Why yes, I did preach on fornication and prostitution (otherwise known as what the heck was I thinking?!?!?!?!?)

Here's something a tad different. My internship site places the audio from sermons online, which means that the sermons I've preached are all online. Ack. The last sermon I preached was not on the Gospel text (which starts the audio file), but instead what I found to be a daunting text: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.
 
And here you go: http://www.stpaul-lutheran.com/sermons/20120115.mp3

Sermon for Second Sunday of Advent

Sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B, December 4, 2011
Delivered at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Oakland, California (my internship site)

My husband, Karl, and I were riding our bikes out in rural Ireland in 2004 for our honeymoon. We were going to undertake a pretty big trip by cycling up part of the western coast of Ireland. If you could have seen us on that first day; we were just giddy with excitement. We were going to start our lives together just being with each other, riding our bicycles in the idyllic Irish countryside. Never mind we’d only been married a week and a half, but marriage (and life, for that matter) is an adventure, right? Unfortunately, the first day of our bicycling adventure, after all the giddiness and excitement, did not go over so well. We both had a map that was highlighted for us by a local, but for some reason, the road we were on was not quite lining up with our map. We were supposed to turn onto another road, but the road that was on our map was nowhere to be seen. We were pedaling up and down this road, looking for this new road to materialize so we could get to our destination. But that road never showed itself.

We were lost. We were very, very lost.

We weren’t just lost anywhere. We were lost in an entirely different country, in the Irish countryside. Nothing but green fields, baa-ing sheep, and an occasional moo-ing cow. Sure, we could speak English, we had that much going for us, but that’s really not helpful when there’s not a whole lot of civilization around… we couldn’t just stop by a shop or someone’s house to ask for directions... We were in a place we had never visited before, so we didn’t have any familiar landmarks to help us get to where we were going. We didn’t know anyone. We didn’t have a cell phone with us. These were they days before affordable fancy GPS systems. All we had was a map. Karl and I were frustrated that we didn’t know where we were, and to top it all off, we were frustrated that we didn’t know quite where we were going. In our first week of marriage, this wasn’t exactly the best place to be, both physically and metaphorically. We were frustrated with our situation, but we tried really, really hard not to be frustrated with one another. We were out in the wilderness, alone and scared and wondering if we’d ever find our way out of the Irish countryside.

We did find our way back; otherwise Karl and I wouldn’t be in church today. But wandering out in the wilderness, being alone and scared, made me think of the prophet Isaiah’s words in this week’s lesson. This passage from Isaiah was written during a crazy time in Israel’s history. Israel had repeatedly turned away from their God; the prophets were trying to warn the people to turn from their selfish ways and turn back to God. The prophets stated that if the Israelites didn’t turn back to God, something bad was going to happen. That something bad was the Babylonians. The Babylonians not only conquered Jerusalem; they destroyed it. The Babylonians then carted the Israelites away from their home, marching them to Babylon. The Israelites were whisked away from a land that they loved and knew as home. The Israelites were in an awful wilderness in a foreign country being held against their will in a place they knew nothing about, in a land that wasn’t theirs. They turned away from God, and they found themselves out in the wilderness.

There’s something scary about being in the wilderness. There’s the physical wilderness, the middle of nowhere places that seem empty, desolate, and lacking life. Then there’s the theoretical wilderness in our spiritual, emotional, and psychological existence… times when we’re alone, destitute, feeling like we’ve royally screwed everything up and there’s nothing that can be done. The internal wilderness of despondency, isolation, and wondering, where, oh where, is God in the midst of all this mess? Have you been in a wilderness of doubt, of fear, or of anger wondering, “where in the heck is God in the midst of all this mess?”

God, it seems, is in the wilderness. But here’s another question: WHY is God out in the wilderness? The reading from Isaiah and the Gospel are filled with wilderness talk, and God is out in the midst of that middle-of-nowhere place.

