 percent of those in church on Sunday are African or of African descent. (Think about that... "blacks" make up less than 15 percent of London's population.)

That last statistic reminds me of an article I read recently about religious practice in the United States. Guess which group of people pray most often? Black protestants.

One final note: He said that in 1640 when Protestants and Catholics were killing each other (and killing Jews) in Europe, St. Vincent de Paul commented that the church of the future would not be in Europe, but in South America, Africa and Asia.

It took awhile, but it appears he was right.

The new trend? Africans and Latin Americans are coming to the U.S. and Europe and starting churches that often become megachurches. The missionary path has been reversed.

A prayer from Uganda:

Keep us God from panic when crises and panics arise. Help us to know that though you do not always remove troubles from us you always accompany us through them.
Amen

Praise God!

2007-03-06T16:07:00.000-05:00

Good news, friends!

After much prayer, the laptop has survived and appears to be running fine. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read my last post below.

Blessings,

Michelle

Oops!

2007-03-05T22:38:00.000-05:00

So, I had an inductive Bible study assignment due for my evening class tonight and I was getting close to the point where it would be hard to go much further without using Bibleworks (really amazing Bible software program). Well, I don't have Bibleworks, but my roommate does on her laptop. She was leaving for work, so I asked if I could use her laptop...Sure!

So, anyway, I brewed some tea, sat down, got the computer adjusted to where I wanted it, started working on my paper, picked up my tea and WHAM! It just slipped out of my hand and I poured hot tea all over the laptop, the table, my jeans and the floor! I jumped up to get napkins and a towel from the counter and said to myself, "Ok... don't panic! Don't panic!" I mopped up the tea with napkins off the keyboard and... I'm embarassed to admit this ... I tried to save my work even though I was working off a document that I had saved elsewhere and had done little to change it.

I went to "Save as" and tried creating a new folder for myself on her laptop to put my stuff in, but when I typed "Mi" it came up "Mi$@!##" I tried again, same thing. Then I realized my stupidity and unplugged the computer (which I should have done in the first place!).

So, I worked to clean up the immediate mess: from the computer, from the table, from the floor. I never got to my jeans... the tea dried and I'm still wearing them! After cleaning up the outside of the computer the best I could, I ran into my room and got on my desktop, Googled "coffee spill desktop" (I figure more people spill coffee than tea) and read that I needed to turn the laptop upside down to let the liquid drain out of it. I also read that I needed to remove the battery as soon as possible. I did this and some liquid did come out and it was moist in the battery compartment so I wiped that out.

The tricky thing with tea (with plenty of sugar and milk) is that it is sticky. Apparently, water and even black coffee are the things to spill on your computer if you're going to spill anything. Coke or any sugary liquid will, of course, be sticky even after it dries and can cause more problems. So when I encountered liquid on the computer, I had to mop it up and then take a damp cloth to clean the surface and then dry it again!

Well, after talking to my friend, Don, who is a computer expert and doing more reading online, it looked like the next logical step was to remove the keyboard. That was, after all, where I had spilled my tea and I needed to see if the liquid had seeped below that and if so, try to dry it. This may not sound like a big deal to techie people, but to me... wow... I never thought I'd be taking apart a laptop before, not even a little. I don't even OWN a laptop!

Well, I found the instructions for the particular model with instructions on how to do it (with the warning that ONLY trained technicians should be doing this!) and I did it! And, strangely enough, it was kinda fun. It wasn't hard to do, to remove the keyboard and the metal plate underneath. I found maybe a quarter teaspoon of liquid under the keyboard, primarily on the metal plate that sits between it and the rest of the components. I removed the plate and there was some moisture in a couple places, but it didn't look like it had gotten on the actual computer chips (I can't say I knew exactly what I was looking at!).

The first Web site I read said to put a hair dryer on a low setting and, from a distance, to use it to dry it off. I did so, making sure not to let any heat get on the computer. Later, I read on several other Web sites NOT to do this. I also read that static electricity was a huge danger when opening up a laptop and that you needed to be grounded. Well, it's been very dry here with lots of static electricity and I can't say I did anything to protect the computer in that respect. I'm just going to have to hope that I didn't shock it.

The more advanced Web sites said to let it dry for at least 24 hours, propping it up and allowing air to circulate around it before trying to use it again. So I went in my roommate's room and propped it up -- keyboard and screen facing down -- on her dresser with one of my old T-shirts that I use as a rag underneath to pick up any moisture. I left a two page note for her explaining the entire ordeal (much of what I wrote here although I did leave out the part about trying to save my work) and apologizing. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon working on my paper without Bibleworks.

I got to class about a half hour late (it's a three hour class that meets once a week) and then printed my paper out at the library during our break. I checked out a laptop for my roommate from the library (they have 24-hour checkouts for equipment) and took it home after class. She was pretty low-key and chill about it although I'm glad I wasn't home when she found out. She was grateful for the laptop and between the two of us, it only took about 40 minutes to figure out how to reconfigure my router so that the school's laptop could access the Web through it.

I have no idea how the computer is going to perform when we put it back together. Needless to say, I will restore my roommate's computer needs, as needed. I guess I should say a prayer for this little laptop, that God blesses it and lets it be restored!

Oh, look what I found: a prayer for computer users! It's actually pretty theologically sound. Check it out!

Well, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Free advice: Watch it when you eat and drink when using a laptop -- especially when it's not yours!

Valentine's Day

2007-02-13T23:14:00.000-05:00

Valentine of Rome was a third century Christian martyr, who according to legend, converted his jailer and prayed for the jailer's blind daughter to receive her sight and she did. He was martyred on Feb. 14, according to church history/legend.

On a completely irreverent note, however, check out this anti-Valentine's Day e-card.

In other news, my spring semester has started and it is LOADED... definitely need your prayers that God will help me schedule my time well.

I'm taking Christian Doctrine, Wisdom Literature (inductive Bible study), Bioethics and History of the Book of Common Prayer. Great stuff, but a lot of work.

Have a blessed Valentine's Day and remember... somebody loves you!

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

1 John 4:10-14

Three-three

2007-01-20T23:56:00.000-05:00

In a few minutes (by the time I post this), I'll be 33. Seemed like a good a time as any to update my blog.

I've been learning about so many cool things, I barely know where to start. I guess I'll start with some book recommendations.

-- Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within by Robert E. Quinn
This isn't a Christian book, in fact, it's more of a business/leadership book, but it calls people to a spiritual way of thinking about their work that is, in many ways, Christlike.

-- Glorious Companions: Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality by Richard Schmidt
Easy to pick up book chocked full of short bios of famous Anglicans with snippets of their writings. A way to learn more about Anglican church history without getting too bogged down with long narratives. Among the bios: Thomas Cranmer, John Donne, John Wesley, Samuel Johnson, Evelyn Underhill, William Temple, C.S. Lewis, Madeline L'Engle and Desmond Tutu.

-- A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self-Hatred by Brennan Manning
Addresses one of the most central and yet least understood parts of Christianity: accepting God's love for us.

Last semester, I studied Biblical Hebrew, Christian Baptism, Old Testament and Anglican Theology. I read a lot of great books in Anglican Theology. I really enjoyed The Man Born to Be King, a play by Dorothy Sayers and Charles Williams' Descent Into Hell. They are both thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining.

I've been trying to learn more about personal evangelism both by trail-and-error experimentation as well as doing some observing of those who do it well. There's a seeker-friendly church in Lexington called Quest Community Church.

I've visited their Wednesday night services a few times and am amazed by the spirit of love, vulnerability and just "realness" of the people there. It's a place where 600 people committed their lives to Christ last year, a figure that most mainline churches don't get close to. The worship is rock-concert style (not my bag), but I believe that it isn't the style that brings people to Christ, but the people. I'm hoping to learn something from them; actually I already am.

A few people I talked to said their steps toward leading people to Christ has come in the form of getting in touch with their own stories of salvation. Asking God, "When did I come into relationship with you?" or "When was I saved?" As I spoke with them, I was aware of the tension between the catholic and protestant approaches to faith. The catholic answer to when did you come into relationship with God is: When God created you. As for when were you saved, the answer is: When you were baptized. (It's not always that clear-cut, but that's the traditional, historical answer.)

The problem with the catholic approach is that there is an assumption that by being in the church, you will automatically accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. By growing in "the faith" by worship, it will just happen. Or as a friend of mine recently commented, "If you say the Nicene Creed and believe what it says, you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior." That last statement is hard to argue with. One might add, however, that if you believe what it says, then it will bear fruit in your life.

