Black Friday, Say Whaaaat?

Really Walmart? Really?

Recently an article in the Chicago Tribune's Business section stated that "families are looking to do things after the turkey is done and are eager to shop so its a great time to have the stores open."

Thanksgiving scoops up many different brushes and paints a variety of portraits and landscapes for many of us who travel toward this time of year with anticipation, of what lies over the beautiful horizons that captures the changing seasons. For those who boast a heritage that traces back to the troubled time of religious persecution and yearning for that freedom, this is a time of celebration and delving into traditions. Yet, for those ancient peoples who rightfully claim this land as their ancestral home this is a day of mourning and of sadness. For that matter, any people whose ancestors suffered and perished whether having their lands, their ways, their language and their spirituality and religion ripped from them, deemed incorrect or taboo as well as those who were dragged from the comfort of their own Motherland, this is not a day of rejoicing; this is a day of remembrance as well as of celebration that the Creator God has continued to journey with us, teaching and reminding us that He still cradles us close, teaching us who we are and what He has given to our spirits.

Several years prior, Thanksgiving eve was the mad rush enveloping long lines at grocery stores gathering what one needed for a healthy, filling Thanksgiving meal because on Thanksgiving proper, every store was closed so that the employees too, could rest and relax with those they loved.  Nowadays, it seems that we have tossed tradition, respect and sacredness to the winds instead, having those employees sacrifice sanity for the sin of greed. 

Every waking moment as dawn beats our hearts anew, as children of the Most High, we should shout joyful noises or lift our hands in lamentation and prayerfulness of how God continues to breathe life into our souls. This time of the year as we welcome in the season of Advent; for those around us who have lost their way or sheltering themselves as best they can from the battering life sometimes descends and surrounds us, we should reach out, taking hands and holding our fellow brothers and sisters in faith, In Christ, in love so close. This time of year we should be reminded that we should strive to do for others, as the Holy Spirit continues to inspire us and Christ continually teaches us.

Lape Bondye, God's Peace.

The Year of the Interiddler

Coming to you live and direct..the Gypsy Project

Okay so perhaps I do not have my own radio show....

I am thankful that the end of this week approaches, and I am able to celebrate as well as being immensely  exhausted and saturated with community. Thankful to once more be joining you throughout another year of Seminary; for me this is the beginning..or the end?

It's strange when your pathway veers slightly and you are the only one remaining at the crossroads, your traveling companions continue and you lose sight of them in the distance and over the horizon. Then again I am not alone. I've coined the phrase "Interiddler" that is technically and officially I am still a middler having not embarked on Internship but I will be in 2013. I believe I've mentioned that it's different as orientation looms over us not seeing many of my classmates.

This beginning of the Seminary academic year however has been painful.

Each morning that I have gathered in the Grand Hallway or the Common Room, and seeing familiar faces I thought I'd still be in pain as last week we gathered to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of one of our classmates who now rests with the Creator. It was also strange as those events unfolded that my spirit could not mourn.

As I requested prayers through Facebook and Twitter one comment that arose covered in thorns was "There is a lot of depression at...."

Teachers who have to deal with students who are either homeless, abandoned by their parents because of their own shortcomings or involved in violence..they are depressed. Police Officers, EMT's, medical personnel, chaplains whose duty and passion is to protect, heal, save or walk with people and see the absolutely ugly side of humanity...they can be down. Community organizers who want to uplift a neighborhood or community and have political as well as personal roadblocks placed in front of them...can be locked in despair. Because where and what God has called us to and blessed us with this call, because we are dedicated to being bonded to our brothers and sisters in Christ, our brothers and sisters through faith sometimes we get disappointed in what life does not or will not yield to our very being and we feel...well...drained.

What I saw last Friday as we gathered together as the wider community were people who came to share the peace as strangers, neighbors and friends. What I witnessed was one young man's life that had touched so many. What I knew was that our lives can not just remain rooted in the depths of mud and muck; that the showers that rush and playfully douse our physical presence remind us of who we are and whose we are. What I know is that this year, striving to be intentional, vulnerable and pastoral to one another only fuels the fire of what our risen Christ wants us to learn and wants us to live out.

