Long overdue update

I'm home at my parent's house for Christmas and New Years having a wonderful visit. We just returned to Annapolis after a couple of days visiting relatives in Pennsylvania. After talking to my aunts and uncles who are not social media users I realized how much I've been neglecting my blog. I have reached the halfway point of my seminary education (semester-wise) and this last one really kept me busy. This post will mostly be an article that I wrote for our school paper. It was published in the November 21st issue of Kairos.

The Middler Lament

NEWS FLASH – Middler year is kicking my butt. This isn't a cry for help though (yet). You don't need to start worry about me (yet). I just need to lament a little bit, and based on an informal survey of my classmates, they do too. I remember a similar article from Brittany last year and apparently there was one the year before as well, so I am just following the "cloud of witnesses" that have gone before us. There is comfort for me in that and I hope my classmates recognize this as well. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS!!

As Juniors, we certainly had our challenges, but the crunch times seemed to be more spread out and clumped together last year. Right before Fall Break last year there were major tests or papers due in each of our four classes and I don't remember getting much sleep that week. I was also riding high on the honeymoon phase of my seminary experience and got to go back east for all of Fall Break to recharge my batteries.

This year, however, it seems like I've got major assignments due each and every week. I couldn't afford (either financially or time-wise) to leave Austin for Fall Break. I took my Sabbath time, but I spent a good bit of break this semester working on papers and getting caught up on reading. I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving next week and will be going back to Maryland to spend the holiday with my family and friends. I will however be taking several books with me and working on a funeral sermon for our Intro to Preaching class, and probably another paper or two as well.

The other thing that is starting to sink in is that come December, the Middlers will be exactly at the halfway point of our seminary experience. This is going way too fast. I still feel a bit like I just got here and just started. Even with all the deadlines, papers, exams, committee meetings, and stress that this year has brought so far, I am not anxious for my time at APTS to be over. I am feeling a bit like a petulant child who is flopping on the floor and dragging my feet to slow down my exit. I do not want this to end. I love my classmates. I love the faculty and staff. I love the entire seminary community. I love this whole experience.

And I know this will come as a shock to most, but I really love Austin too. Perhaps part of why I'm feeling so stressed this semester is I'm also having a lot of fun too. There is a delicate balance between keeping up with obligations and taking time for yourself so you don't burn out. Perhaps I dance on that line a bit precariously, but I consider this to be an unofficial part of my seminary education. When I am in a parish (or a hospital, or whatever ministry I end up doing when I graduate), I think it will be extremely important to develop a support community and have activities and interests that are not church/work related (at least not directly) too. I have developed a great group of friends outside the seminary community. We have had cookouts, built a giant Jenga set, become the Cornhole (bean bag toss game) champions of the Local, participated in a fabulous scavenger hunt, went to ACL (Austin City Limits Music Festival), played disc golf, gorged ourselves on shrimp at Red Lobster's all-you-can-eat shrimp fest, and of course our weekly trivia which combines my seminary friends with my non-seminary friends.

Like almost everything else this semester, I am submitting this article to Brittany late. So I should wrap this up. Besides I have reading to do for section tomorrow, thank you letters to write for my financial aid, my SPM (supervised practice of ministry - internship) paperwork to submit to David Johnson, my World Religions film project to work on, the bulletin for the Advent Vespers service to finish with Allie, and a book to read and write a review for Christian Education, not to mention laundry, dishes, my annual car inspection and bills to pay….AGGHHHHHHHHH!!! Hang in there Middlers! We can do this!!!

The classes that I took this semester were - Introduction to Preaching (my favorite), Mark Exegesis, World Religions, and Christian Education. I was again in the choir and also served as one of the student representatives to the Worship Committee. We had a great group of students join our community in September and they have been a wonderful addition to both APTS and my circle of friends.

I've grown even more fond of the Local (my own personal Cheers) and have developed some wonderful friendships as I mentioned in the article shared above. Here's a sampling of the fun that I mentioned in that article -

In costume for the FFF Scavenger Hunt with Jayson, Chase, Nikki, and Jason

Brandon and Jayson playing giant Jenga at the Local

My fellow Redskin fans at the Local that I watch the game with every Sunday - Mark, Mo, and Jeff.

Seminarians and spouses celebrating Greg's birthday at the Allen-Pickett's house. Lisa & Tim, Greg, Andrew, Josh, Tara, baby Kellen, Lindsay, Jordan, Me, Allie, Jessica and Ester

Some amazing eats on the grill at Brandon and Michelle's house.
Lynn and I playing some cornhole with Taylor and Taylor looking on.

Show Me the Place

Beautiful New Song from Leonard Cohen from an album due out at the end of January.

Show Me The Place by leonardcohen

Time Flies when you're in Greek Camp

Only one week of Greek left and then I'll be heading back to Maryland for vacation with my family at Deep Creek Lake. I can't wait to be in the mountains of Western Maryland swimming, fishing, tubing and hanging out with my family. I'll also get to spend some time in Annapolis before and after our family trip to visit with friends. Hoping to spend some time sailing on the Chesapeake, checking out the new location of the Mexican Cafe and I must get some crabs.

Our class had a nice 4th out at Professor Alsup's ranch. Our classmate Okan, who is from Turkey, went all out and dressed the part. He was quite a cowboy.

And yes, I did get to hug a donkey.

I also mentioned to Dr. Alsup on Monday that I had re-written the words to Willie Nelson's "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" for our class, so he asked me to perform it this week. I took my guitar in on Wednesday and opened up class with the help of our Teaching Assistant Doug, who accompanied me on his guitar too. Don't know that anyone who isn't in our class (or who hasn't at least taken Biblical Greek) will appreciate it, but it seems to have been a big hit with the class. Dr. Alsup definitely appreciated it. He kept making reference to it during his lectures this week. I wouldn't be surprised if I improved at least half a letter grade for the class because of this song. He even asked me to get together with some of my musician classmates to record it so we can give CDs to everyone at the end of the class.

I'll post the lyrics below, but a few things that are "inside jokes" or may be unclear to those not in the class I will explain first. 1. The method that Dr. Alsup is teaching us he calls RIT - Recognize Identify Translate. First we attempt to recognize the part of speech of each word in the passage. We underline verbs, bracket nouns, circle articles & pronouns, etc. Then we attempt to identify the conjugation, gender, number, tense, etc. We are not even expected to try to translate yet in this intensive summer course. 2. Hippos is Greek for horse, and is the name of a stuffed animal that Dr. Alsup keeps in the class for illustrations. 3. He also has a Pilsbury Doughboy and girl in cowboy hats, which are also class mascots used for illustrations too.

I Love My Definite Article

I grew up dreaming of being in Greek Camp

And learning those ancient ways

Pursuing to recognize and identify words,

I burned up my summer days.

I learned all the endings that John Alsup taught me

Don't you stress out and panic my friend

Just take it from Hippos or maybe the Doughboy,

And soon it all will be clear.

I love my definite article.

It's my best friend.

Helping to spot nouns and participles,

It's my very best friend.

Maybe someday, I'll learn to translate

But for now R and I are just fine.

Those definite articles jump right off the pages,

I circle them all the time.