The problem with the protestant evangelical approach is that there is an assumption that once you've said "the prayer" to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you're saved: done deal, case closed. Dallas Willard critiques this view, comparing it with scanning groceries in the checkout line. Now, granted, that is a minimalist approach and not the one that appears to be taken at Quest. They are interested in raising up full-fledged followers of Jesus Christ and have programs in place to help people do just that. It's not liturgical or highly sacramental, but it seems to work. And perhaps they have their own "sacraments," which I have not witnessed yet.

On a less spiritual note, I've finally converted from dial-up to DSL. It is a beautiful thing. My roommate, who has a laptop, wanted DSL, so I agreed to get it. I can finally watch videos from youtube, google videos, etc., which is fun since there are a few people in Wilmore who have made videos and it's fun to watch stuff filmed where you live.

Speaking of computers and what-not, all the sound emanating from my computer, whether it be CDs or streaming webcasts or videos comes out tinny sounding, like it's being recorded in a metal can. I've googled a bit to try to find solutions to the problem, but whenever I have, I couldn't follow them. I have Windows XP. If anyone has an easy solution, I'd be happy to hear it. And yes, I've already gone to the sounds in my control panel and seen if I could fix it by rooting around there, but I haven't been able to.

Well, I'm getting tired and have church in the morning (if the weather allows it). We are reportedly going to get a bad winter storm tonight with ice, freezing rain and snow, so church might be cancelled. We'll see.

Have a blessed day (and night),

Michelle

What will they call you?

2006-09-28T23:46:00.000-04:00

In the serious preparation for ordained ministry, there are so many issues to consider:

- Biblical exegesis
- Christian doctrine
- Pastoral care

Just to name a few.

But one of the most common questions I receive from others concerning my call to the priesthood is something much more mundane:

What will they call you?

Surely not "Father Michelle!" Ugh. Even when people say that jokingly, it kinda creeps me out.

"Mother Michelle?"
"Sister Michelle?"

I'm OK with those although they both make me sound like a nun.
"Sister Michelle" is OK because I think of it in more of a southern, Penecostal sense: Let's pray for Sister Michelle and Brother Stephen.

Of course, there's the more formal, "Reverend Michelle," or "Rev" as one of my church friends likes to jokingly call me (along with other bizarre titles like "Your high priestess," which I really hate because it conjures up witchcraft or paganism in my mind).

But today I was inspired.
A female minister who serves at a bilingual (English and Spanish) United Methodist Church in Lexington was our chapel speaker.

In her stories about conversations she had with her congregants, they said, "Pastora, What do you think about this?" or "Pastora, could you pray for me?"

Pastora

What a beautiful word. Pastora. It's full of grace.

It brings to mind "pastor" and yet the feminine ending acknowledges her gender.

It's familiar and yet respectful ... like "Father."

Would it be strange if I asked people to call me, "Pastora Michelle"?

Sure, it's a "foreign" word, but we adopt words from other languages all the time and it is a cognate; it's not like people wouldn't be able to figure out what it means!

It just seems fitting -- and it sounds like something I could live with, embrace, grow into.

A quick Google search tells me that Pastora is a feminine, Spanish first name and for meaning, it is simply the female form of pastor.

Pastor comes from the Old French and Latin words meaning "shepherd," which in turn, come from the verb meaning "to feed."

But the origin of the pastor idea is really rooted in the Bible, which uses the word for shepherd as a metaphor for a spiritual leader and even God. (The Lord is my Shepherd...)

Since the time of the Reformation, Protestants embraced the term as an alternative to "Priest." In fact, one of the definitions for pastor stated that it usually refers to a Christian leader not in the Anglican or Catholic traditions. That being said, it did say that it is used more commonly in those communities in North America.

Perhaps prayer, time and maturity will eventually lead me away from what seems like a good idea today. But it's worth considering, anyways.

Pastora.

The Courage of his Convictions

2006-07-30T22:15:00.000-04:00

I just read this article about the Rev. Gregory Boyd.

It's worth checking out. He's a pastor of megachurch in Minnesota where he preached a series of sermons, "The Cross and the Sword," in which he argued against morphing American values/politics/military campaigns and Christianity together. I haven't read his sermons, so I can't say that I'm endorsing his views, however, I do respect his courage.

He preached these sermons in the midst of a multimillion dollar campaign and lost 1,000 of the church's 5,000 members. One in five! (Now granted, some may have left for other reasons, but that's a number you can't ignore.)

I admit that I hold some fear about expressing my political views as I continue in the ordination process and as I look toward becoming a priest. I don't want others to judge me on my political views and I don't want the pulpit to become a political soapbox. That being said, Rev. John Wesley wrote adamantly and publicly against the evils of the American slave trade; several American dominations split over differences regarding slavery; and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached and advocated against the evils of institutional racism.

Today we look at slavery and racism and say, "That's so obvious! We know that it's wrong!" But many, if not most, church-going Christian Americans didn't used to think so. They used their Bibles to defend it. What remains wrong in our society that good, decent, Christian people refuse to talk about and in fact, endorse? If the Church can't be a prophetic voice in society, who or what can?

If you get a chance, follow the link, read the article, and then share your thoughts here.

One final thought from Rev. Boyd:

I am sorry to tell you that America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.

Life is a garden

2006-07-13T21:29:00.000-04:00

Life is a garden. You gotta dig it.

-- Ludacris

Source: Time Magazine, 6/26/06

I'm a tie between Anselm and Calvin!

2006-06-21T00:01:00.000-04:00

Who are you?

I scored as Anselm.
Anselm is the outstanding theologian
of the medieval period.

He sees man's primary problem
as having failed to render unto
God what we owe him, so God
becomes man in Christ and
gives God what he is due.
I should read 'Cur Deus Homo?'

Anselm

67%

John Calvin

67%

Jorgen Moltmann

60%

Martin Luther

53%

Jonathan Edwards

47%

Augustine

47%

Karl Barth

47%

Charles Finney

47%

Friedrich Schleiermacher

40%

Paul Tillich

33%

Which theologian are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Lest anyone take this too
seriously, remember, it's just a
short quiz and I'm still developing
my theology!

Hey y'all!

2006-05-31T22:44:00.000-04:00

Well, the spring semester is over: Yay!

It was a great semester, but I was definitely ready to be done with exams and everything. I had a lot of exams this semester as opposed to a lot of papers.

On Monday, my clinical pastoral education starts. It's going to be seriously intense. Much of the time when I'm working at the hospital, I'm going to be the only chaplaincy staff person on-site and when that's not the case, I'll still be carrying the beeper and the calls for pastoral care are going to come through me! Phew! (Kinda makes me glad I used to be a weekend editor, juggling phone calls, death notices, police scanners and the like.)

So, y'all need to pray for me, like BIG TIME. I know what I'm doing is way beyond my abilities, but I also know God will provide the strength, energy and wisdom in my stead.

In other news, I'm coming out to Cali the end of this summer (8/24 - 9/4 to be exact). Dinner, party and other dates are already being made, so email me with your reservations now! :)

I've been working on candidacy paperwork, scholarship applications and stuff. And thought I might share with you a bit of what I've written. It's a good synopsis of some of what's been going on me (see below).

On that note, I'm going to sign off.

Don't forget to pray!

Since coming to Asbury, I have encountered the Lord in new ways. I have felt the Spirit's hand on my shoulder, guiding me into deeper commitments, which I can only fulfill under God's grace. I've learned to lean more on the promises of God and less on my own abilities. I've stepped into ministry roles -- pastoral prayer, Christian evangelism, preaching, acts of mercy -- that I could only picture doing before.

Intellectually, I've been faced with philosophy, Biblical criticism, and theologies I had never encountered. These new ideas initially caused me fear and frustration. But further study, prayer and discussion have helped me discover that there is no truth claim, no question, no criticism that Almighty God and God's Kingdom cannot withstand. "All truth is God's truth," I've heard said and have come to believe it. Just as God is conquering my fears about my personal weaknesses, so too is God showing me that I need not fear for the strength and validity of the Christian gospel in today's marketplace of ideas.

I don't claim to have all the answers -- not even close. But my knowledge is growing and my faith is maturing. And I continue to be persuaded that my call to pastoral ministry, discerned in Christian community, is a holy and valid one.

Time for an update

2006-03-11T23:29:00.000-05:00

I'm taking 11 hours this semester:
* Church History II
* John Wesley's Doctrine
* Christian Ethics
* World Religions
* Private voice lessons

It's busy and thought-provoking, especially John Wesley and Christian Ethics.

There's been a lot of recent excitement at my church in Lexington, Apostles Anglican. Apostles' bishop, Rt. Rev. Nathan Kyamanywa, is from Uganda and he visited for the first time last week (he's actually still in town). We had a flurry of activities with other local Anglican congregations. It's been really cool to meet him and his wife and to have them around to serve our clergy and laity. About 40 people from three congregations got confirmed by the bishop on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, good news from my parish in Bakersfield! They have called a rector, Fr. John Riebe. I am hopeful that this will be a good match and the beginning of exciting new things there.

