Thursday, September 6, 2007

A New Day

Fall classes begin this morning, preceeded by a convocation in the chapel. As I prepared for the day (and this new life, beginning today), this morning's lectionary psalm resonated within me ...

Morning: Psalm 116:1-19 ...
[1] I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
[2] Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
[3] The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.
[4] Then I called on the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I pray, save my life!"
[5] Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
[6] The LORD protects the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
[7] Return, O my soul, to your rest,
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
[8] For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
[9] I walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
[10] I kept my faith, even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted"; [11] I said in my consternation, "Everyone is a liar."
[12] What shall I return to the LORD
for all his bounty to me?
[13] I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, [14] I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
[15] Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
[16] O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
[17] I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
[18] I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
[19] in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

When I have been brought low, I have been sustained by God and it is to God that I now truly pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. I am the daughter of God's servant Lib from whom I have learned of God's unconditional love for God's people. I, too, am God's servant. I am here in this place to learn, to grow, to be melted, molded, filled, and used as only God sees fit. God is the potter and I am the clay. Through each of you reading this note, God has spoken to me through the years and I am here in large part because of you. Thank you for speaking God's words to me time and time again, until I heard God's call. And, so I began today ...

Monday, September 3, 2007

Books and God's Mysteries

Friday I was able to buy most of my books for this semester at a cost of $442. Each first year student that received a tuituion scholarship also received help with buying books based on donations and this year the amount is $176. This left me with $266 to pay. I used the $200 graciously given to me by the Presbyterian Women of Westover Hills Presbyterian and $65 that was returned to me from an overpayment to Petite Sophisticate. How about that for God's mysterious ways?? The Hebrew Lecticon and another book for Intro to Worship are on order and will cost about $200 more, but for now, all is well! Blessings to all ... Susie

Hebrew Prep, Orientation Worship, and Missing You

Hebrew Prep - The reason I wasn't able to write a blog this past week was because of a multitude of classes - database, library catalog and 12 hours of Hebrew Prep class. The Hebrew Prep was designed to give a small group of students a "leg up" before Hebrew starts this week. If I had been out of school for a number of years, had a poor GPA, or had never had a foreign language, I would have been "invited" to participate, but even though I didn't meet the criteria and wasn't included, I asked the professor if I could come anyway and he graciously agreed. Now, at least I can write and say the Hebrew alphabet and feel much better about going into the class this week. Let's hope it helped!

Orientation Worship - The 2nd orientation begins tomorrow at 8:30 with worship and I am serving on the worship planning team. Six of us are giving personal call reflections based on Scriptural call stories. I chose Mark 10: 17-21 because this isn't a Scripture passage I had previously given any thought to when preparing to come to seminary. This worship is primarily my class of 42, plus those involved with orientation and to this group, this is what I will be sharing ...

Mark 10: 17-21 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt before Jesus, and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “You know the commandments: You shall not murder; commit adultery; steal; bear false witness or defraud. And, you shall honor your father and mother.” The man said to Jesus, “I have kept all of these since my youth.” Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own and give the money to the poor. Then, come, follow me.”

Over the past 7 years that I’ve been preparing to come here out loud … that is sharing with people around me what was going on in my heart and God’s call to me … I’ve thought a lot about “dropping my nets.” To me, that meant leaving my broadcasting career, my co-workers, my church family, my daughter, my granddaughters, my brother and his family, and all my friends in Little Rock and around Arkansas to follow Jesus here … But, I hadn’t thought about this passage – about selling all that I had to follow Jesus. As it turned out, however, in the last 5 weeks, that is exactly what I’ve done. In July, I either sold or gave away most everything in the home my kids and I have lived in for 14 years – our ancestral home, if you will. What was left fit in a small U-Haul truck and that is all I came here with. I’d thought long and hard for years about leaving my family and extended family, but, I hadn’t given any thought to selling my possessions. Why is that? Why didn’t that bother me? In hindsight, I suppose somewhere along the line I realized my possessions are just things and it’s people that matter. I share this because I’m sure I’m not the only one that sold my possessions and dropped my nets to follow Jesus here. And, I’m sure I’m not the only one who misses my people. But, I believe one of the tasks we are called to here at Louisville Seminary is to create a family - right here. And, I believe amongst the community that is our class and the community that is LPTS, we can do just that – together and with God’s help.

Missing You - Even though it is very difficult being away from all of you, somehow I and others here have to find a way to build a family, and although I am right now struggling to do that, I believe it will happen, with God's help.

Yesterday was particularly difficult. During worship, amongst a filled sanctuary, I felt very alone and wanted to be with my family - Ginger, Tessa, Marley, Johnny and Sherry ... and my church family - Debbie, Jim, Eileen, Betty, Don, Susan, Heather, Megan, Lindsay, William, all the children, and all the congregation. It filled me with great joy, however, to be able to pray for my home congregation and pastors during the prayers of the people. God has blessed me with this opportunity every Sunday that I've been in Louisville and I've taken full advantage of it. I suppose having these 3 days of quiet has given me more time to realize that I am here all alone. But, it has also helped me to understand that part of my call here is to build a community that that can be family right here. Through your voices, God has called me and now brought me here and it will be through each of your voices, your emails, and your letters, that God will continue to reassure me that I am in the right place, and that God's will is being done in my life.

You are all in my daily prayers for God's will to be done in your lives and that God will bless you with more than you ever need today and every day. Much love, Susie