Nominative, Genitive, Dative or Accusative

You help me know what is what.

So don't take away my definite article

And I'll make it through Greek Camp just fine.

Repeat Chorus

Once we've recorded it I'll post it here.

Another highlight of my week was being asked to be Austin Seminary's student representative to the PC(USA) Committee on Theological Education's Seminary Support Network. There are two conferences each year that I will attend along with one student representative from each of the other 9 PC(USA) schools. Traditionally it is the student body President that represents the school, but this year they decided it made more sense to appoint someone that can do it for two years since the President is usually a graduating senior. So I will represent our school for the next two years. I am extremely honored to have been asked and so excited to get to network with students from the other schools as well as being able to participate in some national level denominational work.

And it hasn't been all Greek this summer, we've also gone to see a UT baseball game, a couple AAA baseball games in Round Rock (the Ranger's feeder team), a community orchestra doing western theme music and last night saw a community theater performance of the musical play Footloose. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Austin is such a cool town with great things to do. Love it here.

4th of July Weekend

Well, we've got four out of six weeks of Greek and a Midterm behind us as we head into the three day weekend. Looking forward to some fun and relaxation, but no fireworks in most of Texas this year, thanks to the drought. I posted this video on Facebook the other day, but thought I should share it on my blog too. Stephen Colbert decided to address the ban.

On Monday our professor is having the class out to his ranch for a Greek Camp Picnic. The invitation that he passed out to us last week says "Come join us for hay rides, horseback riding, donkey hugging, and just having a good time." How can you beat that? Donkey hugging! Should be fun.

Le Tour de France also starts tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to watching that as I do every year. Such an amazing race. Not to mention the amazing shots of the French countryside, little villages, castles, cobblestone streets, and spectacular climbs in the Alps and the Pyrenees. I can't wait.

Year One of Seminary Completed

Yesterday I turned in my final paper for my Introduction to the New Testament class, and with that push of the "send" button on the email I completed my first two semesters of seminary. I had an exam in each of my other classes earlier this week - The Church as Worshiping Community on Monday, Systematic Theology II on Tuesday and Intro to Biblical Hebrew on Wednesday. This year has flown by and been so full it is a little mind boggling. As I scan the books on my shelf and re-read papers and exams that I've submitted this year I am amazed at how much I've learned and all that I've done in eight months. (Yes I am a semiNERDian . I re-read my papers and tests).

I've already written often of how much I love this community and what a wonderful place APTS is, so I won't belabor the point other than to say that I've made some of the best friends I've ever had. I love each and every one of them and I am sad to see the seniors packing to move off of campus. Graduation is this weekend and watching them in this home stretch has made me realize just how quickly these three years go by. It makes me want to savior every moment that I can with my classmates before we too scatter from this campus to be ministers, chaplains, teachers, counselors, etc.

It also makes me excited that in late August approximately 40 new students will arrive here. Just as my class was welcomed into the fold, they will soon be an integral part of this community and added to the number of people that I love. My classmate Jo and I were asked to take on the responsibility of being Reyah Coordinators this year. Reyah is the Hebrew word for buddy or friend. The Reyah program at APTS matches incoming students with a current student to be their buddy as they transition into the community. My Reyah was Jeff Saddington, who is graduating on Sunday. He was so fantastic that I jumped at the opportunity to be coordinator in the hopes of helping the incoming class feel as welcomed as I did. Jeff emailed and called me several times last summer to see how my plans for moving to Texas were going and once I arrived was one of the friends who helped me move into my apartment. And Jeff didn't just help me feel at home when I arrived, he checked in on me throughout the year, shared study guides, took me to lunch and cheered me on as my classmates and I did some intense studying and took some major exams.

So, as I have marked several other milestones, I chose to celebrate the end of my first year with a new tattoo that was inspired by something I read last semester in Cindy Rigby's Systematic Theology I class. I have had a tattoo of three fish on my right forearm for several years. It is an ancient Christian symbol which represents the trinity as well as the secret "code" used by the early church to represent Christ (ΙΧΘΥΣ). This is the Greek word for "fish" which was an acronym for "Jesus Christ Son of God Savior." While reading Dan Migliore's Faith Seeking Understanding (our textbook for Sys I) I came across a different way to name the Trinity and it immediately resonated with me. Instead of "Father Son & Holy Ghost" this said "Lover Beloved & Love." I decided that I wanted that around or near my fish tattoo and this week I got it done.

WARNING - SemiNERDian ramblings about to commence....

A common critique of this way of naming the trinity is that it reduces the Holy Spirit to a byproduct between the Lover and the Beloved, but I don't agree with this limited view of Love.

This is very similar to the original debate that caused the great split between the Eastern and Western church over the filioque clause in the Nicene Creed. Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father or from the Father "and the Son"? Don't both of these see the Holy Spirit as something that is coming from one or both of the other parts of the trinity? Isn't that a by-product too? The whole idea of the trinity is that God is by definition in relationship and you can't have one part without the other two, and no one part is greater than the others. So I don't see this way as being any worse than the more traditional creedal way of naming the trinity. In fact I think it is better because it does away with the patriarchal language of father and son. There are many for whom these images of God are stumbling blocks and talk of spirit or ghost is too mystical and hard to wrap their heads around. But we all know love. And love isn't just something you do. It isn't a byproduct. I don't even think it is a choice. I think love just is, all by itself.

There are many instances in scripture where love is talked about as an entity, not a byproduct. It is personified and has characteristics.

Song of Songs 2:7, 3:5, 8:4 "do not stir up or awaken love until it is ready"

Song of Songs 8:7 "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it."

1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not arrogant or boastful"

1 Corinthians 13:8 "Love never ends"

14:1 "Pursue love and strive for spiritual gifts"

But I think the strongest case for seeing love as being a way to name the Holy Spirit is this -

1 John 4:16 "God is love, and those that abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them"

Lastly, here is a video that the seniors put together for our last fellowship together.

Congratulations Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Class of 2011!!!!!!!!!!

Three Year Anniversary

This is one of those strange anniversaries which I debate whether to acknowledge or not. Three years ago today I fell at work and shattered my leg. I do not stop to pause to mark this day in order to lament or wallow, although I do acknowledge the hardships and changes that have come as a result of this accident. Rather I stop to acknowledge just how far I have come and how pleased I am with where I am right now despite that fateful day when I made a poor choice of where to stand.

This week was Spring Break for us at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (and for UT and all schools in Austin, I think). Twenty Five years ago some folks decided that Spring Break was too quiet in Austin so they began a little music festival known as SXSW (South by Southwest), which is now an international event. Having just moved here in August I was very excited for my first SXSW and it didn't disappoint. I saw lots of great music and got to spend time with my friends.

In addition to the great music and revelry of St. Patrick's Day there were also several other cool things that I did this week. Several of us marched and rallied with teachers at the Capitol at the Save TX Schools rally last Saturday morning. That evening one of my classmates got married and many from our seminary community were there to celebrate with him and his new bride

Last night Allie, Alex and I went to Mt. Bonnell, climbed about 100 stairs to see the moon, which was kind of a bust. The view of the city, surrounding landscape and sunset was actually better than all the fuss about the moon, but we had fun. We think it may be because everything is bigger in Texas, it just didn't seem that big to us. I would like to know how they managed to turn it burnt orange though. That was a good trick.

