So finals are over, and I went home for a bit during inter-semester recess.

But I had ulterior motives...

Thursday I interviewed for a CPE position this summer. Fingers crossed.

Friday I had an appointment with the optometrist. To wit, I need new glasses, go figure.

Saturday was the main reason for going home, Presbytery. We went up to the meeting Saturday morning bright and early. I was the last item on the docket before lunch, which was to be at 12 noon. At 5 after noon the item before me finished, and I thought for sure that the moderator would break for lunch, but she pressed on. I was allowed to speak (which I did briefly and quickly because I could see everyone was hungry) and then I was questioned. Two questions, both simple, I answered them both easily. Then another minister stood up, I know this man, and his question had the potential to be absolutely awful or absolutely great, there was no grey area here. I take the microphone from the moderator and this minister says "I don't have a question." Well, phew. Instead, he says "I move that this examination be suspended and sustained." Immediately a chorus of "second" arose. I was escorted from the room as the Muskingum Valley Presbytery voted. I came back in after about a minute, and was unanimously accepted as a candidate for minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church. There were some consitutional questions from the moderator and a brief charge and it was all over. Pretty simple really. Now if I can only take my ordination questions right before lunch...

Afterwards we went out to lunch (mother and daddy went along with Ruth Ann (my session liason) and Bill (an elder at my church)) and then home. It was a good day all in all.

Today (Sunday) was church and then I flew back to Princeton, and here I am, back safe and sound ready for classes to start tomorrow morning for the new semester.

Thought o' the day: somehow things work out.

Welcome to 2006!!!

Yes that’s right my friends it is now 2006. I know I haven’t posted for a while so this is going to be one long update-for-the-past-month-year-in-review-all-in-one type deal. Here we go (You may want to hold on, or alternately make sure you have some source of caffeine at hand).

So I left Princeton on December 16. What a fun day. Because my preaching class had been cancelled for the previous two Fridays, seven people were forced to preach during this one class. I went first and left early so that I could change before my last precept (yes we dress up to preach at Princeton). I felt pretty good about my sermon, I know it wasn’t my best, but it was a “Narrative Sermon” and I’ve never really enjoyed preaching a narrative, so this just confirmed it.

After the preaching fiasco I went to my final Systematic Theology precept. Systematic was really quite good this year. Much better than last spring at any rate. We read some really wonderful books and had some thought-provoking discussions. Needless to say, however, I am glad to be finished with that class.

After precept I raced back to my room and picked up my bags which were all packed and ready to go. Jessica drive Josh Mikelson and me to the Dinky (that’s the little train that goes between Princeton and Princeton Junction) to the Dinky Station. I wasn’t sure that we would get tickets because there was a mass exodus of students from Princeton waiting to buy tickets and leave for their homes, but we made it and then made it to the Newark Aeroport as well. My flight was uneventful and I made it home around midnight from the aeroport.

Saturday morning, December 17, my first day of freedom, I was forced from bed at an early hour to go to New Philadelphia and meet with my CPM so that they could evaluate my request to move onto candidacy in the ordination process. Hint: it’s a bad idea to tell you committee that you can meet with them whenever is most convenient for them, because they will, invariably, pick the most inconvenient time for you. Oh well. The meeting went well and I am all set to go up for candidacy in late January. There was a called presbytery meeting that day too, and I went as an elder rep from my home church. We voted on our new executive presbyter who is pretty nice, and I think she’ll do a good job for MVP.

After presbytery I went to visit my grandmother who was still in the hospital recovering from a broken wrist and a hairline fracture in her right hip (she’s already broken both hips and had them replaced, I’m not sure how she broke it again...) Anyhow she was glad to see me, but she was upset because she was stuck in the hospital. To make matters worse she was in the hospital all during Christmas and New Year’s too, and she’ll finally be coming home this Thursday. It has been a trying experience for everyone, my 84 year-old grandfather goes down to the hospital at least twice a day to visit, my parents try to go every day or every other day. My aunt and uncle try to go every day. I was going every other day or so, but I can’t now that I’m back in Princeton. It’s a mess.

The week before Christmas was really nice. I met up with Tom Houston (from College Drive UP in New Concord) for lunch and we ended up talking for 3.5 hours! I finished up my shopping and wrapping and enjoyed the time off. Christmas Eve and Day were both pretty nice. Church was good both times and we had electricity this year, which was a huge improvement over last year’s Christmas. We watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which is one of my favorite movies ever, and a Lorenz Christmas Tradition. The 18th was the Lorenz Christmas in Sugarcreek. My great-grandparents John and Emma Lorenz had 11 children 9 of whom lived to adulthood and who have had numerous children themselves, many numerous grandchildren (my generation) and now great-grandchildren. And so we all gather as a family the fourth Sunday of Advent for a large meal, fellowship, and a Carol-sing. It is usually a really fun time, we get to see people that we only see once a year. And usually, since there are so many of us, someone shows up who hasn’t been there for 20 or 30 years and I get to meet a new family member. This year it was my great Aunt Clara’s son and his family who recently moved from Boston to Ohio. I had never met them (and according to my dad they didn’t even come to Grandma Emma’s funeral (my great-grandmother)). So we had a lot of good food and fun that day, and I even offered the blessing (as a dutiful future minister).

The week after Christmas wasn’t nearly as productive as I had wanted it to be. I took home a lot of books and materials and I fully intended to write several papers, but.... I didn’t. I ended up reading a lot though, but not anything for class. Over break I read two of John Grisham’s books The Summons and The Broker, I also read Jan Karon’s last entry in the Mitford Series, Light From Heaven. All in all it was a good week, but not productive. I did manage to write a sermon however. I preached at Warsaw and Fresno on January 1, which means I couldn’t go party on New Year’s Eve, but that’s ok. Dad and I played backgammon after mother went to bed around 10.30, the we watched Dick Clark (boy is he scary) and I went up to the church at midnight to “ring” in the New Year. New Year’s day after church I visited grandma in the hospital and then I came home and we took down all the Christmas decorations. We did have out traditional pork, potatoes, and sauerkraut for dinner that night, and I even had a little kraut to bring me luck in the New Year! Ahh, how we hold onto our old German traditions.

After New Year’s wrapped up pretty quickly. I packed and finally started on my Systematic Final, watched the Buckeyes crush Notre Dame (34-20), and on the 3rd came pack to Jersey. Ever since then I’ve been working on finals. I turned in my last final this morning, and now I’m finished. I have a glorious week to do whatever I want to do! I’ve rented some movies I want to see, and I’m going to sleep late and not worry! I have a couple books I’m going to read, and I bought a bottle of rum today, so a few Rum and Cokes are definitely in order.

Looking back on 2005 it seems like this has been a long year. This time last year I was taking my first finals ever in Seminary, now I feel like an old hat. Spring semester 2005 saw Systematic Theology 221 or as we liked to call it (Mark and Stacy’s Olde Tyme Heresy Hour). After Spring Semester I went home for a while and then came back here for Hebrew. Really it seems like I have spent most of this year here at Princeton. Hmmmm.

We lost some great people this year... John Paul II, Johnny Carson, and Chief Justice Rehnquist. They, and many others, will be sadly missed. 2005 also saw some of the worst natural disasters ever. No one can forget the Tsunami, or the earthquakes, wildfires, tornadoes, and of course hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We will be dealing with their after-effects for many months to come.

So as I prayed on New Year’s Day, let 2006 be a better year. Bring it on.

Peace!

Though o’ the day: how much is too much?