My wife, my hero

I had a lot of other stuff that I originally planned to blog about this week, but I have to take this moment to share that my wife, Tracy, is the best. Just the best. (She's pictured here during her chance "meeting" with Dr. Phil at the Mall of America last weekend.)

Just about a month ago, I volunteered for the Concord, the seminary's student journal. Given my experience as editor of the student newspaper at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, I settled into the role of the Concord's production manager — doing some editing and mostly layout.

This weekend, the rookie staff is putting together our first issue. Although I think it's coming along really well, I think it's safe to say we really underestimated the amount of work involved — particularly on my end. This realization really hit me a little before 7 p.m. today, well after the other staffers had finished up their part of the work and left for the night (we only have one computer with the layout software, so there was no way to share the workload). Not only did I have a lot of work left to do, but I was also facing a minor crisis with the fonts for the publication.

So in a bit of desperation, I called my wife, who was waiting to have dinner with me at home. The only way to salvage not only our Saturday night but also my sanity, it seemed, was for her to come down to the Concord office and help me out. Tracy is a museum curator, but she also has some journalism experience. We met on the aforementioned student newspaper staff, and she was the sports editor. Back in those days, she got me through lots of similar nights by helping me edit or just being there to keep me from going crazy.

Lately, she's been even more crucial. First of all, I couldn't have come to seminary without her support and willingness to change her own life. She's been so patient with all my homework, and she's always there to lean on. As much as we can turn to God when we're overwhelmed, it helps so much to have a spouse to lean on. I know I speak for several other new students at Luther — and, I'm sure, many more across the entire student body — when I say that.

So for about three hours tonight, Tracy sat around in the office with me. She lent some help by critiquing my layouts, helping me settle on headlines and reading over some copy with me. And mostly, she killed a lot of time playing Bejeweled 2 on my laptop, sampling the collection of LP records in the office and amusing herself with the other antiquities that were laying around. And having her there meant the world to me. She gave up her whole night, and it turned into one of those nights I'll never forget. It was a little flashback to our early days together in college.

So if you happen to pick up the new edition of the Concord on Wednesday, Tracy's name won't be in it, but you should know that it wouldn't have turned out the same without her. And if the lyrics from an old Neil Diamond record inexplicably show up in one of the articles I was editing, that was probably because of her, too.

Oh, and if you're a Luther Seminary student and you have some layout experience, you're hired.

As Minnesotan as the Twins

I've been away from Minnesota for two years now and I have to admit that I had forgotten just what a unique place this is! There are so many things that are just so...well...Minnesotan! For instance, where else in the country do you find so many all-you-can-eat Lutefisk feeds? Or how about the good old-fashioned church basement potlucks? I know these things happen in other places, but they are ALWAYS happening here. Is there any other state that has the kind of frenzy surrounding the state fair that Minnesota has? Or what about the whole Mall of America business? Oh, and I can't forget A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Kiellor. Where else can you find so many well-informed, community- oriented people, who still sit around on Saturday nights (or Sunday afternoons) and listen to a radio show? I have never experienced any other state that has so many well-known institutions of higher education either, good social programs, a library in every neighborhood, etc., etc.

And then lastly, but not least(ly) by any means, what could be more Minnesotan than the Twins? I went to a game at the Metrodome last night with some friends from Luther and, it's true, Minnesotans have a kind of deep affinity for their baseball team. They love the Twins and they love sharing their love for the Twins with others and they REALLY love it when the Twins get so close to the playoffs! Kevin and I got in to the game for only $3 with our student IDs and even got $1 hot dogs! How do you like that? Everyone at the game seemed to be in such a good mood, even though they were behind for quite a chunk of it. There's just something so comforting about being there in a stadium full of people who wouldn't rather be anywhere else in the world than at the game, who jump up and down when their faces are on the big Twin cam screen, who valiantly attempt the wave over and over and over again. It's just good old- fashioned fun, which is something we can all use every now and then.

I See Dead People (About Once a Week, Actually)

Regular readers of my postings (the few and the strong) may have stumbled upon my little biography along the right hand column of the Life at Luther homepage. Those of above-average observational powers may have read that I espouse the title "Funeral Director Assistant" (FDA) and wondered what that entailed. So since I'm memorizing Luther's Small Catechism right now, I'll proceed explaining my mortuary services in a question and answer format.

How did you get this job?

A fellow at Luther worked for the funeral services company for which I now work and lived in the same dorm as my friend. My friend and I were talking about his new job as a FDA and I asked him if I there were still openings. The original fellow gave my name to my current boss and now I’m picking up the deceased.

Do you work for a funeral home?

I do not work for a funeral home, but rather for a funeral services company. We only do transportation of the deceased. We have contracts with funeral homes and cremation services in the Twin Cities area and when they are unable to perform pick-ups themselves they call our company to undertake the removal.

Do you embalm people?

My company is not involved in embalming. I do however get to witness folks in the process of being embalmed because we often drop off the deceased in the mortuary parlor where embalming takes place.

Are you a hearse driver?

The funeral services industry does still utilize hearses, but recently other vehicles have come into fashion for doing transportation of the deceased. My company has a Dodge mini-van and a Ford Expedition modified for the cots on which we move the deceased. The windows have a special “Undertaker Tint” for privacy. (My bosses tell me that they have even been pulled over by the cops for having their windows too dark. When the officer looks into the van, however, he quickly realizes upon a quick perusal of the back, that no laws have been broken in our case.)

Where do you go and get these people?

We transport the deceased from wherever they happen to die: homes, hospitals, and eldercare facilities. We do not have any contracts with county medical examiners so we do not pick up accident victims or violent death victims currently.

Why in the world would you volunteer to go and do this?

I am training to become a pastor and pastors need to be familiar with the funeral process and the presence of grieving people. Pastors will accompany families as they mourn the death of loved ones and I feel that I need to garner some experience with the grieving, funeral, and burial process in order to be an effective pastor during those times.

Does it bother you, that is, does it “creep you out,” when you see these dead people?

To be perfectly honest, every time I see a deceased person for the first time, I feel a little upset inside. I would be afraid of mine own state of mind if I wasn’t upset a little by death. On the whole, however, I am okay. Death is a part of life. Plus, somebody has to come and remove the dead. He might as well be me.

How much do you get paid?

I work 12-hour shifts and receive $50 per shift. Technically, I receive $25 per removal and I get paid for two removals per shift no matter if I do those removals or not. A break down would work like this: per 12-hour shift—1 removal=$50, 2 removals=$50, 3 removals=$75, 4 removals=$100. We also get paid $0.50 per loaded-mile for a removal beyond our coverage area.

Do you have shifts without a removal?

One of the glories of this job is that I get paid whether or not someone dies. When no one dies, I get paid $50 to do my laundry, study my homework, or write my blog. I must remain ready to go, however, at all times during my shift.

What is the procedure on a typical removal?

