Lessons Taught and Lessons Learned

This week was a big teaching week for me. For this past Sunday I was teaching a unit on Spiritual Gifts with my young adults group and later that night teaching a session on "how to lead a Bible study." Then, on Wednesday night, I was taking over the reigns in the Alpha class and teaching on prayer. So, lesson planning galore. I'm not exactly the most creative person either so sometimes I feel like I should be doing more than simply "talking at" people. But I suppose there is a place for everything and for these lessons, college style lecture for a bulk of it would suffice.

This week also brought another valuable lesson to my attention: don't walk around outside barefoot. I was helping a friend carry some stuff to his car at my apartment and went outside without shoes on and stepped on a nail. Now the thing is I did this about 20 some years ago and you think I would have learned my lesson. But no, I had to do it again and it was off to the ER for a tetnus booster and a good cleaning. Needless to say I will not be wandering around barefoot in outside places again any time soon.

And you know, that's the things about lessons whether you're teaching them or learning them, sometimes you just have to learn things more than once. The whole get-it-pounded-into-your-head method. Though it may get annoying or seem repetitive, I think we often learn the best lessons through this. And we're all so A.D.D. these days that we need to hear things over and over again. And that's one reason why I think preaching on Sunday is so important. It's telling people the Gospel every week. And you know, for someone in seminary who hopefully hears the Gospel every day and doesn't forget about it, I still love hearing it and being reminded of what God has done for us. And maybe there is nothing wrong with learning the same lesson over and over again, especially when it's a good lesson. But here's hoping I don't have to step on any more nails anytime soon either (and the foot is doing fine by the way).

Comebacks Part II

Apparently I'm living in the wrong state to be a baseball fan. North Carolina, the home of the ultimate college basketball rivalry, Duke and UNC. People tend to give me weird looks when they realize I can talk about baseball for hours but simply fill out the March Madness brackets for fun. Plus the fact that I'm a girl adds to those weird looks. But that's besides the point.

I wrote a blog earlier in July about the MN Twins (my favorite team, hands down) and the comeback they were making. Now it's only a couple short weeks before the season is over and we're smack in the middle of the "Hunt for October" as people like to call it. And the push and the drive is still there. Our magic number is six. This is the number of Twins' wins and White Sox losses that will secure our post-season spot as the Wild Card. With 11 games left and at the pace we are going, it seems pretty plausible. And what's more, we're only 1/2 game out of the Central division behind the Tigers. So, we also have a shot at the division, something that seemed altogether impossible at before the Fourth of July.

Now, I don't want to count my chickens too early but it does seem that the Twins have staged the comeback we were all hoping and praying for and if anything, they have redeemed themselves of the dismal season start. So how about me? How is my "comeback" coming along?

I, like them, find myself in a place that was a bit unexpected considering how everything started out. To some extent, it is expected. I had good stats, I look decent on paper, and there were high expectations. And I already knew my destination, Charlotte. Now that I'm here, I find myself a part of something much larger than I had dreamed. As I step up to the plate and try and figure out what it is I need to swing at - buidling a young adults ministry, pioneering a new worship service, preaching my first "sermon series" sermon - I can't help but be a bit afraid I'm going to strike out. Was I worth all the hype I got in the minors? And I guess that's what it's all about, trying to live up to the plans God has for us knowing that he has more than enough grace for us when we fall short.

However, the batting average is good so far. The young adults small group has had a strong beginning, I finding the courage to reach out to others and extend invitations to people I've just met, my healing sermon went really well and got people excited to hear me preach on a larger level, and I'm all but adjusted to life here if you don't count the awful street system that makes it easy to get lost and hot weather.

So, have I made a comeback? I would say so but I also am nowhere near the post season yet. We'll jump that hurdle when it comes.

Weekend Fun!

It was one of those weekends that was completely random at times but so much fun! First point, you know you're a runner when you get bored watching tv in the mid-afternoon and decided to go on a 3.5 mile run... I got bored so I went on a run... Yeah, I know I'm crazy but it felt good! I did find a half marathon to run here though in December which I'm already really looking forward to and I think I even talked a couple of people into running it with me.

The rest of Friday went like this: my friend who works at Bank of America decided he wants to learn golf because it's what people in his line of work do. Therefore, he suggested we go to the driving range and hit a couple of balls. Now, I haven't been golfing for about 10 years and I was never really good at it in the first place. And he of course gets excited because he thinks I can teach him. Haha! It was the blind leading the blind. Plus, he had really old clubs that I'm pretty sure were not the right size for either of us. Surprisingly, I was actually able to put on a good show and was averaging around 150 ft with a couple 200 shots. However, I wasn't much of a help and was more there to laugh when he totally whiffed or cheer when he got off a good shot which was rare. All in all, a really good time and funny time! Who knew golf could be so amusing?

