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)