A Postlude

So the internship is over. We all have moved on to our futures - such as they are. I won't share any story but my own so here's go.

I was the last one to leave and let me tell you the house that seemed so small with thin walls became so large and empty. As I found myself walking through each room before I left I was filled with this emotion. It's hard to put a name around it. The feeling you get when you go back to playground you played on as a child and you feel like you've grown up. It was lonely too being in that big house all by myself.

I'm going from living in a house next to the church to moving into a room inside the church. Maybe next year....well who knows. This year I'm going to be the Parish Coordinator for St. Andrew's. My responsibilities include Youth Ministry, 20s & 30s Ministry and Newcomer Incorporation. I'm only scheduled to work 19 hours a week. That should be interesting because as an Intern I was supposed to be giving 20 hours a week. And P.S. It was always more than that. By choice. I really have connected with the people at St. Andrew's and it's kinda like having a new family in Nebraska.

It's made me so grateful for the Intern program. If I had moved to Omaha and just started going to church here - I don't think this would've happen. I think I would've been trying to make a connection and feeling awkward and weird and would have ended up not going to church. The Intern program really does dip you down into a new life. It gives you a support system and helps you adjust to a new place. I wish every diocese had a program like it. I know there are a lot of ESC programs but I wonder how many of them really help someone put down new roots in an unknown place.

It's been a blessing. A gracious gift. I don't even know if I could put into words this life for myself. And yet the Lord has gifted it to me. Undeserving I assure you which makes the gift that much more precious.

I also have gained a part time job working that Rose Theater in the Box Office. It's just to make a little cheddar on the side. I'm hoping to save up some money and travel home to see my friends and family. I don't know when that will be but I need to get a little bit more money in the bank before I start traveling all over the place.

I'd like to give a special thank you to everyone who supported me this year. Whether it's been in prayer, or listening to me struggle, welcoming me into a new home, or letting me leave my old one - so many people made this year AMAZING.

May Greeter Article

an article I wrote for the St. Andrew's Greeter
From The Desk of the Intern:

Well congrats are in order. We raised all the money. I say "We" it was really you. I'd like to thank everyone for all their prayers, words of support and generous donations. I have no idea who gave what and don't want to know. As far as I'm concerned everyone gave what they could.

I'll be officially joining the staff on June 1st. My last Sunday will be May 13th and then I'm taking some "Steven time". I need a little break before I get started. Don't worry I assure you I'll only be having fun and not working at all. I know you were concerned.


However before things come to a close I have built a list of my top 10 moments as your Intern.
1) The Lock-In - Never forget that fingers are like toes for your hands
2) The Cabaret - Needs no explanation
3) Wine & Bingo Prep - The Bingo Babes are awesome and thanks to everyone who helped make it great!
4) The Men's Retreat - If you didn't go this year go next year
5) Scary Acres - The Monsters learned Lauren's name and kept talking to her directly
6) Preaching - I freak out about it but at the end of the day I love it. It's my chance to really serve ALL of you
7) Lenten Bible Study - We've had so much fun. If you didn't go you've missed out
8) Helping clear the grounds and getting to pick a cross design
9) Staff Meetings - I know this seems like a kiss up move but I really do like staff meetings
10) DQ run after Good Friday - Amazing tradition

Okay I'm a rule breaker (even my own rules!):
11) Wednesday Night Dinner & SAY - We have fun!
12) Dinner at people's homes - Thank you for giving me somewhere to go and a family to join

I could go on and on because I had a blast being your intern. I can't wait to be your Parish Coordinator and we will need to start calling me that. It's going to be great and I'm really excited. If you are bummed that you weren't involved with anything off the list of 12 then they only thing to do is call me up and we'll hang out and have fun. I never say no to the movies.