Saturday was low key although I did see a good movie, "The Last Kiss." Sunday was the kicker. I think I logged a good 11 hours at the church. But, that's part of the job. The services went really well and the former-intern-soon-to-be-pastor delivered a great sermon on sex and murder (the fifth and sixth commandments). I also had 12 people at my young adults small group Bible study. It was a great group and even better conversation. This group has definitely been a blessing for me so far and I think they are all finding some much needed community through it. So, praise God for that! Then I gave my first "sermon." The proper title is meditation and it was on healing and forgiveness for a healing service. And you know, I think it went really well. I did my best to proclaim the Gospel and then all I can do is let God do the rest. So, one down. Next step - October 8 when I preach for the first time for the big services (it will be about 1000 people total). Whew!

A Day in the Life of...

I often get asked what exactly do you do at church during the week. It's kind of a fun question because I've been learning that each day is very different and that there really is no such thing as a typical day at church.

What am I doing today? Putting off writing a sermon right now (but I'm nearly done) and trying to figure out where I should go to finish it up. I've never been good about doing work in spaces where there are a lot of distractions (I share and office and the church's office building is usually constantly bustling with activity). I already went and led a Chapel for our Children's Center for 3-5 year olds. It was quite entertaining and they're adorable and I really don't know what I'm doing. The topic for the day was Adam, Eve, and Sin. Talk about a loaded topic. I did my best though and hey, I'm new at this right?

Other things I might do during my time at the office: go over the Bible study I'm leading for the week, meetings of all sorts (worship planning, all staff, supervisor time, pastor time, me asking people random questions about what it is I'm supposed to be doing), phone calls, hospital visits, writing a curriculum for leading a Bible study, working on prayers for the coming weekends, learning to sing a new kyrie, prepping to teach a class, proof reading something for the capital campaign, and hundreds of other things that I won't list because well, this would get too long. In other words, I find little ways to keep myself busy.

But, this is my life now and I'm loving it. Don't worry, I have some of the my nights off and I find myself watching episodes of LOST and Scrubs or playing trivia at a local pub with friends from church or training for my half-marathon in December. There is no doubt that this is a balancing act but I'm finding I have good friends to help me along my way. And it has been a good week for good news among the friends whether it has been the birth of a happy, healthy baby girl, an engagement, or finding out exactly what desk they get to man at work that remind me to always be celebrating the big things and the little things in life.

One Month Down

I've been here for over a month now. I'm still in shock over this. It seems like I've come so far and yet, I still have so much more to learn. And as I sit here and try to measure how much my life has changed in this short month that's gone by all too quickly, well, I guess there's no real telling.

I do find humor in the little every day things that have changed. For one, I wear my hair down every day. For those of you who didn't see me on a regular basis, it was almost always in a bun or a ponytail. I also hardly ever wear jeans except on Fridays and Saturdays. I can usually be found in nice slacks and a button down shirt. The joys of business casual. And those are just the little things in this mix of huge changes. New city, new job, new friends, no school or classes, and the list just keeps going. And somewhere in all of this, I'm redefining myself and trying to figure out how to blend who I was with who I am becoming. Who am I as a pastor? Who am I as a student of the Christ Lutheran? Who am I as a long-distance friend? How do I be both a pastor and a friend to someone in the congregation? These are definitely things they cannot teach at seminary and I know that I'm just going to learn this as I go.

I have been finding as I have been getting more into my internship that God definitely knew what he was doing when he put me here. I am surronded by great people who are willing to teach and listen and learn from each other. Part of what I want to do here is start some programming for young adults and there has been an influx of young adult visitors who are looking to get connected. So, the timing was near perfect and now it's just up to me to keep listening to them and to God and figure out what it is I need to do in order to get this off the ground. And in the midst of all of this, I have found one thing to be true, God is good so here we go!

Kickoff Week

Well, I survived Rally Day and my first Wednesdays Together which is our Wednesday programming. Now it's Thursday and I swear it's so quiet around the office I can hear crickets... Plus, we're getting the leftovers of Ernesto so it's really rainy and well, quiet. I'm amazed at how fast things can go down here. The week leading up to all of this was crazy and I found myself doing random projects, running errands, and doing whatever I could to help and then all of it came and went and you're left thinking, that was it? I suppose that's a good thing, no major crises or anything. It's like you do the worst case scenario planning and then because of that, everything seems to go really well. So, I'm not complaining by any means. Plus, the small group Bible study that we're starting for young adults at Caribou started off really well which is a good feeling.