The other major news right now is that my car is currently having issues again. I think I need a new starter. Between just getting around, the teacher march, SXSW and all the other fun that I had this week I think I must have walked about a dozen miles this week. That's not a lot for most, but for me and considering how I spent most of 2008, I felt that this was an anniversary worth marking.

"The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them." Matthew 21:14

My leg may not be cured to what it was prior to the accident, but there is no doubt in my mind that I have been healed by the hand of Christ. The hand that came through the skilled surgical talents of Dr. Ove, Dr. Brumback, and Dr. Higgins; through the infection fighting medicine and care of Dr. Campbell; through the nurses and staff at Anne Arundel Medical Center and Union Memorial Hospital; through the care and motivation from Jessica, Amanda, Sarah, Amy and everyone at OSMC physical therapy; from Wendy my home care nurse; Sandy my case manager; the amazing staff and congregation of FPC Annapolis; the friends and family who sent cards, emails, visited, brought food, provided rides and LOTS of encouragement and love. I wouldn't be where I am now if not for you.

I can now also add to that list the wonderful folks that I have met here in Austin and all of the fun things that there are to do in this town. I'm doing my best to not let a bum knee keep me from enjoying everything I can while I'm here.

School is going well this semester. Although Hebrew is proving to be a fun challenge. Even though our homework looks a bit like Elementary School work, there is no doubt that this is MUCH harder than "See Dick and Jane run"

Worst Day of Seminary

I'm still a bit in shock and pretty numb, but I feel the need to get my thoughts down at this time. I often use my blog to process major occurrences in my life and it has helped me work through difficult situations in the past, so I'm going to utilize this forum for that purpose again tonight. Whether I actually hit the publish button is another thing altogether, but that I will decide later....

As I've written previously, my experience at seminary so far has been very positive. I love this community and I love my classes. I love the city of Austin and I've really felt like I've found my place. There have also been difficulties, which life always brings, and today one of the most difficult situations for me has taken a terrible turn.

One of the people that I connected with very early on here at school is a classmate of mine who had many things in common with me. He was close to my age, divorced, had an affinity for interfaith dialog, had read many of the same books that I had, and we had very similar taste in music. Shan and I hit it off during orientation and he lived two floors above me in my building. He was struggling with medical issues right from the very beginning of the year and stopped attending classes within the first month of the school year. He was withdrawn from classes for medical reasons and was intending to rejoin us in classes in the Spring semester. The school was very accommodating and made every effort to help him adjust and to get back on track. He reached out to me fairly often and occasionally would come to my apartment to visit and to tell me how he was doing. On rare occasions I was able to get him to join me and others out socially. He would often disappear for days at a time and we would watch to make sure that his car had changed parking spaces to know that he was leaving on occasion. He was checking in with professors and the Dean of Student Affairs (our chaplain) weekly to let them know how he was doing in addition to seeing doctors to deal with his medical issues. Many in the community were aware of his struggles and were doing what they could to monitor the situation and hoping to help in some way.

Sadly, he was found dead in his apartment this morning.

As of this time we do not know any of the details of his death and we are awaiting an autopsy.

The way it has been handled both formally and informally by this school, both those on staff and those studying here, has been great and yet another reinforcement that I am in the right place. As future pastors, we are learning how to be the church and how to help people deal with life. And this is a very real aspect of life that has hit our community today. It is one thing to plan a discovery weekend for prospective students, or to teach a class, but responding appropriately to a crisis situation and modeling for future church leaders how to handle one, especially one that hits so close to home is quite another. Despite the sadness of this day, I am proud to be a member of this community and to be learning from those around me.

The entire community gathered in the chapel this afternoon so that the president, Rev. Ted Wardlaw could share with us what is known at this time and to offer space for comments, questions, and/or reactions. We had a time of prayer together and sang Amazing Grace. A celebration of Shan's life will be held on Monday morning. There will be grief counselors on campus tomorrow and Friday and the chaplain visited our building this evening to see how we were all doing. Groups gathered together for dinner, for drinks and just to be together most of the afternoon and evening. My phone continues to ring with calls and text messages checking in on me.

I ache for his family who not only have to deal with their loss, but who also will have to come here to deal with his apartment, his car, etc. He had a fiancée in L.A. and friends throughout the country, having lived in Sante Fe, Colorado, Mississippi, and North Carolina. He lived in Turkey with his ex-wife and spoke highly of her, her family and the people of that country. I still can't quite believe that he is gone.

Personally, I had a difficult time dealing with him because his struggles reminded me much of the difficult times that I went through with my ex-wife. They were not the same, but it was similar in that I felt helpless to do much other than offer an ear and support. Sometimes that is all that we can do. Sometimes that is more than enough, sometimes it feels so inadequate.

In this situation I felt fairly inadequate. I know he appreciated me and that he felt he could come to me to talk, but I don't know if that was what he needed most. In all honesty that's how I feel about most of my interactions. I hope that I am providing for everyone that I deal with what they need most from me, but that isn't something that we ever know for sure, and we aren't always capable of giving what is needed. All we can do is be as authentic as we are capable of and pray that we are doing more good than harm by how we interact with the world and those around us. I feel that I have done that, but it doesn't make it suck any less that I wasn't able to do more for my friend and now he is gone.

I ask that you pray for Shan, that you pray for his family and friends, that you pray for this school and that you cherish those around you.

Something Shan always did, which I really appreciated about him and I will always carry with me, was that he always told me that he loved me when he left. We should all do that more than we do. We are all loved and it doesn't hurt to remind each other of that.

Know that you are loved and share that love with all that you encounter.

WKRP Turkey Drop in 30 Seconds

Many of my classmates at APTS are too young to remember this, but this is one of the funniest episodes of television ever to air in my opinion.



Much love to my mom and dad who are spending Thanksgiving in Cincinnati with Aunt Ruth and Uncle Ed. See you in a few weeks!!! Love you!

Geeking Out with Yet Another Social Media Site

I am enjoying a relaxing break so far and decided to play around with yet another social media site. I'm giving Tumblr a try and wanted to test the features that will import from my blog as well as post to Twitter and Facebook. I thoroughly enjoy writing, sharing and staying connected electronically (as if you haven't figured that out about me already...) so I'm trying to find the most efficient way to use these sites together.

I've already been using "Selective Twitter Status" to send only the Tweets that I choose to Facebook and that is helpful. It looks like Tumblr is a really convienent way to share things from my iPhone while I'm on the go and to let my Twitter followers and Facebook friends know when I've got a new blog post on blogspot.

So I figured the best way to test out this feature was to post to my blog and see what happens.

My apologies to Tweeple and FB friends if there are a lot of duplicate entries since I import my blog into FB Notes currently. Once I see how this works I'll be adjusting settings.

Here goes nothing....

Fall Break already?

Its kind of hard to believe, but I’ve already reached the halfway point of my first semester. It seems like I just got started and I’m now officially on break and headed back to Maryland for a visit. Even though time seems to have flown by to get to this point I am physically and mentally exhausted and looking forward to some time to recharge and especially to see my friends and family. I’m sure part of the reason that time has flown by is because we have been so busy with papers and exams over the last several weeks and this last week in particular was chock full of assignments and exams.