This summer, I will be working at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington as part of their Clinical Pastoral Education program. I will be taking chaplaincy classes with their pastoral care department and providing pastoral care to patients. This program will include an overnight shift each week, which I'm hoping I can adjust to. Fortunately, I usually have no problem taking naps (as some of you know!), so that will help. It will definitely be a stretching experience for me and, I believe, a really good learning experience.

Well, it's getting late and I got church in the morning, so I better end here.
One more thing though: It's difficult for me to stay in touch while I'm busy here at seminary, but know that "out of sight" is not "out of mind." I think of my dear friends who are far and away often and with prayers and affection.

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping;
that awake we may watch with Christ,
and asleep we may rest in peace. Amen.

(BCP 134)

Why I miss Bakersfield...

2006-03-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

Mah Home-girlz!

Speak for those who cannot speak

2006-02-11T23:44:00.000-05:00

Friends,

There is a movement underway to let our government leaders know that we do care about the fate of the people in Darfur, Sudan. More than 400,000 people have died while state-supported genocide, rape and burnings continue.

SaveDarfur.org is collecting ONE MILLION electronic and paper postcards to send to President Bush to urge him to support a stronger multi-national force to protect the people of Darfur. Already, there are small movements toward this, but the people of Darfur have needed our help for more than two years.

Please consider taking a minute to click below and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org

Whether or not you choose to participate, please keep the people of this region in your prayers.

Thanks.

Political Spam

2006-02-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

I love my family, but...

I love my family, but I disagree with many of them about political issues. I went to Maine for Christmas and had a great time. It didn't hurt that I somehow managed to be in my bedroom during almost all the political discussions.

I received an email from an aunt tonight that was so anathema to me that I hardly know where to begin. The gist of it was:

Wouldn't it be great if the U.S. ended all economic and diplomatic ties with all countries who didn't support the war in Iraq? That sure would teach them!
We're not going to help any of those countries when they have famines or natural disasters -- Forget it!

And while we're at it, let's dig up oil from the Wildlife Refuge in Alaska so we won't need to depend on Middle East oil anymore!

Oh, and by the way, if you don't agree with this email, you should move to one of those countries we won't have diplomatic or economic ties with anymore.

Sometimes I hear an idea so nonsensical that my brain, my mouth, my fingers don't even know how or where to start. Aren't some ideas just so inherently stupid, so self-parodying that they don't need a response?

Now maybe it's really silly for me to get so worked up about a silly email. After all, no matter what my aunt or anyone else wants, that ain't gonna happen. (Well, let me take that back -- the oil digging very possibly will happen even though it would hardly begin to replace our dependence on foreign oil.)

I hesitate to get political on here because I don't want that to become the focus of my blog. But the dilemma I face is this:

Do I respond to the email or just let it go and delete it?

So far, I'm inclined to do the latter. But, of course, I wouldn't be blogging about this if that ended it for me.

It irritates me that: 1. She has these opinions 2. She includes me in a list of people who may appreciate them.

Yes, I know that everyone is entitled to their opinion and I don't have to read her silly emails. She didn't write it, after all, she merely forwarded it. For her, it's probably entertainment. For me, for some reason, it's not. It kinda makes me sick. It disturbs me that people think this way.

Debate about the pros and cons of the Iraq War? I can handle that.

Debate about whether we should shut down everyone who disagrees with U.S. foreign policy? Count me out.

When I worked at the newspaper, there was a reporter who had a quote pasted up in his cubicle:

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

-- Dr. Samuel Johnson

Still, blood runs pretty thick and family harmony is a beautiful thing. So thanks for letting me vent here.

Midterms and Theodicy

2005-11-02T19:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I got my prep work done for my presentation on James, which is good since I'm giving it tomorrow. If you want to know anything about James 2:1-13, now is the time to ask. :)

Anyway, now I've got a philosophy paper to write about the Problem of Evil. What's the problem of evil, you ask. Well, basically that we believe in an all-powerful, all-good God and yet there is evil in the world. Wouldn't a good, all-powerful God eliminate all evil? That's the problem.

So, there's different theistic responses to that and that's called "theodicy." There's a lot of them, but one has to do with free will, sin and the fall (Augustinian) and the other has to do with free will and the idea that our lives here are a soul-making, character-building process (Irenaen).

Our professor, Dr. Jerry Walls, made a good point (several actually) today in class.

"If you don't have a problem with evil, then you have a much bigger problem."

What he was getting at is this: If you don't have a problem with evil, then you've accepted that it is normal, it's the way things are and you don't even have hope that love will ultimately triumph over evil. If you are an atheist, that makes sense.

From a naturalist standpoint, our ideas about morals are just part of the biological, cultural processes and don't actually mean anything. Suffering is senseless and there is no absolute justice. And really, there's no reason getting upset about it because that's just how it is and there's no god to complain to anyhow.

It's for those of us who believe in an all-powerful, all-good God, who expect good and believe and hope that love will triumph over evil that evil is a problem.

So, Dr. Walls concluded, "It's a good problem to have."

Could use some prayer

2005-10-27T21:59:00.000-04:00

Don't worry. Nothing major.

But I'm in the middle of midterms and have been struggling with fatigue the past few weeks.

In addition, my repetitive motion injury in my hands and wrists, especially my right one, has been acting up. I took an exam today, which required handwritten essays and my hand got done before my brain did.

My eyes are bleary right now. I'm in the library right now ... been translating Greek for the past few hours. I'm doing a presentation on James 2:1-13 for class next week. Could use some prayers for that too.

Anyhow, all in all, life is good. Trying to keep up with spending time with God.

Love you guys,

Michelle

Vocabulary Words

2005-10-21T17:21:00.000-04:00

When I read, I try to keep a list of the words I come across that I'm not familiar with or I can't remember their exact definition. Here are some I came across in reading for my philosophy class.

equivocal: 1. subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse 2. of uncertain nature or classification, uncertain disposition toward a person or thing: undecided, of doubtful advantage or genuineness

obeisance: 1. a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission: bow 2. deference, homage

predicate: 1. something that is affirmed or denied of the subject in a proposition in logic 2. affirm, declare 3. imply

unequivocal: 1. leaving no doubt: clear, unambiguous 2. unquestionable

univocal: having one meaning only

-- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed.

The Gospel (for more info, read the Bible)

2005-10-11T21:10:00.000-04:00

The Gospel – surely you’ve heard it – proclaimed from street corners, television sets and co-workers. We’ve seen the big 3:16 signs at the Super Bowl and we’ve heard that we better repent or else we’re going to Hell. So, why does “gospel” mean good news? What’s so good about it?

One place to start looking for answers to that question is in the “gospels,” themselves, the first four books of the New Testament. It doesn’t take long to see that this man, Jesus, talked about a different reality that he called “the kingdom of God,” where the world’s values are turned on their head. In this kingdom, the homeless are invited to fine banquets. In this kingdom, people with lives of shame are embraced when they confess their wrongs. In this kingdom, kindness and generosity are the rule, rather than the exception. In this kingdom, death isn’t the end of the story. In short, the good news is that this kingdom exists and we can take part in it.

“Ok, sure, so you get a nice afterlife, but what about the here and now?” I can hear you thinking. Well, actually, I was talking about the here and now. So was Jesus. Let me try to explain. A lot of things happen in Christian communities that are not of this world. Sometimes God heals people physically. The power of God frees people from addictions. People in crisis are filled with the peace of God. Broken marriages are healed. Financial burdens are overcome. Depressed people find joy. It’s pretty amazing and difficult to comprehend until you’re around it for awhile. And then you begin to get it. God really is powerful and has a kingdom that is not of this world.

All that being said, I don’t want to mislead anybody. The Christian life does not mean a carefree life. That’s because the Christian life is actually all about the cross. A strange thing about the gospel is it’s not what you would expect. Jesus rode into Jerusalem not on a chariot, but on a donkey. He wasn’t given a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. In his final hours, he wasn’t applauded, but mocked, spit on and subject to a death penalty that our courts would rule “cruel and inhumane.” Some shook their heads at the movie “The Passion” and said that Christians must be sadists. Why do they worship a suffering, tortured man?

Because he did it for us, he understands us, and he came back to life. God can embrace the woman with a life of shame because Jesus embraced her shame when he hung on the cross. The man hated by his family can give his pain to the one who knows what it means to be hated. And the disciples couldn’t write off Jesus’ teachings as nice sayings because he even overcame death. He wasn’t a lunatic and he wasn’t kidding around. He destroyed death, showing once and for all that no crisis or malady is strong enough to stand up to him and his power.

But back to threats of Hell from the street corner preachers. Didn’t Jesus talk about the fiery furnace? Yes. It remains our choice to accept the good news and participate in the kingdom of God or to stay in the world of bad news, malice and greed. Those who reject God, preferring to act like gods or to worship their idols will follow that choice into eternity. Hell is described as a place of flames, but its most important attribute is its separateness from God. The bad news is life without God means Hell in both this life and the next. The good news is we can begin living with Christ today and participate in the kingdom of God now and into eternity.

Here we go (again)...

2005-09-09T23:50:00.000-04:00

Well, just got done with my first week of classes of my second year of seminary.

So far, so good.

I'm definitely way less stressed out than I was this time last year. I actually don't think I'm going to have as much homework this semester as I did first semester last year even though I'm taking more hours.

In case you're wondering, I'm taking: philosophy of Christian religion, speech as Christian rhetoric, exegesis of the general epistles and pastoral counseling. I like all my classes. Exegesis will definitely be the hardest and most time-consuming, being that it consists of dealing with the Greek texts. I have a lot of brushing up to do.

I was heartened when I got an email from someone who said they checked my blog after the hurricane hit to see what I had to say about it and about helping out. Needless to say, we're talking a lot about it at the seminary. We're collectively donating money, collecting food, blankets, clothes, hygiene products, toiletries, etc. I'm too tired right now to get into the more philosophical/theological issues this brings up, but suffice it to say for the moment that this gives us the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is.

When you did this for the least of these you did it for me.

One thing I can't help thinking though... we are appalled that this happened and how people were left stranded. At least I've been appalled.

But... there are people -- a lot of people -- in the world whose lot in life is pretty much like those New Orleans residents stranded on rooftops without food... nearly every day of their lives. I think part of our outrage is our belief that this isn't supposed to happen to Americans. That's a troubling notion fraught with all sorts of nasty presuppositions behind it.

If we can't tolerate the sight of Americans struggling like this, how can we tolerate the sight of Nigerians and Sudanese people suffering?

Some good news... the church around here is doing a great job of being the church: reaching out, housing refugees, providing hospitality, etc.

I saw the New Orleans police chief say on the Today Show that there was only one thing giving him the strength to do his job right now: God.

Amen, Brother.

Bakoisms

2005-08-20T09:12:00.000-04:00

In cleaning out some things, I ran across the following list I made while I was still residing in Bakersfield.
I started the list when I realized I had turned my headlights on just because it was a little cloudy outside.

You know you've become a Bakersfieldian when:

1. You turn your headlights on when it's cloudy outside.

2. You don't know where your umbrella is and you don't care.

3. You're served bread and you ask, "Where's the salsa?"

4. You know what part of the cow tri-tip comes from.

5. You can't afford rent, so you buy a home.

6. You remember to use the phrase "North of the River" when talking to people from Oildale.

7. You own a big, white truck or SUV OR
You feel insecure because you don't own a big, white truck or SUV.

8. You have a decal on your vehicle of Calvin urinating.

9. You can't see the mountains, but you know they're there.

10. You drive through the Kern River Canyon with one hand on the steering wheel.

11. You snicker at your friends in the "big city" who pay $800 rent for a studio apartment.

12. You're addicted to almonds and baby carrots.

13. You contemplate whether it's really worth the two hour drive just to go to the beach.

14. You put a winter hat on if it's going to get down to 40 degrees.

15. You laugh at people from L.A. and San Francisco.

16. You consider a dip into the 90s a "cool front."

17. You pull over to the side of the road and within five minutes, three people stop to ask if you need any help.

18. Pit bulls actually seem kind of cute.

With all my genuine affection for Bakersfield,

Michelle

Raccoon Mafia

2005-08-16T19:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I gotta say, ever since I used that mini bungee cord to strap my trash can to the railing outside, the raccoon hasn't been able to tip over the trash can. Or should I say, raccoons?

Sunday night I was about to go to bed, but I thought I'd just turn on the outside porch light to sneak a peek at the trash can. It was 11:30 p.m. and a raccoon had already messed with the trash barrel. Although the handles were up, the raccoon was able to pry one side of the lid up and, apparently, climb inside. Since she can't tip it over, she's "dumpster diving." How the raccoon is able to get back out of the trash can, I'm not sure. The sides are slick plastic.

Anyway, there wasn't much trash to pick up at least, just some aluminum foil beside the trash can.

I re-locked the lid and opened the door -- just then, Ellie (my cat) ran out! I made an attempt to reach down and grab her, but I just got her tail, which slipped through my hand. Ugh! First the raccoon, now the cat!

I went inside and grabbed the can of Pounce (cat treats). I called for Ellie and put a treat or two down on the ground, she came out and began sniffing at one and I picked her up and brought her back inside.

That was enough excitement for one night.

Well... the next morning I got up and the trash can was open AGAIN with some paper towels from the trash left on top of the lid. And this time, the raccoon was actually able to push the locking handle down. I think I need to call National Geographic or something, I swear, these animals are adapting to the challenge!

Well, this got me thinking... did the same raccoon come back for seconds or do we have multiple raccoons? Is this like a raccoon gang? Word gets out on the street about that great trash can...

"It's tough getting in there, man, but it's heaven once you get inside. You gotta try it."

So... Monday night, my roommate and I added a couple new challenges. We added another mini bungee cord to the top of the lid, running it through the locking handles and securing it to the railing. Second, we turned on the porch light -- as I understand it, these nocturnal creatures don't like light. Third, we sprayed some bleach on the lid and the bungee cord, just for good measure.

This morning, it appeared the trash can was unmolested.

If it seems like I'm getting a bit obsessed with this, well, what can I say? This is my life. And I really hate picking up garbage off the lawn.

Again, suggestions are always appreciated. Here's hoping that the raccoons don't evolve any further.

My mom's latest suggestion: Put moth ball flakes inside the garbage can.

A turn for the serious

2005-08-06T11:43:00.000-04:00

My heart has been hurting over Niger.

I'll admit it, before the last week or two, I couldn't locate Niger on the map. I'm still woefully ignorant.

But, here's the deal, 10 months after it was clear that Niger was headed for a full-out humanitarian crisis, the worst famine since 1985, the world's news media outlets decided it was time to let us know about it. And, what do you know? That's about the time the world's richest countries started responding ... not that they weren't informed on this beforehand.

Let me share with you a snippet from an article in today's Lexington Herald-Leader, written by Michael Wines, New York Times News Service:

Among the newcomers was Baby Boy Saminou, whose 40-year-old mother, Mariama, brought him to the charity's Maradi hospital Wednesday from her village of about 2,500, 15 miles away down a rutted road. The boy was receiving free food and had visited the Doctors Without Borders clinic five days earlier with a mouth infection before worsening last weekend.

Doctors restarted his heart as they plugged bags of blood and intravenous fluid into him and clapped an oxygen mask on his face to assist his labored breathing.

Mariama sat by her child, draped in brilliant orange-and-green cloth. A nurse put a stethoscope to the baby's chest, listened, then summoned a doctor. She listened intently.

Then, wordlessly, the two removed his oxygen mask and catheters. Mariama stared at her dead child, impassive, then covered him in a red scarf.

Saminou is my little brother. Mariama is my sister.

Eating my breakfast -- chosen from a variety of options, waffles, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, cereal -- I feel like I'm going to throw up.

According to the same article, 1 in 4 children born in Niger don't live to see their fifth birthday.

Let's be honest, if we can access the Internet, we have the means to help out our brothers and sisters in Niger, even if it's just $10 or $20.

And we have the time to say a prayer for them.

Lord,

Have mercy on our brothers and sisters in Niger. Please comfort the grieving with your Spirit and nourish the hungry through the love and care of others.

Have mercy on us in our wealth and forgive us for our collective indifference toward your beloved.

Jesus, thank you for your love and power and might. We know you are capable of all things and hear our prayers.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

There are people already on the ground in Niger performing acts of mercy. Check out how you can support them:

www.worldvision.org

unicefusa.org

www.savethechildren.org

www.mercycorps.org

www.doctorswithoutb orders.org

Thanks. And God bless.

Michelle vs. The Raccoon

2005-08-04T12:26:00.000-04:00

It all started in the late spring, several months back.

I was on the couch reading and I heard a clamor outside. It sounded like someone was messing with the garbage cans beside the house. So, I turned on the outside light, opened the side door and what looked like a 40-pound raccoon stared at me with that "deer in the headlights" look.

"Get! Get out of here!" I yelled and he ran away.

Just another part of living out in the country, I supposed, along with the crickets, the moos, etc.

Ah... but that was just the beginning.

