The Sermon....
I gave my first full sermon on Luke 19:1-10 which is the story about Zacchaeus. I got through it! Thanks for all of your prayers and support. The process of writing it was really draining but good. I got some really helpful feed back from it. There were positive things about the sermon and areas where I need to revise and work on. The two professors that teach the class were really encouraging me to develop my gifts. There are aspects that will be able to carry over to my teaching, but writing a sermon and delivering is still very different from. I have to preach in a month on April 19. I have to choose a narrative text from the Old Testament. I think I'm going to do the story of Ehud in Judges 3. The story has always interested me. Anyways, I better go I have a big Greek quiz for Friday.
Backstreet Boys are always in style...
Shout back to Backstreet Boy's Millennium album song #4 "It's gota to be you." It always makes me in a happy mood. If you're feeling in a bad mood, you should pop it in. During the song, I feel the need to do a little "jig"
I'd like to share 3 things with you....
1. I feel into a deep sleep on a counch in the seminary community room--it was great.
2. My recreational soccer team rocked tonight. We tied 9-9; it was probably our most fun game and highest quality of play-I didn't score, but I got really, really, really, really close. I had some cool defensive moves.
3. I haven't changed from college; I have a 5 page paper due in 11 hours...I only 1 page done...crap...
Hint of Spring
It's 71 degrees outside. Yes, you heard me, 71 degrees, but for some reason I'm in the library. I can't justify being outside. I way too much to do, but I can't do it because I keep looking outside. Hmm...I think I'm going to pack up my stuff and go for a walk, but the only problem is that I'm not dressed for trapsing around outside. I better enjoy today because it's supposed to get cold tonight with temperatures getting down to the 30's by the weekend.
Grades are officially in. I am okay with most of them. My preaching grade was a bit lower than I expected. I don't know what to do about that. I have so much fear and anxiety over that class. Writing a 20-25 minute sermon and delievering it infront of class is very daunting; even though the professors and my classmates are nice. There is 30 minutes of critique. I give my sermon next Tuesday. Yikes! It's coming up soon. Well, I'm going to go out and enjoy the weather!
Reflections
Good things that are happening in my life:
1. Things are staring to warm up in Michigan, and it is supposed to get up to 45 today.
2. I got gas yesterday in a near by town that was 20 cents cheaper than in Grand Rapids
3. Two of my classes were canceled today.
4. It's the weekend.
5. It's Sarah Franken's Birthday today.
6. Good friends at seminary that support and love me.
Reflections on the Winter Quarter
The grades are starting to roll in from winter quarter. After putting so much into quarter (emotionally, physically, spiritually, whatnot) it's hard to view grades without any emotional attachment. Everyone wants good grades; I want good grades. I am used to getting good grades. I've been told over and over grades don't matter in the big scheme of life. I know this is true. But right now, they do...
I handed in a paper that I had spent about 45 hours on and anguished over. I really learned a lot about myself and the topic of Christ's atonement, but in the end I got a C. I was really diassappointed.
After working so hard, it's nice to get affirmed at the end. If you just work extremely hard and learn a lot during the semester, but the professor's evaluation of your work is poor, then what?
Seminary is an uphill battle at times, and sometimes you need a boost and support to keep going on by a professor. It's hard not to have grades measure you whether it's your intelligent, abilities, or even self-worth.
I know that my self-worth is more than grades that I'm a child of God. Hopefully, if I keep telling myself and having people remind me, I'll fully believe it.
