Snapshots from the Journey

I've been doing lots of reading and reflecting lately, so it seems like sharing some pictures and quotes would be a fun way to write about life lately.

So this year the Georgia Marathon fell on Palm Sunday, and with the guidance of one of our Sunday School classes, Decatur First decided to turn it into a mission opportunity.  Moses came dressed in his robe and beard, bearing this year's version of the "Mara-Mandments," the commandments of the marathon.  This was SO MUCH FUN, and was a fun picture of what the church can look like when we break out of the walls of the sanctuary!

Shane and I went to his cousin Ed and Jennifer's house for their son Evan's 1st Birthday party.  Jennifer's party-planning skills are un-paralleled, and the Big Top Circus theme was a great day with beautiful and perfect weather.  It has felt like such a blessing to be welcomed into their family and be loved and supported by them. Plus they have three of the cutest and most photogenic kids I've ever seen!

I'm reading a book of essay-like blurbs by Glennon Melton and it is a great mixture of humor, authenticity, and seriousness.  It's called Carry On, Warrior, and I highly suggest it if you want a fun read.  Here's one quote that made me smile:

"All those years, I thought of God and light and the sun as judgmental, but they weren't. The sunrise was my daily invitation from God to come back to life."

 The week before the end of classes, I got to have a long weekend in Asheville with my Dad.  We went to some of our favorite Asheville eats, enjoyed time together, and I had a much needed mental break before a stressful last week of classes.







One of the many wonderful parts of my weekend in Asheville is that Saturday night we drove up to Boone to stay the night (in search of cheaper hotel prices...)  This meant I got to go to Crossroads service for worship at Boone UMC, and it was so good for my heart.  Even though I didn't have a voice at all, I got to see this sweet friend of mine from college.  One of the 4-Sarah's from CRU, this girl is a joy!  We both commented on how "right" it felt to be worshipping together at church again....who knows, one day maybe the mountains will call me back home!

On April 24, I preached for the fourth and final time as an intern at Decatur First UMC.  It has been a great year serving there, and God has taught me a lot and reaffirmed my call to ministry.  Getting to serve alongside Shane has also been a little taste of what our future together might look like, and I have to say, I can't wait to actually see it unfold :)

 

Somehow I made it all the way through public education and my college undergraduate degree without ever reading the American classic To Kill a Mockingbird.  But after picking it up off and on, I finally finished it right after finishing my 2nd year of Seminary.

Life is busy, and full, and chaotic, sometimes stressful, but also wonderful and gloriously exhausting. I am definitely excited to be done with my second year of seminary, but I still can't believe I'm really two-thirds of the way through this journey!  Surprisingly enough, preaching has been my favorite thing this year, both the class and being able to preach at Decatur First.  When we were doing our final evaluations for Contextual Education (our internship), the Associate Pastor Katy asked me how my vocational discernment had been affected by my internship.  My answer was an emphatic, somewhat sarcastic, somewhat serious "complicated it."  You see, God has taught me this year that my discernment process is not over yet.  So I am really looking forward to seeing how God opens my ears, eyes, and heart to how I am being called into ministry.  Another busy and full summer is ahead, but I can't wait to see more snapshots of God's glory and love!