I had a friend over sometime after that and made us a chicken dinner. She liked hers just fine and I thought it tasted alright, but my stomach hurt afterwards and I had to take some antacids. It didn't bother her at all, so the next night, I thought I'd try a little again and, again, I didn't feel so great afterwards. With regret, I threw out two or three uneaten chicken breasts.

The next morning, I got up early and stepped outside to get the newspaper. There, in my front yard, was a tipped-over trash barrel with garbage strewn about. I had put the garbage out to the curb for Friday morning pick-up, but someone had intervened overnight. I went inside, found some gardening gloves, picked up the trash and got it back to the curb before the garbage men, er, refuse maintenance workers, showed up.

Later, I found a half-eaten chicken breast tucked away in the bushes. I had to admit that he made out real well by me.

After that, I tried sticking the trash can against the house, blocking it in with the other trash cans and the recycling bin. That met limited success, at best. If there was something in there he wanted, he'd find a way to tip that trash can over.

Cleaning up the trash one morning, I saw a neighbor out for her morning walk. She said that she, too, had had problems with the raccoon. She suggested that I try moving the trash can. If it wasn't in its usual place on his route then maybe he'd bypass it.

I took her advice and put the trash can at the top of the stairs, on the porch next to my side door. One night passed with no sign of the raccoon. The next night ... Well, I woke up to the trash can tipped over at the bottom of the stairs.

Next, I decided to better secure the trash can. I took stones and bricks and built a mini-fortress on the ground around the trash can, securing it against the fence and railing that was on the porch. That held for a night or two. And, then, yet again, I found the trash can knocked over at the bottom of the stairs.

By this time, I knew what I had to do. I needed some expert advice. I went online. I googled raccoons, trash, pest control, etc. I found several articles posted by extension offices and some government agencies in Canada. I learned that this was the time of year that raccoons had their babies and were on the hunt for food. So, it turns out, my raccoon friend was probably somebody's mama. That increased my empathy for the raccoon, but I didn't want to become the family's source of sustenance.

Well, sometime in there, I got a roommate. She had seen the results of my war with the raccoon and for the most part, decided to stay out of it. I explained to her that my Internet research had taught me that bleach was an effective deterrent to raccoons. So, whenever I put out the trash, I would take some bleach cleaner and give the garbage bag a squirt along with the outside of the garbage can. The articles online actually said to keep a bleach solution in the bottom of the trash can, but that seemed pretty laborious and it didn't seem like it would be quite fair to the guys who came and picked up the trash. I didn't want to create a biohazard for humans.

Well, the bleach solution seemed to be working. I was feeling good. One night, my roommate took out the trash and she didn't use the bleach. The next morning, the trash can was turned over at the bottom of the stairs. She blamed herself and volunteered to go out and pick up the trash. I said that was an offer I couldn't refuse.

The next night, I sprayed the trash can inside and out with bleach. The following morning, the trash can again was open at the bottom of the stairs. It seemed she had gotten past the bleach smell.

At this point, I was at a loss. What more could I do? My roommate and I joked about taking all our food scraps and putting them in a separate container and just putting it out there for the raccoon. But neither of us wanted to encourage her.

I remembered my neighbor saying that square trash cans seemed to do better than the round ones. My trash can was plastic with a lid that twisted on and supposedly "locked." But once you knocked it over, the lid popped right off.

I asked around to see if anyone had an extra trash can. Then, I went to, sigh, Wal-Mart. Not my favorite place, but, hey, I was desperate and I needed an affordable trash can.

It took me awhile to find the trash cans -- imagine that! -- and when I did, they were stacked up so high, I couldn't get one. I found a young man to help me and as he extricated a square trash can for me, I explained my dilemma. I asked if I could "test" the trash can by knocking it over on the floor to see if the lid would come off. He agreed.

We put the lid on, I knocked it over and the lid came right off. He tried putting the lid on real tight for me. I knocked it over and it came off.

"This isn't going to help you," he said.

"I don't know what I'm going to do!" I said with despair. I was seriously at the end of my rope.

Then, the young man showed me a round trash can with locking handles. You put the lid on just so and then lift the handles, which prevents the cover from coming off.

"May I try it?" I asked. He agreed.

I knocked it over. It stayed intact. I did it again. The lid stayed on!

I was thrilled. Absolutely thrilled.

When I got home, I ran inside and told my roommate to come out and see what I had purchased.

"Check this out!" I demonstrated and she was duly impressed even if she was amused by my enthusiasm. But this was it. I knew this would be the end.

It was Saturday night and I put out the trash. I put the trash can at the top of the stairs by the side door, surrounded by the fortress of stones and bricks. I secured the handle locks.

It was showtime.

I woke up early Sunday morning, about 5:30 or 6 and opened the side door to let some cool air in the house. The trash can wasn't there. I peeked outside and the trash can wasn't at the bottom of the stairs either.

Uh-oh.

I stepped out on the porch and saw something in the backyard. After putting my glasses on along with some clothes, I walked down the steps into the backyard and I saw a deer run across. It stared at me and I stared at it. It was beautiful. I felt so lucky and surprised to see this. I had not seen a deer since I had moved back here. I didn't even know they were around here. After I made no move, it ran and hopped over the fence back into the farmland.

I shook my head and focused back on the matter at hand. The garbage can was intact, lid and all, but it was far from its perch on the porch. It also was covered with claw marks, on the cover and the sides. That raccoon had fought long and hard to get inside, but to no avail. I was amused and almost giddy.

I brought the trash can to the side of the house, figuring there was no need to keep it up on the steps anymore. The next morning, the trash can was knocked over and there were more claw marks, but the lid was still on.

I took delight in telling this story to people. The raccoon had won many battles, yes, but I had won the war! Sometimes I'd try to get my roommate to talk about it, but she'd just smile and say, "It's your story, Michelle, I can't tell it as well as you can."

I should mention that one evening she and I were in the car together, she was driving, and we saw the raccoon walking down the side of the road. My roommate joked that she could easily swerve and (oops!) finish off the raccoon problem, but neither of us really wanted it to end like that.

Lately, people have asked me if I had anymore problems the raccoon and I said, no, in fact, I think maybe the season is over and the raccoon has moved on.

But then why am I writing this today?

Because on Wednesday, my roommate and I went to the seminary gym, came home, and our downstairs neighbors encountered us. There was some trash by the side of the house.

Both my roommate and I had the same thought: The raccoon got into some neighbor's trash and dragged it over here.

That's how confident we were. But, no, it was my trash can with locking handles. The cover was still attached by one handle, but the raccoon had managed to pry off the other handle. I flashed back to Sunday night, putting the cover on and thinking that the cover had seemed to go on too easily. I guess I hadn't secured completely. I hadn't put the cover on right.

So I cleaned up the mess. Last night, I took out the trash and put the cover on real carefully. My downstairs neighbors actually saw me put the cover on and we talked about it. I even tipped over the trash can to make sure the cover wouldn't come off.

I slept in late this morning; my roommate was already in the kitchen eating toast with Nutella when I got up. I opened the side door for some fresh air and at some point, my roommate looked outside.

"Uh-oh, look."

And there it was. All this shredded paper all over the lawn along with the rest of our trash. I saw my downstairs neighbor and said, "Sorry."

"It's not your fault... unless you're the one who did this."

"Yeah, like I get up in the middle of the night and get into the trash!" I said.

"If I saw you do that, I would laugh so hard," he said.

So, my roommate and I laughed about the story of Michelle the Raccon with multiple personalities. During the day she's a regular seminary student, but at night, unbeknownst even to herself, she turns into a raccoon and digs through the trash. When she wakes up in the morning, she's angry about having to pick up the trash.

And... (in the movie version) only Ellie, my cat, would know the truth. She would inexplicably hiss and bite me during the daytime, knowing that at night I turned into a wild animal.

We also laughed about the idea that the raccoon is getting smarter and maybe beginning to adapt (think rapid evolution) to the obstacles it is presented with.

So, what do I do now?

Funny stories, aside, I was not amused when I was picking up trash in 90-degree weather today. Getting shredded paper bits out of grass is not fun.

Well, my mom gave me some small bungee cords (the size you use to keep your sleeping bag rolled up) to secure the trash can to the porch fence. My neighbor says the raccoon has overcome bungee cords before, but it's worth a try.

That and some bleach and locking handles...

Any suggestions? Please leave a comment.

Summering in Wilmore

2005-07-07T16:55:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody... time for an update of the past six months or so.

I finished my first year of seminary with good grades -- yay! :)

The day after my last class I flew to Bakersfield where I gave my first homily at All Saints (and, as a friend pointed out, my second homily, since I preached at both the 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services).

I got to visit a lot of my Btown homies, which was really cool and fun. The big highlight was meeting my godson, Jack, who was baptized during my visit. Jack is such a sweet, happy baby and I'm delighted to have a little tyke to be "related to" and to pray for.