1. I receive a phone call from the funeral director (one of my bosses) who is working during my shift. I get dressed in my suit and tie and drive to the location at which our van is parked.
2. The funeral director and I, the funeral director’s assistant, get into our company van and drive to the location at which the person died.
3. We greet the family, the nurses, or the person in charge at the site of death and have them fill out the paperwork. For families especially, the funeral director makes sure they have enough time with their loved one and offers to answer any questions they may be having. At this point, I just stand silently to the side and estimate our route into and out of the location of the deceased person—bedroom, bathroom, hospital room, etc.
4. We bring the cot alongside the deceased person. We wrap the deceased person in a sheet and with the sheet transfer him or her to our cot. We secure the deceased person to our cot and zipper a cloth cover over them.
5. We load the cot with the deceased person into the back of our van and drop him or her off at the funeral home.

So there you have it. If I did not answer all of your questions, post them in the comments section. I will do my best to respond without violating our privacy policy.

like Father, like Son

I taught Sunday School for the first time this week. I had taught Vacation Bible School several summers ago at my home church, and when I heard that my new contextual-leadership congregation, Galilee Lutheran, needed volunteers, I offered to teach the middle school class on alternating weeks.

First, some background: Sometime early in my career as a newspaper reporter, the critical eyes of readers really pushed me to new standards for my work — in terms of accuracy, honesty, grammar, style and what have you. And so my own critical eye became really intense, to the point that I would keep thinking about my articles even hours after I had filed them. And this trickled into pretty much everything else I've done, and everything I'm doing now as a seminary student (You wouldn't believe how long I spend even crafting e-mail messages to friends). I was a perfectionist to begin with, and now I have a real sense of pride and duty to go along with it.

So back to Sunday School. I spent a few hours preparing for Sunday's lesson. It seemed to me that if I had gotten so meticulous about everyday writing, I should really be careful when teaching kids about God. I had pretty big expectations. And when Sunday morning came, things went pretty well. I had four students ranging from sixth to eighth grade. All were pretty attentive and seemed to have a good time, but as I was putting away supplies in the closet afterward, I started to think about all the things I could have done better.

"I ran too long with the lesson and didn't give the kids enough time to apply it in the hands-on project!" "I didn't even get my point across at the end, that who they are reflects who Jesus is!" And so on.

I've come to realize that while pride in your work is a good thing, this sort of perfectionistic worrying usually isn't. And if I can't come to these sort of realizations on my own, I can learn a lot by looking at my parents' own habits. The worrying gene clearly comes from my mom's side of the family. The perfectionism gene comes from my dad, Don. (And since they'll probably read this, I'll say that I love them both very much, regardless of what quirky traits they passed on to me.)

I was talking to my dad on the phone a couple weeks ago. He was telling me about the article he wrote for the religion page of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, my hometown newspaper, where I worked for four years. Apparently one of my old copy editor buddies had lower-cased the words Father and Son in his column, and my dad was a little peeved. (Here's where I get to start paying back my dad for all the times he's told about my silly exploits in his sermons.) He figured people would think he was an idiot pastor if he didn't even know to give God and Jesus proper names.

Well, a few days later, I get an e-mail from a friend back in Wisconsin with the subject line, "Mad Props For Pastor Don." My friend told me that her church's board of education had used my dad's column (which called Sunday School teachers to keep God's love central to all their lessons) as the devotion for their meeting and was giving a copy of the article to all the teachers.

This made me laugh. My dad was being just like me. Instead of feeling good about the fact that his article would help some people as Sunday School teachers this year, he was beating himself up for the little things that went wrong with it. And while I teased him about it, I think this experience helped me a lot. It's much easier to see our own flaws when we see someone else doing the same thing. And it's pretty funny.

So back to the supply closet after Sunday School. After beating myself up for a few seconds about what could have gone better, I remembered my dad's experience and just shook my head and smiled. I did, after all, do a decent job on my first day teaching, the kids surely got something out of it (at least hopefully that God loves them), and I would have plenty of follow-up efforts to improve.

So, Dad, thanks. And if you ever do anything silly again, it's OK. I'll need plenty of sermon material in the years to come.

Time flies when……

We all can finish this statement with the words “when you are having fun”. Well we should also coin the term “time flies when you are in seminary!” Maybe the bookstore could embroider that on a denim shirt or etch it on a mug. Ok Seriously, I cannot believe where the time has gone. As I am getting ready to write my blog, it occurs to me that my last blog was almost two weeks ago! For my thousands of fans that yearn to hear about my daily activities at Luther, I am sorry to have let you down.

It has been great to get back into a schedule and I am really enjoying all of the classes I am taking. To top things off, I enjoy them so much that I have a hard time prioritizing my readings; I WANT TO READ THEM ALL. At this moment, my favorite class has to be “Ministry to Young Adults” with Rollie Martinson. During class we discuss this age group of 18-35 year olds, and try to understand some of the trends that are being noticed. Such as, the extended amount of years that are spent in professional education, the desire to remain mobile and not choosing to settle down. Then we toss around ideas of how God is active in the lives of this age group, and how the church and Christian leaders can best meet the needs of young adults.

Even though there is a lot of class time, and an immense amount of reading, I have been having my fair share of fun. Last weekend, the youth ministry department hosted a retreat at the St. Croix YMCA camp in WI. This was a time for the first year students to get to know the returning students. We shared wisdom, played some games, listens to life stories, and worshiped together. One of the components that really helped to develop those relationships was the low ropes course. We were in groups of 6-10 and had to complete tasks that included problem solving and teamwork. My group, had to cross a “pit of hot lava” using only three platforms, all were about 2 feet by 2 feet and we were given two 2x4’s that were about 9 ft. long. We eventually all made it, even though it took more than a few tries, and some unique balancing.

This picture is my group lifting me up about 5 feet in the air. Part of this task was to trust your group to physically lift you up. Now I am not a petite girl, so putting my trust in the lives of my team was very hard. But before I knew it, I was in the air and staring at clouds. The weekend ended with us all sharing communion around a campfire. Life is a gift, sometimes you may want to return it, but if you look hard enough, after sifting through the remains, you can usually find something that is worth keeping. I have been enjoying this life here at Luther. Till next time! (hopefully sooner than two weeks)

Keepers of the Doors

When I lived in Egypt, I got to become friends with a whole cadre of doormen. Every school, large business, and apartment building in my neighborhood of Alexandria had a mature gentleman and a squad of boys to provide basic building services—security, maintenance, mail—duties anyone would expect. What I did not expect, however, and what always pleasantly astonished me was their hospitality.

Egyptians pride themselves on their hospitality, especially doormen. They always want to sit and drink tea with visitors, chatting about the news in the world and in the building. They were quick with a joke and a smile. Their presence made coming home at the end of the day a little more joyful.

In the tradition of my doorman friends in Egypt, I am proud to be a doorman for our chapel here at Luther Seminary. I would hope that my greeting people before worship, shaking hands, giving a smile, and helping people get their worship materials all help to make coming back to the Lord’'s House a little more joyful. We even get to share tea on Wednesdays after sharing the communion meal. Building up this hospitality is one of my favorite duties as the sacristan.

