Three is a Magic Number

At the end of each seminary semester, I’ve written a reflection of my biggest learnings.   Here's the previous ones:   http://christensenshare.blogspot.com/2013/05/its-not-always-been-like-we-think-it-has.html http://christensenshare.blogspot.com/2013/01/end-of-semester-update.html http://christensenshare.blogspot.com/2012/05/view-from-rooftop.html http://christensenshare.blogspot.com/2011/12/so-how-is-seminary-going.html During this semester, I only had one class.   The course is linked to my internship, so I did a lot of examination of and reflection on my internship site, Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis. Solomon’s Porch is an independent church plant.   Because it’s independent , the founders didn’t have to follow denominational requirements for functioning, organization, or doctrine.   And because it’s a church plant , the founders got to make it up as they went.   It’s a little bit like an open shop at an art studio.   You just go in and “make your own church.”

When I explain psychological theory to students, I draw the analogy between theory and a computer’s operating system.   The operating system runs in the background, and for the most part, we are barely aware of it.   Yet, it influences everything we do on the computer.   Only when a PC user gets on a Mac machine (or vice-a-versa) does one become aware of the operating system.   I tell students, “You all have a theory—an operating system working in you.   You may or may not be aware of it, but you have beliefs/assumptions about why humans do what they do.   And these beliefs/assumptions affect how you approach and interact with others and how you make your way through your life.   My goal is to help you raise these assumptions to your awareness and maybe call some into question. My goal is to help you become aware of your operating system, maybe forcing you to try on another theory for a bit so you realize which one you are functioning under.”   Hold on to this story for a second, and r

Today I'm thankful for... 1. These three people.  The little one reminds me I know how to play and reminds us all that life is about being present with each other.  The middle one is the most thoughtful person I know, and has incredible sense of herself, which I hope she holds onto forever.  And the oldest one has taught me that raising a child is a process, not destination, and has provided me with intense joy and pride in his new found maturity.  2. This guy.  He is a source of energy for me.  He makes me a better person, and helps me express who I am. 3. Teaching an online class this term, which has been an incredible challenge for me.  But I have learned a ton about my teaching style and pedagogy through this experiment.  I still don't buy into the model and think it is an incredibly inefficient method of teaching and learning, but I am learning from my younger colleagues who "get it."  Plus, I am teaching Play Therapy, which I haven't taught for 7 year

Since I am at my internship site for worship on Sundays, I haven't been around my own church (NRUMC) very much.  Paul and the kids are still involved--Samuel is in Wednesday night youth group; Faith and Emilee are in Sunday school; Paul is leading a Sunday morning Rob Bell series for youth; and they all try to make it to worship most Sundays.  The view looking up. Last week, I got missing (longing for) NRUMC.  I had a lot going on in my life, and I just wanted to be around the people who have nurtured me--the people who make cookies for my kids, give me a National Geographic bag when I use a picture from the magazine in a sermon, write me notes of support, stand up for me in meetings, pick songs I like, ask my opinion on stuff that doesn't matter to me, randomly wonder about the Bible aloud in my presence, etc., etc., etc.  Mostly I just wanted someone to ask, "How's it going?"  And for me to feel okay about telling them a short story about how it is reall

A graph I created for a class. Data from US Gallup Poll- . http://www.gallup.com/poll/1690/Religion.aspx Being at an ecumenical seminary, we talk about the mainline decline .  As bodies, the Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, UCCers, Unitarians, Baptists, and others have a certain amount of anxiety about what's happening to them.  No one can argue with the numbers, the mainline decline is real.  Some see it as a problem in need of a solution. I'm one of those people who believe that the trend is irreversible.  The ship has sailed.   Yet I still choose to stay in my denomination, knowing that God continues to work in these churches.  We still have lots of people to minister to and the finances to do it.  However, I refuse to live in fear of the inevitable collapse--I've given up on worrying about it.  Frankly, I've even stopped worrying about whether all of North American Christianity is going to collapse .  Fear is a bad motivator for anything,

