This has happened to me twice now: I am watching the Ghost Whisperer on TV. Then the show ends and the news begins. After a few minutes, I began to realize that I was not recognizing any locations or names...And then it hit me that I was watching the news from Winnipeg. Which for those who are geographically challenged, that it is in Canadia.
Yes, I live close enough to Canadia to get Canadian TV channels. The CBC in particular.
No, I have not heard anyone say "eh" on national television.
But I have not really watched much outside of American shows being broadcast on the CBC. Or the news. Which means that they try to sound edumacated when informing Canadians (and the occasional American) about what is happening in Canadia and the rest of the world that lies south of Winnipeg.
Other facts: I live two hours from International Falls. Highway 71 runs straight northwest and eventually ends up in Canadia. There is also an old railroad track that runs up there to Fort Francis (that is the Canadian town across the border). Granted, the train tracks are gone. But that is exciting for avid snowmobilers since the path remains and is straight and mostly level. Unfortunately, it is long. And I would be very cold before I got to Canadia. And I don't think I want to be that cold. So I will not be snowmobiling to Canadia anytime soon.
I keep saying that I am going to go to Canadia just so I can drinksince the drinking age there is 18. I think that is the main reason for anyone to go to Canadia. Even if I am old enough to buy my own alcohol stateside. Cause I cannot think of another reason to visit Canadia.
Outside of visiting distant relatives.
FYI: I can spell. I just choose to not do so. I prefer the name Canadia to Canada. So much more eloquent. And I do not think that TV news can ever be as educational as reading online, which is why the broadcast is edumacational.
Did I ever mention that I am opinionated?
And completely right. And awesome. And modest, of course.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Youth connections
Well, I am slowly recruiting myself to be a quasi-youth director here at Bethel. Which I am fine with since I have never been a youth director anywhere, so I get a different perspective.
The high schoolers here seem to enjoy having me organize times for them to get together and both do something and hang out. One in particular has basically told me that I am their youth director. Something I remember from the good ole days of my youth (which was soooooooo far away...) was the hanging out. The times I enjoyed most were those when I was permitted to simply hang out and enjoy being with my peers away from family. Yes, activities are fun and all, but there is a value to having the activity (be it Bible study or game night or whatever) but also giving up a space to talk, chill, eat food, etc without having a strict agenda.
So last night, for example, I had some games arranged for them. I brought my little bowling set (thanks to Lindsay and her amazing perception that what I needed for my 23rd birthday was a child's plastic bowling set!). There is just something about having a rousing game of hallway bowling where the little bowling balls are too light to do any damage to anything, so even trying to throw them as hard as humanly possible does nothing to walls or floors. Granted, they are impossible to work with unless you stand within 10 feet of the pins. And of course, the pins don't like to stay upright on carpet.
But all that is beside the point.
So I also dig out other games (which no one wanted to play) and decide that a background movie is just the thing to occupy the other kids that are not actively trying to knock down tiny, multi-colored plastic bowling pins. And I was amazed how they got glued to watching "Hook." I love this movie since I remember watching it in jr/sr high school (it came out when I was 11) and almost bought it the other day.
And once again, I get reminded by some that they like how I am willing to let them have fun and that I don't stress out if/when they decide to relax.
But at the end of the evening, I was exhausted from all the unnecessary stressing out over planning and preparation and concern over not having enough for them to do since all they wanted to do was have a time when they can have fun as the youth in the congregation.
It is far easier to visit the elderly at the hospital or in their homes. No need to prepare. And they feed me, instead of me arranging to feed 7 high schoolers. But I guess I'm just a sucker for taking on a challenge...
The high schoolers here seem to enjoy having me organize times for them to get together and both do something and hang out. One in particular has basically told me that I am their youth director. Something I remember from the good ole days of my youth (which was soooooooo far away...) was the hanging out. The times I enjoyed most were those when I was permitted to simply hang out and enjoy being with my peers away from family. Yes, activities are fun and all, but there is a value to having the activity (be it Bible study or game night or whatever) but also giving up a space to talk, chill, eat food, etc without having a strict agenda.