Why the wilderness? I mean, even Judas questions the placement of proclamation in the wilderness in “Jesus Christ Superstar” when he asks Jesus, “Why'd you choose such a backwards time in such a strange land? If you'd come today you would've reached a whole nation! Israel in 4 B.C. had no mass communication…”

In the midst of being in an unknown, unfamiliar, and scary wilderness, God came to the Israelites with words of comfort. God comes to meet them many times in the wilderness… There’s the Exodus, when the Israelites are fleeing Egypt. God definitely clears a path for the Israelites out of Egypt in the dramatic parting of the Red Sea. Even in the midst of their complaining, God travels with the Israelites to the Promised Land. The Israelites turned away from God and did not heed the warnings of the prophets. The Israelites turned away from God, then were carted off to Babylonia, with Jerusalem in ruins. Yet God clears a way AGAIN for the Israelites to return to their land when they’re carted off to Babylon. Yes, the Israelites may have turned away from their God before the Babylonian exile, but GOD DID NOT ABANDON THEM EVEN THOUGH THEY SCREWED UP. God clears a way out of the wilderness for them. There’s something interesting about Isaiah’s words and the words of the Gospel… God is found in the most unexpected of places; God’s out in the wilderness. And even if God’s people have royally screwed up, God clears a way home for them.

The voice that cries out, proclaims, is God announcing the good news. We may think God’s out in the middle of nowhere. But when we think we know God, God has this nifty way of surprising God’s people time and time again. God being out in the wilderness can be thought of as weird and confusing. Sure, it seems backward and strange, lacking mass communication… But God is in the wilderness, experiencing the wilderness of human life with us. The Incarnation. This is what we’re waiting for in this Advent season; we’re waiting for God to come be with us. The amazing thing about God is that God is present in our past, in our present, and in our future. God reaching out to us in this amazing, crazy-loving way. God becoming human, to know of our lived experiences. The good, the bad, the clean, the outright messy. The Incarnation puts Christ in the middle of all of that, The feelings of anguish, of isolation, of our personal wilderness? Christ was there. Out being tempted in the wilderness. Feeling emotions of joy, anger, gladness, sorrow. And the cross. God being in the most unexpected of places, the worst kind of anguish up on that cross.

God knows our wilderness. God’s not just some entity out there, but God, CHRIST, knows our wilderness experiences because God’s been there too. And even in the middle of our wildernesses, we may have done something wrong. We may have turned away from God.

This is a time, even if we’ve committed sins, if we’ve done things we’re not proud of, that even in our broken humanness, valleys are lifted, mountains are made low, the ground becomes level, and the rough places are smoothed out. In stating, “The Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” we’re told, “Look, here’s God!” With us, among us, knowing us and our experiences! Frank Honeycutt, a pastor in South Carolina, said, “God is building a highway home for people who have screwed up their lives.” And we’ve all screwed up somewhere along the way. But God’s good news welcomes those who’ve been lost along the way. Isaiah writes that all earthly things will pass; especially with the changing of seasons, we’ve seen grass wither, flowers fade… but God’s word? God’s word is the word incarnate, Jesus Christ, who comes to be with us. To forgive us our sins. To lead us back to God. To lead us back home. It’s an announcement to people who have screwed up along the way that God welcomes each and every one of us home.

Come home.

Sowing of seeds.

I had a wonderful last couple of days in Chicago. Friday was spent visiting Lutheran Theological Seminary Chicago and attending a chapel led by a Missionary Baptist praise team. The sermon was titled, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." The text was from Matthew 15 of the faith of the Caananite woman, desperate to heal her child. I continue to struggle with the text concerning the Caananite woman, because Jesus comes off as kind of a jerk. The preacher spoke of Jesus pulling reversals on everyone, being an expert of sorts. But the Caananite woman is the one to pull a reversal on the ruler of reversals. She does this in great desperation for her daughter, but also in great faith. The preacher spoke to how he has been marginalized in so many ways, and in his desperation, Christ comes to meet him. For just coming off a bus and walking into the seminary's chapel, this sermon was spiritual food.

How does spiritual food come about? Agriculturally, seeds need to be sown in order to grow food. I thought about the sowing of seeds my last couple of days in Chicago for many reasons. One reason was that so many people from transitional parts of my life were in Chicago that same weekend. A member of my failed master's thesis committee was in Chicago visiting friends. One of my first friends from Fuller Theological Seminary was in town for his 25th high school reunion. A fellow PLTS student was in town for meetings. And Chris Heavner was in town. My husband and I lovingly refer to Christ Heavner as PC; many of Chris's flock call him PC as well. PC is the campus pastor at Clemson University in Clemson, SC. It is through PC's conversations and patience that I became curious about Christianity. As a joke, I tell people that I became Lutheran because I went to a potluck, but I think the Spirit was working on me through PC. I met PC when I was a sophomore in college; one of my best friends invited me to a potluck at University Lutheran Church and I went because there was going to be free home-cooked food. But what came out of that potluck was a sense of koinonia and love; being in community was actually awkward for me since I was so used to worshiping with just my family. I graduated from Clemson thankful for knowing PC through campus ministry and Habitat for Humanity, not thinking much about how PC would impact my future. I worked as a consultant for a couple of years. I met Karl. Then Karl and I decided to get married. PC re-entered our lives, and in quite an interesting way. PC, Karl, and I met once a week for two years so I could ask PC anything about Christianity; PC would answer my questions to the best of his ability, and he could ask me questions about my faith journey. This was an incredible time of learning and growing for me. And it was at University Lutheran, in the midst of singing "I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry" that I experienced God's love and grace. I was actually so freaked out by the experience, I burst into tears in the middle of the hymn. And I was scared. I experienced a real God in church, but didn't know if I wanted to follow God. So I wavered. I wavered for two years, when I was finally baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Glendale, CA, on the other side of the country from Clemson, SC.

