Take My Hand

Happy Halloween

A Halloween picture :

Me (feeling VERY short) as Cat in The Hat, my cousin Nicholas as an Army Man, my cousin Jacob as Tigger, and my sister as Queen of Hearts.

The funny thing is that though I don't look it, I'm a good 6, 17 and 5 years older respectively than the rest of my family in the picture!  Oh well, I don't really mind. Though I guess it says something that I even want to make that statement!      : )

It's Been A While. . .

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks now. . . School and whatnot has gotten the best of me!  In the mean time, I've been accepted at Birmingham Southern .  Berry, hasn't begun reviewing their applications yet. And Agnes Scott's process apparently takes a long while.

There's not really much that's been on my mind recently that I'm willing to share in a public forum.  But, I'm not complaining about that!

A quick question though, to all you United Methodists: The Judicial Council began it's Fall session yesterday (it ends Saturday), but I haven't been able to find any official information about what's on the docket, etc.  Sure, I've gotten emails from different groups about specific issues but they were all written in order to persuade one to support their platforms.  Where can I find objective information??  Does such a thing exist?!

T-Shirt

I just had to let the blogging world know -- I bought the coolest shirt the other day and it just arrived in the mail :

Isn't that awesome??  You can get one of your very own at www.randomshirts.com

College App. Essay -- Rough Draft Version

The Road I Walk

Frederick Buechner -- a Presbyterian minister and American author -- once said, "You are called to the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

My deep gladness bubbles up within me when I listen to other’s stories of joy and pain, when I study theology and writings of faith, and when I stand up in a room full of people to share my own beliefs with the hope that they too might believe. My deep gladness -- my vocation -- is ordained ministry.

When I think about my future, I think of myself as standing at the beginning of a road. While my road is marked -- in fact my road sign bears the word ‘Clergy’ -- I'm not quite sure where that road will lead. Often, I stand at the beginning of this road and simply imagine. Some days gravel ambles pleasantly along and leads to a small church, where I can barely make myself out through the stained glass; I see my hands raised above my head in thanks for Holy Communion. Some days asphalt leads to the gates of a major university, where am walking briskly out the door of the main building of the divinity school, with brief case -- stuffed with papers to grade -- in hand. Some days parched ground leads to a hot and dusty refugee camp, where I'm running with little children, playing soccer with a ball made of bound rags; I'm unconsciously trying to ease the pain of social injustice with the joy that comes from play.

My deep gladness is ministry to others; my road is ordained ministry. Where exactly my deep gladness will meet the world’s deep hunger, I do not know. I can only walk the road with faith and see what will come into view around the next bend.

-- and then so on and so forth, relating to college.  I haven't quite wrapped it up yet... --

Quote/Photo Post

                                                                                         nss '05 -- Maui, HI

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, talented, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of the most high God.  Your playing small doesn't serve this world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you..." - Nelson Mandela

World Communion Sunday

This Sunday's worship service - which I just got back from - was incredible.  In the UMC, today is our 'World Communion Sunday' on which "many churches emphasize that the body of Christ shares the sacrament in rich diversity  while affirming that 'there is one body and one Spirit ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of us all.'  (Ephesians 4:4) " .

My local church has a tradition of dressing the young children (2 - 5 year olds) up in costumes from around the world. Each child is given a loaf of bread;  each loaf represents the country's costume which they wear.  Before The Great Thanksgiving, the children -- dressed in their costumes -- process in by twos and deposit their loaf in baskets that the clergy hold at the bottom of the chancel area.  The children then stand -- clad in their sombreros, fez', kimonos lederhosen, and grass skirts -- at the front for all the congregation to see.  This morning there must have been 40 children standing up there!

Needless to say, it was quite a spectacle.

In sitting there, I remembered being that small and dressing up to carry in the bread.  I remember I always represented Germany, and carried in a loaf of braided loaf because I thought the braided bread was prettiest.  We all felt so special carrying in the bread for Communion and dressed up in our costumes. . . In my mind, if even for that reason alone -- though there are many many more reasons -- I believe that children of course should be able to partake in the sacrement of bread and wine (or juice!) .

In the service, we were blessed to not only have our Bishop's assistant Ed Tomlinson present but to have Bishop Hans Vaxby of the Eurasia Episcopal Area deliver the sermon. . .

It was quite a morning!