Month: October 2011

as things get crazy…

Life as a student has, for me, always been a busy one. Between intramural leagues, classes, friends, and the occasional trip home, I seem to constantly be running sprints (and here I thought I left my track days behind me when i graduated HS). This being my senior year, I have now shifted into overdrive. Where in tarnation can I find time for God?

This past weekend, I had the chance to go duck hunting with some old friends. We left Thursday evening and reached our destination late, with just enough time to unpack before heading off to sleep. Duck hunting is done best at the crack of dawn and dusk, so as 5:30 rolled around, so we rolled out of our beds and out the door. We hunted until we were hungry, went and ate, slept a little, hunted again, ate again, and then did the whole thing over the next day.

It was amongst this whirlwind of an adventure that I did find it- that place in tarnation (didn’t think I could use that word twice in one post, now did you!). As I was laying out in the prairie one morning, waiting for the sun and ducks to arrive, I suddenly found myself talking to Him. It wasn’t anything profound and it didn’t give me a sense of revelation. However, it was God time; time that I thought I didn’t have.

As we go about our busy days, be them teaching, working, laughing, or learning, we so often forget to see God’s presence in all of the crazy. In my case, I took a second to look and was blown away by all of the great people I have in my life. I was able to see God working through all of them, shaping who I have become and am growing to be.

It is through His grace that I have ended up here typing this post- sometimes I am just running too fast to thank Him. Hopefully I will remember to stop and catch my breath just a little more often.

peace
-Eric

Twang of Joy

Our amazing outreach band ‘Twang of Joy’ made some beautiful music on the Washington Ave Bridge while handing out some warm coffee to unsuspecting students on campus!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu6dShUag-o?rel=0&w=640&h=480]

as the leaves fall

As leaves change color and drift to the ground, I am reminded of the natural process of letting go. Every year, trees let go of their coverings for winter, trusting that new life will bud from their branches in the spring.

Like many students, I often find myself grasping for control of my life, clinging to bits of order, consequently spiraling further and further out of control. When you hold on too tightly to life, it falls through your fingers like sand, leaving you stressed and frantic as you scramble to pick it back up. A couple weeks ago, my life had reached this point – I needed to know what ‘the plan’ was, where my life was going; I needed to be in control. Instead, I lost all control and purpose.

In the past weeks as the trees have begun to let go, I too have focused on letting go of control, surrendering my life to God. My life has since ordered itself into a beautiful, exciting exploration. By letting go of control, I have found peace. I no longer need to know the answers; I rejoice in living the questions.

-Bryna

changing leaves, changing lives…

My favorite season is Fall. Beautiful leaves changing color, the air is crisp and fresh, and God is present throughout all of this! Every beautiful landscape and friendly face encountered mirrors God’s love for each and every one of us.

As school is sufficiently underway and midterms are here, it can be difficult to stop and observe all of the wonder and beauty that He created/is creating.

One significant friendly-face encounter that I have had so far this Fall was at Tuesday Soup. There was a volunteer, Luke, from Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) that attended. He talked about the programs internationally that we could partake in as being “God’s hands” in this world. I personally have been contemplating taking a year off from my studies between undergrad and, hopefully, professional schooling, and this program seems to fit perfectly! This experience was one that I was not expecting, but could turn out to be a pivotal event for me and others.

During this beautiful season, I encourage all of you to take the time to observe and experience God’s creative hand in your life. Whether it is sharing coffee with a friend, taking a bike ride, or studying, enjoy what you are doing and remember God’s love for you.

Laura

Happy Birthday!!!!

In my family, birthday celebrations are not a big event. However, I have learned that for many people this is not the case. Celebrating someone’s birthday is a time where the birthday person is lavished with exceptional kindness and generosity. This past week I celebrated my birthday, but in a very different way than in past years.

The difference this year is due to my roommates. They went above and beyond what anyone could have thought a birthday celebration to be. The day started off with cinnamon rolls and flowers, continued with birthday cake and presents, and concluded with a birthday dinner at Olive Garden! Maybe the fact that we are all college students made me even more flabbergasted by their immense generosity. It was hard for me to fathom taking time out of their lives to plan for all of these components of the birthday surprise and to be sneaky about them.

It is mind boggling to me that people would do this when I did nothing to deserve such a wonderful gift. If you think about it, I did nothing to be born. My mother did all the work, but yet I am praised for it being my birthday. This same concept is similar for being a part of the family of God. I did nothing to be accepted as a part of this amazing family, and still I am part of this community of believers and reap so many benefits. I have so much to be thankful for: my family, friends, roommates, and community of believers to name only a few.

I encourage all of you to see how you can influence someone’s day for the better. Whether that be opening a door for someone else, or offering a word of encouragement. It is amazing how much these little gestures add up to a brighter day.

Laura McDowell

Yes, God is even present in the construction.

I know, it’s hard to believe, especially for those of you who know how much I hate the construction that’s happening on campus, but I saw God in the construction on Friday.