In my last post I wrote about the school and the community and how I was adjusting, but not about my specific classes, so I want to share that now. I am taking four classes this semester – Systematic Theology, Introduction to Early Christianity: Apostolic era to 1650, Colloquy on Ministry and Vocation, and Introduction to the Old Testament.

Systematic Theology is probably my favorite class and Cindy Rigby is absolutely amazing. Sitting in her lectures is a little like Frog and Toad’s Wild Ride at Disney World. Its not the most linear path from A to B, but it is thrilling, there are gems all along the way and when its over I can’t wait to do it again.

My history class is by far the biggest surprise of the four. I really wasn’t looking forward to it, but Annie Bullock, who recently got her PhD from Emory, is a real treat. She is a wonderful storyteller, her PowerPoint slides are informative and amusing, and she really brings things to life for us so we can appreciate the context from which the history of our church has unfolded.

The Colloquy is a seminar style class which is co-taught by acting-Dean David Jensen and Alan Cole who heads up the dual-degree program at APTS. The purpose of this class is to help us to discern what our vocation will be and to learn and experience different methods of discernment. We only meet once a week, but for an extended period of time. Class is always broken up in to two components. Each week we spend half the time split into two smaller groups and have a book discussion about the reading. The other half of our time alternates each week. We have guest speakers from various vocations one week and then the next week we spend experiencing different spiritual practices and methods of discernment. Cole and Jensen rotate which group they facilitate each week. I am looking forward to taking a full class that meets more often with each of them.

The Old Testament is by far the most challenging academic class of the four so far. John Ahn is absolutely brilliant and has the impossible task of covering the entire old testament in 12 weeks. We aren’t just covering the content of the books, but also background for the origins of each book and the scholarship that has been and continues to be done to put the pieces of the puzzle together. With so much material to cover he moves at a blazing speed. The amount of reading and research that has to be done to keep up with his lectures and prepare for his tests is daunting.

One of my favorite things so far is how all four of these classes fit together like sprockets. It is really cool when we are sitting in one class and something from a lecture or discussion in another class will go off like a light bulb above our heads. I guess that’s what happens when you study for an advanced degree in any discipline, because it sure isn’t something that I can recall experiencing as an undergrad.

In late September we turned in our first paper, which was for History and the next week we had a mid-term in Theology. This past week was extremely intense though.

I had two papers due on Tuesday and a take home mid-term exam that had to be turned in on Friday. One of the papers was for Systematic Theology on the topic of the authority of scripture. One of the main texts for that class is Jean Cauvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion (John Calvin – for some reason it bugs me that we have anglicized his name). We also were assigned several articles by various other theologians. Each of these articles was focused on how much or how little authority they attribute to the Bible. Our task was to spend a few pages explaining Cauvin’s position, then to pick two other theologians to summarize. Being at a Presbyterian school, we all had to write about Cauvin. Lastly we were to compare and contrast the views of the three and tell where we find ourselves with respect to scriptural authority.

The other paper was also a really cool assignment, which was for the Colloquy class. It entailed interviewing three people who consider ministry, of one form or another, to be their vocation. I interviewed a hospital chaplain, a recent seminary graduate currently searching for a church to pastor, and an APTS graduate who runs a non-traditional ministry which consists of a retreat center and winery. We were specifically looking to obtain from them how they discerned their call to ministry in general and to this specific field, how they maintain their sense of call while dealing with the day to day aspects of their vocation, what challenges they faced while discerning their call and how they maintain a sense of call when they were challenged as well as with any challenges that may be ongoing.

As I type this my plane is slowly descending towards Baltimore and I am now ready to enjoy my break. But there is a part of me that is really looking forward to getting back to my classes once my tanks are full again.

Last night at a party I was introduced to a term that I (and many of my colleagues) are embracing and claiming wholeheartedly -

I am a semiNERDian!

New Beginnings, New Friends and a Great School

As I reflect on the last month and the beginning of the school year I am struck by the fact that I haven't felt a major sense of homesickness, nor second guessed my decision to move across the country and devote myself to pursuing a theological education (at least not yet). I think that there are several factors that have helped with this transition - APTS the school, APTS as a community, and the support of important people in my life.

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, as an institution, has done an outstanding job of welcoming, orienting, and getting incoming students off on the right foot. There were several social opportunities before and throughout orientation (a BBQ, an ice cream social, a pizza party) where we had the opportunity to meet and socialize with our peers, the students that were

returning, the staff, and the faculty. We were welcomed again and again. Everyone made a big deal about how excited they were that we were here and they really meant it (or they are really good actors). Formal orientation, although a bit overwhelming, was extremely well done and covered all the important stuff that we needed to know and do to get officially started. They built a day into the middle of it where we went off campus to do some bonding and team building exercises. But we were also given some time for relaxing, recreation and just getting to know

each other. This was crucial since all incoming students are (for the most part) taking the same

four classes. Since I will be spending a lot of time with these 34 people and because it is a bit hard to get to know someone sitting next to them in a lecture, it was great to have this built into the orientation. Here is half of my class doing a challenge course during orientation.

Since classes have started they have also offered a couple of optional workshops on organizational and study skills, which this old guy who hasn't been in school for 18 years really

appreciated, especially since my degree is in Mathematics and this is a whole different type of studying than I have ever done before.

This week the president and his wife had all new Masters students (and their spouses) to their home for dinner. It was a chance for him to get to know us a little better, but also for him to check in and see how we were doing now that classes have started. He may be the president of the school, but he is still very much a pastor. One last thing that really helped to get us started

on the right foot and that also served as the most formal welcome to the seminary that we received was the worship service that was held the evening of our first day of classes (Sept. 7th). During worship the Junior class read together a "Declaration of Intent" and we were invited to come forward and sign our names in what Rev. Ted Wardlaw, the president of the seminary, refers to as the "Book of Life." Every APTS student, starting with the first class in 1904, has signed this book upon matriculation. Ted's sermon that night, being recognized in worship this way, and the Eucharist that followed was a perfect reminder of the legacy not just of this school, but of theologians and Christians in whose footsteps we are following.

Some of my new friends enjoying a gorgeous day in front of the chapel between classes.

The second major factor that has made this transition go smoothly is the community that is APTS and the informal way that my classmates and I have been embraced and made to feel part of that community. The returning students have been a wealth of information about professors, study advice, the rhythm of life here, the best places to find deals, the best places to eat & drink, etc. Outside of the formal social events that were scheduled by the school, there have been parties, invitations to go out to dinner, game nights, people getting together to watch a movie, to watch football, to go see a local band, and late night breakfast at a local diner. I feel as if I've made several really good new friends here already. The community is great at supporting each other and is a very tight knit group so I feel that there is already somewhat of a bond even with those that I haven't gotten to know well yet. Feeling this way after a month, I can't even imagine what that will feel like after a year, two or (with my classmates) three.

Last but not least, I credit my friends, family and congregation with helping to make this transition smooth. The support and encouragement that I continue to receive in emails, cards, text messages, Facebook posts, and care packages are a wonderful continuation of the amazing send off that I received before I left Maryland.

