Thanksgiving!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. It was a blessing to be able to spend time with family and friends, and of course eat good food! Unfortunately I came down with a bit of a cold at the beginning of the week, but I am feeling better now. Katie and I had a lot of fun watching Charlie's 8th grade basketball game last Monday. They went into four overtimes, but could not pull out the win! But Charlie hit a few threes and the boys played well. Coach Brandt did the best he could. :)

Today at Trinity we had two baptisms in the service in which I am a worship leader. It was exciting to be able to assist with the baptisms. We have never had a baptism in that service before, and it was a wonderful addition to our worship to be able to share in this Sacrament.

I have been reading two books for class over the holiday break. Both focus on the "New Missional Era" as Keifert describes it. These ideas of the missional Church are very groundbreaking. They address the issue of how to help Churches change and adapt in a new age of pluralism and postmodernism. To do this the emphasis is on discernment of God's Spirit and change in culture rather than organizational change.

Hope you all had a blessed holiday and were able to take some time to rest and relax!

The Voice of the Stranger

Yesterday my group presented our project to the pastors at the Church we are studying for my Reading the Audiences class. Reading the Audiences is all about how to do ministry in particular contexts. We have talked about new ideas of a missional Church and how to do Church in a changing and pluralistic culture.

For the project we studied the demographics of the Church and local area while also looking at their ministries and outreach. We then present the findings to the Church and "wonder" with the Church about what ways they could grow their ministries, and attempt to wonder what God might be up to in their midst.

The pastors we presented to were overall really receptive! Still, there was some defensiveness as we talked about their Church from an outside perspective. I found it really hard to be the voice of the "stranger" and give the outside perspective. We don't know all of the inside complexities of the Church and the trials and joys the congregation has faced over the years. Still, I think its really important as a Church to be able to hear the voice of the stranger. By hearing this voice, we can understand better how to reach out to people outside the Church. So I am thankful that they were willing to hear our voices.

Jesus often pointed to the voice of the stranger as a voice of truth. Consider the Pharisees response to Jesus' teaching to love your neighbor as yourself. Who is our neighbor? Jesus then tells the parable of the good Samaritan. To the Jewish audience this would have been revolutionary. Samaritans were foreigners who were shunned by mainstream Judaism. Here the Samaritan is a neighbor to the man in need when fellow Jews left him stranded.

Question to ponder.... Who's voices are we not hearing in the Church today?

Tending to the Spirit

Well I survived midterms which is a great feeling! I have been hard at work on a few papers and a group project. Today my goal for the day is to get a good start on my Church history term paper, as soon as I get home. The choir is singing in chapel this morning so that will be a great inspiration for my week. Its a wonderful experience to have the whole community come together for communion.

Last week I started a spiritual direction group which will meet once a month. I think it will be a great opportunity for me and my group members (who are also first year students) to tend to our spirits. It can be hard to take time out each day for prayer and reflection amidst our "busy schedules." But our spiritual director, Colleen, helped us see that those are the most important times for rest.

Here's a thought that I will be meditating on today from St. Therese of Lisieux:

Our Father gives himself as generously to the least of his children as to the greatest.

Be well. :)