I think one thing that has surprised me a lot about internship so far is how much I've been praying. And something like that shouldn't surprise me. But I find myself praying over the little and the big stuff in my car, in bed, in my office, and in church and the need to pray for something or someone never seems to go away. And this is a good thing for me. I'm being reminded daily of my absolute need of and dependence on God in every little part of my life whether it is a new friendship, in preparation for a visit, forgiveness for something stupid I said, looking over sermon texts a month in advance, or thanking God for this amazing opportunity. And in the midst of all of this, I have been reminded over and over of God's faithfulness in all situations. God is good all the time!

Christ Lutheran

Here's the back entrance to my church. It comes complete with this beautiful fountain that's has water that's a bit too blue sometimes after they clean it. You can see the steeple in the front of the church.

This is the Spirit Hall where we have our contemporary worship. Obviously it's not set up for that right now. However, it's packed on Sunday mornings and quite the place to be.

This is that sanctuary where we have traditional worship. I think it's beautiful and really is classic colonial style decor. I will be preaching from the high podium on the left. Crazy!

Fighting the Good Fight

I've been here for a little over two weeks and I must say, it is hard to believe. In many ways, it feels like I've always been here. I'm getting into a routine, finding my way around the area, making some friends through church, and quickly learning what it is that I need to be doing around here. It's still all very new and fresh and exciting. However, I can also start calling this place and my church home. It's quite the mix but it keeps me on my toes while letting me relax a bit.

At church they also haven't hesitated giving me responsibility. Between Rally Sunday, starting a capital campaign, and all the crazyness that comes with fall programming kicking off again, it's been a whirlwind of action with me trying to help where I can. Plus, they aren't afraid to let me do random stuff for the service. I sang the kyrie on Sunday which was fun (for you fellow seminarians and hardcore Lutherans, it was setting one and incredibly easy) and was told 30 minutes before the service that I was supposed to do the prayers. But, I love the busyness, even though the busyness kind of misses me because I'm new and am not expected to really do as much. I've been impressed with how the staff at church work like a well oiled machine. The joys of being at a healthy large church.

The good news is that I'm actually finding that my seminary education hasn't been for nothing. I think that my middler year in general has instilled a fighting spirit in me. This could be fighting against the part of the system that seems to want to domesticate me or fighting on behalf of what I really believe about the potential of the Gospel, God, and the church. And this fight, this passion, is translated directly into my ministry. It's not just talk anymore, I finally get to put my money where my mouth is and put all this energy, put this fight, into a church that cares, that's passionate about the Gospel and delivering it to the people. So, though the year was hard and took so much out of me, I'm glad I had that conflict because I think that makes this experience, this chance to be a church so much more meaningful and there is no way I'm going to waste it if I can help it. I know I still am going to need all the grace I can get from God and the congregation but I know that with the help of God, I'm not going to sit and let this pass me by.

Some Pre-Inernship Thoughts

Yes, I'm living in Charlotte, but my internship doesn't officially start till Sunday. Hospitality is a word that comes to mind as I get settled in here in NC. The church community has been so gracious in welcoming me to Charlotte and even though I was expecting a warm welcome, I can't help but be blown away at how they have all been so giving already. I have a fully furnished apartment, I've been taken out for a meal every day since I've gotten here, and have been given so much more than I could have asked for or deserve. And I think that is God's grace at work through people. And I hope I can show them grace as well throughout my year here.

The other thing I am always amazed by is how God can work in the most surprising ways. I really do think he has a sense of humor. This past year at seminary I was the captain/manager of our soccer team and was part of the leadership team of a student led worship service. These were things I did because I loved them. They were great for building community in the seminary and it was fun to do something different. However, I never really thought they'd play a big role in my internship this year. In talks with my supervising pastor about a possible internship project, we've talked a lot about young adults ministry, working with people who are just out of college or grad school and are looking for some sort of connection at the church. And ideas that have been thrown around include a worship service such as The Way and activities such as a soccer team since apparently there are a lot of young adults interested in soccer.

Now this stuff is all in talks and again, I haven't even officially started my internship. But, I really see it as a lesson to never take anything that you do for granted. God will find a way to use whatever talents and experiences you have, as trivial as it may seem (such as being a captain of a rag-tag-seminary soccer team) and make good use of them. And maybe that is a part of ministry, being surprised that even the smallest or easiest thing might open a door to preach the Gospel and reach out to others. And in all of this I have to remember not to take anything for granted, because God is looking to use and work with all of me, the whole package, to get the Word out. And he's doing the same with everyone else.

New Residence = Charlotte!

I made it here safe and sound. After three pretty easy days of driving including my favorite part, WV (there were lots of hills, mountains, and trees) I arrived to my new life in Charlotte. Crazy! (I feel I'll be writing that a lot in the next few weeks) So, I am here, I'm alive, and I'm getting settled (I have a feeling I'll be making a trip to Target every night this week to get more stuff). I have a wonderful place and I'm itching to start work (my first official day is Sunday). I'm excited to see what God has planned for me. Peace out!