Thursday, February 7, 2013

In Between Times

Just when I recover from one semester, another one starts! That's the way of school, I guess, but it takes some getting-used-to after being away from academia for two years. For more info on what's going on with my program at Luther, I'll refer you to my seminary blog, but the short story is that I've officially changed programs, and I am now part of Luther's Old Testament department!

I successfully finished all my classes from last semester (getting A's in all of them!), even though I had a bit of a breakdown near the end, which, in hindsight, I realize was partially because I never let myself have any down-time. I'm being much more intentional this semester about setting aside time to not work, which is counter-intuitive to my nature, but I think I'll get the hang of it. I have Fridays off each week now, so that will help!
This semester I'm taking:
- Pauline Tradition (on the letters of Paul)
- Gospel and Epistles of John
- Hebrew Reading (basically Hebrew II)
- Prophets (with a focus on Jeremiah)
and I'm auditing the Children, Youth and Family ministry core class, just because I found the last one so helpful in my contextual education job at SpringHouse Ministry Center.

And speaking of SpringHouse, the job is going really well! I just had my half-year review, and everyone told me I'm doing a good job, even though I feel like I'm pushing them in some new directions. I'm working really full-on with all three churches in the ministry center now, and there are a lot of problems inherent in teaching kids from three different denominations all together, such as one pastor or congregation feeling like they're being ignored, or that another denomination is getting more attention in the classroom. So far the most frustrating thing is getting straight answers out of people about what I should be teaching the kids at all! For the first half of the year I created a lesson plan on comparative religions, which worked really well for everyone and I think the kids really enjoyed it! Next I'm planning out lessons to cover the Lenten/Easter season, and after that I'm going to try to formulate something that addresses some of the big questions the kids are asking me ("what is the Holy Spirit, exactly?" "why shouldn't I steal stuff from other people?" "do I have to believe in miracles to be a Christian?" and other gems). The only problem with this is that, when it comes to theology, I can only really teach what is consensus among the three denominations, so I have to generate general Protestant answers, which is sometimes difficult.

Meanwhile, in other areas, things are going pretty well post-Christmas. My job with my dad's company is still going, and I made up some extra hours over break to tide me over financially for a while. I'm working slowly towards being a financially responsible adult, and now that I have a new car (I got a new (used) car, you guys! One that won't break down on me and require expensive repairs once a month!) and a savings account, I'm doing my best, and I'm actually pretty proud of myself.

The Christmas season itself was pretty great this year. I mean, I had the flu over Christmas Eve and the day itself, which was really sad (I didn't even get to go to St. John's for the midnight service!), but I got better a few days afterward, and then Ari showed up and stayed for two weeks! We hadn't seen each other for four months, which, we both decided, was way, way too long. But we made the most of our time together, going skiing, and having her meet my family, celebrating each others holiday traditions after the fact (she taught me how to make latkes!), going to a Wolves game (my first!), and spending New Years with my friend Emmy, among other things. Here we are with latkes and after skiing:
So basically, it was a pretty great winter break. I'm sad to see it go, but also excited about the things coming up. There are several things on the horizon, one of which is me heading back to Boston for a weekend in the beginning of March to see Ari again, which is always nice to look forward to. Generally, spring is a great time for me, and I am so ready for it this year. I feel green-deprived! I can't wait to get outside and go hiking and running and breathe the fresh air and see things growing again. I wait and wait for it, but it still takes me by surprise when I go out and see the first lilacs.

Hope you're all doing well, and I'll write again soon!

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