Today marks the end of three full weeks of classes. I turned in my first paper today for my Introduction to the History of Christianity (Apostolic Era to 1650) class and I have my first Mid-Term exam next Thursday in my Systematic Theology class. I was asked to read scripture at chapel last week, I decided to join the choir, and plan on participating with a social justice student group.

Aside from school stuff - I got a new tattoo, I became a member of "The Big 50" club at The Local (sampled 50 different beers - over the course of a month), I was given a personal mug that hangs on the wall for me to use when I go there, I got my Texas plates and drivers licence, I swam in Barton Springs, and I saw the bats under the South Congress Street Bridge.

What can I say? I'm loving it here. Hard to believe I'll be on fall break and back in Maryland in a few short weeks. I can't wait to see everyone. I'll need a break by then though -- I've got three papers and another Mid-term exam the week before our break.

My Road TripFrom Annapolis to Austin (5th & final part)

Graceland is a major money making operation. They've got a set-up across the street from Elvis' house similar to the entrance to an amusement park--ticket windows with different levels of passes that you can buy, multiple gift shops, photo booths, and places to eat. We opted for the cheapest pass which got us an audio tour through the house and grounds and a special exhibit about his comeback tour after the Army. We boarded a shuttle bus and were driven across the street and up the long driveway. It was raining pretty hard so we didn't bother getting any pictures of the gate or the front of the house. Our first impression was that it wasn't nearly as big as we had expected. It wasn't a small house, but I've been in much bigger homes than Graceland. Now the decor, that's a whole different ball game. The house has been left as it was decorated when he died in the late 70's and the audio tour was narrated in large part by Lisa Marie. We weren't allowed to use flash so my pictures didn't turn out very good in the house. The room that I most wanted to show pictures of was the "Jungle Room" but it was pretty dark and those came out horrible. This was basically his den and it was complete with a waterfall built into the wall, fur lampshades, and lots of tiki style decorations. Here's a picture that I found online. It'll give you some idea, but doesn't quite capture how wild it was.

The tour also went through separate buildings where his father had the business office and what used to be stables. Vernon's office is left as it was, but the stables have been converted into trophy rooms with awards that he won, gold records, memorabilia from his movies, TV appearances and his wedding. Another building that we toured held a racquetball court (now converted into a display room for many sequin covered jumpsuits) and a rec room where you could watch the game through a glass wall. The last stop on the tour was out by the pool (again much smaller than I would have figured) where he and his parents have been laid to rest.

Not my favorite stop on our road trip, but I'm glad we went. Its one of those things you just have to do if you are in or near Memphis.

After Graceland Andy and I hit the road and made it through Arkansas and into Texas by the end of Friday.

Saturday

Saturday we finished our road trip and made it to Austin by early afternoon. We went straight to the seminary, stopped by the community center and picked up the keys to my apartment so we could check it out. We found a welcome note and a bucket full of helpful items (snacks, a couple hangers, 6' extension cord, paper towels, toilet paper, etc) on my kitchen counter by a group of students calling themselves the "Bucketeers." Very cool to be welcomed like that and yet another affirmation that I have chosen well with were I will be studying.

Andy was flying out on Sunday morning, so we grabbed a hotel close to the airport. We had planned on heading downtown so that he could see a little of my new city but we were both exhausted from our trip and fell asleep.

Sunday

After I dropped Andy off at the airport I drove myself (first time behind the wheel in 6 days) over to Auditorium Shores to see the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue.

Sorry Elvis fans but SRV is much more of a Rock Legend in my book. (If you want to know why, just watch this performance of Texas Flood live in 1983 at El Mocambo).

For more pictures of our road trip check out this album of photos that I put up on Facebook (you don't need an account to view the album)

Rather than spend another night in a hotel I went out and bought an air mattress so I could stay in my apartment. My POD didn't arrive until Wednesday morning, so I spent three days living in an echo chamber. But now my stuff is here and I'm almost completely set up. I've been meeting other students, learning my way around and starting to feel at home. Here's a bunch of pictures of where I'm living.

My Road Trip from Annapolis to Austin (part 4)

Friday morning and early afternoon was spent at another historic site in Memphis that is quite a bit more somber than Sun Studios, but I am so glad that we made the stop. The Lorraine Motel is one of the most tragic sites in America because it is where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed. The facade of the building has been preserved and driving up and seeing that balcony where Dr. King fell is hard to put into words.
But thankfully the site has been used for the National Civil Rights Museum and is an awesome tour that inspired and reminded me of the kind of things that ministers can do to help transform society and see that all are treated equally and fairly. The museum was really amazing and the audio tour was really well done. It walks you chronologically through the history of African Americans in the US and the major milestones of the Civil Rights struggle. (We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but you can check out the web site for photos in the link above). You get on a bus from Montgomery and can sit next to a statue of Rosa Parks. The seat is wired so that when you sit down the driver's voice comes over the PA and instructs you to move and give up your seat several times. Finally it threatens to have you arrested and even though it was only a recording I found it hard to stay seated and imagine what it would have been like to have been this little seamstress taking a stand by refusing to give up her seat.
The museum was full of powerful exhibits like that and Andy and I both found ourselves wiping away tears on more than one occasion. Towards the end of the tour you stop at the window of what would have been room 307, directly behind where King fell (the windows with the curtains open in photo above). They have preserved his room (#306) and turned the wall that would have been adjoining #307 into windows so you can see inside. Thankfully they don't end on that sad note. They take you through the end of the garbage worker strike that was the reason King was in Memphis and then through exhibits showing how his dream and legacy have gone on to continue the civil rights movement in the US and how it inspired others around the globe to do similar peaceful methods of resistance like he used. My favorite quote from the tour was - "You can kill the dreamer, but you can not kill the dream." Wish I knew who said it, but I can't seem to find the source.
A new addition to the tour is now across the street in a new wing that has taken over the boarding house where James Earl Ray stayed and fired the fatal shot. That part of the tour is focused on the criminal investigation, his arrest, the evidence against him and of course conspiracy theories. It was interesting, but focused on the crime and not the legacy of MLK and the movement. It was very similar to the 7th floor Book Depository tour in Dallas if you've ever been to that. There was actually a protester set up on the street corner who has been there every day since the museum opened according to her signs who is upset that they are memorializing the assassination too much. I get her point, but I don't see how you can ignore such a huge piece of American history. Better that you educate folks about what happened and why than just ignore it altogether in my opinion, especially when you can show how the tragic event was not able to undo all the good that was done by the man or to stop his memory from inspiring others to keep up the struggle.
To offset the heaviness of that tour we headed for what many visitors to Memphis is THE reason to come to town - Graceland. And since it was Elvis Week the devoted fans were out in droves.

My Road TripFrom Annapolis to Austin (part 3)

A few short hours on the road and we were in Memphis. We headed straight for a major landmark, Sun Studios. The record label that started out as the Memphis Recording Studio, widely believed to be the birthplace of Rock 'n Roll. The studio where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and many many others first recorded songs. Its just a tiny little building and they have taken over the corner building next to it for a gift shop and a small upstairs museum where the tour guide shares the history of Sun with folks and where they have some of the original reel to reel equipment, as well as some instruments, clothes and other memorabilia from the performers that Sun recorded.