I had been busy all week helping plan and organize a dinner for my robotics group, and was feeling very overwhelmed as I ran around campus, having to take alternate routes as the closed routes between home and class continued to be unpredictable.  I met some friends and brought stuff to Coffman where the dinner would be, and took off once again to pick up food from Jimmy Johns.  As I crossed Harvard St, I noticed a huge piece of construction equipment stationed in the construction area in front of Espresso Expose.  Right in front of it was a man holding a young boy, probably about 2 years old.  Their peaceful observation and childlike wonder was enough to slow me down.  Besides wishing I could be that young and carefree again, I was reminded to take a minute to slow down and smell the roses.  I’ve begun to slow down a little bit as I pass the construction and notice all the improvements that they are making daily instead of only complaining about how the streets are torn up and seem to have been for so long.

Sara Sneed

on fragility, the human community, and shattered bike helmets…

Last Thursday morning, while taking my bike on a quick spin around the Lakes for a morning workout, another speedy biker turned right into me.  This is my fourth summer of biking on roads and trails; in races, to work, and for fun…and this is the first time I’ve crashed big time.  As I sat up, blood was dripping from my hand, my shoulder was getting stiffer by the second, and the foam on my bike helmet was shattered.

It was incredibly scary for me.  My first phone call was full of tears, and my voice still cracks a bit when I think about the magnitude of it all.  The doctor has now told me three times, “You know, if you weren’t wearing a helmet, you’d probably be dead – or at least in a coma.”  That’s enough to knock anyone off kilter for a bit.

The good news is that I’m okay, if a bit shaken.  My wounds have been scrubbed and dressed, my shoulder x-rayed, my head scanned.  But more than that, strangers rushed to check on me, husbands were late to work because their wives waited with me, one runner ran to get her car to drive me and my tousled bicycle home.  I was checked in on by doctors and nurses, driven around by co-workers and friends, and doted on, really, by all.

What amazes me is what a display of human fragility and vulnerability can bring out in people; the innate call to nurture, protect, and come to the rescue of those in danger; the reorientation of priorities; a rush of gratitude.  We have to, I believe, be created good.

At base, my brokenness elicited a call to others.  It reminded them of who they were, and what was possible.  And for me, this fragility, this vulnerability stripped me bare in a way I haven’t experienced in a while.  I was brought to my knees in gratitude for the goodness of people, the love that surrounds me, and the gift of life.  Thanks be to God.

Pastor Kate

wild geese

Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

Over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

As I drove to work this morning, four lanes of traffic were stopped at the North end of Lake Calhoun.  A flock of geese on their way South had wandered into the middle of Lake Street and wasn’t moving.  Cars honked their horns once or twice, but once it was clear the geese weren’t responding, everyone just stopped for a minute and enjoyed the moment.

These geese, assured of their place in the world, and their place on their journey, were taking their time as they headed home again.  Assured of their place in this world, they were absolutely unphased by all of our human rush and annoyance.  In their confidence, and in that pause, I was reminded again of the breadth of what I experience as Holy.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how insufficient the categories are that we ascribe to our experience of the Holy:  believers, unbelievers, spiritual, religious, practicing, secular, sacred.  I’ve become convinced that they create categories of insiders and outsiders, and though giving us language to describe our connection with God…or lack thereof…somehow these categories, these words, make the encounter with Mystery into something static, fixed, limited.  And they create artificial boundaries between us and other people.

We get so wound up in our definitions of ourselves and our communities that we forget the broader scheme of things, the life that exists outside of our human knowing, and in that lose sight of the fact that everyone, no matter who you are or what category you might currently be in, has a place in the family of things.

My prayer for our Christian community is that we might call out to all people(whether in our squawking, or in our waddling across Lake Street).  My prayer is that we embody the reality that all people have a place in the family of things.

-Pastor Kate

Time for Reflection

There gets to be a time for college students when you feel like every one of your classes is racing by at a hundred miles an hour, and you still haven’t left the parking lot.  It has been less than a month into school, and I have already begun to have similar feelings toward school.  Many of my classes move by at an extremely fast pace, and I often find myself struggling to keep up.  It is times like these that I am forced to plan out a homework and study schedule, just so that I can get my assignments completed on time.  When I make these tight schedules, I am regretfully forced to leave out time for myself, and often time for God.

The retreat this past weekend forced me to set aside all my burdens of school and really take some time for myself.  I was able to calm my mind and really reflect on my life.  I thought about why I am even in college and what I hoped to get out of it.  I was also able to see how worrying about all of my assignments and midterms and deadlines actually distracts me from my relationships with friends, family, and God.  Although it is important to keep these things in mind, our whole lives should not be devoted to tests and busy work.  We should be focusing on our relationships, and not worrying so much about the future.  Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, but it is up to us how we respond to them.

This retreat really helped me to put my life into perspective, because I was able to momentarily set aside the things that put a veil over the important aspects of life.  Though I am still not sure where I am headed for the rest of my years in college, I can rest assured that everything will be all right.  I need to worry less about what is beyond my control, and focus on how I can improve what is within my control.  My relationships with God, my friends, and family are all things that I can improve, and I will do my best to make sure that I keep them at the forefront of my life.

Joe Carlson