The month of June I was technically "off": I didn't have a job and I wasn't taking a class, but it's been a bit of whirlwind.

I helped my church with some outreach. Oh yeah, and I got a roommate. Preparing for the roommate meant downsizing from both a bedroom and an office to one bedroom/office. In the midst of all this, I also purchased a new computer (my '99 Comp USA PC with less than 3 GB has been showing signs of a chronic illness for awhile now). -- And yes, I bought a PC -- I know, I know this will disappoint some of you, but economically and practically, it just made more sense.

I know some of you will be shocked that I got a roommate; being that I've been the independent bachelorette for so long. It really wasn't my idea; at least I don't think it was. I just woke up one morning and felt like God was telling me that if I was going to depend on him for my livelihood then it really wasn't up to me to decide whether I had a roommate or not. So, I made a deal: I'll look for a cheaper place to live where I can keep my cat (I also prayed about the cat issue, but that's another story) and if nothing pans out, I'll assume getting a roommate is the way to go. Well, I called a bunch of places and, of course, nothing panned out.

So, I posted something on the seminary's email system saying that I was looking for a roommate to ... well, I'll just show you what I posted:

Seeking a Female Roommate who is mature, responsible and appreciates a quiet home in a pastoral setting.

Two-bedroom, one bath duplex in Wilmore with big backyard backing up to a farm.
Hear the birds chirp in the morning and the crickets chirp at night, with an occasional moo or neigh.

Must enjoy living with a sweet, indoor, tabby cat.

Apartment is already mostly furnished. Fifteen-minute walk or two-minute drive from campus.

So, I got ONE response. Seriously, one. (OK, I had one other response after I got a roommate.)

And I asked her:
What do you like to do?
How do you handle conflict?
Are you and introvert or an extrovert?
What time do you go to bed?
etc. etc. etc.

Her answers were amazing. Seriously, like, all my fears about getting a roommate were practically vaporized.

The answer of all answers was to this question:

How much television do you watch?

Oh, well, this may sound weird, but I don't really watch TV. There aren't any shows that I like to watch.

That's when I heard the proverbial angels singing in Heaven.

Yeah, so that's working out well and helping with the finances in a big way. They're raising tuition here (again) and I've been taking a hard, honest look at my finances with the help of a seminary friend of mine who comes from the banking world. I've been praying a lot about my finances and am happy to report that I see God's hand in scholarships I've been awarded for the coming year and in supporters. But God isn't finished yet in this area as there's still a deficit to close. I'm looking to raise more support and to probably continue with the job I had last year at the elementary school.

In the meantime, I'm taking classes this summer. Church history I starts next week (and I've got A LOT of reading to do before Tuesday) and Church history II will be in August. These are both three-week intensive courses with pretty difficult exams from what I hear. So, pray for me, particularly for energy and alertness. The good news is that what I've read so far I find very interesting.

I did better in Greek than I expected, but have slacked off some this summer and I need to get back in the groove. I'm taking an exegesis class in the fall that will require extensive use of the Greek, as in I'll be translating many of the epistles and commenting on their grammar and the like. So, needless to say, I got to get back in gear. I've checked out a Greek grammar and accompanying workbook from the library. Hopefully I will peek at that from time to time between reading gobs of church history.

So, that's some of the substance of my life.

As always, I appreciate your friendship, notes, support and prayers!

God bless,

Michelle

Feeling good on my birthday!

2005-01-22T01:13:00.000-05:00

After a good day at work, that being helping kids at the elementary school, I picked up some mail. There were a couple birthday cards, including one with signatures by two people I didn't recognize (go figure)!

I picked up JamieLynn, she treated me to Fazoli's (fast food Italian) and then we preceeded to go to Stein Mart to return some items I got at Christmas and to shop, shop, shop! Two pairs of jeans, several tops and a black leather belt later, we were on the road.

After dropping JamieLynn off, I headed to my parents and was greeted with a rendition of "Happy Birthday" that they've sung to me over the phone for the past decade or so. But this time, it included smiles and hugs. We got Chinese food at my request and I had roasted duck with orange sauce ... mmmm! No it doesn't taste like chicken, it tastes more like pork. Yum!

We watched a Jeff Foxworthy DVD I gave them for Christmas along with the latest Jib-Jab production. And then, surprise!, there was cake and ice cream, complete with lit candles (only five) and the mandatory photos. ;)

When I got home, my answering machine was blinking and I was serenaded by "Happy Birthday" from two friends on one call and then another friend had called and sang, "Feliz Cumpleanos a Ti!" Oh, yeah, and then there were two more messages from people just saying "Happy Birthday!" Man, I felt glee. Am I loved or what? My friends are too cool.

Tomorrow, er, Saturday... I make lasagna -- I've already made blackberry pie -- and I might make banana bread for a party I'm having in the evening. It's a potluck/game night. Should be pretty fun. It's pretty much seminary friends. I've been wanting to have a social at my place and this seemed like a good occasion.

So, I'm feeling gratitude tonight for family, for old friends and for new ones. For the financial support I receive, but more than that, for just being remembered and loved.

Life is feeling pretty good... at 31.

A Time to Mourn and a Time to Help...

2004-12-30T20:23:00.000-05:00

It's been hard for me to pause and pray for the victims of the tsunami because I almost don't want to shoulder the enormous pain. Empathy hurts.

And yet my heart is drawn to them in spite of itself. Lord, give me the willingness to pray.

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you all the poor and neglected whom it would be easy for us to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick, the thirsty and hungry, the grieving, the lost and all who have none to care for them.

Help us and show us how to heal those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

(adapted from The Book of Common Prayer, p. 826)

My plea for those who read this is my plea for myself. Be still and think on those who suffer. And pray. Remember them and pray.

What I ask next is really easier.

Make this burden your own by also contributing to their aid. If you believe you can't afford it, remember that neither could they.

Google "Tsunami aid" or feel free to check out one of these sites:

www.unicefusa.org

www.tidalwaverelieffund.com

www.ifrc.org

www.lwr.org

Thanks, friends, for listening.

Blessings for the new year.

Got through midterms...

2004-11-06T18:07:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? My first semester of seminary is already half over! AND I lived to tell about it.

I'm doing pretty well in my classes, which is my excuse for not having logged on here in ages. Actually, I have thought about logging on here a ton of times; even started to write posts in my head, but something would always come up or I'd be too dang tired.

But, enough excuses.

Life is treating me pretty well. I just got done being part of a prayer team for a Renovare conference, which was pretty awesome. I had never done anything quite like this before. Renovare, by the way, is a Christian organization headed by folks like Richard Foster and Dallas Willard that encourages spiritual renewal through the grace of Christ Jesus via a variety of spiritual disciplines. I've attended two such conferences, both in California, so I didn't know how much I would get out of attending a third one. So, I held off on registering. But about a week ago I got an email asking if I'd like to be on the prayer team and that just sounded like a really cool ministry opportunity.

So, we gathered before the conference started and prayed for the people attending, the people presenting, even the technology functions. We prayed over the chapel where it was being held. We prayed over the prayer chapels. And then we prayed during the event itself for God's work to unfold and for lives to be changed. We made ourselves available to those who sought prayer and also worked as altar ministers when people came forward.

Having little experience at this, I was a bit concerned about my ability to meet people's needs, but I trusted on the power of the Spirit and the support of my prayer partners to get through it. As I listened to the others pray, their words always sounded more eloquent than mine. But, in hindsight, I figure they may have felt the same way. Besides, it's not about impressing anybody, not even God. It's just about communicating with him honestly.

As Providence would have it, I did have several opportunities to pray with people and even to follow up a little bit when I "coincidentally" ran into them later. I was excited about the opportunity to speak truth into people's lives, people who who were seeking the truth. As someone who has needed that soooo much -- I still need it! -- and has received it, it felt so good to be able to give a bit of what I have received.

Praying with the others, I just felt God's presence and was filled with amazing joy. It just felt so good to be talking with God on others' behalf, asking Him to fill us with His Spirit so that we could minister to others. It kinda reminded me of just how cool, how awesome it is to serve God! :)

In other news, I've got a job at a local elementary school where I actually get paid by the seminary through the federal work/study program to work as part of the America Reads program. It's kinda like getting paid to do volunteer work, which is pretty cool. Because of my background in writing and editing, they have me working a lot with fourth graders who have to produce writing portfolios as part of the state assessment process (it goes along with their standardized tests). Because it's part of a standardized test to evaluate the school, there are limits on what we can tell the kids in coaching them.

So, for example, If iwasluking a t Students paper and it hd this sintins in it, I could say, "Hmmm, let's look at the capitalization in that sentence. Can you tell me which words you capitalized and why?"
Or I could say, "Why do you think 'sintins' is underlined?" (The spellcheck underlines mispelled words.)