So it is alright to laugh and connect and just be as if everything was the same this week. And yet, reaching out to one another we have a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be brothers and sisters in the risen Christ. For many it is the beginning of a journey of self discovery, for others it is the end of a cornucopia of craziness and delight as first call begins its rise upwards to reveal itself. 

For myself it is the beginning of a deeper understanding of what it means to be truly called and the end of being in familiarity and embarking into the unknown, knowing that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God, Our Creator cradles us and Christ travels with us.

Rest well Alpha. Hope you are eating all the Honey O's with tons o ice cream(?) and chocolate syrup(?) that you want. Even while you are not with us, you still make us laugh.

Lape Bondye, God's Peace.

Only a Month to Go

I'm at the point now where I have one month left of CPE before officially beginning my Middler year.  At this point we're doing some mid-unit evaluations and I'm left wondering: what have I learned so far?

Well, for starters, I've learned that chaplaincy isn't for me, but pastoral care is.  Learning to listen and be an pastoral figure in the lives of people I minister to and with has been significantly more challenging that I thought it would be, but I love it.  One day, after feeling slightly discouraged because I realize that chaplaincy was not something I wanted to do for the majority of my ministry, someone surprisingly walked into the pastoral care office and we began a pastoral care session "on the fly".  I couldn't believe what happened! I listened, tears flowed, I understood, we came to a conclusion together and learned from each other in that conversation!  Afterwords I thought to myself, "that could happen at a parish!" and got a little giddy at the thought that I just practiced genuine pastoral care in a situation that I could encounter in a church setting. That's how I began to understand that chaplaincy might not be up my alley, but that's ok.  It will certainly be a part of my ministry and I understand that, but I see now why CPE entails a lot of self-understanding, sometimes more so than calling it job training.

The other big thing that I'm learning is that self-care is ok too.  In fact, I'm finding that the more I practice my self-care the more effective my visits are.  I really burnt myself out early on, thinking that I needed to work work and work to get my face into every room I was assigned.  We had short introductory conversations that didn't really seem to delve too deeply into any sort of concern or topic which was on their mind in a significant way.  All of that changed as I modified my routine to include more practice of self care.  Leisure reading, working out, watching movies, playing games, and resting have all contributed to a deeper interaction with my group members and residents.

Aside from these wonderful lessons, I have also been wrestling with conceptions of God, worship planning, understanding and ministering with people with cognitive impairments of multiple kinds, and other, you know, trivial stuff :P
All in all, it's been a pretty significant summer in Hyde Park and I have to say I feel more affirmed for it.

Wisdom and Summer

"What wisdom have you gained in your 25 years?"

is a question I was asked over lunch last week druing my Maymester class, Reading the Bible From a Multicultural Perspective. The question fell on my birthday, of course, and so I scrambled to think of a response. Now, I've learned any number of things, but for some reason the first thing that blurted out of my mouth was "laugh at yourself" followed closely by "don't spend money on cheap food, it's never as good". I fully believe those two things, but the question has stuck with me over the past few days, and I'm trying to come up with a better answer. Now, I don't really know that 25 years is enough time to gain true wisdom, but I've certainly had a lot of mentors along my life journey that have taught me various things: My mom taught me about unconditional love and homemade cooking. My dad taught me that being myself is the key to life. My friend Sandy taught me the importance of a good romantic comedy when I'm feeling down. So, yes, I've learned things. But I still have a lot more to learn in the years ahead, so I guess I'll keep on laughing at myself when I need to, and I'll keep enjoying good food, with good people. And that's exactly what this summer is for. I just finished up middler year, and it's the first year in a long time that I haven't had a full time summer job or anything else (like CPE...good luck juniors!). So, in between working with the Youth in Mission program at LSTC and volunteering at the Youth Gathering, I'm here in Chicago to experience my first Chicago summer, which I've been told are pretty awesome. I'm excited for festivals and free concerts, bike rides along the lake and laying by the beach, and all around experiencing God's creation as fully as possible. I'm hoping this summer of relative Sabbath will help me be refreshed and renewed before I head off to my internship at House For All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado, which will be a whole new adventure. Undoubtedly I'll learn some wisdom from people who are important to me (and I've also learned wisdom from strangers too) this summer and I'll add it to my list that I can pass on to others some day. To get me started, what is the best bit of wisdom you've learned from someone important to you?