In our time, when going and coming happens so fast, I pray that God would watch over and bless all the doormen and doorwomen in this world. Through their ministries may our entering and exiting go a little slower, with a little more grace, with a little more hospitality, and with a little more love.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Psalm 84:10

Studying the Proverbial

I am taking a wisdom literature class this semester and for our very first assignment we read a large section of Proverbs, then picked one out to share with the class. I thought I might share mine here as well:

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing personal opinion. (Proverbs 18:2)

I have to admit that my initial reason for picking this proverb is because I am afraid that I might be the fool in this proverb. I hope not, but you never know- I'm sure I have been more than I care to admit. But reading it reminds me that it is a good idea to stop and examine my reasoning for sharing something with other people. Then again, there are a few other people I know, besides myself, who come to mind too!

Studying wisdom literature has also made me realize how incredibly unfamiliar I am with this part of scripture. I did lead a Bible study on Job last year during internship. I thought it went fairly well. But I'll probably learn in this class that my approach was all wrong! At any rate, I think we are missing out on some good stuff! A few examples:

• Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. (10:12)
• To guarantee loans for a stranger brings trouble, but there is safety in refusing to do so. (11:15)
• The field of the poor may yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice. (13:23)
• The wise of heart is called perceptive, and pleasant speech increases persuasiveness. (16:21)
  

A little something to ponder on a Friday.

The Faithfulness of our Fathers and Mothers

Last weekend I was honored to attend the Luther Seminary Leadership Circle Retreat. (The Leadership Circle is almost like the extended seminary board of trustees, folks who contribute significantly to the seminary, care deeply about its growth and future, and offer guidance.) I must admit, however, I was not quite so honored to be invited because I did not understand what would happen over the weekend nor who I would meet. I expected to be ushered in, asked to smile and wave at the folks attending, sit down and shut up. I expected to be one of token students used as a marketing ploy to wring more money out of the donors. 'Let the grown-ups do the talking, son. Sit there and look missional.'

I was completely wrong.

Going to the Leadership Circle Retreat was like attending a family reunion. I felt as though I got to meet a dozen of my long-lost parents and grandparents. The folks who came astonished me by how much they cared about the seminary, its students, and furthering the Gospel of Christ. Their mission is my mission: preach boldly and biblically, teach the faith to the next generation, and rally support for missional growth.

By being a member of this retreat, I was able to meet the "cloud of witnesses" who support me in my mission. They aren't just "the donors," but real people whose love for me and for Christ I have felt. And this love among the members of the Body of Christ keep me going on the path to becoming a pastor. We could not do it without their encouragement.

Time to Deliver, International AIDS pt. 2

The theme of the 16th International AIDS Conference was Time to Deliver. World leaders, people living with HIV and AIDS, doctors, healthcare workers, social workers, volunteers, professors, pastors, etc. all came together to call the world to action-- to step up and do something to address this international crisis. The highlighted plenary speakers included former president Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Anders Nordstrom, Richard Gere, and the UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis. (Note the lack of women, minorities, and non-Western leaders, more to come on that.)

Although seeing Clinton was surreal for me, it was ultimately Stephen Lewis who captured the hearts and minds of the 24,000 gathered delegates, myself included. Lewis was not afraid to confront the UN, as well as the leaders of several countries including the US on their failure to provide the aid that has been promised to Africa. He was the only plenary speaker to note the lack of women, minorities, and non-Western leaders on the main stage, and called for the next International AIDS Conference to change that. He also demanded that the UN appoint an African woman to serve as his replacement when he steps down from his position as special envoy next year, his reason being that African women are the ones who are suffering the most at the hands of HIV/AIDS, and only an African woman can truly understand the plight of her homeland in light of AIDS. He received endless standing ovations, as well as a great deal of media attention for his controversial, but truthful statements.

At the conference I realized just how easy it is for us in the US to overlook the crisis that much of the rest of the world faces because of AIDS. We don't seem to read about it in the news, or talk about it as often as perhaps we once did. But the reality is that AIDS is not going away, or getting better--it's getting worse. Last year 2.8 million people died from AIDS related illnesses and 4.1 million people became newly infected. Over 70% of those infected do not know that they are carrying the virus. The conclusions that the conference came to is that it is Time to Deliver the following (in no particular order):

• Provide universal affordable access to antiretrovirals
• Provide funding to pay healthcare workers in the field of HIV/AIDS a living wage
• Provide universal access to affordable HIV/AIDS testing
• Provide education to all ages on how HIV/AIDS is spread and treated
• Employ harm reduction techniques to prevent the spread
• Encourage and support minority women in speaking out

The conference hosted several worship services. At the service that Kevin and I attended we prayed for all of those people who suffer as a result of HIV/AIDS, for those who care for them, and for world leaders. We also prayed that God would move the world into action. There were many times at the conference where I felt so insignificant compared to many of the people I heard and met. But through these prayers I realized that God calls all of us in unique ways to serve our neighbors, and God has given each of us a voice and the power to listen. For more information about the conference visit www.aids2006.org and to find out what the ELCA is doing visit www.elca.org/aids.

Week one, done

I haven't posted a blog for four days, and I can only blame one thing: priorities. Yep, as much as I procrastinate with important stuff, I think I actually did a good job this week. I'm about 98 percent up to date with all my course work, and I'm feeling pretty good going into this weekend. I thought I'd share some highlights of my first real week at seminary. And since last week's bulleted list of free stuff was a pretty big hit (I got two whole compliments on it), I'll do this in bullet form.

• I was wrong in my assumption that Luther would stop giving us free stuff, at least when it comes to the edible variety. We had a free lunch on Wednesday (tasty soup) and root beer floats on Thursday.
  
  
• Last night, I successfully read a gospel straight through (I don't know if I should admit this) for the first time. Granted it was Mark, the shortest gospel. But boy, was that fun … seriously. Hmm — I'm not sure I should have admitted to never reading an entire gospel before. Well, to help you forget that, here's another astounding fact: I've never seen "The Wizard of Oz" … seriously.
  
  
• On the weird-but-cool front, I got assigned to a project team for my "Reading the Audiences" course that consists of all married students. We shared stories about our spouses and how bad we feel when we're studying and they're bored out of their minds.
  
  
• I have gotten to do a couple things with my wife this week, however, such as having dinner with her old friend and her boyfriend (the friend's boyfriend, not my wife's boyfriend) who now live in the Twin Cities. And Thursday, we got to see my cousin play soccer since the game was in St. Paul. He kicked the tying goal. (It ended in that tie, and it was a big come-from-behind tie, so that was exciting.)
  
  
• I have learned the Hebrew alphabet and can read some words. The big test: Yesterday, I was able to sound out a Hebrew word that was tattooed on a fellow seminarian's arm. I made it more than halfway through the word when I realized it was his name.
  
  
• I have now met two other students who, like me, are Green Bay Packers fans (one of them being the guy with the Hebrew tattoo). I learned last week that David, the guy who orders books for the seminary library, is also a Packer-backer. Now I have a support group available on the day after every game this season.
  
  
• Perhaps even more importantly, for the first time since I moved here more than three months ago, I have stumbled across someone who shares my deep appreciation for the ABC show, "Lost." He’s a professor. (Oh, and if you also happen to be a “Lost” fan, you need to see this crazy thing.)
  