Getting to spend time with PC in Chicago was a wonderful experience for me. It was in Chicago where PC was a seminarian and worked for the church office. It was wonderful to hear of his experiences in the city and to share my own with him. We wandered around the city talking about ministry experiences. We talked about loving people, even though it's not always easy. We talked about changes in mainline churches. We also talked about internship and community.

After such a rich experience getting to spend time with PC, I was excited to go to church on Sunday morning. I planned to attend First Evangelical Lutheran Church located in Logan Square. When I stepped off the Blue Line, I was reminded of my experiences in the neighborhood around University of Southern California. There were shop signs in Spanish, but also upscale eateries. The neighborhood looked like it was in transition. I reached the church and met Pastor Eardley Mendis (Pastor Mendis is originally from Sri Lanka). I joined in the Bible study, which was in both Spanish and English. I participated in worship, where I read the Hebrew Bible reading from Jeremiah 28:5-9 concerning true and false prophets. I was also asked to give my testimony at the end of the service. I spoke to the congregation and told them a brief version of my story and how I am currently a seminarian. I spoke to the awesomeness and mysteriousness of God's love. I joined members of the congregation for lunch. I was hoping to interview Pastor Mendis, but the realities of ministry made the interview not possible. We were hoping to speak after lunch, but the front wheel of a parishioner's bicycle went missing. The bicycle was the only means of transportation for this parishioner, and there was a search for the missing wheel. I spoke to Pastor Mendis later in the evening, and he gave the parishioner money for a new wheel.

I was very struck by the mural immediately behind the chancel space in the church. The mural was a sign that the congregation itself appeared to be in fluctuation. The mural depicted a predominantly Caucasian population, ranging from crusaders, pilgrims, and pioneers. Native Americans were placed at the bottom of the mural, not directly gazing at the congregation like the other people in the mural. Representative in the congregation, however, were Latinos, Blacks, Whites, and Asians. We knelt together at the communion rail, recognizing our common bond in brother and sisterhood in Christ. I was happy to be in church that Sunday morning.   

A response to The Namesake for my Asian American Theologies class

The first time I read The Namesake, I finally felt like someone understood my story as living between worlds, or not quite fitting into worlds at all. I spent much of my life wandering around thinking that there wasn’t anyone that really shared in my story. When I read the book, I felt like a light switch went off in my life. Here was an author who somehow knew my story and turned it into a bestselling novel.

Reading the book years later through the lens of a seminary student, I saw new things. I very much related this reading of The Namesake to Peter Phan’s idea of "betwixt and between" (Peter C. Phan, "The Dragon and the Eagle: Toward a Vietnamese-American Theology" in Realizing the America of Our Hearts: Theological Voices of Asian Americans, 164). Living between worlds is further highlighted with the unfortunate incident of Gogol receiving his given name at the hospital. Gogol’s name amplifies his inability to fit into the country of his birth, the United States of America, as well as the inability to fit into the country of his ancestry, India. Gogol, as a teenager and young adult, laments that his name is of an ill-fated Russian writer. He claims his name sounds peculiar, and is further embarrassed when he discovers that the writer Nikolai Gogol led a tortured and conflicted life. Part of the irony is that Gogol himself is in a sense tortured and conflicted. He cannot communicate with or understand his parents; his parents are from a different land and a different culture from which Gogol is so far removed. He blames his parents for much of his young adult life concerning the awkwardness of his name; it is only later that Gogol discovers that his name has incredible significance, as the name Gogol is related to Ashoke’s second chance at life, a resurrection of sorts, to create himself as something new and to travel to a new land.

