Tensions...

I am amazed at how life present itself in two totally different ways in such a short period of time. One minute we can be praising God with our arms raised high and the next we are brought to our knees because of the tragedy. This weekend I received news from my work, a local seafood joint where I serve that brought me through both of these feelings. One of our managers and his wife had had their second child, a healthy baby girl. Praise God for the miracle of life! However, I also got the news that the dad of my former co-worker and still friend had committed suicide. Even though I didn't know his dad and he was not one of my closest friends per se at work, the news still broke my heart as it would most anyone. Something like this never fails to bring me to my knees. The feeling of insufficieny is something that can plague any of us in this in this situation. You wish you had something to say that would take the pain, the heartache, the anger, and the sorrow away. You wish that you could make it all better.

At the same time I rest in the fact that God's grace is sufficient. I may never be able to say the right thing or offer the perfect comment. Instead, I rest in the fact that God's grace is not only enough to cover up my lack of words, but it also enough to carry my friend's dad into heaven and wash away any and all of his sins. This is the promise and the hope I live in, that Jesus Christ is enough and that his death on the cross and resurrection is all any of us need. We have the promise of eternal life because of God's love for us. Through this love we are able to experience the miracle of birth and new life and also find comfort in the midst of tragedy and embrace the hope of a life that does not end.

And so it begins...

On April 3, after nearly eight months of applications, interviews, more applications, more interviews, workshops, orientation, and a whole host of other hoops, I finally found out where I will be doing my internship next year. I will be in Charlotte, NC at Christ Lutheran Church!!! *Big sigh of relief* It is comforting to know where I am going, who I am working with, having an idea of when I'm leaving (early August), and where I will be living and doing ministry at for the next year of my life. It's an exciting time and I found that all the questions I had answered by this revelation that was given to me on a letter were replaced by about five times as many questions. *another sigh* But such is life! And I don't think I would have it any other way. So begins the journey that will help define who I am in so many ways. Who I am as a pastor, who I am as a midwesterner in a southern context, who I am as a student finally putting what I have learned to use in a real way, who I am as a sister, daughter, and friend who now lives some 1200 miles away. Let the adventure begin (considering I survive the rest of this semester at seminary).

http://www.christelca.org/