Then they led us down stairs and into the original building. It consists of three rooms - a small front office that served as a reception area and business office -

A control room in the back where the recording booth is (which we didn't get to go in because the studio is still used today and it has been modernized quite a bit). And in between the studio which still has all the original acoustical tile on the walls and ceiling. Its not a very impressive room except for the instruments, microphones and pictures on the wall that remind you of all the greats that have stood in this very room and recorded some amazing music.

Since the studio became active again and has been registered as a historic landmark many newer artists have come to record music there. For instance, U2 recorded "Rattle and Hum" at Sun Studios. As you can see by the above picture, they get their money worth out of each tour. There unfortunately wasn't much opportunity to get great pictures in the studio because they packed us in like sardines. The tour guide was pretty entertaining though and had great enthusiasm for the studio, the stories and the music. They played lots of samples of the music throughout the tour, so it was well worth the stop.

That night, on the recommendation of a few friends we choose to get our BBQ, not at BB Kings place as many suggest, but went instead to Charles Vergos Rendezvous Charcoal Ribs. I am so glad that we did. Andy and I completely stuffed ourselves with smoked sausage, dry rub ribs, and pork shoulder. It was amazing. I was so full, but I didn't dare leave any meat uneaten. I knew if I did I would have woken up in a cold sweat for weeks thinking of what I had left behind.

After dinner we waddled down to Beale Street and checked out a couple live blues bands in outdoor settings. Its hard to believe we started Thursday out singing on stage in Nashville and finished it stuffed with BBQ and hanging out on the streets where the Memphis Blues helped create Rock n Roll.

My Road Trip from Annapolis to Ausin (part 2)

Wednesday

Once we got up Wednesday morning we set out for the town of Lynchburg which is about and hour and fifteen minutes south of Nashville. Home of the Jack Daniel's distillery. I have always enjoyed Old No. 7, but I am so much more of a fan after this visit. If you are ever in Tennessee go take this tour, whether you like whiskey or not. It was fascinating and it is a beautiful drive getting there and it is in a beautiful part of the state. This is the one and only place that Jack Daniel's is made or was ever made. The tour is free and they are very proud of their product. The tour starts with a short film about the man, his discovery of the spring water still used today and the birth of the company. Strangely enough Lynchburg is in a dry county, so you have to drive quite a ways before you can actually sample anything made there. They show you ricks of wood (half of a cord) that they burn in order to make the charcoal used in the mellowing process. They take you to the mouth of the cave where the spring water still flows and is still used to make JD. They take you through the distillery building where they ferment the mash (oats, barley and corn), evaporate the alcohol and then condense it to collect clear whiskey. They have a spigot that when it is on pours a 3 inch stream of whiskey that flows at 44 gallons per minute to be collected and send to the next phase. We got to stick our heads in and smell the mash at the top of a silo and it was a burn like horseradish going up your nostrils. A fine smell, but STRONG. Next they trickle the whiskey through large vats of charcoal to mellow it. The charcoal serves to filter out any impurities and we got to take a whiff of those vats too. I think I actually got a little drunk off of those fumes. Next they took us to the building where the barrels are raised (by hand). This is an art form and requires special craftsmen. They do not "make" a barrel, they "raise" them. Then the whiskey goes into the barrel for several years, where it picks up its color and additional flavors from the wood. There is no set time limit. A master distiller tastes each barrel to determine when it is ready to be bottled and he handpicks special ones for the JD premium lines, particularly the Single Barrel Jack. If you happen to have $10,000 you can buy one of these barrels. You get to visit and taste several and pick the one you want. One barrel fills about 44 cases or 264 bottles of whiskey. So if you are looking for gift ideas for me....

Lastly, they take you to the barrel house. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside of any of the buildings, but it was a site to see. Imagine the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but with barrels of whiskey and you'll have some idea what it was like to walk through that. All just sitting, aging and picking up color and flavor until the master distiller deems it worthy of the Jack Daniel's label.

Our tour guide Roger was a great guy and he seemed to like Andy and I, chatting us up as we walked from one site to the next.

Not only don't they charge you for the tour, they don't even have a gift shop. They let the local folks take care of that and they point you to downtown to support the local economy. We went to an ice cream parlour and I had Jack Daniel's Whiskey Raisin Ice Cream on a sugar cone. It was amazing. We checked out the tshirts and other souvenirs and I was about to leave without anything when I spotted the perfect memento of this visit. I bought a walking cane that is made from the stave of a used barrel that JD was aged in.
We headed back to Nashville and after a short rest in the hotel headed downtown for dinner and to drink some good ole Tennessee sipping whiskey. There was a concert in the arena right in the center of town and wouldn't you know it Bieber fever was taking over Nashville. Tween girls and their moms squealing everywhere. It was a bit frightening. We ducked into Legends and had a Jack Daniel's while deciding where to eat. We agreed that Jack's was so good the night before that we went back second time. We went back to Rippy's too and saw another really good local act. We decided to grab a shuttle back and make it an early night before the Bieber fans came out and took over the city again.

Thursday

We headed straight to the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday morning. The Ryman is the most famous stage in Nashville and for years was the home to the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry is there twice a week currently while they are repairing Opryland from the flooding. The Ryman was not affected at all. It is a beautiful theatre full of wooden pews and stained glass with acoustics that they claim are second only to Carnegie Hall. We took a guided tour of backstage and a self guided tour of the public spaces. You could get on stage and have your photo taken and they had guitars there for props. Andy and I headed over to do it and I said to him - "I don't care if its three bars...I'm gonna sing on that stage when I get up there to have my picture taken." The lady taking the photos over heard me and said "Honey, you just go right ahead and sing all you want." So Andy and I had our picture taken together and were pleased to find the guitars were tuned and ready to play. So we played a little and then I stayed up to have a picture by myself taken. I played and sang a little bit of a song that I wrote recently and a woman in the balcony gave me a standing ovation. It was a major highlight of the trip. We were both giddy for the next few hours.
We jumped in the car and headed for Memphis....

My Road trip from Annapolis to Austin (Part 1)

After a whirlwind farewell tour that lasted several weeks I'm sure some folks were wondering if I might ever be leaving. I had so much fun and really felt celebrated by my friends, coworkers, church family and my family. It was hard saying farewell but my friend Andy and I hit the road on Monday the 9th and we had a great time getting to Austin.

Monday
After spending Sunday night at my parents' house, I went back to my house one last time for a final sweep through. There were a handful of odds and ends to go in the POD and lock it up. I called BGE and Verizon and had my services disconnected and said one last very painful goodbye to my pets. I didn't find homes for them, so planned to take them to the SPCA, but found out that they are closed on Mondays. My parents agreed to handle that for me on Tuesday and I can't thank them enough for doing that. As Forest Gump would say - "That's all I have to say about that."

