Monday, September 06, 2010

taking off

so, i'm starting this new journey.  i just finished a year of service work as a volunteer missionary in a small village in eastern slovakia and i'm now beginning life as a master of divinity student in chicago, illinois.  it's quite the adjustment to be making, but i'm excited to share it with you.  i will try to update this blog fairly regularly; however, i will also be sending out emails about four times a year with more information on how i'm doing, so if you'd like to receive those emails, let me know :)

tomorrow classes begin.  i am both excited and nervous, anxious and full of anxiety.  i have been in chicago since the 26th of august and have been living in community with my fellow seminarians.  god has called me here.  this i know in my heart.  this place and these people have already begun to grow close to me.  i'm not perfect, but god is and god has a plan for my life.  these four years in seminary (and continuing after that), i will be working on a few things.
  1. building bridges- we are in a world full of walls (and motes and sometimes even canyons), but what we need are bridges.  we need connections between people and we need connection with god.  i will be working on my own bridges that need work, both with other people and with god, but also on building bridges between others and with god.
  2. making connections- it is through connections with other people and places that we are able to more fully understand each other and ourselves.  as i connect with new people and cultures, it is my prayer that i will also be able to connect in new ways with god.
  3. seeking god's way- though i can't always find the right words to talk about god, there are moments when i feel god's presence more fully than anything else.  can i explain how that feels?  no, no way.  do i always trust it? not all the time.  am i trying? yes.  i'm seeking god's way for my life and for this world in which i live.  i am not perfect, but i'm ok with working on trusting god and following the path that god lays before me.  
so, as i go: please pray for and with me.  join me on this journey