What I Did on my J-Term Vacation?

Rugged Camp Fun...right....

There is a new buzz word: solo parenting.

J-Term or January Term around here means a variety of things: For many people once the end of the semester approaches, there is a mass exodus. Facebook updates joyfully proclaim traveling homeward, traveling to conferences or stocking up and preparing for classes for J-Term. This is when all the neat, interesting and awesome travel seminar courses commence. 

In this interim time where the community slowly murmurs to a serene afternoon river, caressing smooth rocks embedded in earth instead of cascading over this is also usually the time when I am either serving at a Church or camp as well as finishing up time with my two children before they returning begrudgingly back to classes and school. This is also a time, in this blessed quiet for my own spirit to reflect as Creation erupts in fields of crystal and white, of downy snow covered fields and sidewalks delighting us to yet another beauty that the Creator bestows upon us.

Except this year, I found myself on vacation from the church I serve as Youth leader (No Confirmation) and several weeks before me which I would have nothing to do! I happily attempted to empty the library of books that I needed for future research, planned my topic and scheduled when I would read and so forth. My only mini vacation? Hanging out at a LOMC Summer Staff camp reunion: silly Santa gifts, good grubby food and night hikes galore!

And then the supply preaching requests came up (You try preaching three services on Epiphany!). And then the conference circuit happened: Lutheran Ethicists?  Wow, I did not know these folks existed (well not saying that but I did not realize there was an official group). The topics, the conversation, the fact that I was the only M.Div'er there! The Conference of Lutheran Ethicists are a part of a larger conference: the Society of Christian, Muslim and Jewish ethicists which brings a good size membership out for a three day fest each year (Ph.D students they have a student membership-for you). Emotional Intelligence Assessment Workshop? Although this was also promoted as a class through the Seminary, I was humbled that my Synod office asked me to attend. Great concept, awesome stats..just three days too long. The Youth Conference? Something close to my heart and close to home! But by the end of these conferences, I was completely exhausted.

Who is this international man of mystery?

But alas, I digress.

These past couple of weeks I have also been doing this solo since my globe trotting husband decided to take the J-Term course with Dr. Mark Swanson and Dr. Peter V...in INDIA.

My own mother was a single parent and educator for quite many years. She scheduled and served both at her schools and at her church home. I watched, learned and retained how she was able to balance everything as the only way she knew how. We lived in a community where people who were not connected by anything other than where we came from and who our ancestors are, looked out for myself and those other children who lived and played. As I have dived briefly into these waters of solo parenting I am thankful for God placing me here in this community, where my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, in faith who remained here during this quiet time shared fellowship and friendship with one another. 

The Spring Semester will soon be upon us, and our friends who are traveling in Seattle, Nebraska and India will be home soon. For many this is just another continuing in the journey down the sometimes racy, rocky waters of Seminary. For myself and other middlers the horizons of Internship and  for our seniors, Assignment are coming into view. 

It's beginning to look a lot like April...

Lape Bondye, God's Peace.

Ahhhhh The Memories!

One year ago I attended LSTC's seminary sampler, and today starts this year's fall session of the sampler. For me, it was two days well spent, and I hope this year's attendees find their time well spent also. My journey included visiting three seminaries that are fairly close to home in Madison, WI. While I had my mind made up as to which seminary I was going to attend, life happened; and our family was given dad's diagnosis of Alzheimer's. My sisters and I could finally name all the odd things dad was doing since mom's death 18 months earlier, but we knew we needed to work with dad to keep him safe and independent as long as possible. Seminary was put aside as my sisters and I worked with various agencies, learned how complex the paperwork and waiting periods are and also learned that people of meager financial means have so few options to truly keep their loved one safe.