I made a quick stop back at my parents' to grab my duffle bag and fill my cooler with sodas and ice. My parents, sister Becky and my nieces saw me off and I was on my way. I had a good cry from Hillsmere to Parole, but pulled myself together to go through the bank drive-thru. I had a nice chat with my friend/pastor/former boss Bill as I drove to pick up Andy, who lives in Davidsonville. We grabbed lunch, filled up the tank and we began our journey with me driving. The worst traffic of the whole trip was at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge going around the DC beltway. I drove us out of Maryland, out 66 and got us on 81 South before we stopped for our first rest stop and Andy took over driving. That's the only strech of the whole trip that I actual drove. If you get the chance to go on a road trip with a chauffer, I highly recommend it.

We cruised that day all the way into eastern Tennessee, stopping only for dinner and to take a picture on the side of the road to send to Penni. A little homage to Marc Broussard's song - Home.

Rolling down the road going no where
Guitar packed in the trunk
Somewhere round mile marker 112
Papa started hummin the funk
I gotta jones in my bones before we know
We were singing this melody
Stop the car pulled out the guitar
Halfway to New Orleans

Its the first song Penni ever sang in public and she gives me credit for the nudge to get up there and perform.

Tuesday
We hit Nashville around lunchtime and started our exploring at the visitor center right in the heart of town. Grabbed some coupons and headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Great museum with all these little listening booths throughout where you could experience the music from the era that you were currently reading about. They had an amazing collection of clothes, guitars and all sorts of memorabilia. A special exhibit on Hank Williams was still there while we went through. The tour ended in the Hall of Fame which is a circular room with plaques for those that have been inducted to date. The building is beautiful and you could spend days in there trying to read and see everything that they have on display. The gold and platinum records on the walls were like the stars...far too many to count.
We walked up to the Ryman Auditorium but they were going to be closing shortly so instead of rushing we chose to do it another day. We checked out a vintage guitar shop with price tags that made Andy and I affraid to touch anything. Some really beautiful instruments. Amazing music was coming from a back room and we were pleased to discover it wasn't a recording, but two guys trying out a dobro and an accoustic guitar just jamming. We hung out for the afternoon in a place on Broadway called Rippy's and saw an older guy and a young girl perform and they were fantastic. Great voices, great song selections and he could really play the guitar and banjo. We found a hotel, checked in, showered and then caught a shuttle back down to Broadway for dinner and some karaoke. We ate BBQ in a place called Jack's and it was delicious. After dinner we headed across the street to a place called Troubadors so we could sing as is our Tuesday night routine. We texted back and forth with our friends at Heroes in Annapolis and it was like we were all together (sort of). We met some fun people in Troubadors and since karaoke ran from 8pm - 3am we sang A LOT. For the Original New Music Tuesday Crew I include the list of what I did that night --

1. Spanish Pipedream -John Prine
2. Miami 2017 (I've Seen the Lights Go Out On Broadway) Billy Joel
3. Someone Like You - Van Morrison
4. Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright version of Leonard Cohen's song
5. Million Dollars - Bare Naked Ladies (duet with Andy)
6. Beer For My Horses - Willie Nelson & Tody Keith (duet with Andy)
7. Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti and Spearhead
8. Vienna - Billy Joel
9. Angel From Montgomery - John Prine
10. Suddenly Seymour - from Little Shop of Horrors (duet with the KJ, Jessica)
11. What's So Funny ('bout Peace Love & Understanding) Elvis Costello
12. Where Everybody Knows Your Name - Theme song from Cheers
13. One Song Glory - from Rent
14. Lawyers Guns & Money - Warren Zevon
15. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Willie Nelson

As Double "N" Jenn, said..."Fifteen songs?! That's not karaoke, that's a concert!" We had so much fun and it was really cool to sing on stage in Nashville. People got up and danced to a couple of my songs, one girl hugged me for doing Leonard Cohen, the KJ bought me a couple of drinks, and I got to share it with my Annapolis gang through modern technology.

Quite the beginning to our little road trip.

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

Man this summer has just been flying by and there have been some major events and milestones since my last post.

Our youth group trip to Philadelphia was absolutely amazing. The folks at Broad Street Ministry are doing amazing things and it was such a great experience for us to get to work with them and meet the people of Philly. The main down side was how brutally hot the week was and the fact that the church is not air conditioned. We worked hard, sweated A LOT, and had lots of fun too. We had one free afternoon and went out for Cheese Steaks and also ran the steps at the art museum just like Rocky (OK, I was not exactly running like Rocky, but I did manage to hobble all the way up the steps and do the classic victorious pose at the top like I've wanted to do since elementary school!)



Starting 4th of July weekend, I spent a week on vacation with my family at Bethany Beach. Bethany put on a fantastic firework display on the beach and then a really nice parade the next day. I'm still partial to Deep Creek Lake, but I love swimming in the ocean and honestly as long as our family is together we could be in the middle of nowhere and it would be fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed my annual obsession with le Tour de France and geeked out with my Twitter friends following the PC(USA) General Assembly via their posts from the meeting and following the live streaming feed whenever I could. This gathering occurs every two years and is the national forum where our denomination discusses, debates and votes on the big issues facing our church and the world - gay marriage, ordination standards, the Middle East, etc.

I returned from vacation and assisted with Vacation Bible School at church. I helped coordinate youth volunteers who did a skit each morning for the children, ran games, and assisted adult leaders with their groups. I also lead worship for the children the final day of the week. Five half hour sessions back to back with 12-15 kids in each group. Its a whirlwind of activity, exhausting and one of my favorite weeks each year that I have worked at the church.

I finally had my hearing with the Workers' Compensation Commission to determine my permanent impairment and the financial award insurance will pay to compensate me for the current state of my leg. After the reports of two doctors and the testimony before the commission they have decided that I have a 60% loss of use of my right leg as a result of my accident. Basically, I'm not going to get rich as a result of this decision, but I should be able to finish seminary relatively, if not completely debt free (my disability award combined with other grants and scholarships that I will be receiving). I'd trade my leg function for debt in a heartbeat, but since that is not a choice that I am able to make I'll take the financial benefit.

I hit the big 4-0 a week ago. That combined with going away send-offs has had me celebrating daily and savoring every moment that I can with friends, co-workers and family. It has been a blast. My family threw a party for me last weekend that was to be a BBQ at our community beach, but mother nature had other ideas. A huge storm hit minutes after we finished setting up and shortly before the first guest arrived, so we relocated the party to my parent's house. It was so much fun to see all of my different circles of friends together in one place - co-workers, church members, youth group teens, karaoke buddies, life long friends, neighbors and my family.

On my actual birthday I got to go sailing out on the bay with my good friends the Rizzo's. Check out his blog post about our sail and for some great photos.

This morning was my last day as Director of Youth Ministries at First of Annapolis. I was commissioned during the worship service to go to seminary and they had an ice cream social afterward for me. They even ended the service with one of my favorite Ben Harper songs for the postlude. At the reception I received lots of cards, hugs, a set of Anglican prayer beads made by the youth, BibleWorks software for exegesis, and a generous financial gift. I am going to miss everyone so much, but am really getting excited for my move and to start school.

This week will be filled with packing, dump runs, and final get togethers and farewells.

I am truly blessed.

Time is getting short

Less than two months until I hit the road for Texas. Life has been a lot of fun and I am trying to thoroughly enjoy my time here in Annapolis before heading off to school. I've been getting out a lot and spending time with my friends and family as much as possible. Since my last post much has happened.