  
• In an almost daily struggle to stay awake amid all this studying, I have learned to drink regular coffee. My wife got me to drink cappuccino several years ago, but that stuff is not as cheap or accessible. Actual coffee is gross to me, but if I fill it with enough creamer and sugar, it's tolerable. I never thought it would happen, but here I am, drinking actual coffee. It's amazing what seminary can do. Maybe one day it will somehow even push me into finally watching "The Wizard of Oz."

Leaky Baptism (or the Incontinent Font)

More tales from the sacristy:

Here at Luther we have a giant pink granite cube, about a yard in length on each side, with a hollow center for baptismal water. Underneath, secretly concealed by a false panel, an electric pump ever so gently pushes the water from a basin below out of a little pipe protruding into the bowl of the font itself. The water then cascades down a cut in the side of the stone, back into the basin underneath. It really is a work of art.

But, it leaks like a busted Slip-n-Slide, leaving pools of water all over the entrance to the chapel in a sort of tidal ebb and flow, one day a deluge, the next a dry lake bed of chalky mineral deposits on the clay tile. It is somewhat a hassle to fill, clean up, and fix constantly. Furthermore, to some ears, the sound of the water running is less like the calming ripples of a forest stream and more like a broken toilet.

No matter, however, I want to keep our incontinent font, leaks and all. I like our dripping baptismal site because (at the risk of drawing a hopelessly lame analogy) it reminds me of the messiness of our baptisms. We aren’t meant to keep our baptisms locked up tight in a stone box. We should let our baptisms' gift, the Holy Spirit, dampen the sneakers of those around us. We should not try to control the Spirit, but let her flow where she may, pooling up here and leaving her marks there. Let’s keep the font leaky and messy, for into a leaky and messy world the Holy Spirit works and is calling us to serve.

Sniffing out Ministry

Whether allergies or a cold virus had caused the mucus blocking my nose, I do not know. I do know, however, that today breathing freely came only with the miraculous help of modern pharmaceuticals. Therefore, after work this afternoon I was not looking forward to Theology Pub, a small group ministry that I facilitate for my contextual education site, Spirit Garage. We had just resurrected Theology Pub from a nine-month coma for its grand re-emergence, and I did not want to go. I had to go, however. I am the facilitator. I am the minister. I am the one responsible. My inner dialogue started up.

“It won’t be that bad,” I thought, “It’ll be a nice break.”

“But you’re so tired. You can barely keep your eyes open now.”

“That’s just the anti-histamines talking. You’ll be fine once you get there.”

“I’ll be too groggy to say anything intelligible.”

“Let the other folks speak. You can listen.”

“What if nobody shows up?”

“Then you can have beer and go home. Nothing too strenuous.”

So, I dragged myself out of my La-Z-Boy and went off to Uptown for a beer and some conversation about God’s communication with humanity.

And it was wonderful. All of my friends from Spirit Garage showed up. We drank beer and ate popcorn and talked about how God might be speaking to us in our lives. Even though I sniffled through the whole conversation, I felt better for having gone.

Sometimes as pastors-in-training we get so wrapped up in “our” ministries that we forget to let those very ministries and their people minister to us. Theology Pub wasn’t a burden. It was a joy and a real gift from God for me today.

International AIDS Conference, pt. 1

In August my husband and I had the opportunity to be delegates at the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto. Over 24,000 people attended from over 100 different countries, all coming together to educate and be educated about HIV and AIDS and the worldwide effects. I first learned about the conference while I was on internship. The ELCA campus pastors (and interns) received an email from the ELCA Churchwide Office informing us about the conference and asking us to encourage students to attend. The more I looked into it, the more I felt pulled to be a part of it, too. What an amazing chance to be a part of an interdisciplinary gathering of people all looking to help make a difference in the world's AIDS crisis! It wasn't cheap, the registration fees alone were over $200, but Kevin and I felt it was important to be there. Thankfully, we both received Thrivent Leadership Grants from Luther to help cover our costs.

The first time we entered the Conference Center, we were overwhelmed to say the least. There were people everywhere we looked. The conference took up two buildings which were each several stories high, as well as having satellite sessions all over the city of Toronto. There were plenary sessions, skills building workshops, lectures, poster presentations, film debuts, art galleries, small group discussions, a youth pavillion, etc. There was also an area called The Global Village where organizations from all over the world had booths and information tables to share their work relating to HIV and AIDS.

The conference also organized gathering places for various groups to network: people living with HIV and AIDS, people working in faith-based programs, people doing scientific research. For me the most exciting part was seeing all of the ways that communities all over the world are pulling together to help those suffering from the virus. The air was saturated with support and compassion. Everyone was excited to be together and to learn from each other. It was inspiring and humbling to walk through the aisles and meet people who had dedicated their work and their lives to helping the victims of HIV and AIDS. More to come...

Smart enough for now

It could be said that I became part of Luther Seminary when I began writing stories for the seminary's Communication Office in June. And if not then, when I started my summer Greek course in July. And if not then, last Tuesday, for the orientation week. But today, I absolutely officially started seminary, as fall semester classes began.

I had three courses this morning. It started at 8 a.m. with Hebrew, continued at 9 a.m. with my Synoptic Gospel: Luke course and, after chapel at 10 a.m., wrapped up with a history course called Reform of the Church. Monday and Wednesday mornings are going to be busy for me.

But so far, so good. Although the first day, like high school and college, pretty much consists of reading syllabi, there appears no reason to panic. The instructors all seem to be reasonable, even likeable and entertaining. And more importantly, the curriculum doesn't seem to be over my head.

I can't say I really expected this stuff to be over my head, at least not this early in my seminary career. But since arriving at Luther, I've been uneasy sometimes about my knowledge base when it comes to all this God stuff.

My foot in the door has always been my dad. As I've grown, I've gotten to see him in action, hear a lot of great sermons and observe how he communicates with people as a pastor. And he's always been there to answer my questions about God, the Bible and that whole huge scheme of things.

But compared to many other incoming students who have had religion courses as an undergrad, I'm kind of a lightweight. My education on the Bible hasn't extended far beyond Sunday School. I took the only religion course (Science and Religion, actually) available in my undergrad years at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. So I feel like I'm in the dark when I hear my peers, even those three years younger than me, talking theology.

The good news, I suppose, is that this brings me that much closer to the people I'll be serving. In his sermon at today's chapel, Seminary President Rick Bliese cited a recent newspaper article that noted a continuing drop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's nationwide membership. President Bliese's explanation: Lutherans don't like to get in arguments about religion, and they don't like to talk about their faith. And at root of that, they probably don't know much about their faith. They often don't know Jesus' words.

I certainly don't know all of Jesus' words, and I'm not the most outspoken about my faith. That's nothing to boast about. But in a world like today's, so many people can't make the time or stomach the attention to make it beyond that level. One major thing that I value about my choice of university and brief career in journalism is that it helped me get closer to people in everyday situations. Lately, I've sometimes wished that I would have spent more of my time in religious study, but I know I've gained some real-life experience that will make it easier for me to associate with many different people once I become a pastor.