 The view looking up the sidewalk from my office I love, love, love walking across college campuses during passing times, especially in the fall after a campus has been asleep for the summer.    Passing times look like a beehive—everyone has a place to go, something to do.   As an undergrad, I remember being in the midst of the hustle, bustle and realizing, “I’m actually a college student!”   During graduate school, I recall holding my head high as I headed to class thinking, “I can’t believe I’m a graduate student!’”   Okay, disclosure time…. After 10 years of teaching in higher education, I still find myself giddy as I walk across UW-Stout’s campus during passing times and marvel at the fact, “I’m a professor!” [Okay, technically I’m a lecturer, but this is a trifling point.]   And when I walk from class to class at seminary, I revel, “I’m a stinkin’ seminarian, for real!” Last night, I went to a book event by Nadia Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran pastor, who just publishe

In a college sophomore speech class, I was asked to examine Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" for rhetorical devices.  The very next day I declared Communications as my minor.  As the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington this last week, I spent some time reflecting on the profound impact listening to the whole speech had on me 19 years ago.   Tonight, I worshipped at Solomon's Porch, the place which will become my church home for the next 9 months as I complete my internship with them.  As a group, we read the Sermon on the Mount from start to finish aloud.  Before we started, the pastor, Doug, predicted it would take us about 10 minutes to read it and compared this to the amount of time it took MLK to deliver "I Have a Dream." I don't know if Doug was intentionally making a connection between the two speeches or not, but last spring during a study of Matthew, I read   something like, "The Sermon on t

Just got back from a great trip to San Diego.  Go, go, go.  No relaxing allowed.  If you want to see the pics a bit larger, you can click on one and scroll through them.  Notice the pics of Emilee with all her new stuffed animals--one at every place. Day 1 - Terrible flight (6 hours on the plane).  Terrible car rental experience (had to drive it 45 minutes south the next day to get a new one).  Terrible first hotel check-in (gave our room away).  By the time we got to bed, it was 2:00AM WI time. Day 2 - Animal Safari Park.  Awesome, huge place.   Lots of conservation stuff.  Ropes course, interaction with animals, beautiful trails, and great views from the high locations.  Extremely well run with employees who really care.  You could spend two days there, but we didn't have time.     Day 3 - Legoland.  It's good if you are younger than nine.  Just okay rides, but the models were fun to look at.  Our kids like Legos, so it was worth it just for that.  The shop (pic

The Lion King is a fun movie for me.  It came out just weeks after Paul and I started dating.  His first gift to me was the soundtrack.  We have since seen Lion King: The Musical three times--it's amazing.  The song "He Lives in You" (only in the musical, not movie) captured me.  Here is a YouTube video of the song, mixed with scenes from the movie. I listen to the musical's soundtrack now and then, and several years ago, I realized that song would be great for a sermon.  (Note: this realization came long before I realized I was going to be a pastor for real.)  For Mother's Day, I did pulpit supply at a few small churches, and re-worked a sermon I did on Isaiah 43, using an illustration from Disney's Toy Story about the exile. A few weeks ago, I got asked to do pulpit supply for Father's Day, and I kind of thought, "Well maybe it's time to put that Lion King sermon together."  Toy Story for Mother's Day; Lion King for Father&#

Emilee was a butterfly for her second grade program.  How fitting!  Her life seems to be about flitting from one activity to the next--not spending too much time on any one thing.   She wants to stay busy, and hates being bored.  She is all about beauty.  She is incredibly artistic and has an eye for aesthetics.  Paul recently won an elephant at a Valley Fair field trip he chaperoned.  He brought it home for Em.  She played with it for awhile, and then brought it to me and asked, "Do you think I could ask Daddy if we could sew it into a dog?"  I looked at it and wondered to myself, "How the heck am I going to make that into a dog?"  But I was impressed by her thoughtfulness--how she wanted to get Dad's permission since he won it for her--so I said, "sure."  She and Dad chatted: a dog would be just fine.  She brought it back to me, and started to give me instructions.  I seriously would not have known how to do it, but she knew exactly how to re

Faith missed her piano recital because her Girl Scout troop went to Mary Poppins in Minneapolis, but we recorded her song.  This is just a sample.  Samuel had a great spring concert.  He alone played the bass line for kids who "improv'd" on a song.  Can't seem to get a video up, but here's a pic of him hiding behind a music stand, blowing away.  Emilee turned 8!  A pic from her party. 

