I Survived Hell Week...I mean ordination exams

Well, as of 9:00 this morning ordination exams are over. All the tests are turned in and on their way to Louisville where they will be sent somewhere to be graded in early October. I will know at the end of October whether I passed or whether I get the fun and excitement of doing all or part of this again. So, I was going for 5's (highest grade), praying for 4's, will be thrilled with 3's and if I get 2's will have the fun of doing them over again. Yippee.

But for now it is sleep and time to play for a few days before classes start.

Peace

Hazing hath a new name

Yes, folks, hazing hath a new name...it is ORDINATION EXAMS!!!
This is a bizarre form of hazing that occurs just prior to your senior year. A day and a half spent in 3 hours blocks writing over 9 questions. Theology, Worship and Polity are the disciplines tested. Theology and Worship each have 1 question that you get to use the Book of Confessions as a resource, the other questions, you and your brain are on your own. Polity, they give you the book, but it takes time to look stuff up, so not as much time to write. Then...if that weren't enough to fry your brain, at noon on Saturday you are given and OT and NT Bible passage and questions. You pick Greek or Hebrew and have 5 days to write an exegesis paper (answer 6 of 9 or so questions provided), write a focus statement and a sermon outline. And you pay to let people do this to you...what kind of nuts is that?!

So as of Thursday at 9:01 am, I will have survived hell week, i mean ordination exams. And then all that is left is to pray for 3's.

Thanks for thoughts and prayers, there is now light at the end of the tunnel...I think.

Peace

AAACCKK!!!! ORDS ARE COMING!!!

Haven't posted in a while. Have started studying for ords. Several friends have said "You'll have no problems." Wish I felt that confident. I did like what my friend Martha reminded me though. The answers are in my head, I just have to let them out to play. Studying abounds and the stress levels begin to rise. For all of you unlucky enough to be around those of us taking ords, remember to take us with a grain of salt. We may be cranky and snippy, but know it is the stress of 4 freaking tests that you have to pass to move ahead with what you feel God is calling you to do. Prayers are appreciated!

Prayer of the Weeks to come:
Dear God, you have called me to this place, and have called me to this vocation. I can only do this through your grace. Help me continue to trust in you, that your will be done, even when I try and get in the way of that. Amen.

Peace.

Return Of The Revolution

These are the lyrics to an OC Supertones song. Listened to it today in my car. Since I just watched the movie Luther again, some of this is still fresh in my mind. More later on my thoughts of return of the revolution...

There ain’t no stopping us now
I’d like to say that from the outset
Not up in this business just to get what we can get
But bet that
We gonna bring it to you loud and clear
How loud I gotta say it ’fore you people start to hear
I can name our problems
But I know a solution
Bring back the revolution.

The revolution comes and we all stand as one
Rises from the darkness and shines like the sun
As the sun gets higher, our church catches fire
Down from our pride and up from the mire.
It’s a dream that I’ve had and I hope it comes true
I forgot to say the revolution starts with you.

See wisdom and knowledge is one thing that we lack
You’ve been a christian how long and you’re still on similac
So I call on Martin Luther and all the reformation back
Then the common people couldn’t read God’s revelation
You had to be a monk or a priest to read latin
That was all before the revolution happened.

But the fire cooled down ever since that generation
We put down the Bible and pick up the play station
And we can’t defend our faith ’cause we don’t even know it
We say we love his word but pick a funny way to show it.
The world walks by and we don’t have a thing to say
I call ’em as I see ’em. And that’s what I see today

Chorus:
The revolution returns
The reformation lives on
The great awakening is now
Sleepers open your eyes
A war is on, our rally cry is no compromise
No compromise, yeah, no compromise
A war is on, our battle cry is no compromise
So throw your fist up and pray the revolution rise
A war is on, our rally cry is no compromise

Our hearts have grown so cold
And we’ve such numb souls
But shirts and bumper stickers
Man we got ’em by the truckload
Is true religion what you have around your wrist
What does the scripture say of this

They honor me with words
But their hearts are far away
I call ’em like I see ’em
And that’s what I see today
So I call on John Edwards
Who preched us all awake
We try to be emotional but here is our mistake
As a church we lack repentance and we lack true affection
Not only in our minds but our hearts need correction
And man that’s true religion, resignation and contrition
To love each other so much that we’d die before division

(chorus)

So what about you
Will you join us
Will you admit that the waters around us have grown
You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone
Do you stand with us or do we stand alone
It’s time that we stand up, enlist for the war
I’ve tasted battle and now I want more
I’ve known the truth and been cut to the core
But I’m back in the game to even the score
And I mean to go out with both my guns blazing
Amazed at a God who’s so truly amazing
To triumph in battle as the spirit enables
Can’t turn back the clock but we can turn the tables

Purity...Since when?