On that note: I will be moving into the church. I'm a shorts and t-shirt kinda guy and I hate wearing shoes (hence the barefoot preaching on Maundy Thursday). So if you are at the church on a random Thursday night realize you may bump into a very casual me. I also hope that if there are any issues (and let's face it they will revolve around keeping the church clean) that you come to me. Don't go to other staff members, don't go to the Vestry, don't call my parents. Come and talk to me. I'm going to be as clean as possible and try to mind my Ps and Qs but anyone can make a mistake and I've been known to make quite a few. We can make this work as long as we talk to each other and work together. Thank you again for all your love and support. This year was amazing because of the family I've found at St. Andrew's.

Your Brother in Christ,
Steven

Thoughts on the Hunger Games

So I went and the saw the Hunger Games. If you don't want anything spoiled for you I'd advise you not read any further. I don't intend to summarize the movie but my thoughts toward it but I will be talking about the movie so spoiler alert.

I enjoyed it overall (although perhaps I should regret that reaction.) It was amazing to me the similarities I felt between sport events and reality TV. The Hunger Games is a mix of both. However, millions (and even billions) of people participate in these past-times, so the commentary it provides on us as a people is worth examining.

It seems like there is a blood lust in us and one that can't be explained. I tried at one of our Thursday AM sessions with Jason to say we've grown beyond that. We don't throw Christians to the lions or have Gladiators fight to the death. Father Jason was like, "What about our love of football and torture movies like Saw?" That comment gave me pause. Maybe we haven't gone as far as I'd like to think.

Reality TV has a huge following but one that when you talk to people about it they frequently apologize. "I know I shouldn't like it or watch it but I love it." It's a phrase I hear often to describe shows like Survivor, the Bachelor/Bachelorette, and the list goes on. In college a dear friend of mine (named Rachel) was always quick to say, "Campus TVs aren't tracked for ratings. Whatever I watch has no impact on a networks willingness to continue programing because they don't look at what we watch the way they do an average American household." I've been meaning to ask her if she avoids Reality TV now that she lives in her own house and what she watches is being tracked.


Gale says to Katness, "What if no one watched the Hunger Games?"

What if we stopped watching our sporting events and reality TV? The power that they possess exists solely because people watch. If no one watched the loss of money and the loss of advertisers and sponsors would make these institutions collapse. They have power because each of us gives them power.

A co-worker of mine (a devout follower of Christ) said, "Sometimes I wish half of the money that gets spent on football went to actually helping people. I think it can make a big difference in feeding the hungry, treating the sick, etc." There is a lot of money in this world.


It begs the question though that every American should ask themselves: "How do I spend my time?" and "How do I spend my money?"


I honestly spend the majority of my time sleeping. I work 40 - 45 hours a week. I sleep on average 8 hours a night so that works out to 56. That leaves around 67 hours unaccounted for. 5 - 7 of those hours is spent cleaning up (showering, brushing teeth, shaving etc.). Another 7 to 10 hours is spent eating. So 50 hours unaccounted for at this point. Where does the time go? I spend probably another 5 hours reading (most of it for work but some for pleasure), I spend another 5 hours a week drive placings (work, store, etc.)


The last 40 hours I most likely spend on leisure. TV, computer, going to the movies/watching a DVD, talking on the phone. These things are important to me but certainly aren't necessary for my existence (except maybe the phone thing because there are some people in my life if I couldn't talk to them I may actually go crazy.)


My money - right now a lot of it goes to bills, food or gasoline (I don't make that much). But I'd be lying if I said I only used my money for healthy food. Sometimes I stop and get a burger (and I don't need a burger in so many ways.) Sometimes I buy a bottle of wine (and I don't need alcohol). I love going to the movies and it's something I do more frequently in Omaha than in Lawrenceville. So some of my money is being wasted (just like some of my time.)



Distopian ideas are becoming more and more popular. Utopia has stopped seeming improbable and seems to have become impossible. Movies and books offer up some ideas of what we will evolve into and how we will keep ourselves going. Will we become Children of Men (no reproduction) or will it look like Brave New World (reproduction via assembly/line or machine)? Will it be like Book of Eli or The Road (food becomes so scare in these books/movies that some people start eating other people to survive)?