And one thing I've realized is that people have so many things competing for their time. I'm like them in that way. Jesus just hadn't been a high enough priority, and I realized it was time to change that. Seminary is finally giving me, personally, the time and attention to learn all these things about God. It's a chance many people won't get, and it will be up to me to show people why Jesus is worth their attention at every moment of their lives and to guide them in their own learning as they, too, grow in faith.

Thankfully, I think I've got the basics down: that as God loves us, we should love one another, and since Jesus died for us in the greatest display of God's love, we don't need to fear death. And I think with that, I'll manage.

But I've got a lot of growing to do — even catching up to do — in my faith and in my learning. And on that note, enough with the blogging for tonight. I've got studying to do.

Look at all those books!

I once heard someone say that there are as many theologies in the world as there are people. If seminary doesn't confirm this for you then I don't know what will. In my first day of classes as a senior at Luther this fact has never seemed truer. (So far I feel like I've read just about as many theology books as there are people in the world at any rate! Just look at all of those books, and that's only half of one of our three bookshelves!!! Not all of them have been required reading over the last few years, but quite a big chunk of them have come from the good old Augsburg Fortress bookstore!) The more I read and talk with people, the more I appreciate what a wide range of beliefs there are even in my own denomination. And these differences come to the surface very quickly in the Luther classroom! I hope that this is a healthy thing, and not just an excuse to prove to each other how "right" we are.

Most of the time I think that having differing opinions is a great thing. I love a good debate as much as the next person. In fact, I grew up in a household where intellectual banter on music, philosophy, literature, religion, politics--pretty much any topic we could think of--was a common occurence at the dinner table. My brother and I especially were probably arguing simply to get on each other's nerves. He annoyed me then, to say the least, but looking back on it he probably helped to teach me a valuable lesson. Debate, the exchanging of ideas, offers us an opportunity to learn from each other, to witness how two people can read the exact same material--take John 3:16 for instance--and have completely opposite interpretations. That's because none of us live in a vacuum. Each of us come from distinct communities and have had unique experiences that form us into the people we are today. We all have a context from which we study theology and do ministry. Even the name "Lutheran" does not have one clear, universally accepted definition. It's both frustrating and challenging, as well as a good reminder for me that none of us can know it all. I think it is actually a very good thing to question why we believe what we believe. Ok, I'll get off of my soapbox. You'd think I want to be a preacher or something!

Time Well Wasted

Our seminary’s president, Rick Bliese, spoke before our first week orientation worship service. What was his advice for the incoming students? Waste time. Waste time with your fellow students arguing about theology. Waste time with your professors discussing your questions. Waste time hanging out with your seminary community because this isn’t really wasted time. Just being together, learning together, wrestling with the problems and dilemmas of our time, together, is perhaps an underappreciated facet of seminarian life.

This past weekend while I was in the thick of completing my endorsement essay (a question & answer assessment that candidacy committees use to see if one is ready for a parish internship), my friend, Tim, and I sat out front of Bøckman Hall, smoking cigars and hashing through our theological quandaries. We came to a few conclusions from this time well wasted:

We feel that the time of timid and obtuse theological declarations must end. Luther started the Reformation with strength in his theological convictions and publicly opposed those who held incorrect views. He concluded his testimony before the Diet of Worms saying,

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the scriptures or by clear reason, I am bound by the scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand; may God help me. Amen.”

Parishioners, pastors, and bishops of the Lutheran church ought to engage in public debate and explanation of the truth of Gospel, justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Lutheran leaders ought to speak up in the media, radio talk shows, newspaper editorials, and television forums to combat erroneous doctrines and practices.

In order to enable folks to engage in this new public witness, pastors and bishops must emphasize the catechism in education and preaching. Every member of a Lutheran congregation ought to know and defend the Gospel message as summarized in the catechism. Luther lifted up the catechism as the tool by which every Christian might become an informed judge of doctrine. Knowing the catechism will allow youth and young adults especially to fully understand the gifts of God they’ve been given and intelligently answer the questions and accusations of their increasingly apostate peers.

(Check out Luther Seminary President Bliese preaching about the same topic this past Monday.)

We call for a new courage to solidly proclaim that through faith in Christ, God has exchanged our sin, death, and damnation for righteousness, life, and salvation.

Oh how the corn grows!

It is now Sunday afternoon and I am enjoying some down time, something I have not experienced much of, this past week. Despite my status of "returning student", I participated in just as much of the first week festivities as the incoming class did. Being part of the first week crew, I was expected to be available for any questions and pretty much just hang around and be hospitable to the new students (in seminary we call this, ministry of accompaniment). As I have taken the time to get to know the "newbies", there is a sense of appreciation for all of those who were available during first week.

Despite the lectures of academia, and the usual "What to expect when you are here at Luther Seminary" break out sessions, there are couple of moments that really stand out in my mind. The first one being one of the service projects. I was on the crew that helped with tornado clean-up.

Early Thursday morning, about 50 individuals piled in big yellow school buses and drove down to Le Sueur County, about an hour and a half down yonder from the Twin Cities. Our first task was pretty general, pick up debris from the soybean fields and pile them in a more accessible place. Things became a little more interesting on the second task, at least for me they did. We traveled a short distance down the road, and were asked to "walk the cornfield" and look for any debris from the tornado that may have landed. Now to many of the students, this was not a huge deal. They have either lived on a farm or know someone who does; they can even tell you about times that they played in the corn fields. However, to those of us who experience farm life from a car seat or an airplane window, walking through the cornfield was a very novel experience.

As my group first entered the corn, it wasn't too bad; the corn was as tall as my shoulders and I could still see the sky without having to look straight up. Yet, only a few strides later did I find myself in a corn closet. On all four sides and even above, there was corn. Apparently, as one of my fellow "corn walkers" pointed out, due to the tornado the fields were much more difficult to navigate than usual. I thought to myself, "That's great, the next time I feel the need to travel through a jungle of corn, I will be a pro!" But seriously, this was some heavy duty stuff. I mean, someone should market it as a new exercise program, they could call it "Corn-the new way to walk". It definitely was a new experience and has been added to my list of things I never thought I would do. Overall, it was a blessing to help the families in need. Next time I may just stick with raking lawns.

Now that first week is over, it is time to get back to business. Classes start tomorrow, and many of the returning students will be back on campus. I welcome this change very much so. One of the struggles of summer was not having a set schedule. I am looking forward to getting into a routine and planning out my weeks.