Had a thought today about peace, unity and purity. And what I got stuck on was purity. Since when has the church actually been pure? The early church struggled with the issue of circumcision. Did you have to be a Jew before you could be a Christian? How is it that the Gentiles were allowed to become a part of the church? The very act of bringing outsiders into the church blows the issue of purity apart does it not?

Purity makes me think of the countries that have destroyed groups of people in the name of racial purity (yes, I am reading a fiction book that has to do with the Nazis, so this is fresh in my mind). Is the church becoming so exclusionist, that we are willing to strive for "purity" at the expense of keeping those unlike us out? Or is the church to be a place where all are welcome at the expense of purity?

What do we mean by peace, unity and purity? Are we talking about tolerance, uniformity, and sameness? I think there are pockets of folk in the church that are. Tolerate other religions, they have the right to exist, but they are inferior; Uniformity of belief and thought, you have to think the same way I do; and purity should then follow. I honestly think this is where some people want the church to track.

The issue of biblical authority has been a hot topic all summer since there are those who feel that others have strayed. One of the things I have always valued about being Presbyterian is that there has always been room in the churches I have been a part of, to struggle with interpretation. I have never been told that this is what I have to believe, but have been given basic understanding and been allowed to wrestle and to dialogue with others. Am I always right? No. But the community with which I study is how I know that. I can bounce ideas off of them and if they are not received then I can dismiss them and learn from others. I like that!

I don't want to be in a church where everyone acts, talks and thinks the same. It is a bit redundant. I want to be with people who challenge me to open my mind and my heart and who will struggle along with me to see what God might be doing.

Think about it. What do we mean when we talk of purity? Is that really what we want?

Back in Austin

After spending the 4th at home with family, 4 days in North Carolina, and a week with the family...it is nice to be back in Austin. While I was home I went to the Oklahoma Historical Museum and the Sam Noble Natural History Museum with my nephews and spent time actally reading for fun.

I also preaching in 4 churches in 2 weeks. The largest congregation was 25 and the smallest was 7. Great fun doing pulpit supply though.

Now it is time to begin studying for ords. I am part way through Shirley Guthries "Christian Doctrine" and am reading the Book of Confessions again. Time to brush up all those skills that I have been learning.

Amazing Grace

At the beginning of one of the plenary sessions on Thursday, I saw a lady down the pew from me wearing a Montreat cross. I had seen them on the website and was going to get one to wear when I preach. I asked her if she had gotten that in the bookstore here. A conversation ensued with Mary and she asked if this was my first time at Montreat. We only spoke for a few minutes as the session began.

At the end of the session, she stepped toward me, extending her hand. She pressed the cross into my hand and said it was to remember my first Montreat experience by. I have worn the cross during the rest of the conference and will wear it when I preach. If nothing else to remind me of the amazing grace that abounds within the church. The church has become fragmented in the last couple of weeks, but there truly is still hope. We must be willing to reach out to others, even those we don't know, and extend a hand and the gift, the touch of peace.

Montreat views

This is the view looking over Lake Susan to Assembly Inn where I am staying. This is a gorgeous retreat site. The clouds hung low over the mountains this morning as we went to plenary session. It is peaceful, it rained last night, it is cool with a gentle breeze. Wish I could bottle it up and bring it home.

Sitting, listening to the frogs croak and the rain fall,
I notice how many sounds I miss most of the time.
There is too much other clutter in my heart, my soul, my mind.