I think if we take God out of the equation then the likelihood of us getting there goes up - a lot. I believe our Heavenly Creator is looking out for us and trying to help us get back on track. Like most children though we are more interested in doing our own thing and having our own way. We rebel and it makes us feel powerful, independent, and strong. It is only after-the-fact that we realize that maybe our way wasn't the best way. When we realize this most people try to make amends, try to fix what's been wronged and move back to where they are supposed to be.


What I liked most about the Hunger Games is how real it was. Katness thinks Gale is foolish for believing that people wouldn't watch the Hunger Games. She does however refuse to kill Peter (a great name for a hero) from her own district and instead talks him into killing himself just as she kills herself. Katness knows she can't get the districts to stop watching but she knows she can control herself.


It's a powerful statement and in many ways a challenge to each of us. Ghandi issued the challenge in his own way by saying, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Michael Jackson sang a song about changing the "Man in the Mirror." These ideas stretch back in time (to even before Christ). It isn't about changing anyone else - it's about changing yourself and then inviting those around you to join in to change themselves.


What are some changes I need to make? I think the biggest one is to spend more time reading. Reading anything and everything I can. I should certainly spend more time reading scripture but also any books that could provide insight into faith or into people. I really should find something to read that would help me learn Spanish. (Maybe I'll go out and buy Spanish for Dummies.)  (The other big change is of course health/self-care which I'm working on).



If anyone has any thoughts or ideas about the Hunger Games please feel free to share them (via email or on the phone if posting here isn't something you want to do.) We'll be having a Youth Event to go see the movie and then a discussion afterwards and I'll have to make sure the kids learn something from this. That they grow either in knowledge of themselves or (hopefully) in their understanding of God or Christ.

Lenten Bible Study: "The Good Life"

The First Sunday of Lent has past, and we are in the deep, in the thick of Lent, there is no turning back (in case you wondered). The First Sunday of Lent marked many things to many people I am sure, but for me it marked the beginning of the Lenten Bible Study that I am leading for the next six weeks. The Bible Study is titled “The Last Days of Jesus.” It is composed of a Gospel verse that relates to Jesus’ last days, and a complementary video series that includes a scene in the Holy Land, and a theological scholar’s reflections and insights on the passage. The theological scholars change from week to week and are set in different and interesting locations

throughout America.

            This week we studied Matthew 16:13-28, and heard our theological reflection from Dr. Matt Williams in Vulture City, AZ. Dr. Williams makes many wonderful points about this passage. But, the one that impacted me most was his discussion of “the good life.” “The good life,” these were words that welcomed me into my new home in Omaha, NE six months ago, as I crossed the state line between Iowa and Nebraska.

            Dr. Williams points out that in Matthew 16:24-25 Jesus reveals to his disciples, and us, a new, radical way to live to truly live the “good life.” “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” In Christ we give up our lives, and our selves, daily to follow and serve Him. Denying ourselves and taking up our own cross is not an easy charge, nor does it seem like the “good life” that our consumerist culture advertises to us everywhere we turn. But, Christ’s way is the only way, to a true, untarnished, pure happiness, and this is where we will find the one and only “good life,” which God had intended for us to live.

            This was the “good life” which I came to find upon entering the Resurrection House program, here in Omaha, NE. As, I denied my old ways of life, to take on a new one, trying to put Christ at the center of all I do and all I am. It is not easy, but I am finding everyday that I work to deny myself and take on Christ I find the “good life,” and it continues to get a little better.  

Ash Wednesday - LONG Day

So a couple of months ago Father John said in a staff meeting, "We still need to figure out who's going to preach for Ash Wednesday?"

Being me I raised my hand and said, "I'll do it."

Once this was on the books I told my parents they should come out and hear me preach for Ash Wednesday which they did. I also got to show them where I live, the beautiful Church of the Resurrection, the hard-working Latino Center of the Midlands, and my parish placement the friendly St. Andrew's.

