Updates from this 20-something Seminarian
Writing a new blog post is long overdue, but with the busyness of school, church, and other life stuff, I just haven't found time to do it. Year two of Seminary is a whirlwind of paper writing, reading, and meetings and I'm over here just trying like mad to keep my head above water. Despite my long to-do lists of assignments and responsibilities, life is just so full - full of friends, joy, memories, growth, and so much more.
Part of my class schedule this year is Contextual Education II, where I am interning at Decatur First UMC. I get at least 8 hours at the church every week, and have gotten the opportunity to help out with a bunch of different aspects of the day-to-day functions of the church. Safe to say that this keeps me pretty busy, but I have really been enjoying getting to be a part of the church staff and becoming more involved in worship and leadership. I got to preach for the first time the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and I chose to reflect on the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. My sermon was titled "Blessed to Be a Blessing," and I am still working on getting the recording of it to share. One of the best parts was that Shane and my parents were there to support me that Sunday - they are such blessings in my life, and I am so thankful for them. Writing my sermon was probably a lot more fun for me than the actual delivery part, so goes the reality of being someone who doesn't really love the whole public speaking thing.
Another big thing that just happened in my life was Shane and I running the St. Jude Memphis Marathon together on December 5th. We really have a knack for picking the least convenient time to run a big race, since it was the weekend before the last day of class and the start of finals week. But I loved every minute of our weekend in Memphis and finally getting to run there again. St. Jude was my first marathon when I did it for my senior project in high school with my parents. It was fun to be back, and to think about how much I have grown as a runner since my first marathon. Being there to help, support, and encourage Shane throughout training for and completing his first marathon was also really special. Safe to say he didn't quite enjoy the running part as much as I did, especially from mile 15 or 16 to the finish, but he did it and I was so proud!!
After the race, we were able to relax at AutoZone park and cheer on people as they finished the marathon. And we couldn't leave the park to head back to our hotel without a couple of pictures/selfies to memorialize our accomplishment :)
Leaving Memphis meant a long drive back to Atlanta, straight into the chaos and stress of finals week. We were both working on papers in the car as we switching between driving and being passengers which helped since I had a 10-12 page paper due the Monday night after we got back. But with that paper behind me, the last day of classes finished, and lots of studying, writing, and reviewing the end is in sight. I have one more paper and a New Testament final between me and Christmas break in NC. To say I can't wait would be a huge understatement. Here's to keeping my sanity intact through the end of finals, and here's to the fact that after this week I'll officially be halfway done with Seminary. Time flies - sure hope it does between now and next week!
Godspeed y'all!
Part of my class schedule this year is Contextual Education II, where I am interning at Decatur First UMC. I get at least 8 hours at the church every week, and have gotten the opportunity to help out with a bunch of different aspects of the day-to-day functions of the church. Safe to say that this keeps me pretty busy, but I have really been enjoying getting to be a part of the church staff and becoming more involved in worship and leadership. I got to preach for the first time the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and I chose to reflect on the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. My sermon was titled "Blessed to Be a Blessing," and I am still working on getting the recording of it to share. One of the best parts was that Shane and my parents were there to support me that Sunday - they are such blessings in my life, and I am so thankful for them. Writing my sermon was probably a lot more fun for me than the actual delivery part, so goes the reality of being someone who doesn't really love the whole public speaking thing.
Another big thing that just happened in my life was Shane and I running the St. Jude Memphis Marathon together on December 5th. We really have a knack for picking the least convenient time to run a big race, since it was the weekend before the last day of class and the start of finals week. But I loved every minute of our weekend in Memphis and finally getting to run there again. St. Jude was my first marathon when I did it for my senior project in high school with my parents. It was fun to be back, and to think about how much I have grown as a runner since my first marathon. Being there to help, support, and encourage Shane throughout training for and completing his first marathon was also really special. Safe to say he didn't quite enjoy the running part as much as I did, especially from mile 15 or 16 to the finish, but he did it and I was so proud!!
After the race, we were able to relax at AutoZone park and cheer on people as they finished the marathon. And we couldn't leave the park to head back to our hotel without a couple of pictures/selfies to memorialize our accomplishment :)Leaving Memphis meant a long drive back to Atlanta, straight into the chaos and stress of finals week. We were both working on papers in the car as we switching between driving and being passengers which helped since I had a 10-12 page paper due the Monday night after we got back. But with that paper behind me, the last day of classes finished, and lots of studying, writing, and reviewing the end is in sight. I have one more paper and a New Testament final between me and Christmas break in NC. To say I can't wait would be a huge understatement. Here's to keeping my sanity intact through the end of finals, and here's to the fact that after this week I'll officially be halfway done with Seminary. Time flies - sure hope it does between now and next week!
Godspeed y'all!
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