Really, I'm starting to earnestly believe that I am one of those people who shouldn't have a blog as I can't ever remember to write on it. Forgive me!
Just a few words about what's been happening lately...
School
I know some of you are starting to wonder if seminary will ever end for me. Don't worry, I've wondered that a bit myself. I have a graduation date: May 2012. Praise the Lord!
In the meantime: this semester is among the most intense I've ever experianced. I'm taking hermeneutics and Classic Christian Christianity. Hermeneutics is sufficiently intellectually challenging, and has a ton of reading and one paper due a week to boot. Classic Christian Spirituality is challenging me spiritually. It's crosslisted as a theology and spiritual formation course (totally perfect for a lover of theology like myself), and I have to say, its wrecking me, but in a good way.
B/c of CCS, I had to read an original Christian spirituality text. I choose Thomas Merton's autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain. AMAZING! Not only is his narrative style incredibly engaging, he would tie in reflections and things about God and life that spoke to me where I was. I have been quoting Merton like a fool for a solid two months now and I feel badly for the friend who has borne the brunt of it. But he seems applicable in so many situations. Anyway, I could go on for hours about Merton. My summery is...read the book. Or buy me a drink and unleash me to go on about it indefinitely. :) (Can I safely assume everyone reading this knows that that would be a non-alcoholic beverage? Preferably seltzer with lime, unless there is a reasonable tea selection.)
Work
Is busy. Incredibly, unbelievably busy. Which means some of my workaholic tendencies are creeping back in and my life has started to spin out of control a bit. The problem is not so much my job (my supervisors certainly don't encourage my lack of balance, quite to the contrary actually), but me. And well, I am working on that.
Ministry
Things have been quiet in this category recently. At the beginning of February I turned in my paperwork to the district to renew my license (thanks to a snow day... I was quite behind on it this year), and I will go for my interviews out on Long Island next Saturday morning. Lord willing, I will again be licensed.
There are a few things on the horizon in this area...but its not quite time to share them. Just trust me that they are good and exciting things. :)
Life in General
I have been in a season of healing recently. While this sounds positive and upbeat, and I know that healing is, in fact, positive, this process has been among the hardest I have ever experienced. Some of it has been unpacking parts of my past. Alot of it has involved uprooting the lies that were killing my soul. Again, while I acknowledge that the process is ultimately for my good, it has sucked. There were moments when I didn't think I could continue, and really didn't want to.
In this process I was again reminded of the incredible support system in my life. I defintely ran a few times to avoid people and to avoid pain, but never ran far before someone ran after me. Friends and mentors hold me accountable, which sounds painful, but is actually a pretty rare gift.
Things seem to be on the upward swing at the moment. I am not confident in it...but I'll take it for what it is. What I know for certain is this...I am becoming a different person as I face the hard parts of my life, choose forgiveness, and encounter God in those areas, allowing God to reshape me. There are moments when that is incredibly exciting. And there are moments when the tension between who I was and who I am becoming is unbearable. Ultimately, I want to become who God intends me to be, so I am willing to stay the course.
I realize some of what I just said is incredibly vague, and I apologize for that. I am not trying to hold back info... but I am deeply aware that this is a public forum and as much as I want to update all of you, I don't feel that all of humanity needs access to my deep personal stuff. If you want to know more, I would love to talk. Give me a call, and we'll set up a date, okay?
On a totally different note, I've been cooking more. :) My friend J. and I started cooking for the week on Sunday afternoons sometime this past fall, and its been one of the more relaxing times of the week for me. AND it means I am cooking regularly, which is a happy thing. Interestingly, I've noticed a tendency towards a meat free lifestyle emerging for me. I enjoy a good burger too much to go meat free totally, but most of the time, neither J. nor I make dishes with meat in them. On my part, it could have something to do with the fact that I have some totally amazing vegetarian cookbooks. :)
I am happy that cooking is back in my life as a regular thing. Not only has it meant weight loss, better eating habits, and more money in the budget. Its also meant a happier Rachel. I love art... and cooking is my art form. There is something incredible about bringing textures and flavors together to make something that tastes good. And chopping and sauteeing is just relaxing for me. Particularly when the music is on and I know that I have nothing else pressing on the agenda for the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment