Home

As I've been living in various places I find myself questioning, "Where is home?"  When I moved items into my Chicago apartment, I ensured Scott, ok- maybe myself- that home is always in Madison, with Scott.  Yet, when I talk to classmates about where I am going after class, I find myself blathering out a long explanation about going to 'the apartment.' 

Do these pithy quotes define what is 'home'; "Home is where your heart is." and, "Home is where you rest your head."  What about the fact that Jesus was constantly on the move during his 3 years of teaching, preaching and making disciples? What do I say now that I essentially have 3 places where I can rest my head during the summer; an apartment in Chicago, the lower level of a house in Rochester MN and my home in Madison WI.  First off is the fact that I am unbelievably fortunate to have so many places to rest my head.  Second is the fact that each place has it's own personality, and honestly each place surprisingly serves me in a way which I need to be served.  Served, cared for and loved.  I believe I have just answered my own question.  Each place is home because each I am cared for and loved at each one.

Second week of CPE, (Clinical pastoral education) is going very well.  I have started clinicals, and am working on goals along with this week's reflection paper.  I have to say, my peers do make us into an outstanding group of students.  We quickly got over the first two days of shyness and quietness.  We now laugh easily, and most importantly laugh at ourselves.  I truly believe we will continue to be a cohesive group and will continue to learn from each other and grow as people.

Happy Turkey/Giving Thanks/Thanksgiving Day!

Well, it’s Thanksgiving Day and I’m wondering what to write about.  I suppose I could write about the intensely awesome ritual that is baking the caramel pecan rolls which I got to partake in this morning as we watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Or maybe today I’ll write about what I am most grateful for as a seminary student coming home to a stress-filled household.  This semester is wrapping up at a quick pace.  Soon it will be finals week and all of our papers, projects, tests, quizzes, and translations will need to be finished.  The seminarian mindset at this point seems to be, “Oh no! The end is near! Run away!”  Then we go to whichever home we go to where the stress of Thanksgiving as a holiday is in full swing.  Food needs preparation, schedules need to work out, relatives and friends must be accounted for in setting up for the meal, and there is usually a good amount of deep anxiety surfacing as all of these elements come together.  

As my own family stresses about all of these things I hear my mom say to Dad:

“Chin up, baby, we’ve got each other.  We’ve got our family.”

And in an instant, Mom has just shown me what the most important thing in her life is and what she is grateful for. 

I know it’s a cheesy and overly repeated question, but it really makes sense to ask it on this day.  What are you thankful for?  There’s a reason why we think about it, because it’s in those places where we find God most active in our lives as we know it.

Hot Tubs Make Me Feel at Home...Among Other Things

On Sunday I preached like I do every other Sunday, but this time it felt super familiar.  I am getting used to my church yes, but this time it was almost like I was back in Chicago...oh wait is that the honorable Terry and Karen Baeder in the crowd?!?!?!  Terry, on staff at LSTC, was visiting my internship site before heading up to lead our cluster retreat for interns and intern supervisors.  So maybe this should have been scary or nerve racking, but the trick was that Terry and his wonderful wife, Karen, attend church at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection where I did my ministry in context last year, an almost part time internship lasting about 7 hours a week.  So when asked if I was nervous, I was able to respond, this is not the first time they have heard me preach.  In fact they have heard me preach at least 5 or 6 times...so for me this was comforting, not one, but two friends in the crowd, who have given me critique and support all last year.  I felt at home, and not just because the weather is getting colder, but because it brought me back to all the experiences last year that prepared me to be an intern.

Now the retreat itself was amazing, getting to meet other interns and supervisors, and hearing about what everyone was doing.  I loved it, but the highlight for me was the hot tub!!!  Now in WI, the best part about hot tubs was when it was cold out, we would jump in them and be able to be outside even though it was not appropriate swimming weather.  And it just so happened to be 52 degrees out... so Monday morning I crawled out of bed and got in the hot tub before breakfast and later in the evening with some other interns we went back in there and chatted it up.  This was just a perfect addition to a wonderful couple of days, and I appreciate the willingness of the two Ohioans from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Bob and Ethan, that joined me in remembering their baptism!