Chapel of All Saints

Day in the Life

6 a.m.= first born taps my face to wake me.
6:15-7:40=breakfast with children, coffee with groggy mate, get ready,A,H, and BSB spot two skunks in our yards, leave for class.
7:40-7:50=ride bike slowly to School of Theology, watch the school wake up.
7:50-8:00= talk with new friends and the dean.
8:00-8:30= morning prayer and my personal practice.
8:30-8:50=coffee and prep for class
8:50-10:05=Introduction to Theological Writing, taught by a damn genius.
10:05-10:30=break, do email, more coffee, talk.
10:30-11:55: Theo. writing part 2, understand the database and indexes, also how best to use Chicago Manual of Style
11:55-1:00=Lunch, bbq chicken,salad, pink pie.
1:00-2:50=Speaking the word, a public speaking class, today we met in COTA=chapel of the apostles.
St. Paul is really growing on me.
2:50-3:05=Bike home, the place is teeming with undergrads.
3:05-4:40=play, talk, chill with the fam. Life is good.
4:40-5:15=cook tacos, make chips
5:15-6:ish eat, laugh, on the porch, breeze blowing, we are in love with this place.
6:15?=walk to classmate's new house to help her move in.
7:00=walk home, load the kids into the car, pack books, waters, and banjo.
7:05: drive approximately 1.5 miles to the Sewanee Community Center.
7:05-7:10=unload children, walk very slowly into the community center.
7:10-8:30 jam my ass off with some killer musicians. About 6 fiddlers, three guitarist, one other banjo player, and a dulcimer. I loved this so much. We took turns calling the songs, each song was played for about five minutes, "enough time for somebody to learn the song." Another, idea on how long to play was offered by one guy, (in your best Tennessee mountain accent)"We play it until everybody attains, whatchya callit? Nirvana!" And I did. The kids did fairly well, BSB got to do some knitting, and as we left A got to tap out a rhythm on some wooden spoons. Also, as we left we snagged some freebie cukes.
8:30-now=A to bed, H passing out on our bed, this blog, and off to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Peace and goodnight

Everything made new

This is stream of conscious, sorry, I have alot to hash out. Orientation is almost over. And what an orientation it has been! The first week was a true orientation process: learning how to live up here on the Mountain. How worship is conducted, how to address people, even how to dress! I got my academic gown. For those who have been to Sewanee, you know that it looks very much like Oxford and a little like Hogwarts. Well, on Wednesday's we wear academic gowns (always unzipped). They say that it is a nod to Oxford and its role in helping the University, I'll look into that.

Worship. Each day we do morning and evening prayer, plus a noon Eucharist. Last week I went to church 16 times! Needless to say, I've learned more about the Book of Common Prayer in the first week than I did in the first several years of trying to plod through it on my own. The BCP is really a wonderful document, and the Bible quotes it all the time! (that's and Episcopalian joke)

That's all for now, I need to get back to class. I'll keep up this blog, because it has recently come to my attention that people actually read it from time to time. But I think the blog will also be a place for me to daily keep track of what I need to, not just a journal but a log on the web, a web log... a blog?

Imaginary places, and how to live there.

So orientation starts in about two hours. We've been here for three weeks and have loved every second of it. I've come to the conclusion though that Sewanee is not a real place. Sure it's got three dimensions and is bound by time...sort of.
Part of the unrealness of Sewanee is the fact that we are being supported to such a high degree, not a characteristic of the "real world." But there are other realms besides the real world. Neverland, Wonderland, Oz, Narnia, Sewanee. These are all places where one goes to so that certain psychic and spiritual activities can be acted out in an accelerated way. These heroic, imaginary places are designed to change you, and I am so ready and grateful.

New York Times likes it up here

Note, article is from 1984, the campus has changed a little, so have the numbers. Link

Training for humility

Coming to the Mountain, the days and weeks leading up to it,and the move itself, was an exercise in humility. Such an out pouring of support and generousity. Several people gave up large portions of their day (and some gave several consecutive days, thanks parents and in-laws!)just to help us out. When we arrived at Sewanee there were several people just waiting to help, amazing. All this is humbling.

Humility is a virtue we don't spend too much time with anymore. In our pride we equate humility with humiliation. That's the rub, pride. Pride takes the grace out of a gift and calls it humiliation. There is grace in a gift given, but there is grace in a gift received. That grace is the acceptance of a gift in full humility, full nakedness about your situation. Humility says, "Thank you, I really needed this, and I can't pay you back."

Humility then leads to gratitude. How many have heard the preacher say that we need to have the attitude of gratitude. But do we really? Life, albeit short so far, on the Mountain has shown me, nay, given me the space to have gratitude for insects, rain, dinner at the table, AJ's wink.

Mary Oliver gets to it when she writes in her poem Messenger: Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work, which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.

Amen.

My daughter the theologian

Quotes from this morning:
"God will keep us." What do you mean? "God loves us in our bodies." Not bad for a three year old, not bad for anybody! Good incarnational theology.

Poem for Now

My God is this guy good.

Theology Geek or Geek Theology

So I like Star Trek, sue me.

I'm watching the best Star Trek: the next generation episode ever. It's called Darmok, and it's about Captain Picard trying to communicate with an alien captain named Dathon. It takes the whole episode, and a bunch of useless action, to tell the story of a race of people whose language is based solely on their myths and legends. Picard has such a hard time because he has no frame of reference for the language, consider: Darmok and Jilad at Tanagra; Kiazi's children, their faces wet; Shaka when the walls fell, and Mirab his sails unfurled.




Eventually, Picard realizes the basis for the language, and the two begin to share their respective stories (Picard tells the story of Gilgamesh)and gain insight and communication.

When looking at the Bible it is vital that we consider two things: First, what did the text mean to the people at the time, and second what is the text saying to us now in our context? This is the only way a text can truly be sacred, if it can be interpreted. If we see the scriptures as literal truth then there can be no interpretation, there can be no us. I once heard a sermon where the priest remarked that a literal interpretation of the Bible was like eating a banana without peeling it first. I would add that you can do that but it is not enjoyable of necessarily nutritious. It is daoubt and questions which allow us to penetrate the strange Darmok-like world of the Bible.

For me it's the old saying: I take the Bible seriously, but not literally. The Bible is a much richer book when seen deeply, like poetry. Yes, metaphor, analogy, and other full ranges of figurative language. All this and so much more, us. It is through our engagement, our living into the scriptures, that they can be holy.

Sokath, his eyes uncovered!

Support Everywhere!

We just spent the day packing, cleaning, and painting with my parents. H-baby was a little feverish so he was home with us. A-fire was with BSB's parents. We just received our financial aid award from Sewanee, exceedingly generous. And my home parish is having a going away party for us and they have formed a growing seminarian fund for us.

What's all this stream of consciousness for? The point is that BSB and I are at the center of a support storm. It feels good to have so many people rooting for us.

A few weeks ago the Bishop of Atlanta had a dinner for the new seminarians. I never really thought of it, but one of the jobs of most of his staff is to take care of us seminarians and our families. Another theme that arose from the dinner that night was perspective. The Bishop and others continually talked to us about why we are going to seminary: bible, theology,and prayer. The rest is gravy and good, but don't lose sight of why we are there. Also, the long view was given to us: the job market in the coming years, challenges and opportunities in the priesthood etc.
How wonderful to start an adventure with support, perspective and eyes fully open.