So last night, for example, I had some games arranged for them. I brought my little bowling set (thanks to Lindsay and her amazing perception that what I needed for my 23rd birthday was a child's plastic bowling set!). There is just something about having a rousing game of hallway bowling where the little bowling balls are too light to do any damage to anything, so even trying to throw them as hard as humanly possible does nothing to walls or floors. Granted, they are impossible to work with unless you stand within 10 feet of the pins. And of course, the pins don't like to stay upright on carpet.
But all that is beside the point.
So I also dig out other games (which no one wanted to play) and decide that a background movie is just the thing to occupy the other kids that are not actively trying to knock down tiny, multi-colored plastic bowling pins. And I was amazed how they got glued to watching "Hook." I love this movie since I remember watching it in jr/sr high school (it came out when I was 11) and almost bought it the other day.
And once again, I get reminded by some that they like how I am willing to let them have fun and that I don't stress out if/when they decide to relax.
But at the end of the evening, I was exhausted from all the unnecessary stressing out over planning and preparation and concern over not having enough for them to do since all they wanted to do was have a time when they can have fun as the youth in the congregation.
It is far easier to visit the elderly at the hospital or in their homes. No need to prepare. And they feed me, instead of me arranging to feed 7 high schoolers. But I guess I'm just a sucker for taking on a challenge...
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Quilts and music
I have begun to join various groups to get to know people better. So now, in addition to really long Wednesdays that start with staff meetings and Bible studies in the morning to end with youth activities at night. Then to rise early for a really long Thursday that begins with the quilting and ends with music. I am part of two choirs (bell choir and the run-of-the-mill singing choir) as well as helping out the quilters. Of course, I am on the young end of the age scale among the quilters. But they seem really excited to have me there and helping out since many of their members are no longer around, whether due to the fact they have passed away or moved to another state.
The quilters are fun. They make quilts based on quantity (and the ability to keep people warm) and not so much the quality (since they were asked to not make works of art as a means to prevent the quilts from ending up on the black market or something...). And the last 20 quilts have been all the same colors. I like them, but I can understand how it can become tiresome to always look at the same patterns day after day. Anyway, I am learning different abilities. Like how to cut ridiculously large pieces of fabric or quilting batting. Or to pin together tops, batting and bottoms. Or to tie. Oh wait, I already knew how to tie quilts. But they keep asking if I can sew. As in, use a sewing machine. Which I have not done in about 10 years or so. Not my forte, but perhaps I shall relearn since they are low on sewers.
Bell choir shall be interesting. I have never had to look through music just so I can find one single note to play instead of following a line. In band I always had just my part on the sheet in front of me. In choir, I always looked for the soprano (or alto, depending on what part I would be told to sing since I am so flexible) line to follow. But for bell choir I get assigned to play a specific note or notes. Like being told to play A and A flat (dealing with key changes or accidentals). Which means that I have to look through the music in order to find each instance where an A or an Ab will be played. It is definitely a different way to read music, but I think I can get the hang of it quickly.
Choir will be interesting. I was asked to sing alto since each choir always has an abundance of women who want to sing the soprano part. I don't really mind, but I am noticing that I find the alto part to be far easier. The note range is easy on my voice, which means that I am not feeling pushed or strained to get better with my range. And I find singing the harmony ridiculously easy as well. I guess I am just so good at being able to always sing the part I have been taught time and again with little to know problem. Once I get the notes down, I can sing them. Now the challenge will be to keep my energy and interest in the songs since I have a tendency to get bored once I know the music.
The quilters are fun. They make quilts based on quantity (and the ability to keep people warm) and not so much the quality (since they were asked to not make works of art as a means to prevent the quilts from ending up on the black market or something...). And the last 20 quilts have been all the same colors. I like them, but I can understand how it can become tiresome to always look at the same patterns day after day. Anyway, I am learning different abilities. Like how to cut ridiculously large pieces of fabric or quilting batting. Or to pin together tops, batting and bottoms. Or to tie. Oh wait, I already knew how to tie quilts. But they keep asking if I can sew. As in, use a sewing machine. Which I have not done in about 10 years or so. Not my forte, but perhaps I shall relearn since they are low on sewers.
