I have entered a new phase in life…at least in the eyes of the church: No longer pushed into the marginalized wasteland of “college ministry” and long since cast out of the paradise of the “youth group,” I have finally reached the promised land: Young Adult. It wasn’t until I was actually sitting in a host home, chowing down on some Tzatziki with oreos, and talking to people who had real-life jobs like nurse, pharmacist, and graduate student that I realized I now belonged to this most prestigious Holy of Holies. Continue reading
Category Archives: Experiences
5 Stories in 5 Minutes
It turns out that graduate schools have not yet received the gospel of the Common App, that holiest of 21st century technology that made my undergraduate application process seem like a sacramental experience – at least in comparison to this toenail-ripping tedium that is sucking every creative life force from my fingertips. In other words, I am sorry for not updating the blog recently, but all of my writing has been devoted to crafting responses to about twenty different essay prompts on divinity school applications.
As such, I thought we could play a little game of catch-up, rapid fire style. Here are the disjointed and mangled thoughts that have crept into my head over the past week and a half of experiences at my UM church in Birmingham:
The Funnel of Love…
Ten days into my new gig with the Birmingham youth group, and I am having a blast. I was right – this is harder work than New York at a faster pace, but it is a great deal of fun. For instance, every Tuesday and Thursday I get to hang out with 6th – 8th graders for 2 hours, reminding them through brute force of the fundamentals of dodgeball (Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and…Dodge!), honing my pool skills, and of course breaking out some sweet moves on Just Dance 2 for Wii. Continue reading
Sweet Potato Pie and I Shut My Mouth
It started when the Appalachian Mountains began to fade into more gently rolling hills. Next came the brutal jolting of abrasive roads that apparently have not received DOT attention since 1986. The final indication was the heat wave that blasted me as I stepped out of my car, despite the clock saying 8:00PM. Yes, I had finally arrived.
Alabama. Continue reading
As I Lay Dying
That was an awful book, wasn’t it? I still do not understand why the Tennessee Board of Education saw fit to make it required reading for 11th grade English. I mean, I am sure the societal commentary was piercing and the style paved the way for a uniquely American genre of literature and all that jazz, but it just drones on and on and on. And on.
That’s beside the point, though, and it marks the last attempt at humor for the rest of a post dedicated to a decidedly unhumorous topic: Death. It happens, we don’t want it to, now what are you going to do about it? Continue reading
Livin’ On a Prayer
What does prayer mean to you?
Do you pray?
If so, to whom?
Do you offer gratitude, praises, apologies, supplications?
Do you get a response?
Do you think it causes tangible results or does it just make us feel better? Continue reading
Real Life Beautitudes
“Mint Ting-a-Ling.” “Piece of Cake.” “Bittersweet Symphony.” “White Lightning.”
No, those aren’t brands of moonshine – those are the different ice cream flavors that I have tried so far from The Ice Cream Shack. Much like Wegman’s grocery story, I have become enamored with this local lactose staple. I’ll keep you updated on the newest flavors… Continue reading
Life Reconciling 