Along for the RIde

This blog post is obviously a long time coming. I haven’t written since January. This blog has a very different tone than the hopeful 24 year old you all saw as I started this new year. My life was very different then. I have so much to include, but I obviously can’t include it all. This is a deep theological reflection based on where I am in life right now, so most of the detail life event things come in list form towards the end of the blog. A couple things: 1) I’m sorry I did not write about my spring semester. It was the best yet, the best few months of my life actually, and someday I will have the strength to revisit that joy, but I do not have the strength to tell you those stories right now. 2) It is difficult to admit to a time of being in a depressive episode so shortly after leaving a position of prominent leadership, but it is also important to do so because my depression will go with me wherever I end up pastoring and it does not diminish my call or the effectiveness o...

It’s weird to think about, but this time last year I was in virtually the same place in my life. How that happens, I do not know. I do, however, feel like God is saying, “That was a test run; now it is time for the real thing.” This time last year, I was confused about ordination, knowing I needed to make decisions, and I needed to make them quickly. This time last year, I knew I wanted to be dating. I wanted to begin to know who I was within the context of partnership and I wanted to begin to know what I actually wanted in a relationship. I wanted to go on dates and see what would happen, with, of course, the ultimate goal being that I was eventually seeking a relationship that would challenge me, change me, and hopefully grow into something beautiful and lasting. This time last year I was letting go of my family; I was learning how to not be so responsible for everything that happens at home. This time last year, I was itching to get into my next semester of seminary and learn m...