Bell choir shall be interesting. I have never had to look through music just so I can find one single note to play instead of following a line. In band I always had just my part on the sheet in front of me. In choir, I always looked for the soprano (or alto, depending on what part I would be told to sing since I am so flexible) line to follow. But for bell choir I get assigned to play a specific note or notes. Like being told to play A and A flat (dealing with key changes or accidentals). Which means that I have to look through the music in order to find each instance where an A or an Ab will be played. It is definitely a different way to read music, but I think I can get the hang of it quickly.
Choir will be interesting. I was asked to sing alto since each choir always has an abundance of women who want to sing the soprano part. I don't really mind, but I am noticing that I find the alto part to be far easier. The note range is easy on my voice, which means that I am not feeling pushed or strained to get better with my range. And I find singing the harmony ridiculously easy as well. I guess I am just so good at being able to always sing the part I have been taught time and again with little to know problem. Once I get the notes down, I can sing them. Now the challenge will be to keep my energy and interest in the songs since I have a tendency to get bored once I know the music.
The Pastors' Retreat
Seriously, pastors have such a difficult and stressful job that they need to have a retreat.
So, as the intern pastor, I tagged along with other pastors from the Northwestern Minnesota Synod to head out to a resort along a lake. In order to get an idea of what this place was like, think "Dirty Dancing" and the ritzy camp. Looked pretty but I was hoping for more of the rustic camp settings, since I am a big fan of escaping locations with perfect cell phone reception.
Some of the highlights/low points:
- Shopping. Two of the women pastors in Bemidji took me along with them on our way with a long stayover in Park Rapids in order to shop. I got a new skirt (yay!) as well as some new sweaters (yay!). Cause my goal is to be as stylish as possible.
- Good food. I like fresh fruit, desserts, salads, and tasty meat like chicken and turkey and roast beef. I will have to subtract points for the not-so-tastalicous brown bread.
- Decent view. Lake. Trees. Only thing missing was sunshine. And enough of a breeze so that I could have gone sailing. Which I have never done and had been looking forward to going on a sailboat.
- Good conversations. Always nice to get to know other pastors who have advice to share. And to reconnect with acquaintances from seminary who are either interns like me or are brand-new pastors.
- Not feeling well and needing to take a long nap after falling asleep during a presentation. I did not realize just how tired I was getting after my long trip to Europe and three weeks in a new setting that is extremely stressful. I am at the point where I am not quite sure that I completely ready to deal with the new policies made by the ELCA.
- Rejoicing. Following the decision made by the ELCA last month to find a way for homosexuals in committed relationships to serve as rostered or ordained leaders, it was nice to hear from other people who were also happy about what will be happening. I am proud to be part of a church that has enough courage to stand up and expand our ideas of how the gospel will be preached and experienced. At the same time, I was reminded that nothing will change right away. Such a major change takes time and careful consideration to all the various consequences and possible reactions from opposing parties.
- Being told I seem to be very comfortable with myself. Nothing like a little bit of reassurance for the nervous intern. Well, I have decided that if I can make it through this year while working for a church, I can handle anything. Cause the thing that I fear most about churches is church politics, and what could be better than dealing with the explosive reactions to the homosexuality issue? Which brings up concerns about our culture at large, the sanctity of marriage, the status of families, the ability to dialogue with people you don't agree with...
Then, of course, the retreat ended at noon on Wednesday so that all those present could race back to their respective congregations in order to be present at confirmation classes or youth groups. I was no exception as I arrived back so that I could teach the 3rd grade Bible class (and the kids I had tonight were really good) and then lead a Bible study for the high schoolers. I kept the 8 sophomores and juniors on track for approximately 1 hr and 15 min. Which I think was pretty darn good. Of course, after that, we still had about 30 more min to go...But that is a really long time for anyone to study the Bible.