A life of betwixt and between is also reflected in Ashoke and Ashima’s relationship with each other, and their life as husband and wife in the United States. Ashima has constant thoughts of wanting to return home to Calcutta. She carries around mementos of her family and former life in India; she reads and rereads letters from her family, Bengali magazines, and Bengali books. She longs for her family to help her raise her children. Ashima and Ashoke live a life in exile from their home country. Much of Ashima’s thoughts are lamentations, missing her home country and her family. She finds substitutions within the Indian and Bengali community in the United States, but Ashima reflects that these are but mere substitutes for a reality that she once knew. She laments that she does not feel a connection with or understand her American-born children. In this life led in exile, Ashoke and Ashima do not make outrageous attempts to assimilate to the culture. They do eventually have to give Gogol a legal name, they purchase a home in a suburb, Ashoke has a professorship at a university, and accommodations are made to make by Gogol’s and Sonia’s request, such as celebrating a secular form of Christmas, and inevitably having to give in to the wishes of a five-year old Gogol to use his pet name in place of his good name.

Ultimately, in reading The Namesake through a theological lens, I continued to think of Jesus Christ as the immigrant par excellence. Gogol had no one to relate to throughout the novel. Part of the distance was through his parents’ mistakes; they were not prepared to give him a good name, and instead used a family name in place of his proper name. Gogol’s name ostracized him from everyone. When Gogol legally changed his name to Nikhil, there was still a sense of ostracism. He could not connect to his “former” identity as Gogol; ironically, using a proper Bengali name seemed to further separate him from his family prior to Ashoke’s sudden death. As Nikhil, Gogol seemed to live a different life but could not connect to his parents, his status of living between worlds and cultures, but could not connect to American culture. In reading, I think of Jesus as the mestizo and as the "Immigrant par excellence, the Marginalized One living in the both-and and beyond situation" (Phan, 174). While The Namesake does not mention religion, there is something particularly Christ-like in the character of Gogol. Gogol wanders through his life with a mixed identity of being neither Indian nor American, or being too Indian or too American; Jesus walked this earth as truly human and truly divine. Gogol is the child of immigrants trying to find his identity in a land where he doesn’t fit; Jesus is the immigrant par excellence in a world where he perfectly fits and a world he does not fit at all.

Homiletics Crash Course

1. Spending the morning at church talking to Pastor about my upcoming sermon. Lots to think about. I then met with Matt to talk about VBS activities. I'm looking forward to this year's program, which is "Paul and the Underground Church of Rome."

2. Speaking of sermons, I had a crash course in homiletics today. Clay was so kind to take time out of his day to give me a VERY condensed version of his class.

3. Talking to Pastor Marcus. I cannot wait to see him on Friday evening!

4. Making dinner with a recipe from "The Art of Simple Food." I made plain and simple pork chops with a ridiculously simple pan sauce.

5. More leads on rentals in Berkeley. We'll see how it goes starting tomorrow! Eep!

Last day to tap away.

1. Tap class. It was my last class with Laura Fremont, who has been a fantastic teacher. It was fulfilling a childhood fantasy. I hope I can find a class in Berkeley...

2. Green grapes right out of a refrigerator.

3. Lots of leads on apartments in Berkeley/ Albany. I just hope that the husband and I will be able to find something.

4. A lazy afternoon mostly to myself.

5. A rechargeable battery pack for the Wii Fit. This way, the husband and I don't waste tons of batteries.

Back to yoga.

1. Being able to attend my yoga class after such a long hiatus. My physical therapist didn't want me to attend yoga, since I wouldn't be able to support my weight in some of the poses since it would put too much pressure on my wrist. But I finally got the okay, and I finally had the time to spend a peaceful hour at class this morning.

2. Getting some great leads on places to live in Berkeley. I pray that the husband and I can find a new nice place to call "home."

3. Getting rid of a lot of clutter. Four large trash bags exited the apartment today.

4. A brain check session. So thankful for those!

5. Homemade turkey reuben sandwiches for dinner.

Potluck Sunday

1. Making Leigh's mac and cheese for the church potluck. I have ever so fond memories of that mac and cheese.

2. Sleeping in and going to the 11AM service. The husband and I normally attend the 8:30AM service; it was a nice change of pace.

3. Talking to the husband's parents.

4. Sorting through old birthday cards and notes. Many wonderful memories.

5. Time for needed rest.

June 13

1. Sleeping in. Even if I woke up at 7:30AM, it's still sleeping in.

2. Cleaning out closets and finding quite the cache of unused and mostly unopened wedding presents.

3. Peach and mango licorice.

4. ODing on old Gilmore Girls episodes.

5. A quiet day.

A wonderful Friday

1. Leisure reading. I started and finished The Plain Janes, which was a fun and simple read. It's from a publisher called Minx, who produces graphic novels specifically for teenage girls. Janes had an overall positive message, which makes me wonder what Minx will publish next?

