Sent to Nineveh

Today is a big day for ELCA seminarians.  It's the day regional assignments are released and students find out where they've been "drafted."  It's a day of high anxiety and fear.  Some students will find that fear alleviated by receiving the regional and synodical assignments they requested.  Some students will find that fear confirmed by being sent to a part of the country with which they have no experience and for which they feel ill-equipped.  A lucky few are able to go wherever they are needed and simply hope to find a good place to begin their ministry, but the overwhelming majority have a general place in mind where they hope they are called to serve, for whatever reasons may seem best to them.

On Wisdom and Friendship

Crappity - Blogger just dumped this post and now I have to redo it all over again!

I'm in Minnesota for the Mid-Winter Convocation at Luther Seminary, and having a blast. The theme is "Engaging Scripture for the Sake of the World," and our keynote speakers are Walter Brueggeman and Terrence Fretheim, quite possibly the two most prolific and well-regarded Old Testament authorities in America today, at least amongst us mainline Protestanters. So far we've covered the Flood, Pharaoh and the Ten Commandments, Job and Daniel. You know, the lighter side of that kind of stuff. I've got enough material floating around in my head to fill several months worth of sermons and Bible studies (cue the groans from our campus ministry students).

I've also had the chance to reconnect with good friends. Last night I took two of our ULC alums out to dinner and heard how they like their new life in graduate school at UMinn. This afternoon I met a fellow blogger, one I've admired for several years, and discovered she's as kind in person as she is online. I had coffee with some of the friends who are responsible for me & Kristin getting together, pictured right, and this morning we rejoiced together when we heard that a third member of that group had a healthy baby boy last night. And as soon as I get done REtyping this entry, I'm going to go to our 2003 Luther Seminary Class Reunion banquet, which I'm really excited to attend.

It's been a good conference, even if I've basically ignored my sister-in-law and her family while sleeping at their house (sorry, guys!) and missing my girls. Wisdom and Friendship - both are hard to come by, but both are that much sweeter when you can enjoy them in the highest quality. Blessings, everyone - and stay warm!

Peace,
Scott

It's the Most Awfullest Time of the Year...

Just a quick post about life in Minnesota right now: IT BITES. According to Paul Douglas, the weather columnist for the Star Tribune, this year marks the latest date with less than one inch of snow on record. Everything is brown, the lakes are barely frozen and no one has the energy to do anything around here. Christmas parties are flopping right and left and we collectively have one last frayed nerve remaining. I'm sure some Minnesotans saw the news of all the people stranded at Denver International Airport and got angry because at least THEY have snow.

I'm not a native Minnesotan, but I've lived here long enough (seven years? how is that possible?) to love winter. I don't snowmobile or ice-fish, and I can barely ski, but being outdoors when there's snow on the ground is a magical thing nonetheless. Without snow, lots of my congregants are growing tired, ill-tempered and decidedly un-merry, and I'm afraid I'm joining them. Everyone says "what wonderful weather we're having," but I don't believe a word of it.

So, that's life in Minnesota right now: brown. Yuk.