Working with these organizations, we did find a fantastic place for dad to live, and he is still there. We know that he is cared for, far better than any one of us girls could, so I went ahead and re-visited seminary. By this time I changed how I would 'do school' and pretty much had my mind made up to attend LSTC full time, and go home on the weekends. But I never lived on campus because I got my undergrad while working full time, so I wanted to experience seminary life. So I attended the seminary sampler last fall. From the initial emails from staff, I pretty much had confirmation that attending seminary here was the correct decision. And with every encounter, my “yes” was simply reaffirmed. Whether it was meeting professors, current students, and even potential students, some who are now my classmates, LSTC was the place I was called to be for my seminary studies, and this fantastic journey to become an ordained pastor.

This morning's sermon title was “Learning Obedience”, and I was happy to hear the pastor say that he too has a hard time with the word. Something about the word simply rubs me the wrong way, but this morning I thought of it differently, and realized that last year's seminary sampler was one of the first steps I took in obeying my call from God and saying YES to seminary. Then again, LSTC makes it hard to NOT obey my call from God!

Fall Foliage by Gina Kresic

If anyone is on the fence regarding seminary, if you are thinking ordination, Phd studies, or other Master's level coursework- I cannot recommend highly enough the seminary sampler. Don't worry if you didn't make it to this one, there is another one in March 2013!

Shalom!

Ready- Set- GO!

Faith: 

Faith is daring the soul to go 

beyond what the eyes can see.

Reading Week, Here We Come!!

And here are the books I could realistically take home with me to Madison and read during the next few days.  Alas, my backpack will not hold all of them, and truly, how will I get them back to the apartment via public transportation! 

A picture of a pile of books isn't very unique is it? When I decided to include the picture with this week's post, I hesitated. But this journey I am on has been traveled by others. Praise God for that! Thankfully I am walking in the path of many pastors who also listened to God's call; some who quit a comfortable career, a comfortable life and commuted to seminary. I am blessed to learn from those who went before me and all current classmates, whom I share daily joys and concerns with.

A friend gave me the plaque which I have sitting on top of the bookpile. It normally sits on my bookshelf, and I see it each morning when I wake up. When I miss my family and the comfortable life I had in Madison, I am reminded of all the fantastic support which gets me through each day of classes and each hour of studying. Support which I cannot see with my eyes, but support which comforts me and strengthens me.

Faith and unseen support have carried me through the first four weeks of classes and to Reading Week. A week I look forward to because I can spend more than 48 hours with my husband, and I can get caught up on reading/ papers/ classes and start working on CPE paperwork.  Oh, and maybe I can start working ahead on my classes, those final papers and upcoming tests.  Classmates, what do you think?   Former seminarians, what do you think?

Faith: Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.

One Month In-

Hello all!
Let me introduce myself: 

I am a second, well actually a third career, seminary student who lives on campus part time.  While my journey to get here has not been a short or easy one, I know that I am called to serve in this capacity.

The above two sentences are burned into my brain because I have said it to so many people, particularly during the last three years while I made the final decision to say YES to God's call. And as many seminarians and pastors know, I will be saying these words, and modifying them throughout the next four years as I continue this wonderfully inspiring, challenging, and sometimes scary journey.

I have completed 4 full weeks of seminary, and I have to say it has been fun, busy and rewarding.  While I stress about the homework and my ability to keep up with the homework as I split my time between home and campus, I find that my stresses are not much different than students who live on campus full time.   Home is in Madison, not Chicago, and the majority of my social life is in Madison, but I have to manage my time just as a full time student living on campus does.  We all make choices as to how we spend our time, and we have many of the same things vying for our time; family, friends, children, homework, cleaning, finances, and the list goes on.  Thankfully we have technology and I'm able to keep in touch with my nieces & sisters.  I  follow Twitter feeds to keep abreast of Madison politics and my home church.   Most importantly, I skype with my husband a couple times a week which is always a highlight. 

Monday starts another week of intense theological thought and study.  Monday also starts another week of growing in faith and friendship.  And for all four of these I am extremely grateful.
Joy in serving!
Stacy g-s