2. Meeting Joyce for lunch. What used to be a weekly tradition seems to have turned into a monthly tradition, but a tradition nonetheless.

3. Visiting The Life Giving Spring Orthodox Bookstore, which was such an interesting experience. I wish I knew about this bookstore while I was in my Early Church History class. It was amazing to look at all of the icons on the walls. In my discussions with Amanda, we talked a lot about Mary Magdalene and her differing histories between the eastern and western churches, especially the her eastern interpretation as the "equal of the Apostles." I spoke with the owner of the bookstore, Anastasia, who has her MDiv degree, but since she is Greek Orthodox, cannot be ordained. It was wonderful to talk with Anastasia about the differing ideas of east and west. I hope to hang an icon of the equal of the Apostles on my wall soon.



4. New running shoes. My knees have been wonky as my old running shoes are getting old. I've stuck with the same brand for the past few years (Ariel, made by Brooks), but in test running shoes (yes, the store lets people test run shoes), I ended up with a pair from Saucony. I hope these shoes and I can become good friends.

5. Getting to say my goodbyes to Clay and Aphuno. Clay is so wonderful. He's giving me a crash course in homiletics in preparation for July 12th.

A Final Day at Fuller.

1. Taking my last exam of the spring quarter. With this came the realization that it was also my last exam at Fuller, which was cause for both mourning and celebration.

2. Part of that celebration involved celebrating with my Early Church History study group. We all survived, and with the knowledge that we were still alive, we went out to celebrate over frizen yogurt.

My treat for finishing exams. A combination of pomegranate blueberry, pineapple, tart blueberry, and plain frozen yogurt covered with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

Our "tough" picture. This is almost everyone from the Church History study group. Daniel couldn't celebrate with us since he had three papers due, but said he would take a rain check.

3. Coming home, dropping my backpack on the floor, and napping until the husband came home from work.

4. A supportive family. My parents and the husband's parents have been the best cheerleaders. And the husband isn't a half-bad cheerleader either.

5. Attending my last Thursday Bible study group at Salem. I've learned so much from that class, and have met so many incredible people in that class. We read a devotional that talked about moving and transitioning lifestyles, but through all of that change, God's love remains constant. I couldn't help but cry.

T minus one and counting...

1. The weird curvy chairs outside the Hubbard Library. They are oddly comfortable!

2. My early church history study group. A bunch of funny guys talking religion and politics. I'm really going to miss them!

3. Left over birthday cake.

4. The Casa Verdugo branch of the Glendale Public Library. A nice place to study, and I saw Jackie Ramm from my old Bible study class!

5. The wonderfully cool weather.

I finished my Prophets class. When do I get to take applied prophecy?

1. My Prophets exam. This may not seem like an item of grace, but let me explain. The professor gave us six essay topics, stating that only three of his choosing would appear on the exam. Statistically speaking, I had to learn the material for all six essays. And honestly, I knew some better than others. While waiting for the exam to be handed out, people in the class were predicting which three essays would appear on the exam. When the exam was handed out, all six questions appeared, with the instructions that we were to write on *any* three. Wow. Grace at work. I heard the sigh of relief, and I admit, I sighed as well.

2. Taking a nap to recharge my batteries. It was much needed.

3. Eating a chocolate chip cookie the husband brought home from work. His office makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

4. Listening to the Foo Fighters "The Colour and the Shape." It's one of my favorite CDs, and I haven't listened to it in a long while.

5. Talking with Eric at the bookstore. We have very similar stories of what brought us to our faith, and our signs of affirmation. It's been great getting to know him this quarter in church history. I think one of the things I'll miss the most this quarter is my Early Church History study group. It's been wonderful getting to know my study buddies, and being able to call them friends.

Happy Birthday, Husband!

1. Celebrating the husband's birthday first thing this morning. We shared a cup of coffee together, which was wonderful. We had take-out for dinner, and we'll have cake later this evening. :)

2. Receiving a bracelet I've wanted for five years. Yes, five years. It's a bracelet designed from two forks, with their tines woven together. It's pretty spiffy. The person who created the bracelet also sent me a picture of two kangaroos that are under his care.