We (my Mom, my Dad, and myself) visited the Durham museum which was a lot of fun.

However I did not realize that I would be preaching FOUR times until maybe a month before Ash Wednesday. 7AM, 9:30AM, Noon, and 7PM. That is a LOT of preaching. Thankfully I only wrote one sermon and re-used it for all four services. I can't imagine trying to create something in the moment four times in one day. It was a long day and next time before I volunteer I'm going to ask some questions.

I was impressed at how many people dropped what they were doing and attended an Ash Wednesday service. St. Andrew's had a pretty big turn out (don't have the final numbers) but it was inspiring. I think we had a few people who weren't St. Andrew's "regulars" but I loved that. I like the idea of people worshipping in the place and space they are in. You gotta go to a church that is close to where you work. You gotta go to a different church if you are a business traveler and out of town. I say do it! Make the time and space to worship. For everyone that did I want to say thank you. I am so grateful for the wonderful people who to come church. They aren't perfect and I don't expect them to be but things wouldn't be the same without them.

I hope that everyone who got to experience Ash Wednesday enjoyed it. For those who didn't maybe next year. For those of you who have jobs that prevent you from paticipating I hope you find a way to observe it outside the four walls of your local church.

Renewal in Lent

Twice a week I head over to a Nursing and Assisted Living Home to do a Bible Study. We have been working our way through the Gospel of Mark, and we recently got to Mark 12:13-17, where Jesus is asked about paying taxes to Caesar. We all pondered that story for awhile, especially verse 17….

Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (NIV Translation)

As I prepared to move on, a wheelchair bound octogenarian said something profound. She said that everything belongs to God, because God had the grace to make us in the first place. It was great to receive that witness from someone who has a multitude of valid reasons to be bitter and pessimistic.

As the season of Lent approaches, All Saints Episcopal Church is focusing on renewal. One of our offerings, which I will lead, is a book discussion based on the idea of a “practical” Christianity. How can one truly center their lives on the Gospel? Sunday morning worship is a great discipline, but someone wise once told me it’s a little like a huddle in football. You get together, take a breather, get on the same page, and head back out there to really play the game. Worship happens on Sunday morning. Ministry happens during the rest of the week.

How does the Gospel inform what food we buy? Or how we buy our clothes? Or who we make time for in our schedules? There is no cookie-cutter, one size fits all answer to these questions. But if we center ourselves on God, and try to build our house on the rock of Christ instead of sand (Matthew 7:24-27), then the Spirit will guide us.

Lent will be arriving soon

Time is a funny thing. It may be one of the few, never changing, constants in this world. But, for some unknown reason a never changing, set length of time, for example an hour, can seem like
a minute when catching up with an old friend, or a year when running on the treadmill. No matter if we experience a set period of time as a minute or a year the clock still keeps ticking and time still keeps passing us by.
Every year I feel as though Lent creeps up on me like a thief in the night. And, every year I find my- self scrambling to discern what it is I will give up or take on for the 40 days and 40 nights of allotted time for sobering reflection and awareness. It al- ways seems to be the longest and shortest time of the year. Long, for it feels like decades until I can indulge in chocolate, shopping, or a glass of wine again (various items which I have purged during the Lenten season). And short, for it seems that those things I intend to do, or to take on, pass me by day after day. Until, I find myself at Easter wondering if I had truly used the time I had been given to contemplate what it means to be a Chris- tian, what it means that God had to come down to this earth suffer and die so that we could once again live as His beloved children, walking with Him in an eternal journey of love and companion- ship.
This year is different in the sense that I will be giv- ing up, or taking on, a Lenten discipline within my Resurrection House community. Being held ac- countable for my disciplines within the time of Lent will be a completely new experience for me. I am interested to see what it will look like not only to hold myself accountable in the eyes of God, but also in the eyes of my two housemates. The time of Lent, I am certain, will pass by as it has in years before, but I hope this time will be different. With the opportunity to contemplate the meaning of Lent within community, as we take on a Lenten discipline together, it is my hope that this experi- ence will bring me to Easter with new insight and knowledge. That I will come upon Easter Sunday knowing that I, and my community, used the time of Lent to the best of our ability, coming to a better understanding and knowledge of God, Christ’s ul- timate sacrifice and free gift, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit within our world. 