Free stuff and not-so-free stuff

I survived First Week at Luther Seminary. Considering that it was pretty much nonstop fun — no classes yet — there wasn't much to survive. Just a lot of helpful orientation sessions and chances to meet people. Oh, and free stuff. I made out like a bandit. Here is a summary of all the freebies I accumulated, compliments of the seminary and partnering organizations, through my involvement this week:

• Six free meals
• Two T-shirts
• A $100 gift certificate to the seminary bookstore
• An Augsburg Fortress book bag
• An Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lunch bag
• One 256-megabyte USB flash drive
• One pedometer
• One tetanus shot
• One stapler
• One DVD about the apostle Paul
• One water bottle
• One "God can use someone like you" silicone bracelet
• Two notepads
• One lanyard
• Three pens
• One large lemon-lime Arctic Rush slush at Dairy Queen
• Minor upper-arm soreness from the aforementioned tetanus shot

The bad news is (1) this showering of free stuff will not continue and (2) the cost of attending seminary will far outweigh the combined dollar value of these complimentary items. I won't bore you with a bulleted list of costs for a seminary student, but the bottom line is that this undertaking changes your financial situation more than a little. With this in mind, the seminary sponsored a stewardship workshop for new students on Friday.

I must note with deep gratitude that my generous home church and the ELCA are together covering most of the $9,700 yearly tuition. And as you'll notice by clicking on the link about seminary costs that I put in the last paragraph, the tuition and fees paid by students are only 22 percent of the total education costs (thanks, donors!).

Also on the bright side: My wife, Tracy, and I recently finished paying off Tracy's grad-school debt. And we have managed to stay out of other debt (aside from car payments) with a common sense approach to spending. I know we're in better shape than many other seminary students and their families who may come in with considerably more debt from college or mortgages to pay off.

It won't get easier as seminary progresses. As shared in Friday's workshop, members of Luther Seminary's class of 2006 graduated with a combined $3.9 million in outstanding student-loan debt and an average of $41,681 per borrower. The line of work they're entering doesn't exactly offer a quick payback. And of course, it's crucial that church leaders not let debt damage their lives and service.

Considering the remaining seminary costs and the drop in my income from when I was working full-time, Tracy and I are examining ways to keep from borrowing much or dipping into our savings. It's not going to be easy, and we know we're going to have to cut our spending. Pretty much anyone considering seminary needs to know this dimension of changes to life.

But it can be done, and the seminary offers students tools such as financial coaches to make it happen. My parents made it through while my dad was at seminary. With some smart habits and faith in God, we'll make it, too.

If only indebtedness were as easy to avoid as tetanus.

We all have a story to tell

I have to admit that it has been really amazing to meet or reconnect with so many people this week! The thing that I have learned about seminary students in my time here is that there is no one "cookie-cutter" type of seminary student. We all come from different walks of life with unique stories to share. First Week is a good reminder that God uses all kind of people to do God's work in the world. Even though I have been away from Luther for 2 years, I still feel incredibly tied to the community here. One new student I spoke with left behind a comfortable job with a stable income to follow the call he said he had been feeling for years-- which is something that I admire. It's also been exciting for me because several students from my internship site (Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD) have come up to attend seminary at Luther. I like being the familiar face in the crowd for them.

And then there are all of the old friends and classmates that I haven't even seen for so long. So many of them have gone through incredibly important life changes, like getting married or having children, so it has been wonderful to hear their stories and then, in turn, to share my own. I got to see my friend Sean, who is on internship here in the Twin Cities this year, and hear about his new daughter and his move to a new home. It's neat to know that God sends us all over the place and yet we can all come back here together and share in the common bond--the joys and frustrations-- of having been seminary students together.

Immanuel labor

The 85-year-old woman didn't have a dollar figure for the damage that had been done to her Nicollet County farm. But for those of us who compared the state of her barn, storage sheds and trees to the way they looked in a photo taken three days before the tornado, the extent of the damage was clear enough.

About 50 of us — mostly new students, as well as returning students and faculty and staff members at Luther Seminary — made a little progress today in getting things back to normal for her. We continued what her family, friends and other volunteers have begun in the two weeks since the Aug. 24 tornado. As part of our arranged service day, we gathered debris from the remains of the sheds and from her soybean field, raked her lawn and cleared fallen branches. But there is still more work to be done.

Although I was a news reporter for four years, this was my first face-to-face encounter with the aftermath of a tornado. It was the same for many of my new friends, who were equally awed. It's amazing to consider what nature can do — not only ripping the roof from a barn and ravaging metal buildings, but also, as one of my friends noticed, stabbing a piece of stray wood into an especially sturdy tree.

It's amazing to think what can change in an instant. The woman told us that on that day, she had just learned from the TV that a tornado was passing nearby, and she had traveled only a few steps down the basement staircase when she heard her entire house jerking, along with the shattering of glass and the impact of large pieces of debris. Certainly, it was a blessing that she was alive and that her home itself was largely spared. (She also noted her delight that her garden was curiously intact and that her flowers continued to bloom.) And this was actually the second twister she survived — another struck this apparent tornado alley in 1998.

But it made me consider myself all the more blessed that nothing like this has ever happened to my home. In fact, nothing so devastating has ever crossed my path. It made this small bit of service feel like a privilege — the least I could do.

Meanwhile, as much as I'm nagged by fears about the difficulties I will face as a pastor, I consider myself lucky to be on this road and to attend Luther Seminary. For one, as we were reminded Tuesday, the cost of our learning is largely offset by donors who are investing in their future church leaders. But I also think about a friend from my summer Greek course who suddenly had to put seminary on hold after learning a couple weeks ago that his brother in Ethiopia has leukemia.

From my own selfish experience, I can say how easy it is to take the good things we have for granted. And with that, we often take God for granted. For many of us, when things are fine, it's easy to forget that we need God. It's only in the face of loss that many people finally seek him and consider his love for us. Diving into this line of work and study is finally helping me to get past that sort of selfishness. After all, God is there for us in the good times as well as the bad, and we need to be thankful.

At its best, that thankfulness prompts us to serve those in less fortunate circumstances — just as we served today in God's name. After the Le Sueur County Public Health Nursing Service had given tetanus shots to those of us who needed them, our cleanup crew worked not only at the woman's farm but also spent some time searching for debris in a nearby cornfield. (Strangely, the most common pieces of debris to cross my path were cans of Michelob Golden Light.) Meanwhile, other folks from the seminary worked at a Minneapolis shelter.

As an important footnote, today was a lot of fun. This week has been a lot of fun. It may change a bit once classes begin, but I couldn't be happier to be here with so many terrific new friends. I have a lot to thank God for. And with that, I'm so happy to serve.

Sacristans: Life in the Sem's "Sacred Service" :)

As sacristan here at Luther Seminary, I witness our worship from behind the scenes. Along with another seminary student, I serve on the team I like to call our “professional alter guild.” We change the vestments, that is, the clothes that hang over the altar, the pulpit and in the back of the chancel. We set out the wine and the bread for communion. We coordinate assisting ministers. We clean up the pews and straighten the hymnals. At times, sacristan can be a fairly mundane job. There are times, however, because of my commonness I witness some unique events.

Forty-year veterans of preaching still get nervous before they give their sermon. Some read their manuscripts over and over making notes in the margins even while sitting up front while the lessons are read. Some shift around the vestry nervously glancing at the clock and straightening their alb, asking me to ensure that their pleats are straight. Some triple-check that water will be waiting for them at the lectern to whet their whistle during the homily. Seeing these little fidgets indicates two reassuring things to me. First, these people really care about us and about giving us a good word. Only those who appreciate their position and their audience have the emotional investment needed to get anxious. Second, it is okay for me to be nervous leading worship. Even the wonderful orators of our seminary get a little flushed before speaking. It doesn’t stop them. It won’t stop me.