3. Therapy. One of the big questions that came out of today's session concerned how classes this quarter have impacted my faith. This is an entirely different blog topic, one that I hope to address once finals are over.

4. Getting to have a nice, long conversation with my mom this afternoon. Life has been sort of hectic and we haven't had much time for a long conversation.

5. Leigh sent me her recipe for heart-stopping mac and cheese. (It really is heart stopping; it's loaded with everything that clogs arteries, but I have many fond college memories attached to that mac and cheese!)

Last day of classes at Fuller.

1. Kindness of my classmates. It was kind of a wonky day with an odd start. I forgot silverware when I got my lunch, and Kevin got me a fork, which he didn't have to do. Then my audio recording crapped out in the middle of Early Church History, and Jon was kind enough to share his audio file with me when class was over.

2. Gummy tummy penguins from Ben.

3. Getting to meet with Henry on campus. We attended the biblical colloquia this afternoon, which was just fantastic. I wish I could have taken a class with Dr. Goldingay while at Fuller. And I'm going to miss Henry so much when the husband and I move.

4. Meeting Amanda for coffee. It's been so wonderful to know a fellow Lutheran woman at Fuller who feels called to enter ministry. We talked a lot about our fears, but also about the great joy we've had thus far on this amazing experience.

5. The husband made me a yummy sandwich for dinner. I'm the luckiest wife in the world.

June 3.

1. Rain. In June. In southern California.

2. Misinterpreted Facebook status updates led to a funny misinterpretation. Especially when messages and phone calls started coming in yesterday, there was a comical need to clarify just what was going on.

3. Getting to sleep in this morning, which was a bit unexpected. The husband had every intention of letting me sleep in, but I'm happy that I woke up before he left for work.

4. Getting to pick the husband up from work. More minutes we get to spend together. :)

5. Getting to talk to Leigh... It sounds like she'll really be here in a month and a half.

June 2

1. Getting to have dinner with my tap dance class. I had to skip out on class this evening since it's too close to crunch time for exams, but the class met for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Much fun was had, especially when the fortune cookies came out!


2. Getting to talk to my church history professor about the multitude of saints and how it's very similar to gods within the Hindu pantheon. Still much food for thought for common dialogue...

3. Damian gave me an assortment of cardboard boxes. He saw them at work and thought of the husband and me, so it was very nice of him to pick them up for us.

4. Getting to talk to my mom and brother. It's been hard with our mishmash of schedules as of late.

5. Talking to Pastor Marcus. It will be wonderful to catch up with him in a couple of weeks!

Primero de Junio

1. Getting to talk to Aretha this morning. I miss seeing her in class so much! It was fun to catch up, and I'm hoping she, Ben, and I can do a final pancake breakfast at the end of the quarter.

2. Finishing all of the reading for the quarter this afternoon. Now I just need to study for finals!

3. Date night.

4. Sharing the raspberry chiffon pie with my old Greek TA.

5. Getting a nice brain check this morning.

Happy birthday, church!

1. Celebrating Andrew's birthday yesterday, which was a lot of fun. It was great to see our Clemson west friends, as well as meet new people.

2. Naptime.

3. Sending my Prophets paper to my professor this morning. It was as done as it was ever going to get.

4. This morning was confirmation Sunday at Salem. The lone confirmant, Kimberly did an absolutely wonderful job delivering her statement of faith to the congregation. And it was wonderful to see so much red at church this morning.

5. The husband and his doppleganger (Matt, the youth minister) were worship assistants, which cracked me up. Seeing both of them in their albs and red cinctures was almost too much. When the husband took off his glasses and the husband and Matt stood side by side, you'd think they were brothers!!!

6. Tasked with a fun and interesting activity. How to rewrite the lyrics for "Roam" from the B-52s to reflect Salem's VBS theme: Paul and the Underground Church in Rome.

Last Friday in May... how did this happen?

1. Finishing the content part of writing my Prophets paper that's due on Monday. I really hope to have it done and sent away on Sunday night...

2. Blueberries were on sale at Ralphs, and I bought some for the husband since he loves to snack on them, but doesn't get to eat them very much.

3. Since fruit was on such an awesome sale, I also purchased some raspberries to make raspberry chiffon pie for Andrew's party tomorrow.

4. Getting out for a small walk to the grocery store. I'm usually cooped up in the apartment the days I'm not on campus, so it was nice to get out, even if it was just for a few minutes.

5. Finding a particular piece of jewelry I've been looking for for six years. It's a bracelet made out of a dinner fork.