Tricks to Preaching

At a Super Bowl party someone asked me, "How do you prepare to preach?"

I think they wanted to know if I had any secrets. Well I don't. Here's my process.

I wait until the week before to prepare the sermon. I know I don't have to but I also feel like trying to do it a few weeks in advance....is
1) cheating the clergy are doing it week to week and
2) too sterile for my tastes. I want to be working with it up until delivery in the hopes that I will let the Holy Spirit speak to me on the topic.

So I start by reading the lectionary. Then I spend some time (typically 24-36 hours) just thinking about it/praying about it. While I'm in the car or waiting for someone to show up for a meeting. When I'm brushing my teeth in the morning or cooking dinner for the Resurrection House.

About mid week I've determined a theme and/or an idea I want to explore. Then I dive into a commentary (or commentaries depending). I spend time reading about what others have to say and where their studies have brought them. They typically provide some historical information and/or they can provide some further insight into the theme I'm trying to teach on.

As the end of the week gets here I actually sit down and type out a draft of the sermon/homily. I don't know if I can call my preaching time a sermon:
1) Because clergy give sermons and I'm not clergy
2) I tend to preach short. I hit an idea try to create a few points

After I've got a draft down I try to put it down and take a little break from it. I come back to it and re-read it and see if it makes sense. (Sometimes I think faster than I type and sometimes I just can't articulate an idea clearly. Both of these things do not need to happen when I'm in the pulpit.)

Then I spend some time thinking about delivery. Trying to memorize some sections so I can look away from what I've typed and look at the people. I think about pacing and flow. I move points around so that there is a process. I make sure that I've included some examples that help illustrate my point (i.e. music, scene from a popular movie, something from a book, current event, etc.)

At this point I'm ready to deliver. And yet EVERY time I get up there I end up saying something that I didn't write down. I don't just stick to the script. If in a moment I'm moved to say something "off book" I do. I try to (even at the pulpit) make space for the Holy Spirit. I use what I've written but I try not to let it box me in.

On Sunday afternoon I try to think of things I could've done better. I think about my pacing and delivery and I consider if I could've gotten my viewpoint across better. I've never had the guts to have myself recorded and REALLY examine myself but one day I probably will. I also like to look online at this point and see some other points of views. Every time I consider doing this earlier but I realize that if I do I may try to preach what the Gospel is saying to them and not what it's saying to me. I realize that can be dangerous so I steer clear.

And that's it. Anyone can do it. It requires preparation, planning, reading and research. Oh and getting in front of a group of people and trying to not let their opinion (whether good or bad) completely cloud the message you are trying to give to them.

A Celebration of St Paul

On January 25^th All Saints Episcopal Church celebrated the Conversion of Saint Paul at our Wednesday services. I was given the opportunity to preach a homily, and it was quite difficult. There are so many implications in that experience, and so many different directions one could go. The ability to be articulate AND succinct is a real skill, one I aspire to have someday. The transformation of Saul, the zealous Pharisee that actively persecuted the early Church (Galatians 1:13-14), to Paul, one of the faith’s greatest Evangelists, is a bold testimony to the power of God’s redemptive love.

Trying to decipher God’s call in our lives can be difficult. The desire to focus on that call brought me 1,200 miles from home to participate in a discernment internship. Undoubtedly, many people have prayed for a “Paul on his way to Damascus” moment. However, at least in my experience, those direct callings are rare.

Paul did receive a revelation, but it did not make his life any “easier.” Read II Corinthians 11:23-29 for a laundry list of the dangers and sufferings he faced during his ministry. The Gospel may not make our lives more leisurely, or lead us to extravagant wealth, but it will bless us in deeper, more meaningful ways. The more we trust in God, the closer we get to being the people we were created to be. Instead of filling the void in our lives with things that perish or rust, we can fill them with Christ’s everlasting love. That is the promise Jesus gives in John 10:10.