Back in the choir, back in the canoe

It’s been a couple years since I last sang with a church choir. And it’s been a few years more since I last sang with a really good choir.

But as part of my game plan to really get involved this week as I officially begin seminary, I pushed myself into joining the First Week choir. I don’t know that I’ll have the time to join the actual choir once classes begin, but I thought this free trial was worth a shot. After remarkably little rehearsal (particularly because this morning’s library tour completely overlapped with the choir’s second meeting), we debuted at this morning’s chapel.

Under normal circumstances, this all would have been scary. I’m rusty as a singer — nowhere near the caliber of my die-hard choir days in high school or in my first two years of college. But it has been nothing but fun, simply because the talents and energy of the other singers lifted me up. When I couldn’t find a note while sight-reading, I could quickly pick it up from the other tenors around me. Never in a million years would I have considered singing a solo, but in a group, I’m stronger and braver.

Rewind to Sunday morning. I was at my in-laws’ cabin on the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan border, looking forward to another day of doing absolutely nothing. By default, that’s what I like to do — sit around. But my sister-in-law, Stephanie, and her boyfriend, Paul, asked my wife, Tracy, and me if we wanted to go canoeing down the nearby Brule River with them.

Understand that I had made an unspoken promise to myself that I would never go canoeing again. I had only done so once, 10 years ago, with my best friend from high school, and it was an absolute nightmare. On that day, we sank our canoe at least once, were nearly beheaded by a fallen tree and finished dead last in our group and with only one paddle (the only highlight was when my buddy, while dragging our canoe through the river in an attempt to catch up, found a pack of raw hot dogs in the river and started chewing on them and spitting them in a bout of apparent madness).

But when I was asked to go canoeing again, I couldn’t think of why not. The key was that I would have people with me — particularly Tracy, whom I trusted in a canoe far more than my hot-dog-spitting buddy. And I’m glad I went Sunday. The short trip down the river offered some breathtaking looks at God's wonders of nature, including a bald eagle and an enormous blue crane. We stayed afloat and even finished with both paddles. And all because I could rely on my wife (maybe I relied on her a little too much at the end — see the photo above).

That strength in numbers sums up the last two days here at seminary. While we always know we can rely on God, it helps immeasurably to have people around us to support us. As nervous as I was about starting seminary and as introverted as I am, I quickly saw that other new students — particularly the ones who didn’t have the benefit of starting early with Greek like I did — were going through the same thing. And almost as a reflex, I became more outgoing because I knew it was a way to help them with their own qualms, just as others have already done for me.

Tomorrow, I’ll be part of a clean-up effort in tornado-damaged areas of Le Sueur County as a service-day activity. Normally I’d be a bit hesitant about manual labor in unfamiliar area, but knowing that I’ll be in good company and as we help others makes it exciting instead. Heck, if other people can help me sound like a good singer or keep me afloat in a canoe, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish together.

Welcoming tears

From what my parents told me, I didn't cry like many other babies when I was baptized 25 years ago.

This morning, I almost did. Seminary Pastor John Mann had dipped an evergreen branch into the baptismal font at the back of the chapel and was shaking water onto the new students as we confessed our faith. It was nothing like the deluge at a SeaWorld show, but since I was of course sitting in one of the back pews, the scattered drops of water that I felt were enough to startle me. And as it suddenly set in that this marked my next big step in faith and that I was finally answering God's call, I was on the verge of tears.

Today was the official start to my career at Luther Seminary, on the road to becoming a pastor. My dad is a pastor, at Peace Lutheran Church in my hometown area of Green Bay, Wis. As I grew up seeing all the great things he has done for people, I always thought I might want to be a pastor, too.

I also wanted to be a newspaper reporter, and I tried that first. Shortly before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2003, I landed my dream job as a news reporter at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. I got married in June 2005 and thought I had my career all set. But I couldn't escape the feeling that I needed to get more in tune with God and find a different way to serve people.

At my wife's home church one morning last October, it hit me. It came with that same feeling, bringing me to the verge of tears and causing my voice to falter as I sang the closing hymn. At the end of that service, I turned to my wife, Tracy, and told her that at last I knew I needed to become a pastor.

Choosing Luther Seminary wasn't difficult. My parents met here, and my mom's side of the family lives west of Minneapolis. Tracy and I moved to St. Paul in June. I came to Luther today as not much of a stranger; this summer I began working part-time at the seminary's Communication Office and took a seven-week Greek course as a foundation for New Testament study.

Today's orientation sessions offered me a lot. I met some more new friends, signed up for some activities and picked up some nifty freebies. But nothing quite compared to that feeling this morning as we re-affirmed our baptism — trying to leave behind our lives of sin and selfishness to live instead in the Spirit and for one another.

It's not often that I'm moved to the verge of tears. Recently, it has only happened in moments of deepest faith, when I realize what God has in store for me. There's no feeling that compares to it. The last time it happened was a couple months ago, the morning after a buddy's wedding back in Green Bay. After the wedding, I had talked to several of my friends about their uncertainty with faith or concerns about death, and it occurred to me at my home church the next morning how many people I could already help. With a strangely welcomed kick to the stomach, I become overwhelmed with feeling of humility and gratitude to God. It's these moments that remind me that I'm doing the right thing, despite any doubt and fear.

When my dad baptized me 25 years ago, there was no reason for tears — I didn't understand what was happening. Today, although there's still so much that I don't understand, I finally understand what I need to do. And that's worth crying tears of joy.

Showdown at the Crossroads Chapel

Showdown at the Crossroads Chapel

Let me start with a little introduction…

All of us here who signed up to become pastors work with congregations around the Twin Cities. I work for Spirit Garage, a nine-year-old worshipping community in the Uptown Neighborhood of Minneapolis. This congregation tries to be unconventional in the details (though very orthodox in the theology) in order to welcome those who may have been disenfranchised by organized religion in the past. For example, during the season of Advent, we don’t light candles on the Advent wreath; we light up the ol’ beeswax atop the Advent radial tire. We hold worship services in the Minneapolis Theater Garage (no relation). Our congregation’s tag line is “Faith, Love, and Rock & Roll.” You may be getting the idea. Spirit Garage then decided to roll out a new worshipping community, Spirit Garage Underground (SGU), with an even more unconventional style. SGU worships in a bar/ballroom. I play in their band. That gets us to the Showdown at the Crossroads Chapel.

The SGU band recently played a gig at the Minnesota State Fair, the “Great Minnesota Get-Together,” as a way of getting the word out about our new worshipping community. Before my set, I was outside the Crossroads Chapel, our venue, handing out little leaflets to passers-by and inviting them to worship with us. Two gentlemen were hanging around the door and peering in so I went up to them and asked if they would like to join us for worship on Wednesdays. Then the dialogue began. The man on the left leapt at the chance to question me.

“What church are you affiliated with?”

“We belong, in a way, to the Lutheran church,” I replied.