So, as the intern pastor, I tagged along with other pastors from the Northwestern Minnesota Synod to head out to a resort along a lake. In order to get an idea of what this place was like, think "Dirty Dancing" and the ritzy camp. Looked pretty but I was hoping for more of the rustic camp settings, since I am a big fan of escaping locations with perfect cell phone reception.
Some of the highlights/low points:
- Shopping. Two of the women pastors in Bemidji took me along with them on our way with a long stayover in Park Rapids in order to shop. I got a new skirt (yay!) as well as some new sweaters (yay!). Cause my goal is to be as stylish as possible.
- Good food. I like fresh fruit, desserts, salads, and tasty meat like chicken and turkey and roast beef. I will have to subtract points for the not-so-tastalicous brown bread.
- Decent view. Lake. Trees. Only thing missing was sunshine. And enough of a breeze so that I could have gone sailing. Which I have never done and had been looking forward to going on a sailboat.
- Good conversations. Always nice to get to know other pastors who have advice to share. And to reconnect with acquaintances from seminary who are either interns like me or are brand-new pastors.
- Not feeling well and needing to take a long nap after falling asleep during a presentation. I did not realize just how tired I was getting after my long trip to Europe and three weeks in a new setting that is extremely stressful. I am at the point where I am not quite sure that I completely ready to deal with the new policies made by the ELCA.
- Rejoicing. Following the decision made by the ELCA last month to find a way for homosexuals in committed relationships to serve as rostered or ordained leaders, it was nice to hear from other people who were also happy about what will be happening. I am proud to be part of a church that has enough courage to stand up and expand our ideas of how the gospel will be preached and experienced. At the same time, I was reminded that nothing will change right away. Such a major change takes time and careful consideration to all the various consequences and possible reactions from opposing parties.
- Being told I seem to be very comfortable with myself. Nothing like a little bit of reassurance for the nervous intern. Well, I have decided that if I can make it through this year while working for a church, I can handle anything. Cause the thing that I fear most about churches is church politics, and what could be better than dealing with the explosive reactions to the homosexuality issue? Which brings up concerns about our culture at large, the sanctity of marriage, the status of families, the ability to dialogue with people you don't agree with...
Then, of course, the retreat ended at noon on Wednesday so that all those present could race back to their respective congregations in order to be present at confirmation classes or youth groups. I was no exception as I arrived back so that I could teach the 3rd grade Bible class (and the kids I had tonight were really good) and then lead a Bible study for the high schoolers. I kept the 8 sophomores and juniors on track for approximately 1 hr and 15 min. Which I think was pretty darn good. Of course, after that, we still had about 30 more min to go...But that is a really long time for anyone to study the Bible.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sermonizing
Today was the first (and second) sermon(s) while on internship. I say one/two since there are two services (hence two), basically preached the same stuff both times (one), and attempted to not preach the exact same sermon twice (two).
If you understood all of that mumble-jumble, you get an imaginary gold star for you imaginary collection.
Fortunately, I kept it short since I myself hate long sermons. That and the fact that I knew there was enough going on during the service and chose to limit my portion to make room for such things as baptisms, installation of Sunday School teachers and the official welcome of me as intern pastor. And bonus factor is that the sermon was about me. Specifically about how I came to be at the congregation. The intention was for people to get to know me and my journey (aka how I came to be at their congregation as a pastoral figure) a little bit more. So I did just that. I catered to what people would like to hear the first time they hear their new intern pastor preach publicly.
Next time I shall wow them with amazing insights and profound reflections upon God and the Word of God. (Disclaimer: this may or may not come true)
Tomorrow I will start looking at the comment sheets my internship committee members filled out to critique the context and execution of the sermon. Not too worried about presentation since I've already been getting feedback that some were surprised that I don't mumble but instead can articulate my words. Why is it that no one ever assumes that young people (since I'm a young'un at age 24) are unable to speak so that the general population can understand their words?