A few days of simplistic life
Days of listening and thinking about God’s call
A chance to just be and to be in God’s presence

The majesty of the mountains,
The splendor of creation
The softly falling rain and the frogs lull me to sleep


Peace

Howdy from Montreat

Having never been to Montreat before, let me just say...WOW!!!!! Gorgeous views and wonderful camp site. I hope to post some pictures in the coming days and will post news(on the GA Blog) from the "Hope of the Church Conference" that I am attending. We started tonight with worship, led by Moderator Joan Gray.

Will post more when I decide to take a break from the gorgeous scenery. :)

Peace out!

Reading Shirley Guthrie and thinking about GA

As I begin preparation for ords, I picked up Shirley Guthrie's "Christian Doctrine." In light of my experiences at GA different things have jumped off the page.

In his discussion about studying the Bible he states "There is always the danger that we will find in the Bible only what we take with us to it - that we will use it to confirm what we already think and will hear only what we want to hear.... What is to keep us from simply using the Bible to give authority to our own religious, social, political and economic prejudices What is to prevent us from using the study of this ancient book as a pious excuse for refusing to face the radical claims of the living God on every area of our lives, hear and now?" - p 11

"The self-revelation of God is in fact so new and unexpected that it is often offensive to those who think they already know who God is and what God must say and do if God is really God." - 56

These 2 pieces made me think back to GA and wonder what lens are we viewing Scripture through? Are we bringing our biases and fears hoping to find only what we want or are we willing to let go and let God be God? Christianity has always had a scandalous edge to it, perhaps moving toward the ordination of GLBT persons in the next scandalous move. After all blacks and women have been allowed to preach.

The struggle of theology continues....

Theological Issues...

Walking away from GA one of the things that grabbed hold of me is the lack of theological depth in the church today. Many of the debates that should have been from a theological point, were not, there was more debate on a personal emotional level. Along with this is the lack of Scriptural awarness and a difference of how we interpret Scripture. There are many ways Presbyterians have historically interpreted Scripture, but the most prevalent to me at GA, was what do I bring to the text and how does the text say what I want it to say. So where have we gotten lost?

I was reading Michael Jinkins book "Letters to New Pastors" the other day and something he said struck me. The theology of the congregation is only as deep as the hymns it sings. So how has the prevalence of contemporary music (particularly the old 7-11 songs - 7 words sung 11 times) and the changing of the old hymns and in some cases getting rid of them affected congregational theology? Because we have tried to use more inclusive language have we begun to lose the ability to see God as utterly transcendent? Does the phrase "High King of Heaven" point us to a transcendent God?

How do we begin to reclaim our theological heritage? How do we help our congregation rediscover the importance of them each being a theologian and that theology truly does matter? I can't help but wonder if we as a denomination and as the larger catholic church, if we would be in a better place that we are now. How has a lack of theological understanding impacted what we are doing as church (or not doing)? How has our lack of understanding added to the arguements?

The Trinity paper raised a ton of debate that I wasn't sure where it came from. But then I got an email from my sister after an article ran in the local paper. She was totally against the names brought forth as other ways to speak about the triune God. What I feel that she and a bunch of people missed was the fact that every image for the triune God, was to be anchored in the historical formula of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No one was out to change the baptismal formula or say we could use the historic names. It was instead a time to encourage the church to look beyond one way to name the triune God and to look at Scriptural images that are used and bring those forth.

This has caused me to stop and look at what I feel called to do. I feel strongly about theological education in the church. I wonder if this my deep joy that intersects with a need in the church.

Nice to be home

GA in Birmingham was an incredible experience, although something akin to drinking from a fire hose. I have been posting the last several days on the GA blog, which, I will continue to post stuff there as I prepare to go to Montreat for "The Hope of the Church" but I will start posting here again as well.

I didn't realize how tired I was after GA until Saturday. This week is finishing up some financial aid stuff and then it is back to Oklahoma for a few weeks with Montreat in between. While I am in Oklahoma I will do a couple weeks of supply preaching. One of the lectionary texts is from 2 Samuel as Uzziah touches the ark and dies (although they leave that out). If I were in a gutsier mood I would attempt to tackle that text, but maybe not. I lean toward 2 Corinthians 12 and the thorn in Paul's side "my grace is sufficient for you" is the phrase that jumps off the page. We'll see where I am lead with this.

Peace.

