Sara's Blog-o-rama

Home, Sweet Home

2005-08-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

I'm here in Minnesota, spending time with my family and the little neighbor girl who wants to hang out 24/7. Spent some time with a soon-to-be new member of our family (she's marrying into some strange folk) and had a great theological discussion about open-mindedness toward all of God's creation.

Now I'm waiting for the rest of my family to return home. Feels a little strange to be here by myself--it's reminiscent of the long summer days we used to spend cleaning house, watching TV, and eagerly waiting for the new routine of school to begin again. Strange how I'd spend all school year waiting for summer, and once it arrived, spend it waiting for school again.

Musical Baton, Finally

2005-07-20T17:18:00.000-05:00

I was "tagged" with the musical baton by Chris Drew longer ago than I'm willing to admit. So, here goes:

Total volume of music files on my computer: I can count on two hands and one foot the number of songs that I have in iTunes.

The last CD I bought was: actually given to me as a gift: for lack of a better name and remains the same. It's a 2-CD set by the Choirboys, a men's a capella group from my alma mater, Augustana College. The group is a homegrown bunch of Midwestern (mostly) boys who bring new energy and creativity (in addition to fun percussion and the occasional animal sound) to favorites like "Kiss the Girl" (The Little Mermaid), "Africa" (Toto), and even "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?"

My favorite song on the album: "And So it Goes," from remains the same. Rich melodies and bittersweet harmonies in a love song that coaxes a strange aching from deep within.

Song playing right now: no song; "All Things Considered" on NPR. A not-surprising story on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.

Five songs I listen to a lot (or that mean a lot to me):
"Rain," original composition by Rebekah Antoine
"Meaning," Gavin DeGraw
"At Last," Etta James
"Will the Circle Be Unbroken," folk tune
"NYC Weather Report," Five for Fighting

Passing on to Karen.

Rise Up, Presbyterians!

2005-06-28T22:22:00.000-05:00

The "Frozen Chosen" have a choice before us: put up or lose out. A story from the PC(USA) news service reported on Tuesday that the Presbyterian Church this year lost almost 45,000 members. The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General Assembly, named our sin: "timidity in evangelism."

We're afraid, as we sit through the sermon, that the junior high kids sitting in the back are goofing around and finding creative ways around being bored stiff. We're afraid to mention God's name, or the name of Jesus or the Holy Spirit, for fear of being identified with overzealous folk who just can't be quiet about their "testimony" or another phrase with which we're not quite comfortable. We're afraid to talk with kids about church because they might blow us off or, worse, ask a question for which we don't have an answer.

Let us remember the reason we gather each week: love. God's love for us is great; we can't possibly hoard it for ourselves, and great things seem to happen when we get together to share God's love among ourselves. The point of "church" is community. We come together to be together. We make sweet music together, enjoy animated conversation, partner in dynamic prayer, and celebrate God's good care.

Perfect love casts out all fear, including the fear that paralyzes our speech and steers us away from direct conversations about difficult issues.

God blesses a group of folks who come together to spend time with God and with each other. The idea is oversimplified, but we would all do better to stop trying so hard to change and replace that effort with a focused, concerted effort to listen for God. God has placed in each of us and in our communities deep urges and longings, and God will use them to pull us up into transformation.

It's Greek to Me

2005-06-19T15:12:00.000-05:00

We're through two weeks of Summer Greek Camp. We've learned eleven verb forms and two noun declensions. My brain is galloping to keep up. The pedagogical style of our professor, John Alsup, is relaxed but also thorough. In the class we've translated verses on our own, as well as getting a little help identifying words from a Pillsbury doughboy doll. Do not underestimate the value of humor in intensive situations.

The elementary knowledge of Greek has already proved useful. The kids at the Korean church are learning new Greek words along with me. Last and this week, they learned the word "ekklesia," which means "church" or "congregation." The source of the word comes from a verb and a preposition that together literally mean "call out of." We talked about God's naming us for service and God's call to us to venture out of the safety of the church and to walk in the sometimes messy, sometimes difficult world with God.

Muir Woods

2005-06-03T19:14:00.000-05:00

Today we visited Muir Woods in Marin County, CA. The park is home to a forest full of the famous tall, old redwoods of California. One particular phenomenon among the redwoods fascinated me: family circles. One tree is hit by lightning and splintered down to the stump, but because of the massive underground root system, it spawns new trees all around it. It looked something like a circle of people sitting around a campfire.

I'm intrigued by the trees' power to bring life out of death. It seems to resemble a baptism of sorts--the old dies out, but from it comes lush and abundant new life. I am reminded of the traditionally Catholic baptismal ritual of total submersion, which represents the dying of the old self and rebirth into the new life and work of God through the Holy Spirit.

I'm New and Enthusiastic

2005-05-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

My first real post, with real content. The purpose of this blog is to keep folks from home updated on my progress through seminary. Friends in Austin--I've linked to several of you--are welcome to drop in anytime too.

First order of business: School's out! We've spent the last week of freedom swimming in the Guadalupe River, playing poker and video games, and cooking. It's been fun to have an opportunity to do many things for which we had little time during the semester. I'm traveling with my beau to San Francisco on Wednesday to take in the city's beauty for a few days before we begin Greek next Monday.

I Have Arrived

2005-05-19T15:09:00.000-05:00

My first post! I hope to see you again soon.