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

To live out ones faith is a daunting task. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” something inexplicable will happen that threatens our faith. Therefore, as indicated in I Timothy 4:7-8, we need to discipline ourselves like an athlete, so that we are prepared to endure through the challenging times. Through the help of a strong community and faith in God, we just may find out that the “abundant” life is not what we expected.

Reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

On Monday, January 16th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) hosted their 28th Annual MLK Unity Luncheon. And, through my association with OTOC, my non-profit, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend. I could not think of a better way to celebrate the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. then through this lovely event filled with remembrance, celebration, and spirituality. 

One of the highlights of the event, for me, was the recognition given to the members of OTOC  for their hard work and dedication to the community, as they received the IMA 2012 Drum Major Award. The award's title was taken from Dr. King's charge to minister and serve as a "drum major." "Yes, if you want to say that I was drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Feb. 4, 1968. 

The event, quite appropriately, began with prayer and song, as we sang together "Lift Every Voice." There were also city officials and political figures of note who attended, lifting up the ministry and service of the community, and it's dedication to bringing equality and unity to Omaha. One person of note was Senator Ben Nelson, who lifted up the importance of young people, and the communities dedication to their success. Responding quite appropriately to his charge to the IMA members, and attendees of the event, the IMA presented four students, from the North Omaha community with scholarships for $2,000 each. This was important reminder to the community present that in the light of the recent violence and gun shootings we have witnessed and heard about on the news, there are young people within the community who are dedicated to being helpful and educated contributing members of their communities. 

Finally we heard from the guest speaker, the Rev. Dr. Claybon Lea, Jr. Claybon spoke about the importance of the unsung hero, and used the Biblical character Mordecai, in the story of Esther, to drive his point home. As the unsung hero in the story of Esther, a Jewish woman who saved her people from the destruction of the Persian king, Mordecai is the driving force behind many of the events and opportunities that lead to Esther's "fame" as a heroin of the Jewish people. And, Claybon reminds us that although we may have forgotten about Mordecai's role in the story of Esther, his hard work and efforts to ensure her upbringing as a person of Jewish faith and marriage to the king still led to the events that allowed for the Jewish people to be spared from mass destruction. Claybon stressed the importance of service, giving back, and remembering the good of the larger community. He reminded us that it was not about the praise or recognition we receive but about the cause, for the good of humanity. 

The event ended with a beautiful prayer and another uplifting song, as we sang to one another "I Need You to Survive." The MLK Unity Luncheon reminded me of the importance of remembering and celebrating the life, ministry, and service of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is important, I dare say crucial, that we remember; we remember the cause the goals of King. For we do not live in a race, ethnicity, or income free world, we live in a world filled with division and separation. We must continue to bear the burden, and take up the cross which Christ has given us as we follow in his footsteps, in the footsteps of the Apostles, Saints, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to fight for the inclusion, fair treatment, and love for all mankind. 

From the Desk of Intern Steven

Being in two places at the same time is impossible. No one can do it. However I find myself wishing it were possible.

I just got back from a trip to see family, friends and attend a wedding of a dear old friend. I don't regret going. I had a BLAST. It was truly a once in a lifetime kinda thing. However there was work for me to do here that I could've been doing and maybe even should've been doing.

Balance is hard. How do you find balance in your life? Work isn't everything but it is important. Your life can't revolve around leisure and having fun (well it can but it comes at a heavy price.) You have to find balance. And I think I'm getting closer to find it. While I was gone I did some reading when I had some free time but I didn't fret over what was going on back in Nebraska. (seriously can't believe y'all saved the snow until I got back.) I shared with a lot of people what I'm doing and what it is all about. I caught up with others about what was going on in their lives. It was wonderful.

