What a day!

Today was one of those days that I may never forget. 

 I’ve been accepted to the graduate program I wanted (actually the only program I applied to), in the field that I want—higher education.

 And one of the major strengths of this program is that every student is just about guaranteed an assistantship, which really makes sense, since the degree is higher ed, to provide as many opportunities for students to get involved and to build skills and leadership qualities. 

 So, after a 4+ hour introduction session yesterday, complete with introductions, meeting our advisors, fellow students, current students, campus tour, student panel, etc…

 Today was the interview day for the assistantships.  I had NINE interviews between 8:30 this morning and 5:00 tonight.  By the last interview, I was starting to really not be able to form complete sentences (just kidding, but man my mind did drift several times).  The girl sitting next to me had an interview literally every available time slot, something like 14 interviews!  She was quite beat as well by the end. 

 At the end of the day, we had to rank our top 5 choices.  And just like the infamous residency matching program for medical students, our fate is now out of our hands.  The different offices and organizations (quite a few are actually at different campuses in the region) say who they want, and if that first choice matches, then you get that position.  After that, things aren’t so clear.  Somewhere in that matching system, you get an assistantship.  I’m hoping it doesn’t have to go that far.  But, while I definitely have my top pick of assistantship, I know that I would learn a lot at any of the assistantships that I ranked. 

 Today was absolutely further proof that I need to take that next step, to step out of my bubble, my comfort zone.  I am excited and humbled to have so many new opportunities and to challenge myself to learn more about other backgrounds and to simple find ways to love and serve everyone I come in contact with at the university. 

 And then tonight was further affirmation that the house church is where I absolutely want to invest my time, and I can’t WAIT until I don’t have to divide my loyalties, as it were!  I’m also excited to take steps to be a better influence to the college-age people in our house church, and just to work with this group of people for support, challenges and encouragement as I take this next step of faith.

 Surreal/encouraging/startling/affirming moments of the weekend:

• talking about living in the “Christian bubble” with my new Jewish friend, who totally said that there is a “Jewish bubble”
• Sitting at a lunch table with a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim (oh, and a carpenter… the irony of THAT wasn’t lost on me either!
• Having a student tell me that “oh, I majored in religion in undergrad. too.  Only I studied Hinduism”. 
• Being able to come up with answers and ideas on the fly
• Realizing that my communications background and instinct isn’t going anywhere, and can definitely be an asset
• Coming up with some fascinating ideas for raising awareness of certain issues, etc.
• Coming up with ideas to attract adult learners to a regional campus
• Beginning to have ideas for how to make the community more aware, get their feet in the door
• Realizing just how interested I am in bridging the (communication) gap between students and administration/faculty
• Wondering just how much the large percentage of students with iPods are creating less of a community environment, how well students know/acknowledge each other
• Being able to clearly articulate a major philosophy of how I go about my life, how I see my role in the big picture of higher ed.

 And then there’s the following…

Back to the assistantship thing for one quick minute.  The field I really want to pursue is academic advising, which I know I have a lot to learn in, but I feel is so important to a student’s success, and is so rewarding.  Tonight when I opened my google reader, I skimmed right past the “Academic Advising” folder, and was reading a few fun blogs that I enjoy.  I had added a “next” button to my toolbar, and couldn’t remember what it did in reader so I clicked it.  I thought it would take me either to the next blogger’s post, or the next post of the current blogger. 

 Where did it take me?  An Academic Advising post.  From what institution (and mind you, in this blog search query, I have posts coming from around the country!)?  KENT STATE.
(This is the first time I’ve ever seen a post from any Ohio school, much less Kent!

 How CRAZY is that!

 Abba Father, thank You for the opportunities and doors of today.  Please continue to teach and guide me as I make these big decisions.  Amen.

Small Glimpses of the Future

Tonight I hd one of those moments where things just clicked, if only for a moment.  I was walking out of my office, thinking about a friend who had just called, the statement that “the CEO” made last week that shook me to my core, and listening to the Dixie Chicks.  Although I wasn’t really listening to the song lyrics, for some I caught one line, and it made me just stop for a minute.  As I stood there I realized that I hear more about pacifism and non-violence in the Dixie Chicks’ songs than I have in a lifetime of being in churches.  And there’s something wrong with that.

Then I went back to thinking about my friend, and I realized that, yet again, I no longer agree with a key point of this church that I “go to”.  It’s not even so much that I disagree, but that for me things look different.  Anyway, I realized that (future post coming about this) while it is definitely important to have people in your life who need Jesus, there are definitely people in the church who need Jesus too…who need to see a different side of the church, and sometimes, of Jesus, than they ever have before.  People “in the church” who are right on the verge of giving it up and walking away.  And right now, there are a few people in my life like that, and my life needs to show them that Jesus and church are supposed to be very different.  (Annnndddd maybe somedays I need someone to do that to me, but that’s neither here nor there.)

In the midst of these two realizations, I saw a glimpse of who I want to be…who I feel called to be, on some level.
I see myself as  more of a pacifist,  a peace-maker, a love and justice giver and seeker.  A tree-hugging, local and organic food eating, farmer’s market shopping inner city living woman who holds strong beliefs but realizes that other people have other beliefs.  I see myself as a wife and a mother who seeks to be Jesus to her family, and to help teach her family to be Jesus to others.  I see myself living life with the extended family of a house church.  I see myself writing more, taking more pictures, just being more creative.  And somewhere in there, I see myself doing some sort of work in the academic field.  What that career looks like several years down the road, I don’t know.  And maybe by that point I’m teaching little classes on basic computer skills or Sears houses or something at a library, and that’s where I use my education, and interact with all sorts of people.  I’m ok with that being up in the air.  It’s just nice to see passions continuing to grow and develop under the surface, even in the midst of some situations that aren’t so conducive those things.

[Did you notice something was missing from that above description?  Yep...your friendly neighborhood megachurch is missing.  Megachurches are doing some great things.  And church buildings (from small or large churches) can be used for some really neat things, but I just don't believe that they are necessary.  What my involvement would be in the future is looking grimmer by the day.]

I’m excited about freedom, excited about mature friendships (and a little perturbed by the not-so-mature ones), sick of griping about my job, thankful for the friends that listen to me complain all the time, and grateful for the ability to think and reason on my own, and to make my own decisions about faith and Jesus and what He looks like in my life.

Abba Father, Your passions, Your timing, more of You. 

Lyric of the day…
“Just give it time…now is not forever at all…just give it time…everything is gonna be alright.”

I just saw the most ridiculous thing…

I just saw the most ridiculous license plate on a Lexus and it says “Liv2XS” (Live to Excess). Seriously? Wait, that’s like summing up so much that is wrong with American cultures. All on the back of a license plate.

So sad.

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