I just finished my 4th seminary semester, which means I've hit the halfway mark.  I usually wait a bit to write my end-of-semester reflection, but this time I just want to get it out of the way--which is basically how I've felt about the whole semester. I had a hefty course load and all classes involved my least favorite subject.  Here's my course list.  Can you guess my least favorite subject? -Historical Theology (100 CE to 1700 CE) -Methodist History and Doctrine (1700 CE to Present) -American Religious History (1600 CE to Present) -Old Testament: Prophets and Writings (700 BCE to 100 BCE) History is so hard for me.  If I have to read about Antinomianism or Pelagianism one more time, I will seriously need a leave of absence from school. Do you remember the first time you went to an unfamiliar church, and during the Lord's Prayer you stumbled over a few words because that congregation recited it differently from your own congregation?  And you thought to y

  Over the last three years, I have been absorbed in discerning my calling, which is typical of someone who enters seminary and professional ministry—constant seeking and responding, God taking you on an uncharted journey. I have always admired Paul and thought his call in life was so clear—to teach. It is what he was born to do.         As many of you know, Paul was selected as one of the 10 finalists for 2013 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Last weekend was the final selection process and the banquet. Paul was incredibly honored to be a finalist.   It speaks to his skills as a fabulous teacher.     With 2012 Recipient Jackie Roehl Language Arts Edina  On Sunday, Megan Hall, a teacher at a great magnet school in downtown St. Paul was named recipient. She will be an incredible ambassador for teachers across the state as she advocates for minimizing the terrible achievement gap in Minnesota.     On Saturday ni

From 1997--my house in Eau Claire When I was a student at UWEC, Paul and I went to the Viennese Ball my senior year.  It's a huge fundraiser for the fine arts programs at the school; it draws over 2,000 people.  It was a lot of fun, so we always said we wanted to go again but never got around to getting tickets.  This year, UWEC opened their new student center, so it was enough motivation to get tickets so we could check out the new building.    From 2013--at the event Things that have changed over the last 17 years: 1. I wear shoes for comfort, not style.  2. We don't fret about spending a little extra money on food and drink. 3. I appreciate good music a whole lot more. 4. My hair turned darker after each child. 5. Paul leads when dance now, most of the time anyway.  It just works better this way. 6. We get tired an hour earlier.  7. We call college students "kids." 8. It takes a third adult--an aunt or grandparent babysit

People can be pretty dense. Comprehending God’s radical love is tough. From a historical perspective, people have constantly thought, “It’s just too good to be true.” In the Older Testament, we see the same old cycle… over and over again.       Relationship (covenant) with God. >>>>       People mess up. >>>>       They think God abandons and punishes them. >>>>      God commits again and reminds them of everlasting love…. over and over again. The biggest thing I’ve learned from studying the prophets this semester is this: God isn't going anywhere. God will not separate from us, even when we think it’s happened. The sovereignty of God is outside of what we do or don’t do. God is going to do what God is going to do and refuses separation, at least on God's end. In the days before Jesus, I can imagine God thinking, “Here we go again. Same cycle. They just can’t believe how unconditional my love is.” In the incarnation (birth of Go

The music and art teachers in Somerset are awesome!  We might not have the best fine art facilities, but the passion these folks have for teaching their discipline is truly inspiring.  All three of our kids had a piece of art selected for display this year.  Samuel also played in the 6th grade band and general music bell choir, and sang in the 6th grade choir.  Felt really grateful for Somerset Schools last night. On a related note, I was so happy to watch some of the kids I had involvement with during their middle school years perform in high school groups.  I was amazed to see the confidence in these kids who once struggled so much.  They don't all remember me or my role in their education, but just watching them made me really miss my old job. The video is of the 6th grade boys (in front) doing an ensemble.  Samuel is on the left end.