Of course they all asked, "So are you going to Seminary in the fall?" I usually responded, "Great question and when I know the answer I'll tell you. Most likely no, even if that is what I would like, a little bit more time needs to pass before I can step forward." I wonder all the time what my life will be like on June 1st 2012 and even Jan. 1st 2013. The truth of the matter is I don't know. I know I will have completed this program (I hope successfully) and that's about it. I know I won't go back to Atlanta. It was a professional dead end for me and even a spiritual one. I had grown as much as I was going to in the diocese of Atlanta.

Christmas away from the family wasn't as hard as I was expecting. There were things I missed and I had moments of saddness and loniliness but that didn't define my holidays. My holidays were filled with joy and celebration of our new born King. I was invited to partake in new families and spend time with new people. I enjoyed it. Two of my greatest fears about being a priest have been encountered and dealt with. The holidays was a big one and now it's been dealt with. The other was how to love a parishioner without crossing any boundaries.

I'll continue praying, worshipping and seeking and I hope that God will show me the way. It's hard though. People are usually so busy offering their own opinion you have to try to make things quiet in the hopes to hear something from the Lord. Blessings to all of you this Epiphany.

Happy New Year!!!!!

A New Year is a time for reflection, remembrance, and hope for the future. One year can seemingly fly by without much change, or one’s life can change drastically. For me, 2011 was the latter. Through the grace of God and many people’s hard work, I have been given the opportunity to live and work in a new community. This was my first Christmas apart from my family, a situation that could have easily descended into loneliness. However, through the generosity of several people I was able to have a very Merry Christmas, surrounded by love. Dare I say, separation from my biological family made me more aware of Christian family, and scripture that previously was difficult to understand has now started to make (a little) sense. Such as…

“[Jesus – the Word] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

-John 1:10-13

Or…

“Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, waiting to see you.

[Jesus] replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

-Luke 8:19-21

There are a lot of corny attempts to portray different groups as “families.” But I have to admit the kinship I have felt in Omaha has a familial feel, consisting of genuine concern for my well being and freely offered hospitality. Christ suffered and “died” on a cross for all of us, including various outcasts, sinners, and other miscreants, so that we may be born anew into a new kind of community. A little separation from the things I love has helped me deepen my understanding of that truth.

As the midpoint of this program approaches, my focus will shift from settling in to what happens next. It is easy to forget that this program will not last forever, and I need to avoid getting “too comfortable” in my current routine. I am confident that, with a little support from people around me and A LOT of help from above, I will be prepared for the next step.

Thoughts on a New Year

As I have come into the age of New Year’s resolutions I am always seeking to make myself a more productive, healthy, contributing member of society. For many years I felt that New Year’s resolutions were phony, unrealistic, and unattainable goals setting the resolution maker up for ultimate failure. But, as I continue to grow into adulthood I have begun to change my perspective on the idea, and ideal, of New Year’s resolutions. I have begun to look at New Year’s resolutions as an opportunity to critically analyze and look at the past year, my downfalls as well as successes. I look towards how to better succeed in the next year, as I look towards where I am headed in life, occupation, etc...

Last year I looked at many aspects of my life and realized that serious changes needed to be made if I planned to become a productive, successful, and happy adult. So I set out to make them, and used the New Year’s resolution “program” as a way to achieve these goals. I will admit that none of them were achieved within that day, or even month of January, but through patients, practice, and discipline I was able to stick to my guns and reach the majority of those goals which I had set out to fulfill. As I look at this next year I am beginning to think of what attainable and tangible goals I can set out to achieve. The resolution that I am looking towards this year is that of prayer.  To attain this resolution my hope is to look at the form of prayer that I will practice (as I may vary it from time to time), create a schedule to execute this practice, and be gentle with myself as I know 100% success will not always be attainable. As we look at this New Year as a gift and opportunity it is my hope that we receive this gift with open arms, ears, eyes, and hearts as we look to make God’s yearning for happiness, fulfillment, and relationship with us in our lives a reality; and I would suggest that this can be achieved through the practice of a New Year’s resolution.