Preparing for J-Term

One of the best things about being a student at Luther Seminary is JTerm. My undergraduate university didn't have this interlude of a semester, but it's freaking brilliant. Today I'm spending the day preparring for my J-Term...

Jan. 4-15 // London & Northern England
Independent Study: "Mission & Leadership in Context: A Case Study of Alternative Worship in the UK" with Prof. Chris Scharen

I'll spend 10 days in the UK visiting with community leaders and participating in worship gatherings out of the alt. worship scene. My central question: how do we improvise with tradition? (detail forthcoming)

Jan. 16-29 // Tel Aviv, Jerusalem & the Holy Land Cross Cultural Experience
A study of the culture and prayers of the people who live in the Holy Land. I'll be there with Prof. Gary Simpson and a group of Luther Students. (more later...)

So today, I'm prepping my independent study. I'm emailing leaders I'll meet with in the UK and solidifying our meet-ups, booking trains and hostels, and finally doing some prep reading. For the course reading I'm exploring some non-tradition literature for a seminary course. I'm reading into ethnography as a research method and all the while reading two texts on the art of jazz improvisation. My favorite quote so far...

There was something about the rhythm of jazz that I equated exactly with the gospel. I mean, the way we used to sing and clap our hands in church was just like the jazz drummer playing cymbals. It was the same swing feeling.

                   - Carmen Lundy, quoted by Peter Townsend, Jazz in American Culture