I had another wonderful time up in Princeton at the Youth Ministry Forum. I got to meet a bunch of my Twitter friends "in real life" and got to hang out and reconnect with several of my Princeton/Lawrenceville friends from past visits. It was great to see Sara, Laura, Rich & Greer, Mark and Katie again. And I managed a trip to and from Jersey without any police incidents, so that's a big improvement over last year! The forum's featured speakers were outstanding this year. Kenda Creasy Dean, Shane Claiborne and the Reverend Peter Gomes were all excellent.

At church, we've wrapped up another program year and I'm prepping for our group to spend a week in Philadelphia with Broad Street Ministry. Should be a great week full of service learning projects, meeting new people and will be the biggest group that I've taken on a week long mission trip since I've been in youth ministry. In other youth related news - Youth Sunday was fantastic this year. I am so proud of the job that they did. The sermons, music, prayers and entire service was off the charts good. Confirmation Class concluded, we recognized a huge (18) class of graduating seniors and I managed to get through both without crying. The search committee has been accepting resumes and hopefully they will have a replacement for my position lined up before I leave. Still kind of sinking in that I will not be the youth director at First of Annapolis in a few short weeks.

I got to hang with Dan and Megan while they were back in the country briefly and check out their house in DC where they will be living when he finishes at Trinity and Birmingham.

My poker buddies and karaoke friends have been a ton of fun to hang out with and I am really going to miss them even though some of them I've only just met in the last few months. They are both a great bunch of folks (with some overlap between the groups) and they have done wonders to help me get over my stage fright and to just have FUN. After the last two years it has been just what the doctor ordered.

This week I received my housing assignment from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Initially they had me assigned to an apartment building the students lovingly refer to as "the leper colony" because it's about a block away from the rest of the campus. I was also assigned a second floor unit and the building has no elevator. This was a mistake because they had missed the fact that I have mobility issues and need either a ground floor unit or a building with an elevator. They were extremely accommodating when I called to tell them my problem. Within ten minutes the housing director called back with a ground floor unit in one of the buildings right on campus. It happened to be a 2 bedroom, instead of a 1 bedroom (for only $15 more per month) so I've really lucked out. The school has the floor plans on their web site, so this is the layout of my new home. Sure makes it nice and easy to plan what furniture I'll take and where it will go when I get there.
And speaking of my mobility issues, my hearing with the Worker's Compensation Commission will be in a month to determine my permanency rating and hopefully I can close the book on this whole accident and bureaucracy chapter once and for all.

I've recently reconnected with my high school sweetheart through Facebook and she lives outside of Houston with her husband and two girls. Having made the same transition that I am about to make, from the shores of the Chesapeake to Texas, she has been a wealth of information about what I need to prepare for culturally in Texas, what I must do here in Maryland before I leave and has some great suggestions for my road trip down. Gonna do a little Elizabethtown style road trip on the way there. My cousin and his wife are planning on driving up from Atlanta and meeting me in Tennessee for a few days of sight seeing together on my way out. I really want to hit the Grand Ole Opry, Jack Daniel's Distillery, Sun Records, Graceland, and the Civil Rights Museum on the way. My buddy Andy is planning on making the drive with me too. Should be a lot of fun.

Last but not least, my best friends Doug and Penni have made me an uncle again this week. Melody Soul Day was born Monday morning June 14th 12:48am. 6 pounds 4 ounces and she is beautiful!

Dropping Ashes on the Cross

A Zen koan is a story or riddle used to make you think and hopefully enlighten those who meditates on it. One we all know is "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

Whenever a disagreement comes about with regard to faith, orthodoxy (right belief), orthopraxy (right action) or when the charge of heretic is thrown around I often think of another koan. It is Zen Master Seung Sahn's most famous koan . It goes like this -

Sixth Gate: Seung Sahn's Dropping Ashes on the Buddha

A man came into the Zen Center smoking a cigarette, blowing smoke in the Buddha-statue's face and dropping ashes on its lap. The abbot came in, saw the man, and said, "Are you crazy? Why are you dropping ashes on the Buddha?"
The man answered, "Buddha is everything. Why not?"
The abbot couldn't answer and went away.

1. "Buddha is everything." What does that mean?

2. Why did the man drop ashes on the Buddha?

3. If you had been the abbot, how could you have fixed this man's mind?

Commentary: How do you meet the Buddha? Where do you throw away ashes? Its all very clear. Your correct function is always in front of you.

NOTE: There is an important factor in this case that has apparently never been explicitly included in its print versions. Zen Master Seung Sahn has always told his students that the man with the cigarette is also very strong and that he will hit you if he doesn't approve of your response to his actions.

I think this can be transferred to the Christian faith. This is the way I would re-envision it:

A man walks into a church, snuffs his cigar out on the cross, breaks open the poor box, and takes all the money out. The pastor see this and confronts the man. He tells the pastor that this is not a proper church and says he is going to use the money for the good of God. His theft is forgiven so what's the problem? The pastor is speechless. If you are the pastor how do you correct this man's understanding?

If God has forgiven us through Christ then does it matter what we do? Can we go about sinning knowing that all is forgiven? If our sin is for what we believe to be the greater good does that excuse harming others? If we see someone else sinning is it our job to correct them? If so, how do we correct them? Since there are many different ideas as to what constitutes a sin where do we draw the line? Who gets to draw that line? When we feel that someone has crossed that line what is the best way to correct them? Lecture? Physical means? Excommunication? Ignore it? Is it OK to bully and badger someone until they agree with your interpretation?

These questions and this koan have been on my mind as I have been watching an online debate recently.

There is a group of people on Twitter who post comments using the common hashtag #Outlawpreachers. (a hashtag makes it easier sort Tweets when there are multiple people involved in a conversation). The "Outlaw Preachers" are an eclectic bunch of folks that may or may not be ordained, come from many different denominations (or none at all), and for one reason or another consider themselves to be outside of the norm. There is no initiation, there is no "membership." It is a completely open way to share ideas. Anyone who is on Twitter can type "#outlawpreachers" in a tweet and it will show up in the thread. There are often theological debates and for the most part it is done with respect and civility.

Recently though there have been some heated exchanges in large part due to one individual's very strong opinions on homosexuality and his less than subtle way of expressing them. People have tried lots of different ways of engaging him. Some have stopped following the hashtag because they can't stand the discourse any more. Some have tried to reason with him. Some have resorted to fighting back and it has deteriorated to name calling. Nothing seems to have worked thus far.

I happen to be a straight ally of the homosexuals. I do not view it as a sin. I believe in the radical grace of God and its availability to all that seek it. Personally I don't agree with this individual's point of view or his tactics. But he is my brother, as a human being and as a Christian, so I want to love him, find common ground and remain open to his point of view. Frankly, he is making it difficult for anyone who doesn't agree with him to do so.

On both sides of this disagreement each thinks the other has a mistaken understanding of the gospel. I'm sure that both think that the other is dropping ashes on the cross and using the church's "treasure" for the wrong things.

We think he is using scripture and the gospel to condemn and alienate children of God. He thinks we are too liberal with God's atonement and what he perceives as our acceptance of sinful behavior.

Someone is dropping ashes on the cross. How do we respond and stay true to our faith?