“Do you believe in election?”

“Yes, Luther taught that we are elected by baptism and called by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel to be children of God. But, I don’t believe in double predestination.” (See the Formula of Concord Solid Declaration Article XI.)

“How can there be election without double predestination? Romans 9 says that God has mercy on whom he will have mercy. Therefore”

(A side note here: double predestination means that God has complete foreknowledge and chooses who will be saved and who will be damned before all time.)

I fell back on the old standard, “Well, that’s your interpretation.”

I really did not know how to respond. This guy was looking for a theological show down and all I could stammer out was, “Well, if you say so.” I knew what I believed and I knew that there were sound theological and scriptural reasons for that belief but for the life of me I couldn’t articulate them at the time.

I finally had to excuse myself because I was going on stage soon.

I went backstage and felt really mad at the guy for picking a fight. I was just trying to be friendly and he was out to demonstrate my apostasy. Moreover, I was mad at myself.

“I’m a dang seminary student. I should know this stuff off the top of my head. I should be able to articulate my thoughts well and clearly without writing a ten page essay.”

I got on stage and played my songs. The concert went well. The kernel of the Holy Spirit that will stay with me, though, is this guy prodding me to know my stuff. This semester I know that stranger will be sitting in the back of my mind pushing me to really understand and study the scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. When I’m confronted again, I want to be ready with the Word of the Gospel.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Sem

One evening last school year I sat in a café with my friend, Melissa, reading a commentary on Genesis for class, sipping an iced chai, and enjoying live bluegrass music. I looked up from my book and laughed to myself, “I am being assigned a text I would read anyway!” Melissa glanced up from her reading.

“I love seminary! There is no place else I would rather be than right here, right now. This is what I wanted to do for three years and now I’m doing it.”

I chuckled to myself under my breath and went back to reading, thanking God for giving me such a joyful peace with my position in life.

God had given me inclinations toward becoming a pastor throughout my growing up years. Folks had encouraged me to become a minister in junior high even. My parents and I, however, had looked into other fields for my career.

I started at Michigan State University as a physics major. I did well in my courses. I even worked at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. I felt aimless, however, and disconnected from people. I asked my supervisor at the Cyclotron, “How much of your time, as a percentage, do you spend in your office thinking about and working on physics problems?”

“Oh, about 75% of my time,” he replied.

That was the clincher to me. I couldn’t be cooped up in an office for the remainder of my life. Physics was cool, but it was the moral equivalent of playing with Legos: fun and interesting but with no real everyday impact on people’s lives. At that point I knew I was going to be a pastor and I needed to change my major.

My parents took the news with a little difficulty. They always imagined me going to college to train myself for a successful career, that is, a career in engineering, medicine, law, etc. Picturing their son as a pastor just did not inspire confidence in them at first. They’re happy about me becoming a minister now, but there were some harsh words in the beginning.

There is a peace that comes with knowing your future at least on a macroscopic level. I had committed myself to the pastor career path and thus every other decision branched off of that primary goal. I changed my major to community relations with a specialty in peace and justice. I started working with the Lansing Refugee Center. Within each course, even, I had a focus. I could ask myself, “How will this class fit in with my becoming a pastor?” Several times my professors encouraged me to bring my religious views to bear on different topics our classes discussed. For example, I evaluated the ELCA’s position on abortion in light of recent feminist scholarship on the topic. The future became very clear.

Now, I am living out my ambition and it’s a blast: debating politics in the dorm late into the night, playing in a folk rock band for Spirit Garage Underground, leading a theological roundtable at local bars called Theology Pub, and just hanging out with so many fellow young Christians. Thank God for Luther Seminary. There’s no place I’d rather be right now.

"East coast, west coast, now Midwest"

Hello my name is Marissa. I will turn 23 in October and will be starting my second year here at Luther Seminary. I am a master of arts student in the Children, Youth and Family Ministry program.

I work 10 hours a week as a youth director of a small Episcopalian congregation, and part time as a substitute program counselor/care giver for a group home agency. I love both of my jobs, especially when I work with the residents in the group homes; there I am able to use the skills I gained as I pursued my degree in Special Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Yes, I said Las Vegas! My hometown is Henderson, NV, a large town about 25 min. from the lights and luck of Las Vegas. Before my move to Nevada at age 14, I grew up in a suburb on Long Island in New York. So I have been on both the East Coast and the West Coast. I am now exploring life in the Midwest.

I chose Luther Seminary solely for the quality of the youth and family program and the faculty within that concentration. When I am not in class, studying, working or sleeping, I enjoy attending concerts of all sorts. From symphonies, to Thousand Foot Krutch (a punk rock Christian band), to Kelly Clarkson, I enjoy them all. I also have fun with being creative, whether painting, crocheting, cross stitch, or decorating. I love being able to create something fun with just a few art supplies. Shopping also ranks high on my list of fun, even if it is just window shopping when money is tight on my student budget. However a trip to the Rosedale Mall or MOA (Mall of America) is never complete for me without a stop at Godiva for a dark chocolate truffle.

That is pretty much me in a nutshell. Other than that, I plan out everything-even some time for play-a must for every Seminary student!

The year is beginning!

I am very excited to make my first posting here at our Life at Luther Blog! I can't believe how quickly the time goes! First Week (Orientation for new students) begins on Tuesday already. First Week is a lot of fun, but also a lot of work for us in the Student Services Office! This year I am working as Student Life Coordinator.

Working on First Week does bring back a lot of memories from my first few days here at Luther Seminary. My husband and I both started here in September of 2003. We had both graduated from college in May. I went to Saint Olaf in Northfield, MN while Kevin went to Concordia University here in St. Paul. We got married in August and had been back from our honeymoon for about 2 days before we tossed all of our wedding presents and hand-me-down furniture into our car and Kevin's parent's truck and hit the long road from Rapid City, SD to the Twin Cities! (I've included a picture of Kevin and me behind my dad's house right before we left.) It was all a little overwhelming at first, but also incredibly exciting.

A lot has happened since then. After about one month on campus, I came to the realization that I wanted to change programs from a Master of Arts degree in Youth and Family Ministry to the Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Children, Youth and Family. I had never really thought about the possibility of being an ordained pastor until I arrived at seminary. Then it seemed that all of the sudden I woke up one morning and felt that I had found my calling in life, or perhaps God's calling in my life. It certainly wasn't in my plans! Then, my husband and I took advantage of the amazing cross-cultural trips available and spent that first January in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala. I can't say enough good things about that experience, and it wasn't bad to take a break from winter in MN either. It was on that trip that we decided to spend our second year of seminary as exchange students at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (or PLTS) in Berkeley, CA. I spent the following summer doing my Clinical Pastoral Education at the San Francisco Veterans Hospital. Then we hit the road again and headed back to SD for internship. I spent last year as intern pastor at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD doing campus ministry while Kevin worked as a chaplain resident at the Sioux Falls Veterans Hospital.

Now we are back here again. Needless to say, we've moved A LOT! But that is also part of seminary life. Being back here is kind of like coming back home. And I can't wait to see what my senior year holds.