So, that's kind of interesting. It's fun, though. Most of the kids are really good sports and some of the things they write about are pretty endearing. I also help teachers out by being in the classroom, answering questions, keeping certain kids on task and going over material with the "low performers."

I am making friends here. I've got a couple women that I feel like I can pretty honest with and a couple more that I am pretty comfortable with. I really, really like my church and there's a lot of cool people who go there, both seminarians and real world folks. I'm part of a small group with my church that meets weekly and we're working through a workbook called "On Mission with God." We're not too crazy about the tone of some of the writing, but the concepts are pretty good. It's pretty much about conforming your life and your will to God's will for your life and how he wants to use you in the world for his kingdom.

Speaking of kingdom, we had this thing here a few weeks ago called "Kingdom Conference." It was actually the week before my midterms or maybe it was the week of my midterms. Anyway, I was pretty stressed academically when it was going on, but was able to enjoy it anyway. The theme of Kingdom Conference -- it's an annual event -- is the global community of Christians as well as working social justice ministry. This is really cool, considering that Asbury is an evangelical school and, unfortunately, evangelicals are not always known for their social concerns. (Just a stereotype, I know it's not true everywhere.) So, there were people from tons of missions organizations and other ministries helping the down and out. I touched base with an organization in Ohio that works with homeless people and other people in crisis. I'm interested in checking out that ministry at some point. I'll keep you updated on that.

I got to do a little hands-on ministry last weekend when I and three other students hit the streets of downtown Lexington with some jackets and coats we had collected. It's something we're doing for our Kingdom, Church and World class -- called a Kingdom Project. We met some pretty interesting people in difficult situations and were able to minister to some of them and give them a few things to keep them warm. I'd like to say it was satisfying, it was in some ways, but it was heartbreaking. Some of the girls I met... in some ways their lives seemed so messed up... and in other ways, they didn't seem that different from me.

I want to thank everybody who's supporting me with prayer and other gifts. I was walking to one of my 8 o' clock classes last week and I just thought, "Wow! This is so cool, that I'm at seminary, that I'm actually getting to do this."

God is doing some incredible work in my life and your prayers are really, really appreciated. Incredible works usually involve some struggles and this is no different. But God is faithful and I am blessed. I appreciate your friendship so much.

Well, maybe this long post made up for time lost. I love you guys and I'll talk to ya soon.

Blessings,

Michelle

It's classtime!

2004-09-18T23:11:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like learning about the life and times of Jesus Christ to shake up your view of reality.

Don't worry; when I say "shake up," I don't mean creating doubts, I mean expanding your mind.

I know next to nothing about first century Palestine, but the little I do know compared with two weeks ago is already tweaking the images in my brain when I read the gospels. It also brings into a little better focus what the heck was really going on in some of Jesus' interactions with different folks.

I know, I know ... a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. But this little bit of knowledge is really stirring up some curiosity in me; intellectual curiosity that I honestly haven't experienced for a long time. I want to read the source texts that help make up the basis of our understanding of that time.

One big one that gets mentioned ALL THE TIME is this guy named Josephus. I don't know much about him yet other than the fact that he was a first century Jew and historian. But his descriptions and commentaries on "current events" are quoted quite a bit in the textbooks on the New Testament in the historical context.

I'm going to have to write a paper pretty soon for my Intro to New Testament class and I'm thinking maybe I can work Josephus into that somehow.

The other place my mind is "expanding" by leaps and bounds is in Greek. It's only been two weeks and we know the alphabet, pronunciation, some basic, active, indicative, present and future verb tenses. We're going to be quizzed on some vocabulary (mostly verbs: preach, teach, glorify, loose, baptize, etc.) as well as conjugations and grammar. A big one, of course, is the verb "to be." In case you ever wondered, "eimi" (ay-mee) is the Greek word for "I am." Or at least it was when the New Testament was being written; we're not learning modern Greek.

Despite the fact that it can be pretty darn confusing, I'm enjoying Greek. I like languages and our texts are designed specifically for the student wanting to read New Testament Greek so the vast majority of the examples in the books are lifted right out of the Bible, which is kinda cool.

Yes, I am doing other things besides studying.

(And now I sit here trying to remember what they are...)

I went swing dancing last weekend and started going to a dance class on campus -- not for credit, just for fun!

OK, I guess I'm studying a lot. :)

I joked during the first week of class that the library is my boyfriend. A friend of mine here from Japan says the library is her boyfriend, too. So, whenever I see her in the library (which is always -- she's there much more than I am and I spend some quality time there), I kid her that she's hanging out with my boyfriend again.

A lot of socializing goes on in the cafeteria. Although I'm a "commuter student," which just means I live off-campus, I can still eat in the dining hall. I buy meal tickets; kind of like those ones you got when you were in elementary school! Except here you buy them all at once -- 25 meals for $100. Not bad, considering it's all you can eat!

So far, I haven't met any other Episcopalian students or at least none that were Episcopalian when they started at Asbury. Quite a few students have made one of the conservative Episcopal churches in Lexington their home -- one is Episcopal, the other is actually AMIA (Anglican Mission in America). So, they don't necessarily claim the Episcopal church (yet!) But I guess what I'm saying is, I'm the only student I know of who is pursuing ordination in the Episcopal church here. I understand that there's quite a few at the Orlando, Fla. campus.

Before I go for the night, I do have to mention chapel at Asbury. I know I've written about it before, but it's such a big part of life here. We have chapel on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the chapel is absolutely packed. There's also a Wednesday Eucharist service in a really small chapel. The thing is -- these services are AMAZING! I don't even know how to explain it. The music, the word preached and even the liturgy, it's just so real and exciting. It's nearly impossible not to feel the presence of God and the rejoicing over Jesus' resurrection and conquering sin. You might think a bunch of seminary students together would create some kind of religiosity experience, but it really is amazing the authenticity you see in those serving us and those gathered.

I had the opportunity to help serve communion during the first campus-wide communion service of the semester. That was cool. It was more of a liturgical type service; I wore an alb and was in a procession carrying the cup, while others carried bread, the Bible, the cross and banners. It was neat to be part of that. It's a tradition that at the beginning of each semester they have some of the brand new students serve communion as a way to symbolize that they are now fully integrated into this community where we serve each other.

Well, I could go on all night, but I gotta get some shut-eye before church in the morning.

Let's just say that I continue to be aware that God has led me to where He wants me and I am SO GLAD!

Hallelujah!

Ready to start classes

2004-09-06T16:03:00.000-04:00

It's good to be back.

I've been meaning to blog for awhile and even had written quite a bit when my Internet connection quit on me and I figured it just wasn't meant to be.

I've been reading some interesting books lately: Prayer by Richard Foster, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn, Permission Evangelism by Michael Simpson and Slaves, Women and Homosexuals by William Webb.

The last one has been something real new for me in terms of content. The book, which I believe is a required text for a course at Asbury, looks at what the Bible literally says about different issues (the status of slaves, women and homosexuals among them) and then examines the text in terms of its historical and societal context (i.e. what was going on at the time) and then uses that to point toward its modern application.

So, for example, it talks about the laws in the Old Testament regarding the treatment of women that are, well, barbaric, really. But when you compare those rules to what was going on at the time in the surrounding cultures, you can see that the law was actually elevating the status of Hebrew women.

Similarly, laws regarding slavery put many more restrictions on the treatment of slaves and even provided for their having a number of days off work, something you would not find in the surrounding people-groups.

Then, Webb, after analyzing the direction the Bible was headed (i.e. giving women more rights and giving slaves more rights in a divine hope that the people would actually develop mercy in their hearts), uses that to apply the text to today's world. When it came to women, for example, there were many examples of Hebrew women being given a higher legal status than was the norm. So, what does that tell us today about where women should stand in terms of rights today? In other words, Webb argues that the redemptive work of the law is still a work in progress. We don't have to stop where the Hebrews left off.
I haven't read the whole thing, but I'm getting a lot out of the little I've read.

In other news, I attended the three-day orientation for students last week and it was awesome. It just confirmed for me that God has called me to this seminary. Asbury is so focused on the workings of God in our lives and provides so many opportunities to allow us to participate in His plan. So much of what goes on here is intentional. The prime example is the chapel services. I've been to about a half dozen chapels now and none of them have failed to stir my heart. I feel the presence of God, I'm given the opportunity to worship Him in a genuine way and it's obvious nothing about the service has been thrown together. There is a dean of the chapel as well as other staff and student interns devoted to making chapel a meaningful, God-glorifying time.