HYMNS FOR EVERYBODY

HYMNS FOR EVERYBODY
Good evening, friends, and welcome to our hymn sing. We are pleased
to announce that we have a hymn for everyone. Our program this
evening will include:

The Dentist's Hymn - Crown Him with Many Crowns
The Weatherman's Hymn - There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
The Contractor's Hymn - The Church's One Foundation
The Tailor's Hymn - Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer's Hymn - There Is A Green Hill Far Away
The Politician's Hymn - Standing on the Promises
The Optometrist's Hymn - Open My Eyes That I Might See
The IRS Agent's Hymn - I Surrender All
The Gossip's Hymn - Pass It On
The Electrician's Hymn - Send The Light
The Shopper's Hymn - Sweet By and By
The Realtor's Hymn - I've Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop
The Massage Therapist's Hymn - He Touched Me
The Doctor's Hymn - The Great Physician

And for you motorists at..

45 mph - God Will Take Care of You
55 mph - Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
65 mph - Nearer My God To Thee
75 mph - Nearer Still Nearer
85 mph - This World Is Not My Home
95 mph - Lord, I'm Coming Home
Over 100 mph - Precious Memories!!!!

Go See Cars!

A group of us went last night to see Pixar's Cars. Cute movie. Great soundtrack! We went to a theater that was showing it in DLP (digital projection) WOW!!! Big difference. I love that animated movies now are written for the adults as well. I think this graphically is the best of the Pixar movies and while it has a good story line, I still am a fan of the Incredibles.

New Blog just for the GA Experience

I just created a new blog that is devoted to my experience at GA and a conference 2 weeks later. This is the summer adventure. I will post as often as I can while at GA and Montreat. The new address is linked below.

Future Moderator

We'll just have to wait and see if this title is fitting or not. This adventure could either affirm a thought from SYS I almost 2 years ago or make me breath a sigh of relief. Only one week left.

A Trip Home

It was nice to be home and to see family and friends. I spent the first few days playing with my nephews Josh and Jayson. Then they left with their Mom and Dad and my other sister and dad for France for a week. Besides playing with the boys, I also had time to see folks from my church and who I used to teach with.


Aah Norman, Oklahoma. Home of the OU Sooners. This is the North end of the stadium. There are times that I forget how much I miss the sites of my home town. Especially during football season.


While I was home I also had the opportunity to participate in worship at my home church. Having been in several different churches, I really like my home church.

Although is was nice to be home, it was also nice to come back to Austin and see my frends here. Now begins the preparation for General Assembly in Birmingham. Right now my glorified thought is to post daily from GA. We'll just have to see if that actually happens.

Jumpstart your blog.....thanks David

Jumpstart your blog
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
[5. Don't you dare dig for that cool/intellectual book you hide away under the bed for occasions such as these ... Yes, I'm lookin' at you! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.]

Was looking at fellow seminarian blogs and stumbled upon this from David...

"It evokes in us painful memories of historical instances in which the belonging of one to another was abusive, not comforting. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were times when consciousness rose regarding the ownership of slaves by masters, the absorption of wives' identities into those of their husbands, and the economic possession of some countries by others. In reaction to these oppressive power relationships, it isno wonder that we tend to value autonomy over interdependence."

This is from the Book Conversations with the Confessions, and the essay is titled "What Does God Have to Do with Us?"
This book is a series of essays from different leaders within the the church, but guess who this one happens to be authored by? This is one of the books that I have set out to read as I study for ordination exams in August.

DONE!!

Yippee! I am officially done. The last paper has been emailed and now I am off to see the Da Vinci Code.
Peace out!

Thursday.....

It's Thursday, 5 projects in 1 to go. It's theology, I am a theology nerd, but yes even I get sick of it.
At 7:05 this evening I have been quoted as saying, "I don't want to do theology anymore."

But oh well, back at it.

Going into the home stretch

One week left, 3 classes done, 3 to go. Spent the better part of the day in San Antonion for commissioner training for GA. Didn't learn a whole lot and spent about as much time on the road as in the meeting. Oh well. GA will be fun this summer.

Hope to get Ellen's paper done by Tuesday (take it to Light German) as well as most of my project for Lewie. Then it will be 3 days of nothing but atonement. Almost there, the end is in site, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it may still be a train......