...and I'm halfway there

Spring Break!  Which really means time to work on mid-terms. I really only thought I was a week in, it's amazing how busy I have been.  I increased my class load this semester, but it's been good.

I only had a short visit home and then came back for a week long class titled "Leadership for Community Development."  It was a really great class, we learned a lot of skills for community development.  I think one of the most important pieces is constant emphasis on change coming from the inside out.  That is, we can't walk into a community and tell them what they need to do to be "better."  Rather, we have to listen to each person, their needs, and find out what they are willing to do in order to change.  It's a required course in order to do a Community of Shalom internship, which I interviewed for last week.  Prayers would be very appreciated for that, I'd be thrilled to have the opportunity.

This semester, I'm taking New Testament Studies, Pastoral Formation, Religion and the Social Process, Evangelism in the UMC, and Shame and Grace in the 21st Century.   I'm really loving them.  Shame and Grace is actually a PhD course, so it's a ton of reading and it is really psychology-based reading, but I'm keeping up pretty well.  Religion and the Social Process is a look at various groups in society that face oppression and the way religion both contributes and stops these problems.  It's intense, for sure, but completely necessary.  My professor for New Testament studies is an amazing scholar and I'd love to grow up to be just like her.

I'm still working around 20 hours a week.  So yes, my life is full.  But I'm happy, and that's what matters most.

I'm starting to think more and more about what comes next. I need to figure out internship opportunities I want to take, if I want to graduate early, what I do with my life IF I graduate early, all of that fun stuff.  It's stressful, but the good kind of stressful.  I have a lot of opportunities and I'm constantly looking to clarify my call.

I did have SOME fun over break, I went to Michigan to visit Jessica and her husband Audie.  I don't see her anywhere close to often enough, so it was really wonderful to have a stretch of time in which we got to do anything and nothing.  I visited the Michigan Brewing Company, the Michigan State Dairy Store (which has AMAZING ice cream that is made by students!  Who even milk the cows!!)  and Detroit.  Detroit was... sad... actually.  It's a ghost town.  I've never been in a major city with no signs of life in the  middle of the day.  But we had wonderful Greek food and took a driving tour of the rest of the city.  It was once beautiful.  I'm sure it will be again.

I need to dive back into my papers, I had really hoped that I'd update more often, but it just hasn't worked out that way.  Someday, someday I will be a good blogger.  Probably.

Oh!  And I had to create a Twitter account for my evangelism class.  I wanted to keep it separate from my main one, so you can also find me at:  JanessaAtDrew.  Check it out if you'd like!

Holiday Decorating

Quite awhile ago, my friend Claire was describing the way her friends used to decorated their dorm room doors for Christmas.  They'd buy wrapping paper and bows and wrap it up like a big present.  I thought that sounded amazing, so we decided to do the same for our place. 

We have real candy canes taped up.  I suppose people could take them, but they're really old.

I, however, wasn't satisfied with that, so today, my friend Ruth and I ran around to dollar stores and bought more decorations to deck out my home.  It's nice to have little things to keep me in a cheery holiday mood as I slog through my finals.  Plus, my roommate might not be able to go home for Christmas, so I thought she should have a festive place.

I thought, since I hadn't really described where I live yet anyway, I'd share pictures of the results with all of you! 

And now, nothing but fun

I have had some incredible learning opportunities this semester.  I'm kind of amazed by all the experiences and I'm incredibly excited by all the things that are coming.  But, just in case you were all worried that I was too serious, I thought I'd post about all the mindless fun I've been having as well.  There are  a lot of pictures in this post.  Just a warning!

My Day at the UN, or how I didn't solve the world's problems but still learned a lot.

I was a politics major in undergraduate and I was saying this morning, I'm fairly certain that I still emit a slight aura of political wonk.  I love politics and see myself always being very involved in that world.  Religion and politics are obviously very closely tied, even when they shouldn't be, so it's still very much a part of my call to stay active and aware.  One of the things I love about being on the east coast is my proximity to all the things that any politics nerd would love.  While I haven't made it to D.C. yet, I did have the opportunity to check one thing off my list today:  I spent the day at the United Nations.

Father Richard Rohr

I am so neglectful. I have stories, pictures, updates, all of that waiting. But for now... I wanted to share this sermon from Father Richard Rohr. He was the keynote speaker for the Tipple-Vosburgh lectures that took place at Drew a few weeks ago. He is amazing, funny, and so very profound. So please do yourself a favor and take 18 minutes to watch it. He speaks about the future of Christianity, the roots of Christianity, and some truly incredible truths about who God is.

Richard Rohr is a Franciscan Friar, an inspirational speaker, and generally amazing.  He writes for Sojourners sometimes, and we were very blessed to have the opportunity to hear him speak.

More soonish.  I promise!  Just know that I am joyfully busy, doing well in my classes, and excited about picking the courses I'll be taking next semester. 

Goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate,

Lots of school stuff to say, but I wanted to talk about something else for a bit.  I've been very saddened by the wave of bullying/homophobia/LGBT suicides making the news lately and I am happy to see people responding so strongly.  It's clear that we realize there is a problem, we realize that people are deeply hurting and a lot of wonderful people are working together to find a way to reach those people in pain. 

However. Obama's advisor recently said "And what is clear is that this depends on all of us. It depends on changing laws, and changing hearts. It depends on creating an environment in which our children feel safe to be themselves."

To which Dan Savage replied: (with more colorful language)
"Seriously. You can do a lot more than offer hope. You have the power to make it better. Right now. Suspend enforcement of DADT. Don't appeal the decision by a federal judge that declared DADT unconstitutional. Stop defending DOMA in court. Keep your promises. Make it better."

I would say much the same to the Christian community.  If we want the bullying, the hatred, the fear, the self-hate, all of it to stop (and we should) then we need to quit institutionalizing discrimination in the very places that should be taking about love and grace.  It's not enough to say we want the hate to stop.  We need to stop creating it.  And the moment that you tell someone they can't serve in, get married in, be recognized as equal in, the church, you are telling them they aren't as good as everyone else.  And you're telling the world that it's acceptable to treat or LGBT brothers and sisters like they are less than everyone else.  We cannot act surprised when our youth hate who they are, who God made them to be.  They hate themselves because  the church is telling them to every time we reaffirm our discriminatory practices.  This prejudicial attitude is costing lives, and I'm tired to being patient and waiting for the church to realize this isn't acceptable anymore. People who want a loving church, an accepting and open church, need to speak loudly so that our voices carry over all the hatred being spoken in Jesus' name.

Father John Dear

I have been so neglectful.  But I've been working very hard, and I know everyone prefers I focus on classwork.  In addition to my classes (Church History, Hebrew Bible, Exegetical Skills and Pastoral Formation), I am working two jobs. One is at the Alumni Office and one is supervising the Annual Fund student callers.  So yes, busy is a good word for me life right now.  But also joyful, inspired, exhausting and amazing.

I'm constantly amazed by the opportunities we have on campus.  Monday night, I had the privilege of listening to a lecture given by Father John Dear.  Father John Dear is... amazing.  He is a Jesuit priest who actively preaches the gospel of non-violence.  He has been arrested, thrown in jail (once for 8 months for pounding on a bomber plane with a hammer.  He was modeling how to turn swords into plowshares), but continues to do the hard work of peace.  Read his book "A Persistent Peace" or at least Google him.  He spoke about his own work, but he was there for the Henry Nouwen lecture series.   Henri Nouwen was an amazing spiritual leader who has many many books that you all should read.  Father John's main text was 10 Lessons from Nouwen on spirituality and peacemaking.  So I am going to write it all up for you to read right now, along with some of my favorite quotes.