I'm continuing to meet a variety of neat folks -- all with their individual stories and journeys bringing them here. My downstairs neighbors are both seminary students who graduated from Bible college in the past couple years. My next door neighbors are not related to the Asbury community and work blue-collar jobs in the area. I'm told that they are not church-goers. God is laying it on my heart to get to know them better ... the guy is really nice and quick to help with a ladder, tire gauge or whatever you need.

Classes start tomorrow. I'm taking comprehensive Greek (the first of two semesters), Introduction to New Testament and Kingdom, Church and World (a prerequisite for a ton of classes). I bought my first Greek New Testament on Friday. Of course I can't read a lick of it, but I was still excited and opened it up to John (KATA IOANNEN) 1:1, just to look at the words and to pick out logos. I'm looking forward to actually being able to make sense of it.

All in all, God is blessing the heck out of me. I can't tell you how well things just seem to be falling into place. Sure, I've got a couple details that I'm going to worry about, but when I get on my knees and pray, I'm getting answers or at least reassurance. You know it's not always like that, but God appears to be pouring out His grace on me right now as I start this journey.

Thanks to all who are praying for me, sending me notes of encouragement, supporting me, etc. The encouragement I received in Bakersfield and continue to receive buoys me up. I haven't forgotten about you, either. I love you guys!

Getting acquainted

2004-08-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

First off, I apologize in advance... there may be some typos and such in this blog... My wrists have been actingup so I have to wear these hand braces, I guess y ou could call them, which makes it difficult to type. So, bear with me and tame your inner copy editor!

I've been wanting to blog for several days now and turned on the computer with every intention of loggoing on and then midnight would come and I'd mosey on in here and just turn the computer off. It's just been a busy time of unpacking, buying stuff I need, setting things up and trying to meet pe ople here and there. The good news is, I have met a few pe ople; I visited an Episcopal church on Sunday which was pretty cool. It's a step and a half below All Saints on the "liturgical/high church"scale. Basically, they use the Book of Common Prayer for the order of worship, but there aren't any actual books or Bibles -- it's all on a screen in the front (power point and what not). No choir or hymns; just a praise band. No pews or altar; just folding chairs and a churchy table in front for the Eucharist. The church meets in what was once a mental hospital; y ou just gotta love that somehow. Anyhow, the lack of books and such didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. The focus was on Jesus Christ and the priest invited people to walk through "the door" (referencing the Gospel that morning) that God has provided for us out of our sinful lives and into eternal life with him. There was even something kinda like an altar call where people could meet with a prayer team in a "chapel" (small room with religious icons) off the sanctuary. I was impressed.

There's a handful of seminarians as well as Asbury faculty who attend this church although many of them are not Episcopalian. Got to chat with many of them. Good times.

The pile of unpacked boxes is becoming significantly smaller. My parents are encouraging me to get through them as quickly as possible. It seems they fear I will begin the school year with stuff still unpacked. Well, I wouldn't put it past me, but with them hounding me, it probably won't happen, which is a good thing.

Beginning to notice that I'm not in California anymore and that I'm in small town Kentucky...

I' m walking down the street and someone in a car makes eye contact and says "Hi" -- not to flirt, but just to be friendly.

I'm in Walmart in Nicholasville (I know, I know, I hate Walmart too, but unfortunately the options are limited around here) and on the PA system I hear, "Please do not smoke in Walmart. Smoking is permitted in the front, outside of the store. Please extinguish all cigarettes. Thank you for shopping at your Nicholasville Walmart."

Five minutes it came on again, saying the same thing.

When I tell people which street I live on, they either reply, "Oh, where? I live on that street too." or "Where?" If I can tell them the name of one my neighbors, they know exactly where I am.

The lady across the street brought me over home-baked chocolate chip cookies and introduced herself on Sunday afternoon.

You get the picture.

So, yeah, I guess each day it gets easier in my transition from Bakersfield to Wilmore. God is taking care of me and I trust He will continue to put good people in my path.

Have a good week, friends!

I made it to Kentucky...

2004-08-18T22:50:00.000-04:00

But more importantly, in terms of this blog, I got my computer hooked up, just about, oh, 15 minutes ago.

I'm in my two-bedroom duplex in Wilmore, which is plenty big enough for Ellie, my cat, and me. The seminary is about a 15 to 20 minute walk around the small pond, past the Jessamine County Ambulance and the firemen shining their red truck. It's small town living.

School doesn't start until September so I'm just busy taking care of paperwork, unpacking and getting acquainted with my new surroundings. And, yeah, I do miss Bakersfield and all the cool people I know there (you know who you are!).

The trip across country was pretty good and uneventful, even for Ellie. : X) She's quite a trooper. Drop me a line or ask Vance for more details on our journey.

But anyway...

I've been thinking a lot about Judges lately. No, not Judy or Wapner, but the book of Judges. If you keep up with the Daily Office than you know it's been in the news lately.

A lot of bad stuff happens in Judges -- the one that's been standing out for me is in chapter 19, as well as the subsequent events in 20 and 21. (Note: this is the stuff in the Bible that they don't read to you as a youngster in Sunday school class; viewer discretion is advised.)

OK, now that you got your Bible opened, anyone? anyone? it's the way the Levite man treats his concubine. Has this man no honor? By the way he acts and what he says, it's obvious he thinks he does. It took me more than one reading to realize how complicit he is in the crime/travesty/horror being committed here. And then, in chapter 20, he retells his whitewashed version of the events with his role in it conveniently left out.

The following events are just as horrifying, as Israel nearly wipes out one of its own, the Benjamites, and then commit more atrocities to make sure the tribe can continue.

But back to the Levite and the concubine. The way he treated her, lacking compassion or concern, and then mutilated her, I found well, disturbing. It's weird how you can read volumes of stories of violence, oppression and other kinds of evil and then one just really grabs you. I hurt for this woman. This poor woman, sent to the slaughter by her husband who slept during her ordeal and then treated like a dead animal. It makes me sick.

As I start talking to people about it and reading commentaries, I guess what I'm getting is: it should make you sick. One commentary (sorry, I was just looking at it in the bookstore, didn't write down the title, please don't rat me out!) was saying that this was a good example of just how completely out-of-control and evil as a society Israel had become.

This isn't the way man is supposed to behave. It sure isn't what God intended. The author of Judges concludes:

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

Apparently so.

As I prayed this morning, a thought came to me as I was thinking on the sacrifice Christ made for me and the whole world.

Jesus died for her, too.

And as I spoke with a new seminary professor over lunch today, she commented that Jesus' sufferings made it possible for Him to know our sufferings -- all our horrible, terrifying and at times, inhumane sufferings and humilations.

It seems God was the only one left to care about that woman and I have to think that Jesus remembered her on the cross just like you and me.

That kind of love humbles me.

Only Jesus could ultimately forgive those evil deeds and only He could make it possible for a woman now considered filthy on so many levels to be loved, hopefully to be brought into Paradise.

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If you have thoughts on this, I'd love to hear 'em.

A sure thing

2004-07-17T02:35:00.000-04:00

Ed. note: This is kinda a blast from the past. I wrote this July 16 in Bakersfield before I left and never published it. As God would have it, I met and had lunch with the same student body president mentioned in this blog just earlier this week.

I love Asbury and I know God wants me to be there.

Every once in a while, someone will say to me, "Yeah, and even if you find out that Asbury isn't... or seminary isn't..."

They don't get it. Asbury is. Seminary is.

Everytime I get something in the mail from these people, it makes me smile. Sometimes it makes me choke up.

The place seems like some kind of goodness epicenter with awesome vibes just emanating from it!

An example...

I got a letter today from the student body president. Among other things it said:

The Spirit is calling you to a deeper relationship.

It's been a long, long time since someone told me that God wants to have a deeper relationship with me; it caused me to pause. Wow, hadn't really thought of that. I guess He does, huh? Am I prepared for that? Well, no, but God can prepare me. (um, by the way, He can prepare you, too...)

10 Things I won't miss about Bakersfield...

2004-07-14T22:10:00.000-04:00

Top 10 Things I Won't Miss About Bakersfield:

10. Smog.
9. The McMurtrey Aquatics Center.
8. Food Maxx.
7. Chopped off trees.
6. "We treat your feet!"
5. The Californian's depressing "on hold" music.
4. Carpet Outlet Pluuuuuuus - "Every day is sale day!"
3. Kern Family Health Care — "A friendly place!"
2. Pit bulls.
and the number one thing I won't miss about Bakersfield: August!

Paul

2004-07-14T02:13:00.000-04:00

Paul needed some food and a shave and some clean clothes and some bus money.

I held his hand and prayed for him in the parking lot, he said, "yes, Lord; yes, Lord" as I prayed.

That was the most satisfying thing I did today.

I gave him some money, but that was more for me than it was for him.

Thank you, God, for Paul and people like him. May he be a testament to our humanity and utter reliance on you.

Amen.