I must give credit to my mother, who constantly nagged me and my sisters to speak clearly and to not mumble. No matter how annoying at the time, I have to admit that in the end the annoyance was worth it. So...Thanks, Mom!
If you understood all of that mumble-jumble, you get an imaginary gold star for you imaginary collection.
Fortunately, I kept it short since I myself hate long sermons. That and the fact that I knew there was enough going on during the service and chose to limit my portion to make room for such things as baptisms, installation of Sunday School teachers and the official welcome of me as intern pastor. And bonus factor is that the sermon was about me. Specifically about how I came to be at the congregation. The intention was for people to get to know me and my journey (aka how I came to be at their congregation as a pastoral figure) a little bit more. So I did just that. I catered to what people would like to hear the first time they hear their new intern pastor preach publicly.
Next time I shall wow them with amazing insights and profound reflections upon God and the Word of God. (Disclaimer: this may or may not come true)
Tomorrow I will start looking at the comment sheets my internship committee members filled out to critique the context and execution of the sermon. Not too worried about presentation since I've already been getting feedback that some were surprised that I don't mumble but instead can articulate my words. Why is it that no one ever assumes that young people (since I'm a young'un at age 24) are unable to speak so that the general population can understand their words?
I must give credit to my mother, who constantly nagged me and my sisters to speak clearly and to not mumble. No matter how annoying at the time, I have to admit that in the end the annoyance was worth it. So...Thanks, Mom!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Internship Quirks
Did I ever mention that I like the letter "Q"? By far the most underrated letter ever...
I feel that everyone should be able to know about some of the amazing events that go on while the intern pastor. And because of this, I will begin listing my faves.
So here goes:
1. I had a flying lesson. Seriously. My supervisor and I flew from Bemidji to Fargo (well, Moorhead really) with me controlling the plane essentially after take off and before landing. And some of the taxi-ing. Be reassured that I did not cause the plane to crash.
2. Back story: the horror/inspirational stories from internship always include stories about how single people are always being set up by the old ladies in the congregation.
Complete story: Well, this happened to me on the third day after starting my internship. While at the senior center preparing to venture out in order to deliver Meals on Wheels, the organist of my congregation told me a little bit about her grandson, who just so happens to be my age. It turns out that she has been plotting and planning ever since she saw my bio in the church newsletter. And so, one of the weeks, if she can manage to convince her grandson to go to church, she will introduce us. As she informed me of this, I did all I could to keep from laughing since I thought it was absolutely fantastic and amazing timing. I held in the laughter until later, then proceeded to make the mistake of letting my supervisor know what had happened. And he likes to tease me about the young man who is "practically engaged" to me.
3. Today, while out on an errand to pick out a gun that will be raffled off in about a week, three of us pile into a pickup truck. This truck has some amazing quirks. Like doors that don't really close and seat belts that are difficult to operate and latch. While attempting to get the seat belt to extend so that she could latch it, the comment was that it was like a lamb that didn't want to come out and needed to be pulled. Not quite a comparison that I would have ever drawn for myself.
4. I tried to teach 3rd graders how to look up Bible verses. Note to self: have them play a running game first since they are all coming straight from school where they have not been active at all. Nothing like trying to control the chaos that is a group of 9-year-olds with energy to spare. At one point, the calmest of the bunch exclaimed that he was frustrated. When I asked him why, he informed me that he was frustrated because the others had too much energy and were all talking at once while not behaving. I love children.
I feel that everyone should be able to know about some of the amazing events that go on while the intern pastor. And because of this, I will begin listing my faves.
So here goes:
1. I had a flying lesson. Seriously. My supervisor and I flew from Bemidji to Fargo (well, Moorhead really) with me controlling the plane essentially after take off and before landing. And some of the taxi-ing. Be reassured that I did not cause the plane to crash.
2. Back story: the horror/inspirational stories from internship always include stories about how single people are always being set up by the old ladies in the congregation.
Complete story: Well, this happened to me on the third day after starting my internship. While at the senior center preparing to venture out in order to deliver Meals on Wheels, the organist of my congregation told me a little bit about her grandson, who just so happens to be my age. It turns out that she has been plotting and planning ever since she saw my bio in the church newsletter. And so, one of the weeks, if she can manage to convince her grandson to go to church, she will introduce us. As she informed me of this, I did all I could to keep from laughing since I thought it was absolutely fantastic and amazing timing. I held in the laughter until later, then proceeded to make the mistake of letting my supervisor know what had happened. And he likes to tease me about the young man who is "practically engaged" to me.
3. Today, while out on an errand to pick out a gun that will be raffled off in about a week, three of us pile into a pickup truck. This truck has some amazing quirks. Like doors that don't really close and seat belts that are difficult to operate and latch. While attempting to get the seat belt to extend so that she could latch it, the comment was that it was like a lamb that didn't want to come out and needed to be pulled. Not quite a comparison that I would have ever drawn for myself.
4. I tried to teach 3rd graders how to look up Bible verses. Note to self: have them play a running game first since they are all coming straight from school where they have not been active at all. Nothing like trying to control the chaos that is a group of 9-year-olds with energy to spare. At one point, the calmest of the bunch exclaimed that he was frustrated. When I asked him why, he informed me that he was frustrated because the others had too much energy and were all talking at once while not behaving. I love children.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
And so it begins...
Well, I can honestly admit that I am an intern pastor. Shocking and scary at times, but also fun. I have been here for over a week and no one has told me to leave yet (despite being somewhat liberal in a very conservative part of the country), which is a good sign in my mind. I settled in quite well and am pleased to say that I am liking the fact that my schedule is not too stressful. Of course, I get to attend a lot of meetings (Bible studies, committees, etc). Which are way better than sitting in classrooms and writing papers.
I have a large house to reside in for the moment. I really do not know what to do with all the space, but I have to admit that I really enjoy having a full kitchen. Last week I got to deal with the telephone, TV and internet set-up. I almost lost the battle with the wireless router, but I am proud to say that I am truly a child of the generation where all technology is a mere toy to be figured out (much like those poor souls who enjoy long mathematical problems or impossible puzzles where you can never release the ring from the post). But the main point of all this is that I can now watch cable TV and surf the net without moving from the couch.
Bemidji is going to be a place for great adventures. I have already had a flying lesson (thanks to my internship supervisor who also happens to be a pilot and flight instructor), gone out to some lakes and have been assured that I will learn how to curl, which has to be the ultimate winter sport EVER! By the end of the year I will probably have gone 4-wheeling, snowmobiling, ice fishing, deer hunting, etc. Nothing like being in a part of the country which is big on outdoor activities.
FYI: "Quatsch" is a German word. This is one of my all-time favorite German words to use. I tend to translate it as "bullshit" although the slightly more correct translation is "nonsense." Either option works since this blog will not usually contain too much that I consider significant.
I have a large house to reside in for the moment. I really do not know what to do with all the space, but I have to admit that I really enjoy having a full kitchen. Last week I got to deal with the telephone, TV and internet set-up. I almost lost the battle with the wireless router, but I am proud to say that I am truly a child of the generation where all technology is a mere toy to be figured out (much like those poor souls who enjoy long mathematical problems or impossible puzzles where you can never release the ring from the post). But the main point of all this is that I can now watch cable TV and surf the net without moving from the couch.
Bemidji is going to be a place for great adventures. I have already had a flying lesson (thanks to my internship supervisor who also happens to be a pilot and flight instructor), gone out to some lakes and have been assured that I will learn how to curl, which has to be the ultimate winter sport EVER! By the end of the year I will probably have gone 4-wheeling, snowmobiling, ice fishing, deer hunting, etc. Nothing like being in a part of the country which is big on outdoor activities.
FYI: "Quatsch" is a German word. This is one of my all-time favorite German words to use. I tend to translate it as "bullshit" although the slightly more correct translation is "nonsense." Either option works since this blog will not usually contain too much that I consider significant.
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